Search:desire

Daneshevskaya (Dawn-eh-shev-sky-uh), the project of New York's Anna Beckerman, writes songs steeped in the folklore of her own personal history. Her artist (and real middle) name comes from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother, a person whose presence she has always felt although their paths never crossed in real life. Beckerman grew up in a musical family; her father is a music professor, her mother studied opera and her own songs often feel spiritual, less so by any religious connotation and more as a hymn-like, archival record of Beckerman's own past, present and future. Her first release on Winspear, Long is the Tunnel, contemplates how the people you meet impact the pathway you travel. Through songs like the poignant "Somewhere in the Middle," the lilting "Challenger Deep" and the surreal "Big Bird," the EP paints a distinctive collage between traditional songwriting and modern turns of phrase that remain spellbound in the unadulterated luster of self discovery. The seven songs read as both patchwork memories/diary entries and elegies to those in her life. Co-produced by Ruben Radlauer and Hayden Ticehurst of Model/Actriz and Artur Szerejko, the final versions of these initial demos also saw contributions from Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road (saxophone), Maddy Leshner (keys) and Finnegan Shanahan (violin), adding to the gleaming instrumentation that makes each song sound like a world within itself. Long is the Tunnel is filled with hyperreal imagery that denotes a form of escapism: two of the songs reference birds, which Beckerman describes as about being transfixed by something you can't take your eyes o‑ while also being able to leave at will. Long is the Tunnel prolongs this feeling of being completely immersed: by desire, emotion, and fantasy, though the somber melancholy of her love songs are often more manifestations to her internal self than anyone else.

A tech company's "senior spirit guide" finally comes to the defense of the "financially unsuccessful" Vincent van Gogh; wonders of the natural world are reimagined as "muster points for brainstorming innovators"; the "artificial char lines" on fast-food burgers are cited as if signs of the apocalypse. For the better part of three decades, Aesop Rock has used the syntax of the moment to pinpoint the fault lines in that moment's supposedly solid foundation. With his tenth album, Integrated Tech Solutions, Aes wields insidious corporatespeak as a tool to pry that parasitic worldview away from the parts of life that truly matter. A concept album about an organization offering "lifestyle- and industry-specific applications designed to curate a desired multi-experience," Integrated Tech Solutions picks apart the charlatan language that hears app inventors put themselves on continuums starting with cavemen and continuing through da Vinci. On "Mindful Solutionism," the wheel evolves seamlessly into modern agriculture - and then into atomic bombs, Agent Orange, cigarettes, and surveillance cameras. In a rare moment of transparency, the engineers Aes give voice to sum up this spiral in just a few words: "We cannot be trusted with the stuff that we come up with." Appropriately, the album sounds like the past and future at once. Largely self-produced, Integrated Tech Solutions catches Aes at his leanest and most innovative, leveraging "SolutionismÖs careening bounce against the wistful "By the River" or the slow creep of "Salt and Pepper Squid." The effect is a record that sounds itself like an organism growing, mutating, hurtling toward profitability - and then destruction. As fans have come to expect, Aes is cuttingly funny and slyly profound at once, whether recounting a childhood restaurant run-in with Mr. T ("100 Feet Tall") or quipping, on "Pigeonometry," that "white dove is a pigeon - you motherfuckers is bigots." At the same time, Integrated Tech Solutions is working on another parallel project: tracing the sprawl of modernity and cutting directly to its core. "I've been doing laps of the lost worlds," he raps on "All City Nerve Map," sounding at once wearied and reinvigorated. "I can draw a map to the raw nerve."

Zero Years Kid is the alter ego of Joachim Badenhorst, one of the most fascinating and adventurous Belgian jazz musicians from the last 2 decades. He plays with the international band Carate Urio Orchestra but also as musician with Naima Joris or Chantal Acda.
Zero Years Kid started of as a solo project, but has grown into a full and organic live band.

