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Nigerian electronic musician and violist Ibukun Sunday debuts on Phantom Limb with Harmony / Balance, a brooding, introspective take on Afro-ambient music that follows two acclaimed digital-only albums for Phantom Limb imprint Spirituals.


Based in Lagos, Ibukun Sunday has expertly positioned himself between the rarely-married cultures of ambient and West African musics. He entwines his compositions with field recordings from his native Nigeria and deeply considered philosophies of existence, humanity, and society. The themes of Harmony / Balance derive from Swami and Hare Krishna founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta and his work Bhagavad-Gita Eng: “As It Is”, a script on the duality of human nature. In Bhaktivedanta’s text, two cousins - warriors from the sacred Hindu text the Mahābhārata - and their armies are pitted against each other. The humility, self control, and devotion of one cousin against the arrogance, envy, and pursuit of power of the other. Bhaktivedanta writes that from this battle we see the necessity to cultivate and nurture our love and faith, but to simultaneously understand our selfishness and hubris. Appropriately, in Ibukun Sunday’s music, a heavy, apocalyptic dread contrasts fascinatingly with passages of light. The static-spiked, corrosive sound design of Harmony / Balance conjures darkness, but its skipping rhythmic patterns and melodic contours are made of beautifully vibrant colours.



Though Sunday excels in the kind of drawn-out elegance also found in the work of Kali Malone, William Basinski or Fennesz, and also in a magisterial repetition akin to Terry Riley or Manuel Göttsching, his unique practice, classical training, and core culture shine through in a pure and singular way. Scattered throughout Harmony / Balance are unexpected melodic antiphonies closely aligned with African music, interspersed between huge, spacious drones and field recordings.



Lead track “Arrayed On The Battlefield” evokes mythical and deific wars with hissing, buzzing synthesis that could be dystopian if not for a levitational, sunlit harmonic structure. It rolls and shimmers, transcendent frequencies alive with rhythm. Later, “Enemy Of My Enemy” employs shimmering, meditative chord pads and blissful negative space, while towards the end of the record, “To Fight With” could have been taken from a Denis Villeneuve sci-fi - the fizzing, fiery distortion at its peak gradually, carefully yields a rumbling, distant thunder as it closes. Throughout the record, Sunday’s education as a classical viola player is also evident. A honed musicality and developed ear for harmonic resonances lend the work a measured eloquence, even amidst deep, spiritual intuitiveness. This intensely personal and powerfully expressive creativity is key to the grace with which he crosses divides.


Ibukun Sunday is a solo electronic musician and violist based in Lagos, Nigeria. He has released two albums with Phantom Limb’s digital-only imprint Spirituals, which enjoyed rightful acclaim as unique and powerful works of experimental ambient music. He also performed at Phantom Limb’s 5th anniversary celebrations in 2023, playing alongside Richard Skelton at St. John’s on Bethnal Green in London, UK.

