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Strut proudly presents the first-ever reissue of a landmark 1974 Ghanaian highlife classic Sikyi Highlife by Dr K. Gyasi & His Noble Kings, originally released on Essiebons.

A defining recording of the era, Sikyi Highlife bridges tradition and innovation at a pivotal moment in Ghanaian music. Deeply rooted in the classic 1950s–’60s highlife sound, K. Gyasi drew inspiration from the ancient sikyi drum-dance of the Akan people of southern Ghana, shaping the album’s rhythms around its distinctive pulse.

The vocal arrangements echo the traditional Akan modal style, grounding the music firmly in Ghana’s cultural heritage. Yet Sikyi Highlife is equally forward-thinking. As electric guitars became standard in highlife during the 1960s, the 1970s ushered in further experimentation. The Noble Kings broke new ground as the first highlife guitar band to incorporate keyboards and a full horn section into their sound, expanding the genre’s sonic possibilities while retaining its rootsy spirit.

Gyasi’s approach was part of a broader indigenisation movement among Ghana’s electric highlife bands in the post-independence era. Inspired by the nation’s ‘African Personality’ ethos and reinforced by Afrocentric messages arriving from American soul and funk, artists began reclaiming traditional forms within modern arrangements. Contemporaries included Koo Nimo, who revived the older palmwine style, and drummer Nii Ashitey, whose Wulomei band pioneered a folklorised Ga highlife sound from 1973.

Like many musicians of his generation, Gyasi was a passionate supporter of Ghana’s independence movement. In 1963, he travelled as a musical ambassador alongside Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, performing across North Africa and the USSR and carrying Ghanaian culture onto the world stage.

The Noble Kings’ mid-’70s line-up featured some of the country’s finest musicians, including guitarist Eric Agyeman (who led the band at the time), Thomas Frimpong on drums and vocals, Ernest Honny on organ, and bassist Ralph Karikari - who was renowned for his innovative technique of translating the rhythms and tonal language of the traditional talking drum onto electric bass.

Upon its original release, Sikyi Highlife became one of the biggest-selling albums of the 1970s for Essiebons, earning Gyasi the affectionate honorary title of “Dr” from his devoted fans. Today, the album remains an evergreen classic, still cherished across Ghana and beyond.

The Voodoo Universe is now complete! The masterpiece combining the Trilogy 1-3 will be released on November 27th and is a magnificent work show of the multifaceted genius.

Concerts by successful musicians often have an air of church-mass: Fans pay homage to their idols, hailing them, giving the impression of following them blindly. Parov Stelar, a globally successful musician from Austria, is one such artist. Is this art of seduction a kind of Voodoo, Black Magic even? Who can tell? It makes no difference whatsoever, as to his fans Parov Stelar easily passes as a High-Priest of grooves that perfectly understands how to put them in ecstasy.

In Voodoo, Bondieu, a higher being communicates to the masses through priests called Loas. Parov Stelar manages to do so with his music. Voodoo Sonic was born and delivered with the idea to replace the conventional album with several EPs, allowing greater musical freedom and the possibility to explore the many sonic landscapes of Voodoo Sonic.

Now the Voodoo Sonic Universe is complete and celebrated with all three parts combined into one ultimate and highly demanded package. It's a Parov Stelar work show which makes it possible to enjoy his diverse sound world in all of its facets.

The Artwork for Voodoo Sonic was designed and painted by Parov Stelar himself. From the art studio to the recording studio, on to the dance floor in the form of art and beats. Parov Stelar is an all in one king of art.

The icing on the cake is the Voodoo Sonic documentary, which can be seen on all Parov Stelar channels available. (coming September 2020).

If you want to see Parov Stelar live, you will get the chance in summer 2021 at festivals in many countries following by a headliner tour across Europe towards the end of the year.

Following the success of his debut EP 'Departure', J Michael Harris returns with a dynamic neo-jazz album that marks his evolution as an artist. Bringing together legendary musicians from London, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, the album embodies elements of jazz, dance and electronica while drawing inspiration from luminaries such as Robert Glasper, J Dilla, Aphex Twin, Sampha, and Herbie Hancock.



All music written by J Michael Harris (saxophone, piano, fender rhodes, synths, EWI, clarinet, flute)

featuring

Freddy Sheed (drums, percussion, programming/ Lewis Capaldi, The Japanese House, The 1975)

Jimmy Haslip (bass/ Yellowjackets, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Lorber Fusion)

Mo Pleasure (piano, hammond b3/ Earth Wind and Fire,

Michael Jackson, Ray Charles)

Karlos Edwards (percussion/ Nitin Sawney, Spice Girls, Mark Ronson)

Henry Collins (trumpet/ Amy Winehouse, Tom Jones, Van Morrison)



Mixed and Mastered by Guy Massey (The Divine Comedy, Kylie, The Beatles)

Today, Oakland-raised and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Ivy Knight announces her debut album Iron Mountain, set for release on 15 May via Scenic Route.

Ivy Knight’s songs reflect a city dreamer creating a new world to sink into: across Iron Mountain, she conjures imagery of barren Southwest American landscapes as she recounts memories that feel beamed from generations past, channeling folk melodies and old trail ballads of the late 50s and early 60s.

Much of her work has been created both within, and in reference to the Hudson Valley, where she met frequent collaborator Deer park (fakemink, Ecco2k, evilgiane) who produced, engineered and performs on Iron Mountain.

Her latest single ‘Red Rock’ follows last month’s single ‘Headlamp’, and her recent collaboration with Deer park, ‘Black Cat’, which received support from BBC 6 Music, Crack Magazine, The Face, The FADER, Pigeons & Planes, NME, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, So Young + more.