Badenhorst sees Zero Years Kid as a kindergarten to explore other ideas and interests besides of jazz. Together with Jan de Vroede, Lennart Heyndels and Erik Heestermans he brings a colorful amalgam of hip-hop, pop, dance and r&b with playful and poetic lyrics in his native language: Dutch. Next to his clarinet and sax he adds samples and electronica which results in a surprising fantasy world where it is wonderful to wander.

In 2019 debut album Ongerijmde Rijmen was released. Successor Geen Grenzen is ready and will be released on November 10th of this year on Klein. Geen Grenzen is an ode to breaking boundaries, to color outside the lines and to don’t get hung up on expectations.
The title track is a rework of No Limits by 2Unlimited. The song got translated, slowed-down and distorted to the universe of Zero Years Kid. The album is a poetic and humorous trip with a melancholic twist, and themes like the covid pandemic, intense arguments that are forgiven, writers-block, desire and love.

“A piece of music never truly comes to An end. Revisiting a theme illustrates this idea that life goes on.” These are the words of Wayne Shorter, uttered in 2018 upon the release of Emanon, his final opus. On this record, the octogenarian uses dusky hues to shade in the passions of his youth - drawing and science-fiction, as well as the causes he has defended all his life - the fight against ecological upheaval and structural racism. This sentiment did not fail to resonate with Julien Lourau, who has reached a stage in life where he has begun to look back over certain pages written by the man he has always considered one of the masters of his trade. Five years later, this Parisian native has also chosen to revisit his glory days, offering reworked versions of specific tracks composed by his titular elder throughout the 80s. “When I play this music, I find myself back in my teenage bedroom. These are my standards, and they remind me of autumn in Rambouillet.” At that time, after practising his scales, Julien would also play Dungeons & dragons, and immerse himself in SF as well as heroic fantasy - epic influences which are not without a certain connection to the dreamworlds Shorter conjured up, as another fan of landscapes beyond the grasp of reality.

This album features four themes taken from Atlantis, which came out in 1985, and two from Joy Ryder, released three years later. To these, he has added a composition penned at around the same time for Sportin’ Life, the penultimate LP by Weather Report. This is rounded off by a tune taken

from Native Dancer, the record which, ten years earlier, in 1975, brought together this saxophonist who learnt his trade alongside Art Blakey, before joining Miles’ second quintet, and Brazilian Milton Nascimento.

“Between Native Dancer and Atlantis, Shorter did not release anything under his own name, but he took the time and care to really perfect his writing. Upon his return, he injected a very Brazilian form of subtlety into his compositions, especially rhythmically. And from a harmonic point of view, these themes are extremely sophisticated, and reveal truly singular colours. In fact, he decided to display the score as if it constituted the liner notes of Atlantis.”

Julien Lourau is a fan of every Wayne Shorter era, from his Blue Note days, where Mr Gone defined the bases of a truly unique repertoire, all the way to his final quartet - a reference like no other. He decided to focus on this “highly electric” period, which is not necessarily Shorter’s best known, nor his most widely appreciated - despite being a unanimous reference, Shorter has nonetheless never had a direct descendent. In Lourau’s line of sight there lies a desire to focus on typically South American tonic accents which characterise this repertoire, twinned with the ambition to switch up their actual sound “by attempting to open up onto a production highly influenced by eighties fusion". However, he admits that modifying the structures of these most unique of worlds constituted a fresh challenge. “There’s this labyrinthine harmonic system where you’ve no idea how it holds together, but where it’s actually impossible to touch the slightest element without the whole edifice wavering. It is in fact a very difficult thing to achieve!”

In order to successfully transcribe all this creativity free of obstacles, Julien Lourau once again called upon the help of Mathieu Debordes. From January 2023 onwards, Mathieu endeavoured to break down all the musical elements, on paper, before creating any actual music. The record was therefore constructed on the faith of these scores, without necessarily transiting through a creative residency - just two live gigs, to make sure the setup worked. Besides Mathieu Debordes and his synthesisers, Julien Lourau has assembled an ad hoc team by his side. On the bass, according to the track, we can hear erstwhile companion Sylvain Daniel or a new acolyte on the fretless bass, Joan Eche Puig.