The unconscious and unknown must be really nice places. In any case, if you take the second album of Menelaos Tomasides under his given name as travelogue. A trip into dreamlike territory, yet concrete enough, a journey without target yet looking forward and looking back into familiar places, „dreamhike“ both continues and departs from the style Menelaos has found earlier, in “When the Moon Comes Through”, or his more conceptual-intentional “31 Minuten” works. As the album title - which roughly translates to “dream hiking” but also hints on “walkabout” and “songlines” – suggests, we are rambling between the real and the imaginary. From the bucolic border triangle of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands to the buzzing streets of the capital of Cyprus, where Menelaos has lived for many years, the tracks are about real places, about real experiences and emotions yet interwoven with a dreamlike fabric. Something that is just not tangible, yet substantial and palpable. Something concrete that manifests in the genuine and special sound design of this records - basically all of Menelaos’ works - his really special treatment of dynamics and loudness. It is one of the very few records where the established language of music making, specifically Techno, House, Dub, and early 2000’ Electronica, the clicks, thumps and plops from an earlier age of electronic music, transmogrify into slow movements of something new. Something that is gentle and truly personal, looking inwards. There are four-to-the-floor beats, there is wobbly bass, and dubby chords, even sublimated clarion calls. There is an immense energy in these tracks, the sheer materiality of low frequencies of a massive sound system manifested in a tiny room. Yet it is without any aggression, stripped bare of sonic pressure. It is quiet music no matter how high you turn up the volume. A rare treat, that requires exceptional skills and exceptional restraint and control on the technical side of music making. Probably it is a result of Menelaos specific combination of instinctual, intuitive approach to making music, which meets a genuine love for sound in seemingly endless loops of refinement that can lead to such a result as „dreamhike“. The elegant floating balance of control and playful experimentation manifests for example in a track that continues the ongoing collaboration with seasoned Cologne improviser Achim Fink on bass trumpet. Not only in this respect, the album can be described as a product of openness. It comes from a lot of taking in the world, of travel, of places and people met, of friendship and conversation (not necessarily with words). The deep trip of “dreamhike” further manifests Menelaos as one of the truly independent voices of electronic Cologne and beyond. Somewhat alike in character and attitude probably to what late Pete Namlook has established for Frankfurt with his label Fax +49-69/450464 (though ultimately warmer and much less uncanny) Menelaos has found his very own sound and vision. Music that answers to no one but speaks to everyone. Uncompromising yet gentle to the core: kind sounds from a kind spirit, arguably the most extraordinary and valuable quality music can have these days.

2026 Repress

Un-American Activities is the 11th Studio album by Molly Nilsson. Written and recorded entirely on location in California at the former home of writer, poet and early opponent of the National Socialist regime in 1930s Germany, Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta. An album of experimentation, genre-mashing and, above it all, Nilsson’s instantly recognisable melodic skill and empathy, it continues the songwriter’s explorations of power, freedom, oppression and its opposing force, a love unbound.
After accepting an artist residency as part of the Villa Aurora program, Nilsson began work crafting a new album from scratch in a new environment, afforded the freedom, space and time to challenge her practice and take her music into new territory. The resulting work, Un American Activities, is a love note not only to the artist who was among the very first to be declared an “enemy of the state” by the Nazi regime but also to both the eternal struggle he fought and the human spirit that pervades all of Nilsson’s best work. It is also a double-pointed poison pen letter: a critique of the new forms of oppression wielded by her temporary adopted country of the USA but also an acknowledgement of the promise it always offers but never fulfils.
Along with the novel use of colour and photography in the artwork for Un-American Activities, there are swathes of new techniques, genres and timbres new to Molly Nilsson’s music in evidence, 16 years into her music career. On Jackboots Return is an icicle-cold New Beat track that deals directly with the current situation in Germany and the resurgent Nazi-affiliated AfD. The question the song asks is, what’s the timeframe we’re talking about? Is this the 30s, or somewhere a lot closer to home? The beat is picked up on The Communist Party, Nilsson’s deepest bow to House music, evoking the early 90s Rave pioneers, Belgian 80s music and Vogue-era Madonna. Here the lyrics are direct quotes from the McCarthy-era, anti-Communist pamphlet 100 Things You Should Know About Communism in the U.S.A. The Beauty Of The Duty does to pounding Electro what Nilsson’s last album Extreme did to Metal: subsume it into the Molly Nilsson aesthetic. It goes hard.
While Un-American Activities finds Nilsson experimenting, creating instinctive music on a first-thought-bestthought basis there are still “classic” Molly moments liberally spread throughout. Excalibur feels like the Molly of old, an absolute star of a chorus refrain smudged with the vaseline of fuzz and hope, Red Telephone is wide-eyed, slathered in reverb and chorus effects, distorted with soaring melody, a heart-tugger that tugs the body upwards to the heavens with each evolving wave. Glistening digital tones wash through the album, providing a Y2K etherealness to Nilsson’s audacious Stars and Stripes reference to Wetcheeks. Perhaps the album’s standout, however, is Palestine (Somewhere Over The Rainbow), which is suffuse with empathy, solidarity and, in referencing the classic socialist-penned canon song from The Wizard Of Oz, speaks directly to the tradition of fighting oppression with full hearts of hope.

