quête:de tu

Im Jahr 1988 erschien das bahnbrechende, aber zu seiner Zeit noch weitgehend unverständliche Album MYSTERY. Diese einzigartige Mischung aus Progressive-ThrashCrossover polarisierte bei seiner Veröffentlichung und wurde sowohl gefeiert als auch kritisiert. Während die deutsche Metal Hammer-Redaktion nur eine mittelmäßige Bewertung vergab, lobte das britische Kerrang! das Album als „den interessantesten Progressive-Thrash-Crossover, den ich seit Langem gehört habe“. Mit seinem futuristischen Cover und eigenwilligen, innovativen Songs stellte MYSTERY alles in Frage, was man damals von Metal erwartete. Die Kompositionen ließen vermuten, dass hier keine jungen Heavy Metal Fans am Werke waren, die auf den Pfaden ihrer Idole wanderten. Die Songs stecken voller Ideen, die die meisten Metalmusiker niemals in dieser Form gehabt hätten. Und auch die Umsetzung ließ schon immer den Verdacht aufkommen, dass hier Profimusiker aus einem anderen Genr beauftragt wurden, ein Heavy Metal Album zu schreiben und aufzunehmen – natürlich standesgemäß mit Künstlernamen wie The Lion oder Mike Battista. Ein Verdacht, der sich nach Jahren der Recherche nun bestätigt hat. Auch heute wird nich jeder Metalfan in die Welt von Mystery hineinfinden, doch we es schafft, hat ein Album fürs Leben gefunden und muss sich der Suchtgefahr hingeben. Gleichförmige Metalalben gab es i den letzten 40 Jahren schon genug…

Dieses exklusive LP-CD Paket enthält nicht nur die ursprüngliche LP, sondern auch die CD des Albums, sodass man das Meisterwerk in beiden Formaten genießen kann.

Cenk Esens Name ist in der Londoner Jazzszene allgegenwärtig, wo er sich als gefragter Keyboarder etablierte. Der Sohn des wegweisenden türkischen Jazz-Fusion-Keyboarders Aydin Esen studierte am renommierten Berklee College of Music, zog nach London, und entwicklete sich zu einem der beeindruckendsten Pianisten der Szene, mit Auftritten u.a. im Kultclub Ronnie Scott. Nach mehreren hochgelobten Singles und seinem jüngsten Album "Chaos In The CBD", präsentiert Cenk nun sein neues Meisterwerk, die LP "Endlessly". Aufgenommen in den weltberühmten Air Studios mit den Weltklasse-Musikern MckNasty (drums) und Tom Driessler (bass), gelingt ihm ein wahrhaft fesselndes Hörerlebnis.








h 23 (Live In Istanbul) feat. MckNasty








[h] 23 (Live In Istanbul) [feat. MckNasty]








[h] 23 (Live In Istanbul) [feat. MckNasty]

Process of Elimination explores sickness as a teacher for anti-capitalist modes of being; a rewilding of the self. The product of an attempt to be indestructible, this sickness has an unknown diagnosis. The only route to determine the indeterminable is via a process of elimination. Eliminate the noise so it may quieten and make space for listening to what whispers underneath, allowing a return to the present moment. Slowness and queerness as technologies, questions as answers and mysticism as a path to healing when science alone does not suffice.

London-based multidisciplinary artist El Hardwick’s sophomore album follows their experience of becoming chronically ill after years of treating their body like a machine. El explains: “After failing to receive a diagnosis, which is only given via a lengthy process of elimination, I instead turned to autonomous modes of healing rooted in mysticism and herbalism; putting aside the need to be defined. My journey towards accepting my disability is told in parallel to my coming-out as trans. I also see my non-binary identity as a process of elimination: I am neither gender, both, in-between. It is through rewilding myself from capitalism and gender normativity that I learn how to connect to my body and the earth; no longer allowing either’s energy to be extracted from. The less I sought answers, language, metrics and analysis, the more peace I found.”