Don Toliver katapultiert sich mit seinem neuen Meisterwerk OCTANE direkt an die absolute Weltspitze und liefert das bislang dominanteste Chart-Debüt des Jahres 2026. Mit beeindruckenden 162.000 verkauften Einheiten und über 423 Millionen Streams pulverisiert er seine eigenen Rekorde und sichert sich souverän die Nummer 1 der Billboard 200 sowie der globalen Streaming-Charts. Das Album fungiert als akustischer Adrenalinkick, der die Grenzen des modernen Hip-Hop sprengt und Don Toliver endgültig vom Hitmacher zum globalen Headliner transformiert. Inspiriert von der Hochgeschwindigkeit der Rallye-Kultur, liefert er einen futuristischen, genre-übergreifenden Sound, der die stagnierende Szene mit purer Elektrizität wiederbelebt. Wer OCTANE hört, erlebt nicht nur Musik, sondern die kreative Evolution eines Künstlers auf seinem absoluten Zenit.

POMPEII // UTILITY vereint zwei seelenverwandte Rapper von entgegengesetzten Küsten mit dem weltgestalterischen Genie der SURF GANG. Als echtes Doppelalbum – MIKE auf der einen, Earl auf der anderen Seite – entfaltet sich POMPEII // UTILITY durch eine wechselnde Besetzung von Nebengästen und Charakteren innerhalb seines gemeinsamen kreativen Ökosystems. Jadasea, Anysia Kym, Niontay, Na-Kel Smith und Lerado Khalil treten alle auf und durchstreifen die weitläufige Klangwelt des Albums, während im Hintergrund die SURF GANG-Produzenten Harrison, EvilGiane, Elipropperr und Flea Diamonds (mit Unterstützung weiterer Producer) die rauen, dynamischen Beats erzeugen, die dem Album seinen Rahmen geben. Zu den früheren SURG GANG-Produktionen gehören Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky und Playboi Carti. POMPEII // UTILITY, das nach den 2025er Soloalben beider Rapper erscheint, wirkt wie eine triumphale Ehrenrunde, die ihre über 10-jährige Freundschaft nachzeichnet. Wo ein Rap-Battle sonst Rivalität oder Vergleiche hervorrufen könnte, bietet POMPEII // UTILITY etwas Verwurzeltes und Gemeinsames – ein geteiltes Verständnis von Fürsorge, Freude, Trauer, Verarbeitungsprozessen und Verantwortung gegenüber etwas Größerem. Ein gemeinsamer Release über die jeweiligen Labels der drei Künstler: 10k, Tan Cressida und Surf Gang Records.

Purple Skies is an underground rock band from Bergen, Norway, formed in 2017. With roots in the heavy rock of the late '60s and '70s and a dark veil of doom, Purple Skies delivers drenched, fuzz driven rock that moves seamlessly between crushing riffs and classic melodies. Their music draws inspiration from stoner rock, proto-doom, and vintage heavy rock. During the recording of A Million Years, the band set out to create a sound that feels timeless yet relevant to today's rock scene. The album was recorded at Polyfon Studio in Bergen with producer Leif Herland, and the process has been both uncompromising and inspiring. Not only did he shape the overall sound, but he also guided the band to deliver their very best performances. The album draws clear inspiration from Swedish Witchcraft and their ability to bridge the gap between retro and modern expression, with roots reaching all the way back to Black Sabbath's Vol. 4. A Million Years is an album that nods to the past while pointing toward the future, capturing the essence of heavy, melodic, and honest rock with both power and precision.

Swedish composer and multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren invites listeners into the quiet, reflective world of Along the Low Road , an ambitious solo album that balances delicacy with depth. Following the success of Ljunggren s 2022 release Floreana , this new release offers a gentle, dream dream-like musical journey, shaped by two of the Nordic scene s most imaginative and intuitive musicians. Balancing sparse acoustic instrumentation with sprawling affected soundscapes, the album moves with patience and clarity. Ljunggren s compositions provide a foundation for subtle interplay, where every note and gesture is attentive to the music s unfolding. Featured guest Icelandic bassist Skúli Sverrisson s bass provides warmth and grounding, supporting Ljunggren s guitar, ukulele, and multi multi-instrumental textures. The result is a sound that is at once intimate and expansive, inviting reflection and connection. The tracks draw inspiration from nature, landscapes, and personal experience. Lille Skotland " evokes the rocky coast of Bornholm with gentle, melancholic flow, while Stevelen " captures the quiet power of cliffs and open skies. The title track, Along the Low Road," traces a contemplative path, its cyclical melodies and ambient layers offering perspective and calm. Letters Melting " twists a classical chord progression into a reflective polska, while Summer Passing Letting Go " balances warmth and transition. Brief, hymn hymn-like pieces such as Tillfrisknandet " provide moments of repose, and playful minimalism in Nine Again " captures the wonder of childhood at the cusp of youth. The album closes with Here And Not Here," a meditative reflection on perception and presence, leaving the listener in a quiet, suspended space. Ljunggren and Sverrisson have long been celebrated for their generosity, sensitivity, and courage as collaborators. Their work together on Along the Low Road continues this partnership, offering music that listens as much as it plays. Drawing from jazz, minimalism, Nordic folk, and early music, the duo s sound combines melodic clarity with a sense of freedom, revealing subtle emotional depths in each composition. In concert, Ljunggren and Sverrisson reimagine these pieces in the moment, allowing the music to unfold with a sense of shared discovery. Whether recorded or live, the album is a testament to the duo s enduring musical dialogue and the quiet, immersive beauty of their Nordic sensibility.

After releasing two albums with the UK label Rocket Recordings, the Italian psych band Julie"s Haircut now release the new album on its own Label Superlove. With a title taking inspiration from the I Ching book of divination, and a six piece lineup introducing new singer and songwriter Anna Bassy joining the consolidated team formed by Nicola Caleffi, Luca Giovanardi, Andrea Rovacchi, Andrea Scarfone and Ulisse Tramalloni, Radiance Opposition collates an eight tracks cycle that generates a consistent yet multifaceted musical journey, combining psychedelia, electronica and polyrhythms - all blended together thanks to a syncretic vision juxtaposing apparently irreconcilable factors. None of this is more evident, perhaps, than in the opener "I Can See The Light", with its sudden yet flowing shift from a dark pulsating preamble to an invigorating, hypnotic coda; or in the transition from the stoner-drenched heavy chthonic blues of "Extinction Of The Sun" to the liquid nocturnal moods of closing piece "6AM Carpet Candlelight". But it is the whole record that finds a rare balance, with tracks melting deep atmospheres and summoning vocals, synth-driven shapes and dynamic cadences, noise textures and evoking chants - all of them making the album a cohesively transformative experience. Nestled in a visual frame by contemporary artist Zoë Croggon suggesting an aura of ritualistic tension and mystique, Radiance Opposition sets Julie"s Haircut in a renovated form, at once rooted in their history and rushed to a creative renascence.