Stéphane Edouard, on percussion, even dives headfirst into an unlikely proto-rap of sorts, on Pearl On The Half Shell (where, on the original version, Bobby McFerrin adjusted his interventions in a rather madcap style). Aesthete and drummer Jim Hart as well as pianist Leo Jassef also figure on this release - both were present on previous project devoted to label

CTI. “At sixteen, I wanted to sound like Michael Brecker rather than Ben Webster - that was equated with modernity in those days”, adds Julien with a smile, as for him, all this rings out a little like a logical next step, a joyful immersion into the fountain of youth. And if, for this record, he plays the soprano more than ever, the saxophone Shorter set in his sights on, he never tries to replicate an unattainable ideal note by note. What would be the point?

“Wayne Shorter is not just a saxophonist’s saxophonist. In fact, I don’t know a single person who has risen to challenge of his solos. I have not done it myself either, but on the other hand, I have retained a lot of his phraseology. His way of approaching the instrument reveals a more evanescent language, a work on colour and shape. Keeping this in mind has allowed me to gravitate towards certain elements, that in hindsight, I find echoes of in my work, even in Groove Gang.” Shorter etches out these phrases, creating a groove within which Lourau had traced subtle punctuation, managing, from a highly written base, to create fresh apertures, promises of a great escape. Emblematic of this standpoint, his regal version of Ponte de Areia, originally a wonderful dialogue between Milton Nascimento and Wayne Shorter. Here, the Frenchman takes liberties with the original melodies, without ever growing distant from the original spirit, extending one section with delicacy, offering a rubato development and then a groove “like a little suite”. Julien Lourau also renews with an accomplice from last century, Magic Malik, who lends his high-pitched vocals to the track. Though they had not recorded together for more than twenty years, the two of them got on as if they had only ceased collaborating yesterday, everything flowed naturally. The track was wrapped up in just one take, much like other themes, such as opener Who Goes There where the flautist deploys smooth, enchanted and smoky wisps.

Fundamentally, reflecting of the sleeve which features a child playing with a ball, image that could symbolise the sun just as much as the moon, Julien Lourau manages to translate the ambiguous candour which characterizes Shorter’s work - solar and crepuscular at the same time, that of a visionary and poet definitively situated outside of all chronology, but with whom Julien shares surprising and ‘timely’ coincidences. Shorter was born August 25, 1933, the same day as Julien’s father, “if we take time zones into account”, and who died on Lourau’s birthday, March 2, 2023. Should we take this as a random fact? Or could we not see here the sign of a destiny connecting the agnostic Frenchman to the man who, as a fervent Buddhist, believed in the transmission of his spiritual flow ?

A tech company's "senior spirit guide" finally comes to the defense of the "financially unsuccessful" Vincent van Gogh; wonders of the natural world are reimagined as "muster points for brainstorming innovators"; the "artificial char lines" on fast-food burgers are cited as if signs of the apocalypse. For the better part of three decades, Aesop Rock has used the syntax of the moment to pinpoint the fault lines in that moment's supposedly solid foundation. With his tenth album, Integrated Tech Solutions, Aes wields insidious corporatespeak as a tool to pry that parasitic worldview away from the parts of life that truly matter.



A concept album about an organization offering "lifestyle- and industry-specific applications designed to curate a desired multi-experience," Integrated Tech Solutions picks apart the charlatan language that hears app inventors put themselves on continuums starting with cavemen and continuing through da Vinci. On "Mindful Solutionism," the wheel evolves seamlessly into modern agriculture—and then into atomic bombs, Agent Orange, cigarettes, and surveillance cameras. In a rare moment of transparency, the engineers Aes give voice to sum up this spiral in just a few words: "We cannot be trusted with the stuff that we come up with."