"Kein Hinterfragen, kein Überdenken. Ich möchte mein Leben so leben, dass ich die Dinge tue, die mir wichtig sind, und ich denke, dass jeder so leben sollte", sagt Mei Semones über ihr gestärktes Selbstvertrauen. Die 24-jährige Songwriterin und Gitarristin aus Brooklyn hat sich durch die kontinuierliche Verfeinerung ihrer unverwechselbaren Mischung aus Indierock, Bossa Nova, Jazz und Kammerpop, die ihre technischen Fähigkeiten auf der Gitarre unterstreicht, schnell als innovative musikalische Kraft etabliert. Seit der Veröffentlichung ihrer hochgelobten "Kabutomushi"-EP im Jahr 2024, einer Reihe von üppig instrumentierten Reflexionen über die Liebe in ihren vielen Phasen, ist Mei ausgiebig durch die USA getourt, hat sich dort eine treue Fangemeinde aufgebaut und ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum "Animaru" geschrieben und aufgenommen. Animaru bedeutet ,Tier' auf Japanisch und ist die Verkörperung von Meis tieferem Vertrauen in ihre Instinkte - eine Sammlung von musikalisch beeindruckenden Tracks, die Mei abenteuerlicher, verletzlicher und selbstbewusster klingen lassen als je zuvor. Meis neues Selbstbewusstsein ist zum Teil auf die Erfahrungen des vergangenen Jahres zurückzuführen, denn 2024 war ein Jahr der Veränderung für die Band Mei Semones. Sie traten unter anderem mit Liana Flores, Elephant Gym und Kara Jackson auf, und Mei ging dazu über, Vollzeit Musik zu machen. Inmitten der häufigen Tourneen nahmen Mei und ihre fünfköpfige Band das Album im Sommer 2024 in der Ashlawn Recording Company auf, einem Farmstudio in Connecticut, das von ihrem Freund Charles Dahlke betrieben wird. Zu diesen Sessions brachte sie eine Reihe von Stücken mit, die, nicht anders als Kabutomushi, raffinierte Erklärungen einer nicht-romantischen Liebe sind: Liebe zum Leben ("Dumb Feeling"), Liebe zur Familie ("Zarigani"), Liebe zur Musik und zu ihrer Gitarre ("Tora Moyo"). Animaru veranschaulicht Meis bezaubernde Bandbreite als Songwriterin und Musikerin und enthält einige der anspruchsvollsten und einfachsten Lieder, die Mei je geschrieben hat. Die schlichteren Momente auf Animaru sind ebenso fesselnd wie wenn Mei auf der Gitarre schreddert oder ihre Bandkollegen ein kompliziertes Arrangement ausführen. "Donguri", eine reduzierte Jazz-Duo-Performance zwischen Akustikgitarre und Kontrabass, ist der einfachste Song, den Mei je geschrieben hat. Er wird von Mei zum Leben erweckt, indem sie auf süße Weise (meist auf Japanisch) beschreibt, wie sie sich das Leben als Waldbewohner vorstellt. Das vorletzte Stück des Albums, das helle, spritzige "Zarigani", ist eine nostalgische Liebeserklärung an ihre Zwillingsschwester, in der Mei singt: "We'll always have each other / I love you like my guitar / I love you like no other". Obwohl "Animaru" ein Statement für Meis Autonomie und Selbstvertrauen an diesem Punkt in ihrem Leben ist, sind es die verschiedenen Lieben, mit denen sie sich umgibt - ihre Familie, ihre Freunde, ihre Band, ihre Musik - die sie dazu befähigen, Dinge zu tun, die sie sich wünscht.