Since first meeting as midwestern high-schoolers in 2009, Citizen have emerged as one of the most promising young bands in the alternative underground today. The band signed to Run For Cover Records in early 2012, releasing their EP Young States that year as well as a split with labelmates Turnover. In February of 2013, Citizen entered Studio 4 with producer Will Yip (Title Fight, Circa Survive, Daylight) to record Youth, their debut full-length. From the first note of album opener "Roam The Room", the fuzzy, guitar-driven rock songs bleed emotion straight through to closer "Drawn Out". Citizen have called on the ghosts of Brand New and early Nirvana, creating a sound that is familiar but immediately all its own.

With Flame Folclòre, Cocanha continues reclaiming Occitan folklore as a living, political and embodied space. For Lila Fraysse and Caroline Dufau, folklore is neither decoration nor nostalgia. It is a site of struggle, where narratives, identities and imaginaries are constantly renegotiated. Drawing from fragments of traditional Occitan music, the duo composes, reshapes and rewrites. Ancient melodies intertwine with original texts in a contemporary language that echoes both subversive Occitan memories and present-day struggles. The voice becomes a chronicle of now, a way of inhabiting the present. Driven by hypnotic polyphony and the deep pulse of stringed tambourines, the album embraces a minimal, physical and grounded aesthetic. Repetition acts as propulsion, dance as function. Cocanha"s practice is collective by nature: to gather, to move, to fuel a joyful struggle around reclaiming the commons. Produced by Raül Refree, Flame Folclòre intensifies the dialogue between memory and transformation. Voices strike, revolve and respond, opening a circular space where folklore is no longer frozen but alive and burning in the present.

Introducing Whoman, a Brussels trio formed by Mira and Ambroos De Schepper and Lou Wery, after several years of concerts and sonic explorations between electronic and acoustic formats. Born from travels, rehearsals, and fragments accumulated in various living spaces, About Honey has patiently taken shape, like a collection of soundscapes and intimatenarratives. The richnessof the textures and the fluidity of the arrangements are striking. Acoustic guitars, mandolin, and tenor guitar converse with synth pads and delicate vocal harmonies, sketching a shifting sonic universe where pop energy and introspective folk atmospheres intersect. Finalized at Studio Ledeberg in Ghent, the album bears the mark of these years of concerts, particularly the tours in mountain refuges that refocused the band"s attention on the essence of the songs: voices, harmonies, and collective breath. Like the honey from which it borrows its metaphor, About Honey concentrates multiple influences to reveal a singular color: the textured expanse of Animal Collective and Panda Bear, the luminous melancholy of Fleet Foxes, and the abundant songwriting of Dirty Projectors. In ten tracks, Whoman delivers a dense and luminous debut album, both organic and inventive, where the delicacy of the vocals and the richness of the arrangements combine to create a warm and vibrant record, revealing a unique new voice on the Belgian indie scene.

Through her work across five Vastum albums, Leila Abdul-Rauf has been a sonorous contributor to 20 Buck Spin’s discography for more than 15 years now. Concurrent to that she’s also amassed an impressive body of solo work whereby she could showcase the full range of her multi-instrumental artistic and vocal talents. We now bring that part of Leila’s output to 20 Buck Spin showcasing her darkest and most confrontational material to date with new album ‘Andros Insidium’. On ‘Andros Insidium’ Leila draws us into a ceremonial descent, through the architecture of shadow itself. Unfolding like a ritual text etched in obsidian, each movement traces the violent and sacred geometry of transformation. The presence and wisdom of the feminine divine looms throughout, as an ancient and uncompromising force, in conflict with everything buried, exiled and made monstrous by the machinery of societal pressures and unrealistic expectations. The album delves deep into the dark vastness of the psyche of woman: wild, ugly, vulnerable and powerful. Sonically ‘Andros Insidium’ is a mutation of the cinematic dark-ambient, industrial and ritual folk expressed in prior releases, now sharpened into something far darker, more narrative and intimate. Leila’s vocal work becomes a new focus with a wider variety of styles and characters, exorcising the demons of patriarchal fragmentation and revenge fantasy as lived myth. In its most potent moments, ‘Andros Insidium’ suggests that wholeness is not purity or light, but the terrifying act of reclaiming everything that was discarded, and learning to speak with its voice. * New solo album of Leila-Abdul Rauf of VASTUM (also has played in Amber Asylum, Hammers of Misfortune, and others) * Dark and heavy mix of Dark Ambient, Industrial, Ritual / Neo Folk, Electronic

* FFO: Dead Can Dance, Diamanda Galas, Arcana, Amber Asylum, Jarboe/Swans, Chelsea Wolfe, Cold Meat Industry

In a patchwork of IRL sound fragments, humming ambience and sub bass brushstrokes, Bobby Ingham debuts on Sneaker Social Club with a social-realist inversion of soundsystem music that relishes negative space while telling a street-level story.

Bobby Ingham is a 24-year-old multidisciplinary artist whose creative practice across film, music and sculpture was shaped by formative experiences in his native Leeds. Having started to experiment with spoken word, poetry and electronic sound production, he sharpened his focus after moving to London. Homesickness moved him to recreate the sensory impression of his hometown through sound, using snippets of his every day experience with his friends and family as well as archival recordings online related to Leeds. The particular lilt of regional dialect became central to the character of his work — a direct portal into a personal world that could only be rendered by someone who has lived it.

Ingham’s work chimes with that of SSC’s own Low End Activist. Where LEA has repeatedly taken us around the Oxford council estate he calls home, on Angel of the North Ingham lets us stay a while on the streets and in the houses that made him. It’s intimate from the very start — opening track ‘Lynne’ features Ingham’s own grandmother, while ‘I Feel So Good I Swear I Could Fly’ finds Ingham voicing his own poem as he retells personal experiences in a disarmingly mythological manner.