Appropriately, the album sounds like the past and future at once. Largely self-produced, Integrated Tech Solutions catches Aes at his leanest and most innovative, leveraging "Solutionism"'s careening bounce against the wistful "By the River" or the slow creep of "Salt and Pepper Squid." The effect is a record that sounds itself like an organism growing, mutating, hurtling toward profitability-and then destruction. As fans have come to expect, Aes is cuttingly funny and slyly profound at once, whether recounting a childhood restaurant run-in with Mr. T ("100 Feet Tall") or quipping, on "Pigeonome- try," that "white dove is a pigeon-you motherfuckers is bigots." At the same time, Integrated Tech Solutions is working on another parallel project: tracing the sprawl of modernity and cutting directly to its core. "I've been doing laps of the lost worlds," he raps on "All City Nerve Map," sounding at once wearied and reinvigorated. "I can draw a map to the raw nerve."






[f] Kyanite Toothpick [feat. Hanni El Khatib]




[k] Bermuda [feat. Lealani Teano]


[n] Forward Compatibility Engine [feat. Rob Sonic]



[r] Black Snow [feat. Nikki Jean]

Industrial hard Techno at the frontier of Hardcore... massive !

Prisoners Of Love And Hate' is an offering to community, to desires that imprison and liberate, to people in all their divinity and ugliness. Apostille - aka Night School Records’ captain Michael Kasparis - presents is third album with a bang, a bursting ball of NRG, empathy and bristling living.
Like its predecessor 'Choose Life', 'Prisoners…' was recorded at Full Ashram Celestial Garden in Glasgow with Lewis Cook (Free Love) through 2022. A nine song treatise on pop music, trauma, ecstasy and the mundanities between the extremes, Kasparis takes on classic 80s synth pop, 90s house music, 00s trance, wistful balladry, 70s power pop. The thread that runs through the album is a boundless energy, an openness to the moment, to living
the pains and joys equally, open armed.

This is a place of no judgement, of possibility, challenge and comfort. The nine songs on 'Prisoners…' can be read as separate ruminations on the feelings and desires that imprison our experience. Through it all the narrator struggles against them, transported and fooled by love and longing, peering through the bars of anguish, flailing in a cell of emotions. 'Saturday Night, Still Breathing' breaks the album open with an invigorating scream and pounds into the night with a nod to Whigfield, Kasparis’ punk roots and house music. Over a thumping 909 kick and bassline, Kasparis pens a love letter to being with people, the collective energy of hearts in a room, thrumming together, making it through together. Written as private ritual magic, manifesting community during a time of isolation, it’s as if the party is the most important thing in the world. 'Rely On Me' imagines 80s Mute synth pop, Erasure fronted by Bruce Springsteen, romance doomed and forever perfect in the mind. 'Spit Pit' completes the opening triptych of fast paced rollercoasters, an ode to childhood forged out of change and discomfort told with a bold, epic production by Lewis Cook, AFX breakbeats, 160BPM kicks and a commanding vocal performance.

On 'People Make This City', Kasparis eases off the gas, lets the mist blowing in from the Clyde River blow over his version of Glasgow. A wistful ballad about small town gossip and coming through anger to leaving it all behind, it provides some shadow to the bright light of the vibrancy of the album. 'Natural Angel' owes much to 70s and 80s power pop, guitar melodrama, Thin Lizzy and Rick Springfield through the prism of co-dependence in relationships. It’s a theme that’s picked up in slow burner 'Nothing But Perfect', a hazy synth soul-inflected song about building your own mythology, constructing a dream to hide in, to hold on to. The most surprising track of the album, 'Summer of ’03' re-imagines the trance music of early noughties Europe into a lament for an eternal summer or as a fan once put it, “Meat Loaf with a donk on it.” A recognition that all ecstasy has tragedy laced within it, it’s a theme that is sewn throughout the LP and continued on the final song 'Feel Good (You Can Make Me)'. Referencing Shalamar’s 1982 mega hit by way of N-Trance’s piano riffs, the epic closer is riddled with heartbreak, vulnerability and power. It’s a testament to the new confidence in Kasparis’s songwriting, sure, but also to the enduring power of people to come together in mutual dependence and love. If ecstasy is always laced with tragedy, then 'Prisoners of Love and Hate' can always reach out between the bars to meet in the middle, the eternal now.