"Kein Hinterfragen, kein Überdenken. Ich möchte mein Leben so leben, dass ich die Dinge tue, die mir wichtig sind, und ich denke, dass jeder so leben sollte", sagt Mei Semones über ihr gestärktes Selbstvertrauen. Die 24-jährige Songwriterin und Gitarristin aus Brooklyn hat sich durch die kontinuierliche Verfeinerung ihrer unverwechselbaren Mischung aus Indierock, Bossa Nova, Jazz und Kammerpop, die ihre technischen Fähigkeiten auf der Gitarre unterstreicht, schnell als innovative musikalische Kraft etabliert. Seit der Veröffentlichung ihrer hochgelobten "Kabutomushi"-EP im Jahr 2024, einer Reihe von üppig instrumentierten Reflexionen über die Liebe in ihren vielen Phasen, ist Mei ausgiebig durch die USA getourt, hat sich dort eine treue Fangemeinde aufgebaut und ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum "Animaru" geschrieben und aufgenommen. Animaru bedeutet ,Tier' auf Japanisch und ist die Verkörperung von Meis tieferem Vertrauen in ihre Instinkte - eine Sammlung von musikalisch beeindruckenden Tracks, die Mei abenteuerlicher, verletzlicher und selbstbewusster klingen lassen als je zuvor. Meis neues Selbstbewusstsein ist zum Teil auf die Erfahrungen des vergangenen Jahres zurückzuführen, denn 2024 war ein Jahr der Veränderung für die Band Mei Semones. Sie traten unter anderem mit Liana Flores, Elephant Gym und Kara Jackson auf, und Mei ging dazu über, Vollzeit Musik zu machen. Inmitten der häufigen Tourneen nahmen Mei und ihre fünfköpfige Band das Album im Sommer 2024 in der Ashlawn Recording Company auf, einem Farmstudio in Connecticut, das von ihrem Freund Charles Dahlke betrieben wird. Zu diesen Sessions brachte sie eine Reihe von Stücken mit, die, nicht anders als Kabutomushi, raffinierte Erklärungen einer nicht-romantischen Liebe sind: Liebe zum Leben ("Dumb Feeling"), Liebe zur Familie ("Zarigani"), Liebe zur Musik und zu ihrer Gitarre ("Tora Moyo"). Animaru veranschaulicht Meis bezaubernde Bandbreite als Songwriterin und Musikerin und enthält einige der anspruchsvollsten und einfachsten Lieder, die Mei je geschrieben hat. Die schlichteren Momente auf Animaru sind ebenso fesselnd wie wenn Mei auf der Gitarre schreddert oder ihre Bandkollegen ein kompliziertes Arrangement ausführen. "Donguri", eine reduzierte Jazz-Duo-Performance zwischen Akustikgitarre und Kontrabass, ist der einfachste Song, den Mei je geschrieben hat. Er wird von Mei zum Leben erweckt, indem sie auf süße Weise (meist auf Japanisch) beschreibt, wie sie sich das Leben als Waldbewohner vorstellt. Das vorletzte Stück des Albums, das helle, spritzige "Zarigani", ist eine nostalgische Liebeserklärung an ihre Zwillingsschwester, in der Mei singt: "We'll always have each other / I love you like my guitar / I love you like no other". Obwohl "Animaru" ein Statement für Meis Autonomie und Selbstvertrauen an diesem Punkt in ihrem Leben ist, sind es die verschiedenen Lieben, mit denen sie sich umgibt - ihre Familie, ihre Freunde, ihre Band, ihre Musik - die sie dazu befähigen, Dinge zu tun, die sie sich wünscht.

Depth.Request presents Lllneas' debut album, Buried Stories, a powerful 7-track odyssey through life's darkest shadows and most enlightening revelations.
This collection of works traces its origins back to 2018 when the concept of Lllneas was born. Long before the music was written, the idea and name carried the promise of an eventual catharsis, a release that would embody the untold stories and emotional complexities of its creator.
Each composition on Buried Stories weaves a vivid tapestry of experiences, shaped by contemporary events and echoes from the past. With remarkable intensity, Lllneas channels the raw emotions they evoke, transforming music into a catalyst for healing, reflection, and understanding. More than an album, Buried Stories is an unapologetic and honest expression of survival, self-acceptance, and transformation; a tribute to those who feel out of place, offering hope and validation to embrace their unique perspectives. This release marks a moment of liberation, a turning point that sheds light on an issue that deeply resonates with Lllneas: the devastating realities of domestic violence. The artist calls for courage, awareness, and immediate action, urging people to break free from cycles of abuse and fear.