‘1st Memory Of Love For DRXSJKFL ft. Pretty V’ invites Wakefield, West Yorkshire-based artist Voldy Moyo to lay down a spoken word piece that evokes the dehumanising nature of military service and those left behind by it. Where there are no words, Ingham instead speaks with brittle machine rhythms and blocks of texture, swooning synthesised beauty and any emotional shade you care to mention in between. It’s a work that takes you right into the heart of the artist — someone committed to telling an honest story from a viewpoint that seldom gets a second thought.

NEW IDEA SOCIETY signs to Relapse and offers their new album, Fire on the Hill. The band has taken on differing shapes and forms over the years, but at its heart is the duo of Mike Law (Wild Arrows) and Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man), a pair enraptured and united by the alchemical power of songwriting. With a connection that can be traced back to their high school years, between them exists an intuitive understanding that informs exactly what NEW IDEA SOCIETY is at any given point. Although the pair have come a long way since their earliest explorations in audio in the late 90s, the roots of their alliance were forged in those makeshift basement studios. For Fire On The Hill, Law and Brodsky took a more collaborative approach to songwriting than on previous releases. With Brodsky describing their process as “microscopic” and Law marveling at the particulars of the minutiae they pored over, the attention to detail and their meticulous approach to making adjustments in service of the work shines through in the cohesiveness of this collection of songs. With demos passed back and forth over months - Brodsky sending them in the early morning, and Law taking the evening shift - the songs evolved naturally; refining a chord progression, adapting a lyrical perspective, or in the case of the track Lantern, rewriting the words entirely. Thematically the album is about love, in its many forms. With each track detailing some element of navigating emotional relationships - the beauty, the pain, the loss and the hope - the duo have captured the immediacy and urgency of such feelings, tempered by a sliver of yearning that stops short of tipping into nostalgia. Now with years of experience to their names, alongside a developed vocabulary and extended sonic palette to draw from, they have created something specifically and idiosyncratically NEW IDEA SOCIETY. Fire On The Hill is them in full flight, at the height of their powers. Short: NEW IDEA SOCIETY signs to Relapse and offers their new album, Fire on the Hill. The band has taken on differing shapes and forms over the years, but at its heart is the duo of Mike Law (Wild Arrows) and Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man), a pair enraptured and united by the alchemical power of songwriting. FFO: CAVE IN, MUTOID MAN, EMMA RUTH RUNDLE, HARVESTMAN, BIG BRAVE, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, JESU

There’s a song on There’s A Whole World Out There, the second album by Canadian four-piece Arm’s Length, called “Palinopsia”. Derived from the Greek for “again” (palin) and “seeing” (opsia), it’s a visual phenomenon marked by the persistent image of something that’s no longer actually there. Singer and lyricist Allen Steinberg wrote the song wrote about “pure devotion or love towards someone that may no longer be a part of your life”, but it also applies to the record as a whole.

Because throughout this album’s 12 songs, Steinberg wrestles a with the part of life that’s been and gone. Yet there’s a noticeable difference between the person who wrote this record compared to the one who wrote Arm’s Length’s 2022 debut, Never Before Seen, Never Again Found. “This record speaks more to my life at the moment than the past,” he explains, “even though there’s still a good amount of past on it. But it’s how I’m dealing with it now, as opposed to being enveloped in it—there’s more a sense of being on the other side of it, of seeing it with hindsight. The tone has shifted a little. I’m probably just a bit more mature, as my frontal lobe is developing as we speak.” Produced by Anton DeLost—who worked with the band on Never Before Seen, Never Again Found and 2021’s EP, Everything Nice—There’s A Whole World Out There does indeed expand Arm’s Length’s horizons in accordance with Steinberg’s developing frontal lobe, presenting him as more self-reflective contemplative than he was before. He wrote the parts for all the instruments, as well as the vast majority of the lyrics, alone in his room, and then brought those initial sketches, recorded as voice memos, to drummer Jeff Whyte, who added percussion to Steinberg’s song skeletons. While the majority of the creative process was in Steinberg’s hands, it was only when these songs were recorded as a full band with Jeremy Whyte, who played bass on the record, and Ben Greenblatt that their full potential was realized. The result is that the feelings driving these songs burst and bloom with full force, building on the incredible foundations set by the band’s previous recorded output.

First new album in 6 years along with being their EVR debut album. Brett Romnes (Hot Mulligan, The Front Bottoms, Mom Jeans) produced the record along with being the drummer of the band. I Am The Avalanche features members of The Movielife, Head Automatica, Crime In Stereo, and Such Gold. Vinyl White Swirl LP limited to 250 available, Rude Records Exclusive

Douglas Robinson and Sal Mignano (both of The Sleeping) and Josh Eppard (co-founding member of Coheed And Cambria) share passions for authentic expression and genuine creativity. Held. isn’t so much a beginning as it is a culmination. The post-hardcore trio’s debut album, GREY, arrives fully realized, not as the tentative first step of newcomers, but as the collective fire of seasoned lifers discovering a new language together. It’s the sound of raw instinct coalescing with earned wisdom. GREY doesn’t announce itself so much as it emerges, inevitable and undeniable, like thunder rolling across a dark horizon.

It’s a force that feels eternal. Held.’s music feels elemental, evoking storms crashing against jagged cliffs or burning embers kindling, ready to reignite at any moment. It’s urgent and relentless, yet also spacious, textured, and deeply human. There’s gravity in every note, the kind that comes from survival turned into strength. Their sound is born of paradox: fiercely old-school in its emphasis on live performance and feel, but modern in its production and scope. Each song sounds both timeless and timely. Held. is less a band than a force: fierce yet vulnerable, raw yet refined. They play as if the walls themselves are trembling, channeling a purity that feels rare in an age of algorithmic noise. Listening isn’t consumption—it’s recognition, like rediscovering something thats always been within you. Held. carve out a place that feels both unshakably grounded and dangerously alive. Its more than music—its an invocation, a reminder of the raw pulse that connects struggle to transcendence. For those who find themselves in the storm, Held. offer not escape, but resonance: proof that inevitability can sound like liberation.