Aniara Recordings presents the second chapter of the Genius Of Time Vocal Series, showcasing the exceptional synergy between duo Arkajo & Dorisburg, in collaboration with a range of talented vocalists. A-side 'Closer' blends intimate vocals with a hypnotic rhythm, creating an atmosphere of pure emotion. On the flip side, 'Fumana Chord' offers a bold, uplifting spirit, driven by a deep, resonant bassline, joyful beats and ecstatic vocal snippets.

Anyone who’s overcome mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual barriers will relate deeply to Soraia’s music. Their instrumentation and lyrics showcase tragic romance, awakened passion, fiery desire, and lost identity - yet their message is ultimately filled with a consistent foreboding of hope. It's the band's drive to empower the listener to make the change they choose that helps Soraia stand apart, defining them not simply as a rock n' roll band, but even more: a hard-rocking force of nature.

Smutty Edits is the brainchild of Jeroen Van der Smut, a music aficionado who after indulging himself in kilos of Gouda Cheese, Fritjes with Mayo and Ban-cakes, left Amsterdam over 30 years ago for Anjuna Beach in India. Jeroen quickly got into Raving in the world of Goa Trance and electronic music. However, his love for Disco, Synth-Pop, and New Wave, where his musical journey began, brought him back to his roots. This passion led to the creation of Smutty Edits, as he decided to release carefully chosen edits from some of the most talented artists in the industry.

This first 12” features contributions from renowned artists who have left an indelible mark on the music scene. These collaborations ensure that each edit is of the highest quality, maintaining the integrity and spirit of the original tracks while adding a fresh perspective.

With occasional trips to Europe to reconnect with family and old friends, Jeroen remains deeply rooted in his heritage while continually seeking out new musical inspirations. Smutty Edits is set to release a series of records, each showcasing the label’s dedication to quality and innovation in Italo, Proto-House, Synth-Pop etc

Es gibt Bands, die machen nach drei Akkorden und einer popeligen Orgelmelodie Feierabend. Es gibt aber auch Bands, die schleifen am Sound, schrauben am Text, polieren die Solos auf Hochglanz und überschreiten das Tempolimit nur an den dafür geeigneten Stellen. Bands, die den Popsong an allen Ecken und Enden abklopfen, bis sie perfekte Schmuckstücke mit dem Gütesiegel "Zeitlos!" herausbekommen haben. Eine amerikanische Band aus dem fernen Wien: Pretty Pleas (Daniel Smith - vocals/guitars, George Clavicle - bass, B.B. Kong - drums) zeigen, dass es neben exzellentem Handwerk und Spaß am Experiment auch die richtigen Einflüsse braucht, um einen authentischen, individuellen Sound zu schaffen, der gleichzeitig großer Pop und tougher Alternative Rock ist. Die Quadratur des Kreises? Vielleicht. Aber war gute Musik war nicht schon immer Alles und noch etwas mehr? Unterstützung beim Modellieren des idealen Sounds fanden Pretty Pleas im Multiinstrumentalisten Paolo Tornitore, der vor allem für die großartigen Arrangements verantwortlich zeichnet, sowie in der fabelhaften Keyboarderin Jasmin Nagl, die einigen Songs das perfekte Sahnehäubchen aus herrlich dahingroovendem Orgelsound aufsetzte. Daniel Smith: "The record is an intriguing blend of power pop, glam rock, new wave, and psychedelia influences." Diesen gelungenen und sehr tanzbaren Mix aus Atmosphäre, Beat und Klang bezeichnet die Band passenderweise als Moody Art Pop. Das Debutalbum "In Circles And Lines" ist das beste Beispiel für diese elegante Soundbeschreibung. Der Opener "Moving Forward" liefert den ZuhörerInnen die atemberaubende Frische, die wir von den frühen Roxy Music kennen. Mit "Broke" wird sofort auf dem gleichen Niveau nachgelegt. Und obwohl die markante Stimme von Daniel Smith eine andere Liga bespielt - das flamboyante Wesen eines Brian Ferry liegt da gar nicht weit entfernt. Aber auch die mitreißende Melancholie eines Stuart A. Staples (Tindersticks) ist Smith keineswegs unbekannt. "The band delves into universal themes such as loss, heartbreak, alienation, as well as the throes of new found love.", erklärt Daniel Smith die Themenwelt der Songs. Damit der Sound von "In Circles And Lines" kompakt und groovy bleibt wie ein Hit von The Sweet, setzt der glasklare Klang der Gitarre die Markierungen in Richtung Power Pop. Aber auch der Orgelsound, der den Garagenpunk der 60s und die britischen Ravebands der 1990er in Erinnerung ruft ("Ghosts"), feiert den Enthusiasmus für funkelnde Melodien - Moody Art Pop it definitely is. "In Circles and Lines" offers a deep dive into the ways we interact with each other in romance, life, and every facet of human relationships - a contemplative exploration of love's many forms and the inevitable heartbreak that often follows." (Daniel Smith)