Let Buried Stories inspire you to confront the untold and find freedom in your own truth.

With Ylh Bye Bye, Swiss-Moroccan producer Sami Galbi delivers a raw and electrifying debut album after the succes of his first single Dakchi Hani / Rruina. Merging North African folk, chaâbi, and trap with forward-thinking electronic club music, his punk energy and DIY ethos stem from years immersed in Lausanne’s underground squat scene, shaping a sound that’s both deeply personal and politically charged.

Driven by infectious North African melodic loops, heavy basslines, and percussive textures—blending bendir drums, karkabas, and analog synths—Ylh Bye Bye pulses with urgency. From high-energy dancefloor anthems to dreamy acid pop ballads, the album explores themes of migration, identity, and belonging. Galbi’s Arabic vocals oscillate between auto-tuned harmonies and spoken word, capturing the tensions of diaspora life.

Newest Album by renowned Gamelan orchestra Salukat and award winning composer Jan Kadereit. Salukat is one of the most acclaimed ensembles dedicated to contemporary ethnological music in the world. This resulting album is full of unheard harmonies and beautifully intertwined melodies. It ranges from meditative pieces rich in sounds to burstful, highly joyous and energetic pieces that bring out the skill of the virtuosic musicians. They seem to effortlessly bend the fow of time, seemingly dancing through multiple rhythms like on the title track Ashira. In the same composition, the differently tuned sets of instruments are combined to create colors that no other ensemble in the world can replicate. A documentary about Salukat and the making of Ashira will be released alongside the album, deepening the immersion into this unique project and offering fascinating insights into this world of sounds.

Miramar's new album, Entre Tus Flores, is a lush celebration of the bolero tradition, blending timeless romance with modern flair. With eight original tracks by Reinaldo "Rei" Alvarez, this album marks a creative evolution for the Richmond-based band, known for their evocative string and brass arrangements, soulful vocals, and poetic lyrics. Released by Ansonia Records, Entre Tus Flores offers a rich, cinematic soundscape that captures the spirit of Latin music's emotional depth. Miramar invites you into their world of love, nostalgia, and vibrant Caribbean rhythms-an experience not to be missed!

Last posthumous recording for Brittany's HEAD ON. Six wild tracks of danger and urgency from the sons of the great bastard known as Rawk'n' roll. For fans of the Stooges-style Radio Birdman with Jeffrey Lee Pierce, who'd be happy to pop his head in; a real gem.

ENG Mamalarky thrive in the in-between, a tri-coastal outfit straddling Atlanta, Austin, and Los Angeles, crafting a sound that feels both meticulously constructed and effortlessly unspooled. Their brand of indie rock is delightfully askew-swirling psych flourishes meet wiry guitar tangents, all anchored by tender, off-kilter hooks that burrow deep. It"s music that invites you into its strange little universe, full of inside jokes and late-night musings turned into melodic gold. Their sophomore effort, Hex Key - marking their Epitaph Records debut-lands in April, with plenty of mileage ahead as they road-test new material. A spring tour includes a run with Hinds and a stop at Treefort Music Fest, where their shape-shifting sonics will no doubt translate into hypnotic, full-bodied chaos. Formed in Austin in 2016, Mamalarky"s lineup has since scattered across time zones, but their chemistry remains unmistakable. Guitarist Livvy Bennett (formerly of Cherry Glazerr), keyboardist Michael Hunter (White Denim), drummer Dylan Hill, and bassist Noor Khan (Faye Webster"s touring bassist) operate like a band that"s spent years finishing each other"s musical sentences. Their songwriting thrives on kinetic interplay-nimble and restless, yet always landing in some deeply satisfying pocket. While indie-pop might be the easiest tag to slap on them, Mamalarky dodge the genre"s more predictable trappings. Instead of settling into breezy melancholy, they embrace complexity-knotty time signatures, rubbery basslines, and melodies that feel like they"re winking at you. It"s heady but never pretentious, the kind of music that rewards repeat listens, each spin revealing a new hidden corner.