„Ihr erstes Solo-Recital, und es ist ein Triumph!“, lautete das Fazit der Tageszeitung The Times in ihrer
5-Sterne-Rezension eines der 20 besten Klassikalben des Jahres 2024.
Die Künstlerin hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, ein vollständigeres Bild der englischen Renaissancemusik
zu zeichnen. Mishka Rushdie Momen beschreibt ihre Erfahrung beim Spielen von Werken für Tasteninstrumente der Tudorzeit als „Begegnung mit einem Palast voller Reichtümer“. Von diesen Werken ist hier eine
vielfältige Auswahl zu hören. Das chartstürmende Debütalbum ist ein starkes Plädoyer dafür, diese frühen
Klavierwerke mit der ganzen Ausdruckskraft eines modernen Steinways zu spielen.
Der Titel erscheint als limitierte 180-g-LP in einer vollfarbigen Gatefold-Hülle und enthält umfangreiche
Begleittexte. Erstmals innerhalb dieser Reihe wurden die Aufnahmen von Sidney Claire Meyer in den Emil
Berliner Studios (EBS) gemastert – dem renommierten Team hinter den Serien „Original Source“ (DG)
und „Pure Analogue“ (Decca).

Nach den vielfach gelobten Aufnahmen von Bachs Johannespassion und dem Weihnachtsoratorium widmete
sich der renommierte Chorleiter Stephen Layton 2018 mit seinem Chor des Trinity College Cambridge Bachs
unvergleichlicher h-Moll-Messe. Dabei wurde er vom Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment und den
Solisten Helen Charlston, Katherine Watson, Iestyn Davies, Gwilym Bowen und Neal Davies unterstützt.
Der Titel erscheint als limitierte Ausgabe auf zwei 180-g-LPs in einer vollfarbigen Gatefold-Hülle und
enthält umfangreiche Begleittexte. Erstmals innerhalb dieser Reihe wurden die Aufnahmen von Sidney
Claire Meyer in den Emil Berliner Studios (EBS) gemastert – dem renommierten Team hinter den Serien
„Original Source“ (DG) und „Pure Analogue“ (Decca).

Darauf haben die Fans gewartet: Tank and the Bangas lassen nach “Green Balloon“ (2019) und “Red
Balloon” (2022) mit “The Last Balloon” jetzt den dritten, besonders energiegeladenen und tanzbaren
Albumballon steigen. Die Band aus New Orleans wird von der charismatischen Frontfrau und Lyrikerin
Tarriona ”Tank“ Ball angeführt und gewann letztes Jahr den Grammy für das ”Best Spoken Word Poetry”-
Album.
“The Last Balloon” ist erneut ein knallbunter Mix aus Soul, Hip-Hop, R&B und Jazz und präsentiert Kollaborationen mit den Sängerinnen Ledisi und Jelly Joseph, der Musikerin Iman Omari und dem Pianisten Tane
Runo. Das Album balanciert zwischen Momenten tiefer Verletzlichkeit und Ausbrüchen überschäumender
Energie – ganz im Sinne der legendär dynamischen Live-Auftritte der Gruppe.

Pratt & Moody melden sich mit einer neuen 7"-Single auf Timmion Records zurück, auf der ,Hard Way To Live" und ,You Bring Me Joy" zu finden sind - zwei tiefgründige Soul-Stücke, die ihren Platz unter den wahren Pionieren des modernen Sweet-&-Beat-Soul-Revivals erneut untermauern. Geschrieben und aufgenommen zusammen mit Timmions bewährter Hausband Cold Diamond & Mink, setzt die Single eine Tradition fort, die schon immer die Grenze zwischen zeitgenössischem Songwriting und zeitloser Soul-Ästhetik verwischt hat. Die A-Seite, ,Hard Way To Live", zeigt Pratt & Moody ganz in ihrem Element der Beat-Balladen. Aufgebaut auf einem warmen, funkigen Fundament, schafft der Song ein Gleichgewicht zwischen emotionaler Tiefe und melodischer Leichtigkeit, während der Refrain in Crossover-Soul-Pop-Gefilde übergeht. Textlich setzt er sich mit den Narben des Lebens und der stillen Schwierigkeit auseinander, den Schmerz loszulassen, den sie verursachen - das Gefühl, weiterzulaufen, selbst wenn man das Letzte von dem, was man hatte, bereits aufgebraucht hat. Auf der B-Seite entfaltet sich ,You Bring Me Joy" wie eine langsam brennende David-Lynch-Szene; sein dramatischer Einlauf erinnert an Soundtrack-Soul, bevor er in einen von den Staple Singers der Stax-Ära inspirierten Refrain übergeht. Tremolo-getränkte Gitarrenlinien verweisen auf klassische Dark-Surf-Musik, während Emilia Siscos gospelartige Hintergrundstimme an Mavis Staples erinnert und den Track zu voller emotionaler Entfaltung bringt. Zusammen bieten diese beiden Songs einen lebendigen Vorgeschmack auf das kommende Album von Pratt & Moody - ein tieferes Eintauchen in gefühlvolles Storytelling, ihre bewährten Lowrider-Soul-Fähigkeiten und moderne Klarheit, das bald bei Timmion Records erscheinen wird.

zake has long mastered the art of go-slow pacing with gradual changes in the density and timbre of his synths. Here, four extended ambient pieces unfold through slow-moving synth layers and sustained tonal clusters shaped by hospital room stillness on this new one from the ever present ambient don, zake. 'Hh I' opens with low-frequency drones and faint harmonic shifts that hover without a rhythmic anchor. 'Hh II' introduces higher tones with subtle detuning, creating tension. 'Hh III' darkens through thicker layering and reduced harmonic movement while 'Hh IV' thins the texture with long decay tails. Another immersive gem.

Never Sleep charity tape series lands in the Athens on Spree for an era defying multi genre workout from 2005.

Prototype Reaktor methodologist Errorsmith blows the dub techno expectations away with a mix released on his website and limited CDR that aligns itself as much with early Jackmaster or Diplo sensibilities as much as it does "Ron Hardy - Live at the AKA" purist panache.