ercury Rev take you on a swan dive into the mystic: a rapture of ballad-dreams and emotional memoir at the crossroads of The Dharma Bums, Pet Sounds and Side Three of Electric Ladyland. A profound, transcendant trip from the psychedelic explorers who brought you Deserter's Songs.
David Fricke In upstate New York, deep in the seam between the Catskills mountains and the Hudson Valley, a richly swelling, spellbound sound emerges, eddying and flowing like the local Esopus Creek, or in the slipstream of the grander Hudson river, carrying the flotsam and jetsam of our hopes, dreams, fears. A sound composed of organic and electronic; guitars, keys, brass, strings, woodwind, drums - and a voice of incantations, tapping streams of consciousness that similarly eddy and flow.
Spiritually, literally, psycho-geographically: where else does Mercury Rev’s ninth album Born Horses spring from? This cascade of gleaming, glistening psych-jazz-folk-baroque-ambient quest that searches its soul but can never truly know the answer? A sound and vision linked to their exalted past whilst quite unlike anything they have created before?
The answer is somewhere between the homes of founder members Jonathan Donahue (the hamlet of Mt Tremper) and Grasshopper (the town of Kingston), in their veins and brains of their now-legendary tapping of musical cosmology, and the vital presence of new permanent member Marion Genser (keys), plus long-term ally Jesse Chandler (keys) and guests Jeff Lipstein (drums), Martin Keith (double bass) and Jim Burgess (trumpet). A place that feeds off the levitating mood of their last album, 2019’s expansive tribute Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited, and the instrumental psych explorations under the names of Harmony Rockets and Mercury Rev’s Clear Light Ensemble, and the spiritual guidance of avant-garde artist Tony Conrad and Beat poet Robert Creeley, to whom Born Horses is
dedicated.