Lucas und Arthur Jussen gehören zu den gefragtesten Klavierduos unserer Zeit. Die niederländischen Geschwister gelten dank ihrer internationalen Karriere mittlerweile zu den großen Aushängeschildern der Klassik in ihrem Heimatland. Ihr neues Projekt Cantus/Rêve ist nun die Kulmination ihrer Arbeit der letzten Jahre: es vereint die beiden bislang nur digital veröffentlichten Alben ”Cantus” - mit Kompositionen von Brahms, Bach und Arvo Pärt - und ”Rêve” - mit Stücken von Debussy, Hahn und Koechlin - erstmals im physischen Format. Die wunderschöne Gatefold-LP mit sechs Tracks pro Seite zieren Schwarz-Weiß Fotos des Geschwisterduos. „Diese Musik strahlt so viel Vertrauen und Frieden aus, und wir hoffen, ihr schätzt sie genauso wie wir“, sagen Lucas und Arthur. Zu den Höhepunkten ihres gefüllten Konzertkalenders 2024/25 gehören Auftritte mit dem Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Bamberger Symphoniker, Dresdner Philharmonie, sowie eine anschließende Europatournee mit dem Gewandhausorchester. ”Die beiden Niederländer sind großartige Klangerzähler, sie schlagen mit ihrem Sinn für Licht-und-SchattenWirkungen die Zuhörer in ihren Bann. ” - Der Tagesspiegel

Mannequin Pussy"s music feels like a resilient and galvanizing shout that demands to be heard. Across four albums, the Philadelphia rock band that consists of Colins "Bear" Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths), and Marisa Dabice (guitar, vocals) has made cathartic tunes about despairing times. "There"s just so much constantly going on that feels intentionally evil that trying to make something beautiful feels like a radical act ," says Dabice. "The ethos of this band has always been to bring people together." Their new album, I Got Heaven, which is out March 1 via Epitaph Records, is the band"s most fully realized recording yet. Over ten ambitious tracks which abruptly turn from searing punk to inviting alternative pop, the album is deeply concerned with desire, the power in being alone, and how to live in an unfeeling and unkind world. It"s a document of a band doubling down on their unshakable bond to make something furious, thrilling, and wholly alive. Following the 2019 release of their critically acclaimed third album Patience, Mannequin Pussy returned in 2021 for their EP Perfect. They toured that release relentlessly and added guitarist Maxine Steen to the band"s official lineup. The band changed their entire creative formula, choosing to write together in the studio in Los Angeles with producer John Congleton , over slowly crafting tracks at home.

Sediment is an assemblage of field recordings made in the Swiss canton of Jura on a single day in August 2022. Jura's rock and limestone formations create a complex topology which hosts a diversity of sound spaces; human, more-than-human, geophonic, subterranean and extra-terrestrial. By walking and driving through this landscape curious pockets of activity are revealed to the listener. The layers of strata that make up Jura; earth, rock, forest, cables, pipes, factories, planes and radio towers inform the sound strata. These recordings incorporate and embrace these many layerings; the acoustic, radio, magnetic, vibrational, tectonic, resonant.

Over the course of a day Tim Shaw and Laurent Güdel followed their ears, they visited forests, mountains, rivers, hydroelectric plants, caves, radio broadcast towers, wind turbines, train tracks, sacred wells, man made tunnels and abandoned factories, harvesting sounds from this tangled and ever-changing soundscape. Using various listening devices they attempted to listen into the full spectrum of activity, hydrophonic, geophonic, air-pressure, electromagnetic and radio.

Sounds harvested include pieces of limestone being submerged into water, electromagnetic fall out from cell towers, the resonance of a limestone processing factory, VLF radio, the mechanisms of infrastructure, radio controlled airplanes and acoustic signals. These files are mixed and blended together to create a new stratification.