Recorded rapid fire Errorsmith sets the trends with liquid gold Dancehall, Jitterbug club, Grime and acidic Ragga.

Challenging any Traxsource ambassadorship, complex concordance for the Soulsee pundit. Covalent bonding tones with granular paced blends, mystical loop rearrangements, combilising genre metamorphosis and "DANCE ON THE KITCHEN TABLE" NRG. Errorsmith switches gears, sets the expectations high and flows like the river Fuldas on a summer's evening

A beautiful nano moment that allowed Berlin to breathe from a different musical atmosphere and dance to a less fixated rhythm.

All proceeds go to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) who provide humanitarian care in crisis situations across the globe.

Blending Afro-Uruguayan traditions with rock, soul, jazz, and funk, Ruben Rada has shaped the music scenes of Uruguay and Argentina from the 1960s to the present. Alongside Eduardo Mateo, he pioneered candombe-beat during his time with the legendary band El Kinto. In the early 1970s, he fused Afrobeat with rock in the trailblazing group Totem and later helped define the distinctive jazz fusion sound of Opa-collaborating with the Fattoruso brothers and Airto Moreira during his years in the United States. In the 1980s, Rada settled in Buenos Aires and assembled a powerhouse band featuring top talent from both Uruguay and Argentina. Together, they created a series of unforgettable albums that fused candombe with jazz and rock-marking one of the most celebrated periods of his career. Adar Nebur, originally released in 1984, captures Rada and his band at their peak. Backed by a stunning horn section, they blend Latin rhythms with jazz, soul, and the new wave sounds of the '80s. Now, more than forty years later, this hidden gem is being released internationally for the first time.

Hässliche Musik für hässliche Zeiten - Pornscars aus Berlin machen keine schöne Musik - sie machen ehrliche. Zwischen Punk, Hardcore und Garage entsteht ein Sound, der eher wie ein Kontrollverlust klingt als ein Konzept. Murder Garage Punk Rock nennen sie das selbst. Roh, laut und ohne Interesse daran, irgendwem zu gefallen. Inhaltlich geht es um das, was unter der Oberfläche brodelt: Paranoia, Gewalt, verzerrte Wahrnehmung und die erstaunlich kurze Strecke vom zivilisierten Menschen zum aggressiven Mob. Victimless Crimes ist weniger eine Frage als eine Ansage. Die Platte zerlegt die bequeme Lüge, dass es Taten ohne Opfer gibt - und zeigt, wie leicht Menschen ihre eigene Realität zurechtbiegen, bis alles ,okay" wirkt. Pornscars liefern keine Lösungen. Sie halten dir den Kopf unter Wasser und schauen, wie lange du ruhig bleibst. 180g green marbled vinyl, 300 Stück ww, handnummeriert mit Einleger

Back to back deep roots here. Both sides produced by Niney the Observer on one of Augustus Pablo's all time masterpieces, the 555 Crown Street rhythm. The A-side is Johnny Clarke chanting out "Warrior", then flip it over for Ranking Trevor, one of the most underrated deejays ever, breezing out over a dubbed cut with plenty of our beloved bleeps. These were undoubtedly dubplates at the time they were made in the '70s, but both first released later, the Johnny Clarke on CD in the 1990's, and the Ranking Trevor actually much earlier in 1979, when the late great Dave Hendley released it on his Sufferers Heights label. Both tunes have been issued in a couple forms since, but not in quite a while, and we just love them and felt they were too good to remain unavailable; top shelf essential material.

Błoto’s bold 2020 debut brought forth three albums in just twelve months. This prolific creative burst, followed by an ongoing tour and involvement in other projects, meant that fans had to wait over three years for the next release. During this time, new ideas took shape, and the vision for their fourth LP crystallized. The wait for Błoto's new album is nearly over. As always, autumn signals the arrival of Grzybnia (Mycelium).

The idea for the album had been simmering within the band since the release of Kwasy i zasady and finally took shape in late January 2023 at Warsaw's Studio Pasterka, under the careful guidance of Piotr Zabrodzki. It was by far the most fruitful session in the group's history, with ideas flowing in abundance. The chosen tracks not only resulted in two well-received singles, Szlam / Ścieki and Bakteria, but also provided enough material for an EP set to drop next year.

The seemingly chemical title of the album Kwasy i zasady (Acids and Bases) ultimately referred to interpersonal relationships, describing traits that prevent harmony. The album embodied the polarization of societies in the 21st century. The metaphor of Grzybnia (Mycelium) goes a step further. It emphasizes the importance of cooperation as a fundamental skill that can yield various results (fruits, fungi)—both good and bad. Above all, it underscores the power of collective action beyond divisions.

In a complex, unstable modern world that is breaking apart into pieces, the concept of mycelium offers a powerful model. Mycelium thrives in degraded, seemingly lifeless environments created by humans. A key aspect of the broader significance of mycelium is that cooperation benefits all involved parties, where each contributes something and receives something in return. Mycelium is a symbiont, meaning it forms a symbiotic relationship with certain tree species through mycorrhiza, where the roots of the trees and the mycelium exchange essential life-sustaining substances. This results in mutual benefits. The world of mycelium exemplifies cooperation.

A single mushroom, like a person, dies, but mycelium endures, much like humanity itself. Thus, similar to culture, it is immortal. Błoto operates in a manner akin to mycelium. It undoubtedly belongs to the underground realm, embodying the essence of the underground. It is also a destructor of music. In what sense? The Polish Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk noted in her book Primeval and Other Times that “... Mycelium thrives by drawing the last remnants of life from what dies, decomposes, and seeps into the earth. Mycelium is the life of death, the life of decay, the life of what has died.” In the same way, Latarnik, Cancer G, Wuja HZG, and OlafSaxx, through their collaboration, process cultural products to create entirely new and surprising combinations. The result of this work is both edible and poisonous mushrooms, manifested in the form of fat beats, house, spiritual jazz, improvised music, illbient, organic techno, and genre-defying electronics.

The peak mushroom season in Poland occurs in autumn, which is why Grzybnia will be released on October 11, 2024, via Astigmatic Records.