Lukas de Clerck brings us the ancient greek instrument, the aulos, of which his new interpretation of long form expression is coaxed forth on this tremendous recording. Lukas de Clerck explores a niche of archaeological research in music; the aulos is a historical Greek instrument that Lukas analyzed and reinterpreted by a luthier in modern times_navigating this impression as an artwork or living sculptural object, as there is an absence of historical partitions or written information about how to recreate technique on the instrument. Lukas de Clerck has interpreted information from the rare archaeological resources and visual art of the classical Greek period to recreate both playing technique and possible sound timbres with the instrument. With his contemporary approach to drone, post-minimalist music, and contemporary folk, we find a deeply satisfying and compelling, even playful set of songs, timbral exercises and compositions. An important document of new music meets contemporary archaemusicological research via Stephen O'Malley of SUNN O)))'s label Ideologic Organ. _ The telescopic aulos is speculative: might it have existed? It takes on features from the historical aulos, a double-reed instrument of which we know how it looked but little about what music was played on it or how it would have really sounded. It's an instrument without the limitations of canon or manual, providing creative freedom and awakening curiosity. The new instrument featured on this album is ancient and futuristic at once. The aulos has no tone holes; instead, each of the two tubes consists of three parts that can slide into each other. In this sense, the metal pipes bear a certain resemblance to the principle of a trombone. However, since both hands are already in use to hold both tubes, the sliding has to be done by way of gravity and the help of a «phorbeia», a leather mask which helps keep the reeds in place. The aulos's material is metal (instead of wood), which gives it a certain electronic allure and intensity, as well as a variety of sonic possibilities and textures. It produces overtones efficiently and allows them to play with their microtonality. The aulos Lukas plays on this recording was developed at Brasserie Atlas, a temporary occupation of a former brewery in the heart of Brussels where Lukas lives. It is quite a poetic coincidence that the birthplace of the instrument is named after the Greek titan condemned to carry the sky, while this instrument needs to be turned skywards to lower its pitch with the help of gravity. At Brasserie Atlas, Lukas has found collaborators who have shared in the process of building this new instrument: the collective Noir Métal has constructed the tubes, in this way becoming instrument builders; the phorbeia has been manufactured by Jot Fau; a former water reservoir in the vast cellar of the building carried the instruments' resonance for its first sounds. The place has left an imprint on this new instrument. With all of the telescopic aulos' layers, its sonic, musical and extra-musical components are still unfolding their potential as a medium for discovery and research, next to being an instrument of great musical potential. The music on The Telescopic Aulos of Atlas reflects this spirit. In several miniature pieces, it presents an encyclopaedia of musical possibilities that the instrument offers while keeping an intense and corporeal sonic specificity. The short pieces are studies that reflect on the sonic possibilities of this instrument that are yet to be explored. It meanders, searches and interacts with itself and the space. It needs to answer common expectations of old instruments being harmonious or pleasing. It transports a kind of experimental archaeology that, by formulating hypotheses in the present, allows us to reflect on what might have been in the past and simultaneously questions concepts of beauty, harmony or virtuosity. However, in the end, this instrument might have never existed before. -Julia Eckhardt

Mindgames' commitment to capturing the essence of golden era Jungle while infusing it with updated production techniques perfectly complements ASC's approach. On these two EP’s, ASC bridges the expansive soundscapes of his Spatial releases and the raw dynamism of his 2020 jungle trilogy for Samurai Music.

From the heads down launchpad of Shadow Of The Beast, to the deep stepping glide of Phaaze, and onto the epic scapes of Cells Interlinked, ASC writes a sonic manifesto of his mastery of deep jungle. Snowblind is a reverent nod to Photek’s fascination with space jazz, while Flux is a floating groove that snakes itself around one of the most infectious b lines you will hear anywhere.

Seven timeless entries in the Jungle story book that embody the spirit of the 90s while reshaping it’s framework into entrancing new forms.

Mindgames' commitment to capturing the essence of golden era Jungle while infusing it with updated production techniques perfectly complements ASC's approach. On these two EP’s, ASC bridges the expansive soundscapes of his Spatial releases and the raw dynamism of his 2020 jungle trilogy for Samurai Music.

From the heads down launchpad of Shadow Of The Beast, to the deep stepping glide of Phaaze, and onto the epic scapes of Cells Interlinked, ASC writes a sonic manifesto of his mastery of deep jungle. Snowblind is a reverent nod to Photek’s fascination with space jazz, while Flux is a floating groove that snakes itself around one of the most infectious b lines you will hear anywhere.

Seven timeless entries in the Jungle story book that embody the spirit of the 90s while reshaping it’s framework into entrancing new forms.

The vibrant label "Bunte Kuh" from Basel, Switzerland, releases brand new remixes of the track "JeBoDa" which was originally released on the label a year ago by the trio Dan Bay, Chill Sander & Between Machines, as well as "More Rooms" - a new original track from the artist trio.
A total of seven artists closely associated with the label reinterpret the catchy and intoxicating original, delivering inspiring remixes for the dancefloor. These new works span various genres, rooted in Down Tempo and Organic House, as well as Melodic House, Minimal, and Indie Dance.
Iorie enriches his remix, paving a vibrantly painted path to another dimension, full of love for detail. Kon Faber significantly increases the tempo, distilling the original down to its essence and adding splendid and powerful synths.
Focusing on the organic spirit of the original, Olivan carefully dresses his remix in a stylish framework of diverse layers and emotional depth. With minimal influences and gentle dub techno elements, Mira Vána crafts an immersive remix that captivates step by step, pleasantly dissolving the mind.
Hypnotically, Niju takes us on a special and completely ecstatic journey through his cosmos, enchanting body and mind with a magically rich remix. Niki Sadeki fuses the darker parts of the original with a unique spirit, creating an extraordinary piece through heartfelt arrangement and powerful instrumentation. Bīsu writes a psychedelic-tinged and completely new story with his remix, plunging the track into deep club waters that seem to separate the mind from the body.
With "More Rooms," Dan Bay, Chill Sander & Between Machines add a captivating and charismatic new track to the release. Organic elements merge with facets of the electronic, inviting an excursion into the night full of fluorescent elements and fairy-tale breaks whose aftereffects slowly but surely transform into unforeseen climaxes.
The remixes and the original will be released splitted on two digital EPs and then all together on vinyl.