The final compositions were separately pieced together in each of the artist's studios using the collective corpus of recordings. The result is two different sonic interpretations of this layered, ancient and complex landscape.

Tim Shaw works with sound, light, and communication media to create performances, installations, and site-responsive interventions. His practice spans environmental sound art, digital media, media archaeology and walking. He frequently presents his work at festivals, in forests, caves, warehouses, up mountains, and in museums and art galleries all over the world.

Laurent Güdel explores analogue synthesis, phonography, and sound archives through multi-channel electroacoustic compositions, live performances, installations, and audio publications. His work explores the politics of sound, the means of production of early electronic music, and the archaeology of audio technologies, their infrastructures and institutions. He is also co-curator of Kopfhörer, a series dedicated to live experimental music.

Ziúr lines up with The Tapeworm for an exclusive cassette-only release featuring Kenichi Iwasa, exploring the electroacoustic realms.

Invited to perform solo at Tarek Atoui's performance series at Kunsthaus Bregenz in October 2024, Ziúr decided to write a new piece for the occasion. This composition, 'Turn Liquid Into Dust', was then performed within the framework of Tarek Atoui's 'Waters' Witness' exhibition as an 8-channel spacial audio piece, transmitting sounds through the installation's structure – metal bars, stones, compost piles… Composed in London in autumn 2024, its principal source of sonic material is recordings of Atoui's instruments which Ziúr had recorded in his studio in Paris during the summer of 2024. In addition, she invited the Japanese woodwind player and virtuoso Kenichi Iwasa to join on all pieces, his contribution providing a binding element, tying the pieces together.

Opener 'A Cold Drip' consists solely of Iwasa's spectral squalls. The tense noir drone of 'Long Call' features a string instrument built by Atoui. For the airy yet dense title track, Ziúr recorded an organ named The Reed Box, with Iwasa floating atop its smoggy soundbed. Closer 'Chips 'n' Crumbles' echos and reverberates with the rattles of household items Ziúr found around her home.

Driven by a relentless appetite for boundless experimentation, Ziúr has been subverting expectations since she was a teenager, corkscrewing through hardcore, metal and punk before veering towards electronic music's turbulent fringes. She produces just like she DJs, gathering a wide variety of ingredients and figuring out the most intriguing, unexpected ways to simmer them into a coherent narrative that helps listeners synchronize the conflicting messages that surround them. Genre isn't a fixed point for Ziúr, but a colour in a vast palette that stretches across history and borders, helping illustrate music that's powerfully subversive. Her The Tapeworm edition follows acclaimed recordings for Planet Mu, PAN, Objects Limited and Hakuna Kulala.

Kenichi Iwasa is a London-based improviser and multidisciplinary artist from Japan, also known for his legendary Krautrock Karaoke night as well as collaborations with visual artists and musicians such as Beatrice Dillon, Maxwell Sterling and Linder Sterling. He currently performs with Naima Karlsson under the name Exotic Sin.

The second full-length album and the fourth Asian Man release by this band whose fan base seems to grow day by day. Melodic punk with a definite edge. Great vocals! Songs you'll want to hear over and over again.

**Gangster Music Vol.3: The Most Gangster Music Trilogy of All Time Comes to a Triumphant Close**

Imagine curating a dream lineup of MCs and producers from every corner of the rap world—sounds impossible, right? Not for artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles, who has been bringing this vision to life for the past decade. Now, with “Gangster Music Vol.3”, the trilogy reaches its grand finale, and it’s bigger, bolder, and more unpredictable than ever before.

Gangster Doodles himself puts it best:
"It’s hard to believe that I’ve been actively working on this Gangster Music series for the past 10 years. The most gangster music trilogy of ALL TIME is almost complete!! And in my humble opinion Vol.3 is the most exciting out of the 3, both from a music standpoint (special shout-out to all my music heroes on Vol.3) and artistically speaking this is the most fun I’ve had in years”

Since launching Volume 1 in 2019 and following up with the second volume in 2022, Gangster Doodles has been shaping the Gangster Music series into a one-of-a-kind sonic universe—an unfiltered mix of underground titans, unsung legends, and rising stars. Volume 3 is the biggest installment yet, boasting a staggering 30 tracks that traverse the entire spectrum of rap and beat culture.