The album has 17 tracks and features many well known musicians that are currently active on the recording and gig circuits. The artwork is very eye catching and the songs comprehensive despite being multi genre. There is a musicians profiles booklet insert in the vinyl and only the front cover can be seen online, the rest of the artwork is appealing to collectors.

Born in Louisiana, Jerry lee Lewis fused country, blues, and gospel into a fearless new sound, and then played it like his life depended on it.

Nicknamed The Killer, he didn’t just perform rock ’n’ roll, he attacked it. This hard-hitting compilation gathers his greatest hits, including

“Great Balls Of Fire,” Hello Josephine,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “High School Confidential,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” ….and many more.

Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2016 haben die Londoner High Vis ihre Palette an progressivem Hardcore mit Nuancen von Post-Punk, Brit-Pop, Neopsychedelia und sogar Madchester-Groove verfeinert und einen Mittelweg zwischen Hooks und Wut, Melodien und Moshpits gefunden. Sänger Graham Sayle beschreibt ihr drittes Album Guided Tour als eine Achse der konkurrierenden Kräfte: "Es versucht, eine hoffnungsvolle Platte zu sein, während es gleichzeitig wütend macht." Die Band, die von Schlagzeuger Edward 'Ski' Harper, Bassist Jack Muncaster und den Gitarristen Martin MacNamara und Rob Hammaren komplettiert wird, ist tief in der britischen und irischen DIY-Hardcore-Szene verwurzelt und wird von Rastlosigkeit und rechtschaffener Wut gleichermaßen inspiriert. Die 11 Songs des Albums umfassen das gesamte Spektrum zeitgenössischer Gitarrenmusik, die durch Erfahrung, Kameradschaft und gesellschaftliche Frustrationen geschärft wurde. Von schwungvollem Streetpunk ("Drop Me Out", "Mob DLA") über schrillen Indie-Spott ("Worth The Wait", "Deserve It") bis hin zu Heavy Alt ("Feeling Bless", "Fill The Gap") und shoegazeartigem Spoken Word ("Untethered") - die Chemie der Gruppe verwandelt jeden Stil in ihre einzigartige Intensität.

Limitierte Neuauflage des Debütalbums von Smoove & Turrell: "Antique Soul" aus 2009. Roh und retro, eine zeitlose Kombination aus Live-Instrumentierung und modernster Technologie. Fetter Funk, erstklassige Beats & Breaks, Northern Soul und mitreißende 1960er-Jams – mit Einflüssen von Mark Ronson, dem soulliebenden Modfather Paul Weller und dem frühen, erzählerischen Bowie aus der Zeit von "London Boys", vermischt mit den Breakbeats der letzten Jahrzehnte. Liner Notes von Funk-Kenner Craig Charles (BBC Radio 6).

Vinyl reissue of the debut album from underground legends CEREMONIUM.
Originally released in 1995, “Into the Autumn Shade” is a landmark of ominous underground death metal, remastered for vinyl by Dan Lowndes in Resonance Sound Studio for analogue audio perfection.

The Portcullis draws on dungeon-synth textures, medieval ambience, and the imaginative pull of folklore. Taking the listener on a focused journey through shifting eras, symbols, and atmospheres. It plays like a lost fantasy soundtrack, inviting the listener into an adventure that feels both ancient and newly invented.
Released on Fire Records, ‘The Portcullis’ sees composer Graham Reynolds on an ancestral journey back to Launceston Castle.
"For The Portcullis, I took a deep dive into the history of my family’s patrilineal side. Starting with my grandfather, an ironworker who built the Hartford Cathedral, to my great great great Grandmother, who was a galley cook on a Welsh sailing ship, to the enlightenment era celebrity portrait painter, Joshua Reynolds, and finally to twelfth century know Richard Reynell (before the Reynolds spelling was standardized). Reynell was the Sheriff of Devon and the custodian of Lauceston Castle. While King Richard I was away on the crusades, Reynell made his name defending the castle from the usurper Prince John. I started making sketches of the scenes and stories I imagined. The Portcullis follows Reynell from castle to castle, sequentially as they were built after the Norman invasion. On Reynell’s chest and shield is the symbol and crest of the Reynolds family: The Portcullis."
Graham Reynolds creates an “ominous, stark environment that rumbles with sounds evocative of the natural world, in both its beauty and despair” New York Times.
Known for his wide-ranging versatility, from film and television scores to classical ballet, Graham has scored over seventy films and TV episodes to date. His ongoing collaboration with Richard Linklater the most notable.

Transformation, growth, and rebirth drive Ascent Effort, the latest release from Portland, Oregon trio Rhododendron. The title points upward, but not toward arrival. The record documents a period of change defined as much by instability as progress, where confusion and renewal unfold at the same pace.
Formed in 2019 while the band’s members were still in high school, Rhododendron’s Ezra Chong (guitar, vocals), Gage Walker (bass), and Noah Mortola (drums) set out to push their musical limits without regard for genre boundaries or audience expectation. For Ascent Effort, the band joined the roster of The Flenser, aligning with a label that has long championed artists who work in tension rather than comfort.

In the past seven years the trio has developed a sound rooted in technical precision and repetition. Drawing from the angular experimentation of underground rock in the 1980s and 1990s alongside elements of jazz, ambient, and progressive music, their compositions are deliberate with intensity. Riffs fracture and reform, rhythms lock into patterns only to break apart, and extended passages build pressure before shifting direction.
Performing regularly in Portland, the band has cultivated an intense and loyal local following. The live setting hardened the material. Songs grew heavier, sharper, more physical through repetition and high volume.

The material that became Ascent Effort was tested on tour before entering the studio. Written largely in sequence, the album traces a period of personal change and internal friction. Growth is not always clean; sometimes it grinds forward. Nothing resolves without cost. Confusion and strain do not sit outside the songs, they shape their architecture. That is what the band has accomplished with Ascent Effort, a work that is not always clean but well-shaped by struggle and growth. The Pacific Northwest lingers in the background of the record, its long winters and brief summers echoing the album’s shifts between abrasion and restraint. Ascent Effort does not offer catharsis in the traditional sense. It allows tension to remain. In that unresolved space, transformation takes form and a band in motion is revealed.