Experience the soulful and funky gospel sounds of the Howard Lemon Singers with the reissue of their 1977 album, Seasons, originally released by TK Records' Gospel sub-label Gospel Roots. Now reissued on vinyl for the first time through Regrooved Records, this album masterfully blends traditional gospel with modern soul elements, showcasing the Howard Lemon Singers at their most dynamic and inspirational.

Featuring rich vocal harmonies and uplifting messages, Seasons invites listeners on a spiritual journey through life's varying stages, emphasizing renewal, celebration, and introspection. Among the standout tracks is "You Are Somebody," a powerful anthem that resonates deeply with its message of affirmation and empowerment. The vinyl reissue preserves the original essence of the album, enhancing the audio quality to highlight the depth and warmth of the studio recordings.

Perfect for both avid gospel enthusiasts and newcomers, this reissue of Seasons by The Howard Lemon Singers is not just a record—it's a celebration of faith, resilience, and the human spirit. Add this pivotal piece of gospel heritage to your collection and let the timeless beauty of their music inspire you throughout the seasons of your life.

Experience the divine power of gospel music with the reissue of the legendary album Together by Gloster Williams and The King James Version. Originally released in 1977 on Gospel Roots Records, this seminal work is now re-released for the first time on vinyl, courtesy of Regrooved Records.

Together captures a moment in gospel music that is both timeless and transcendent. Led by the dynamic Gloster Williams, The King James Version choir brings an electrifying blend of traditional gospel with hints of soul and R&B, creating a sound that uplifts and inspires. This album is famed for its stirring harmonies, powerful lyrics, and the passionate delivery that fans and newcomers alike will find deeply moving.

Highlights of the album include the soaring title track, "Together," which has been a staple in gospel music playlists for decades, celebrated for its message of unity and spiritual upliftment. Each song on the album is crafted with care, featuring intricate arrangements and a raw emotional energy that captures the essence of gospel music's golden era.

This reissue is a meticulously remastered version that enhances the original recordings while preserving the authentic sound that made Together a must-have for gospel collectors and enthusiasts. It's pressed on high-quality vinyl to deliver the best listening experience, ensuring that the richness of the choir’s vocals and the depth of the instrumentation are beautifully rendered.

Don't miss this opportunity to own a piece of gospel history. The reissue of Gloster Williams and The King James Version’s Together is a testament to the enduring power of gospel music to console, celebrate, and connect us. Add this vital record to your collection and let its messages of faith and fellowship fill your home with joy and inspiration.

DARKEND is the band fronted by Animae (also guest vocalist for GAAHL'S WYRD on various European festivals & venues). After a rather ordinary start based on thelikes of orchestral extreme metal, DARKEND developed a quite peculiar artistic style blending black metal patterns, ritual ambience, dark classic metal riffs and solos in the vein of Mercyful Fate/Angel Witch and a ritualistic,hypnotic vibe explicitly created in order to generate a deep sonic & Spiritual transcendence.Viaticum flows out from the Sacred Spaciousness beyond duality, enshrouding its Silent Nature with the voice of ancient ceremonial chants, dungeon synth ambience and sulphur riffs engraved on arcane metal patterns. Combining shades that span from Mercyful Fate to Dissection("An Incautious Exhumation Of What Lies Beneath Forgotten Ground")and from Dead Can Dance("In Your Multitude")to Arvo Pärt("In My Multitude"),the album enlightens an immersive and cathartic pathway towards the deepest hiddenfields of who we really are.