This time around, the lineup is as eclectic as ever. From legendary pioneers like Lee Perry and Tommy Wright III, to veteran producers such as Mr. Scruff and Peanut Butter Wolf, the album pays homage to hip-hop’s roots while pushing forward into fresh territory. The roster also includes established up-and-comers like Devin Morrison, Low Leaf, DJ Harrison, Quelle Chris, Homeboy Sandman, and Suzi Analogue, ensuring a mix of classic flavors and new-school innovation. The bubbling underground is well represented too, with artists like Raz Fresco, Atlanta’s 645AR, and Pro Era’s Chuck Strangers bringing their own distinct heat.

From pioneering SoundCloud rappers like Pouya to genre-bending composer John Carroll Kirby, from Birmingham’s Romderful to Chile’s RVYO, the album encapsulates a truly global soundscape, proving once again that Gangster Doodles’ ear for cutting-edge talent is second to none.

As always, the cover art is a vital piece of the puzzle. This time, Bootleg Garfield & Friends take center stage, bringing the same playful irreverence that has defined Gangster Doodles’ artwork for years. Fans are encouraged to engage, remix, and make the cover their own, staying true to the spirit of interactive creativity that has always fueled the series.

After years of meticulous curation, countless DMs, emails, and behind-the-scenes wrangling, Gangster Music Vol.3 is here to complete the trilogy in legendary fashion. Expect boundary-pushing beats, next-level lyricism, and a lineup that celebrates hip-hop in all its many forms.

“Thanks to everyone who’s actively supported and continues to tap-in. Believe & trust when I say I've got more dope stuff cookin’. STAY TUNED!! GANGSTER DOODLES 4EVER. 1LUV."

Gangster Music Vol.3 is out April 7th on All City. Stay tuned, stay tapped in, and get ready for the most gangster music experience yet.

Audiophile 180g Vinyl 33RPM LP
All Analogue Mastering by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering!

Pressed at RTI
Impex Treatment packaging featuring a 4-page heavy-stock booklet with rare photos and new historical notes by producer/author/historian Charles L. Granata



"Although Donovan had already captivated listeners with hits like 'Sunshine Superman' (a #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit in September of 1966) and 'Mellow Yellow' (#2 on the chart in December of that year), it's The Hurdy Gurdy Man issued in the fall of '68 that became a benchmark of the psychedelic era. The album artfully captured the essence of the moment with its fresh, smart and stylistic approach to songwriting, endearing melange of rock, pop, drone, folk, world and jazz overtones (coupled with deeper psychological undertones, i.e. transcendental consciousness and a yearning for an 'ideal' world).

"Musically, Donovan and producer Mickie Most made liberal use of multiple feels inspired by a wide range of styles, most remarkably the drone: a harmonic effect in which a note or chord is continuously repeated throughout a composition and commonly forms the tonality on which the piece is built. This brought an unusual and memorable quality to many tunes on the album, as did Donovan's whimsical, spiritual-esque vocals. Then, too, both 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man' and its namesake album reflect a tougher rock sound than the singer's earlier recordings."

—Charles S. Granata

Our AAA HQ-180 33.3-rpm LP was mastered from Epic Records' analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, plated and pressed at RTI for flat and silent surfaces and incredible detail. The 4-page insert features a new appreciation by producer, author, and historian Charles S. Granata that puts in context the positive effects of Donovan's clever, innovative writing and performances.

Dateline: April 10, 1970. Setting: The storied Fillmore West in San Francisco, CA. Context: Miles Davis, three days removed from his first session for Jack Johnson and, with newly recruited soprano saxophonist Steve Grossman in tow, opening shows for countercultural heroes the Grateful Dead on the latter’s home turf. Result: The initial rumblings of a thrilling era in which Davis and his cohorts would again upend jazz and popular conceptions of the genre with music steeped in groove, improvisation, and hang-on-for-your-life adventurousness. All captured on Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West.