Transformation, growth, and rebirth drive Ascent Effort, the latest release from Portland, Oregon trio Rhododendron. The title points upward, but not toward arrival. The record documents a period of change defined as much by instability as progress, where confusion and renewal unfold at the same pace.
Formed in 2019 while the band’s members were still in high school, Rhododendron’s Ezra Chong (guitar, vocals), Gage Walker (bass), and Noah Mortola (drums) set out to push their musical limits without regard for genre boundaries or audience expectation. For Ascent Effort, the band joined the roster of The Flenser, aligning with a label that has long championed artists who work in tension rather than comfort.

In the past seven years the trio has developed a sound rooted in technical precision and repetition. Drawing from the angular experimentation of underground rock in the 1980s and 1990s alongside elements of jazz, ambient, and progressive music, their compositions are deliberate with intensity. Riffs fracture and reform, rhythms lock into patterns only to break apart, and extended passages build pressure before shifting direction.
Performing regularly in Portland, the band has cultivated an intense and loyal local following. The live setting hardened the material. Songs grew heavier, sharper, more physical through repetition and high volume.

The material that became Ascent Effort was tested on tour before entering the studio. Written largely in sequence, the album traces a period of personal change and internal friction. Growth is not always clean; sometimes it grinds forward. Nothing resolves without cost. Confusion and strain do not sit outside the songs, they shape their architecture. That is what the band has accomplished with Ascent Effort, a work that is not always clean but well-shaped by struggle and growth. The Pacific Northwest lingers in the background of the record, its long winters and brief summers echoing the album’s shifts between abrasion and restraint. Ascent Effort does not offer catharsis in the traditional sense. It allows tension to remain. In that unresolved space, transformation takes form and a band in motion is revealed.

Transformation, growth, and rebirth drive Ascent Effort, the latest release from Portland, Oregon trio Rhododendron. The title points upward, but not toward arrival. The record documents a period of change defined as much by instability as progress, where confusion and renewal unfold at the same pace.
Formed in 2019 while the band’s members were still in high school, Rhododendron’s Ezra Chong (guitar, vocals), Gage Walker (bass), and Noah Mortola (drums) set out to push their musical limits without regard for genre boundaries or audience expectation. For Ascent Effort, the band joined the roster of The Flenser, aligning with a label that has long championed artists who work in tension rather than comfort.

In the past seven years the trio has developed a sound rooted in technical precision and repetition. Drawing from the angular experimentation of underground rock in the 1980s and 1990s alongside elements of jazz, ambient, and progressive music, their compositions are deliberate with intensity. Riffs fracture and reform, rhythms lock into patterns only to break apart, and extended passages build pressure before shifting direction.
Performing regularly in Portland, the band has cultivated an intense and loyal local following. The live setting hardened the material. Songs grew heavier, sharper, more physical through repetition and high volume.

The material that became Ascent Effort was tested on tour before entering the studio. Written largely in sequence, the album traces a period of personal change and internal friction. Growth is not always clean; sometimes it grinds forward. Nothing resolves without cost. Confusion and strain do not sit outside the songs, they shape their architecture. That is what the band has accomplished with Ascent Effort, a work that is not always clean but well-shaped by struggle and growth. The Pacific Northwest lingers in the background of the record, its long winters and brief summers echoing the album’s shifts between abrasion and restraint. Ascent Effort does not offer catharsis in the traditional sense. It allows tension to remain. In that unresolved space, transformation takes form and a band in motion is revealed.

The Flirtations are poised to release ‘Still Sounds Like the Flirtations’ – their first album of new material in 55 years. They are best known for their 1969 signature song, "Nothing But A Heartache”, off their debut album ‘Sounds Like the Flirtations’. That song spent 14 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100, and its success saw the group tour with Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, The Four Tops and The Temptations. “Nothing But a Heartache” remains an undeniable Northern Soul classic; it has been streamed over 13 million times, and in 2022 was remixed by Tobtok and Oliver Nelson. On their forthcoming album, which was produced, engineered, mixed, and co-written by Ben Rice (Joan Osborne, Valerie June), Earnestine Pearce, Shirley Pearce, and Viola Billups aka Pearly Gates tell the stories of their lives. Drawing inspiration from the churn of personal, social, and political situations that they have lived through over the past five decades, they capture a timeless and well-earned perspective on love and life. The record, which features the Dap King horns, contains standout tracks, including the reflective call to action “Memories”, co-written by Stevie Wonder; the hopeful love song “Ain’t No Easy Way” and the instant dance floor hit “Didn’t Anybody Tell You”, both co-written by Grammy-nominated songwriter Gian Stone (John Legend, Meghan Trainor); the uplifting groover “Love Somebody”; and the roaring “Take It Back”, co-written by Dave Sherman (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Elle King). The recording process was a transatlantic adventure, with sessions at Abbey Road and Resident Studios in London, Degraw Sound in Brooklyn, and Creative Workshop in Nashville. Retaining the classic soul sound and melodic harmonies The Flirtations are known for, the album will not disappoint long-time fans, while also promising to bring their authentic, inimitable sound to a new generation of music.

Originally released in 1975 on Montilla Records, Fire & Sugar is a rare Afro-Latin jazz-funk gem by Cuban multi-instrumentalist Jesús "La Grulla" Caunedo. A respected yet often uncredited figure who worked alongside artists such as Tito Puente, Machito, Celia Cruz and Chico O'Farrill, Caunedo delivered here his most forward-thinking statement.

Recorded in Puerto Rico, the album blends Afro-Cuban rhythms, heavy Latin percussion, tight brass arrangements, fuzz guitar and jazz-fusion elements moving from explosive dancefloor cuts to deeper, atmospheric moments.

Long prized by DJs and collectors across Latin, funk and rare groove circles, this official reissue restores the full warmth and punch of the original recordings.

An essential 1975 Latin jazz-funk title, back in print.

Transferred from the original reel-to-reel master tapes

Includes previously unreleased track

Audiophile 180g vinyl pressing + Gatefold cover

Liner notes by DJ Bongohead

Long sought-after Afro-Latin jazz-funk