"Even God Has A Sense Of Humor" is the long-awaited follow up album to Maxo's critically acclaimed 2019 release Lil Big Man. Across the 14-tracks, Even God Has A Sense Of Humor pays tribute to the mercurial nature of life and includes features from Liv.e, keiyaA, LastNameDavid, and Melanie Charles along with the previously released singles "Free!," produced by Dev Morrison and "48," produced by Madlib and featuring Pink Siifu. The FADER recently sat down with Maxo to discuss the album, which they described as having "a defiant glow, like a bronze statue still standing after an intense tornado."

Born Maxamillian Allen, Even God Has A Sense Of Humor finds Maxo earnest, full-hearted, and lyrically agile. His delivery punches as he poetically unpacks the trials and blessings that have marked the last three years since Lil Big Man, his stirring and meditative debut album. “Life is always gonna be life-ing,” Maxo says, speaking to the spiritual lessons that inspired this new project and an album process that has revealed to him the many ways in which he’s divinely protected.

The album’s striking cover features three casted sculptures of Maxo by legendary NYC-based artist artist John Ahearn, photographed by the rapper’s friend Steven Traylor. The image both preceded the music and set the tone for the record’s overall aura. Experiencing the casting process—which required long periods of stillness for form, and breathwork to avoid claustrophobia—became a metaphor about ego death for Maxo. “I had to go to a space where I was just not there,” he says. As the molding was poured over his body and the voices of those in the room became distant, Maxo’s inner world came into focus. “By the time it hardened, it seemed like the sculpture had risen to be 20 feet above where it was first— almost like it grew tall,” he explains. EGHASOH, in its aural ebbs and flows, honest questioning, profound revelations, and elegant verse, is Maxo standing spiritually tall following a period of challenges with family and friends.

Maxo’s writing process has always been rooted in imagery, observation, and capturing moments. Growing up in Southern California, Maxo spent a lot of time combing through old family photo albums, some of whose contents have become the artwork for prior releases. But his fascination with visual memento is less about nostalgia or remembering, and more about exploring concepts of growth, healing, and cycles. His artistry is intentional and deeply sensitive: “If I’m not feeling it, I’m not gonna record.” While his past records openly grappled with emotional turbulence, anger and depression, EGHASOH is Maxo’s acceptance stage: “I can't really judge nothing. I can't sit up and be mad at shit because everything is, everything is kind of coexisting,” he says.

Musically, EGHASOH is an impressive evolution from Maxo’s earlier, unornamented lo-fi projects. With an emphasis on jazzy instrumentalism and soothing, intricate vocals from both the artist and featured chanteueses Liv.e, Melanie Charles, and keiyaA, EGHASOH is a welcome and beautifully complex sonic effort. Its contributors include a range of musicians: Pink Siifu, LastNameDavid, Madlib, GrayMatter, Karriem Riggins, Beat Butcha, Lance Skiiiwalker, and more. The album was executive produced by Mount Kimbie’s Dom Maker.

“Nobody talks about the fact that we’re changing as we get older... Everybody just acts like you supposed to know,” Maxo says on album standout, “Face of Stone”. It's moody bassline meets a cinematic accordion melody that paradoxically both broods and uplifts—a fitting production choice that mirrors the song’s story. “I’m seeing how this world is chipping you and withering your bones,” Maxo says. “I’m talking about myself, talking about my bro. But it’s never nothing you gonna do that’s a one stop shop in this life. You gotta keep staying diligent and consistent.” For Maxo, Even God Has a Sense of Humor is nothing more than another moment on the timeline of his offerings of self-expression as an artist—one whose sole intention is to, in his words, develop as a human being and heal.