Mastered at MoFi’s California studio, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g 33RPM 2LP set helps bring what went down that spring evening in Bill Graham’s venue to your listening room with exceptional clarity, balance, and presence. Originally only released in Japan in 1973 and unavailable in the United States until the late ‘90s on compact disc, this marks the first time Black Beauty has been issued on domestic vinyl. The wait is worth it.

Benefitting from quiet surfaces and excellent definition, these LPs present the band’s livewire energy and torrential storm of notes with captivating dynamics, pacing, and fullness. At its core, this audiophile reissue takes you into the walls of sound erected by a band learning on-the-fly the sheer power, will, and breadth of the electric jazz Davis was orchestrating and realizing, on the spot, would reach rock audiences that until that point had only a faint awareness of his mad-scientist experimentation. The sense of release and reach conveyed by these carefully restored records make it clear the veteran bandleader was in the process of a permanent shift that he’d chase for the next five years.

Given Davis was only a few months away from releasing the pioneering double album Bitches Brew, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that much of the fare here adheres to similar explorative approaches. Turbulent rhythms, provocative trumpet passages, and rich, saturated tonal colors that seemingly splash against a blank canvas take precedence over any traditional attempts at organization and melody. Davis and Co. intentionally play everything on a line with the bandleader signaling changes with his horn via coded phrases. The group speaks a common language — with each member having gone to achieve iconic status for their career contributions and technical prowess.

In the company of Grossman, Chick Corea (piano), Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums), and Airto Moreira (percussion), Davis constructs themes around “Directions,” “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down,” “It’s About That Time,” the title track to Bitches Brew, and more from his then most-recent studio works and the in-progress Jack Johnson. His farewell to the popular standards that for nearly two decades remained a part of his repertoire arrive via a brief dalliance with “I Fall in Love Too Easily,” a shortened albeit aggressive “Masqualero,” and the “Theme” finale of “Spanish Key.” Initially, Black Beauty lacked specific track listings due to Davis’ increasing frustration with listeners over-analyzing his music.

In retrospect, it’s difficult to blame anyone for wanting to view what’s on display here with the aural equivalent of a magnifying glass. Leaning in rock directions, yet maintaining an ear for spaciousness and solos, Black Beauty survives as a snapshot of a thrilling moment amid a transitory period in which evolution came fast and furious. Just two months later, Davis would add another instrumentalist to the lineup in the form of organist Keith Jarrett, and the perpetually restless visionary would blast off to a more atmospheric and arguably more chaotic universe.

Consider, then, this live document a bridge to that galaxy and a breathtaking example of the possibilities of jazz itself.

For their 21st release, Not An Animal Records welcomes the Northeast-of-England's Tom Rankin, aka Frequencies Of Love to the fold for his first-ever release. A half-step away from their usual low-slung sound, the EP is a bright and sepia-tinted affair bringing prime-time energy to the label. It is rooted squarely on the dancefloor and steeped with glimmering synthesizers and lashings of keys. Despite this stylistic departure, the ever-present driving grooves make it feel right at home.

The EP begins with Tucan, delicately shifting and changing synthesizer arps flow throughout, weaving a delightful tapestry of past and present.

The record glides smoothly into round 2 with Bpsyde pulling no punches; it has a distinct atmosphere of the old-school about it. A one-two of percussive breaks on the one hand and progressive bass on the other with LFO Arps, keys and nineties vocal chops completing the combo.

Pegasus is a shimmering whirlpool off the Adriatic coast. An antiphonal of choral chanting and female spoken word endlessly circle the groove, occasionally combining in a viscous duetto of wacky, Italo-flavored deliciousness.

For the remix, groove deconstruction connoisseur Fantastic Man gives Pegasus the Midas treatment. Riding a throbbing and reprogrammed bassline, key elements from the original mix cameo throughout the track, rounded off by piano chord progressions to complete the pensive sound that constitutes the glue throughout the EP.