With a deep-rooted love for traditional Music, Zach Top is poised to
invigorate the country genre with his homage to classic sounds and
authentic storytelling
Zach embodies the spirit of 90's country legends, shaped by his upbringing in
Sunnyside, WA, listening to classic country music while driving around his
family's ranch tending to livestock.
At the age of seven, he formed a band with his siblings which set the stage for his
musical ambitions. Throughout his teenage years and early twenties, Zach honed
his craft by playing in various bluegrass bands before moving to Nashville in 2021
where he has been steadily making his mark as an artist to watch.
Zach just released two special holiday tracks and is set to join CMA Entertainer of
the Year, Lainey Wilson's "Country's Cool again" tour this year

David Gray's tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his phenomenally
successful 'White Ladder' album proved to be a life-affirming celebration
of a record that forever changed his future and which has soundtracked
fans' lives ever since
The rapturously received tour was comprised of 54 shows across four continents
- and after playing to a total of 130,000 people just during the tour's initial UK /
Ireland arena run, it's evident that 'White Ladder' still means so much to so many
people. This unforgettable tour is documented with the release of 'White Ladder
Live' out on November 24 as a double gatefold vinyl package. As with the rest of
the tour, the show features the original 'White Ladder' band line-up.
A roar of approval greets 'Please Forgive Me' as David performs 'White Ladder' in
the original album's running order, taking in its many other hits ('Babylon', 'This
Year's Love', 'Sail Away') and fan favourite deeper cuts ('My Oh My', 'Silver Lining')
before closing the main set with his emotionally charged take on the Soft Cell
classic 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye'. The encore is full of surprises: a performance
of 'Tainted Love' which is closer in spirit to Gloria Jones' original, and a climactic
reprise of 'Please Forgive Me' which builds dramatically to bring the curtain down
in style. It also includes a spoken word piece 'Bowie, Babylon, Glastonbury 2000'
in which David shares the stranger- than- fiction story of his experience at
Glastonbury.

The latest full-length from Kishi Bashi, Kantos is a work of exquisite duality: a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. In a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his critically lauded 2019 LP Omoiyari - a career-defining body of work born from his intensive meditation on the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II - the Seattle-born singer/songwriter/producer's fifth studio album encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz and '70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-'80s). Informed by an equally kaleidoscopic mix of inspirations - the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete - Kantos ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities. During the earliest stages of creating songs for the album, Ishibashi's main intent was to return to his highly eclectic musical roots, in part by tapping into his jazz background and by delving into the dance-rock-leaning sensibilities he previously embraced as co-founder of Brooklyn-bred indie band Jupiter One. But not too long into the songwriting process, he stumbled upon an AI-equipped website capable of composing catchy song hooks based on a prompt - a turn of events that quickly catalyzed the existential inquiry at the heart of Kantos. Although his ruminations on AI, transhumanism, and humanity's troubled fate indelibly guided the making of Kantos, Ishibashi nonetheless views the album as "less of a warning about this kind of hubris but more a celebration of the very characteristics that make us human: desire, passion, empathy, and love." "If there's anything I want people to come away with when they hear this record, it's a feeling of excitement about the possibilities of human-created art," he says. "Even as we're learning more about all the amazing things AI can do, I think humans will always be one step ahead in terms of our creativity and innovation. There's still no limit to what we have to offer."

Guided by San Francisco musician Andy Pastalaniec, Chime School pays homage to the formative jangle of The Byrds by way of early Primal Scream and The Springfields; the production and pop sensibility of Biff Bang Pow! and The Razorcuts; and the spirit of great singles labels like Creation, Postcard and Sarah. Although it would have fit with any of those labels, Chime School found a natural home with Bay Area indie stalwart Slumberland Records, releasing a self-titled debut in 2021, and a follow-up 7” single in 2023, to broad acclaim.

The anticipated follow-up LP "The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel" is as stellar as we could have hoped for — deeper, richer and evolved in every way. While still joyfully packed with janglepop gems, "Paisley Hotel" takes a turn toward the winsome melancholy of groups like East Village, The Go-Betweens, and The Loft, and represents a leap forward in production, composition and arrangement. "The first record was a bit manic. I was trying to stuff so many years of influences into thirty brisk minutes. With 'Paisley Hotel' I chose a more condensed palette, and I feel I'm getting closer to the sonic vision I had from the beginning."