Willkommen zu „LXXXVIII“ - dem neunten Actress-Album, das von Darren Cunningham produziert wurde, und der allerersten Präsentation von Actress' Reise in die Welt der Luxusklänge. „LXXXVIII“ ist das Ergebnis von 25 Jahren Arbeit an bewusstseinserweiternden, seelenbelebenden Audio-Infusionen für Tanzflächen, Rave-Hallen, Festivals und Konzertsäle.
„LXXXVIII“ bietet die Fläche, über eine instrumentelle Facette seiner Entstehung nachzudenken: die Spieltheorie. In der Tat war tiefgreifendes strategisches Denken - das man eher mit Wirtschaft und Schach als mit künstlerischer Praxis in Verbindung bringt - grundlegend für Actress' Prozess, als „LXXXVIII“ ins Leben gerufen wurde.
Die Veröffentlichung folgt auf die faszinierende 2022er EP, „Dummy Corporation“, mit dem Actress wieder in den Mittelpunkt der Underground-Clubkultur gerückt ist. Davor erschien 2020 das Album „Karma & Desire“, auf dem der Mercury Prize-Gewinner Sampha, Zsela und Aura T-09 als Gastmusiker:innen mitwirkten - der Guardian kommentierte, dass es „seinen Platz zementiert als einer der großen Poeten der Clubkultur.“

Ltd Edition!

Willkommen zu „LXXXVIII“ - dem neunten Actress-Album, das von Darren Cunningham produziert wurde, und der allerersten Präsentation von Actress' Reise in die Welt der Luxusklänge. „LXXXVIII“ ist das Ergebnis von 25 Jahren Arbeit an bewusstseinserweiternden, seelenbelebenden Audio-Infusionen für Tanzflächen, Rave-Hallen, Festivals und Konzertsäle.
„LXXXVIII“ bietet die Fläche, über eine instrumentelle Facette seiner Entstehung nachzudenken: die Spieltheorie. In der Tat war tiefgreifendes strategisches Denken - das man eher mit Wirtschaft und Schach als mit künstlerischer Praxis in Verbindung bringt - grundlegend für Actress' Prozess, als „LXXXVIII“ ins Leben gerufen wurde.
Die Veröffentlichung folgt auf die faszinierende 2022er EP, „Dummy Corporation“, mit dem Actress wieder in den Mittelpunkt der Underground-Clubkultur gerückt ist. Davor erschien 2020 das Album „Karma & Desire“, auf dem der Mercury Prize-Gewinner Sampha, Zsela und Aura T-09 als Gastmusiker:innen mitwirkten - der Guardian kommentierte, dass es „seinen Platz zementiert als einer der großen Poeten der Clubkultur.“

On new EP twotwentytwo, indie riser THALA continues to embrace vulnerability, summoning long-buried emotions to colour her ardent love for lyricism amid psych-tinged `90s indie soundscapes. Filled with potent songwriting and coming-of-age anthems straight from the heart, these everyday love stories surrender to life's insecurities. Evoking the soundscapes of Slowdive and Deerhunter, whilst recalling the widescreen pop of boygenius and Snail Mail. Recorded in London and Berlin earlier this year, twotwentytwo follows the release of `In Theory Depression', THALA's first EP on Fire Records. Spanning six tracks, it builds on its predecessor's fearless lyricism, excavating deep-set feelings of loss, pain, desire and conflict against luminous production and addictive melodies. Following rammed appearances at SXSW and The Great Escape, and having picked up the attention BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders, THALA shows no signs of slowing down_ Blissful guitars and evocative crescendos permeate THALA's unique vision of dreampop, reveling in soaring choruses and intimate storylines. On its surface, twotwentytwo boasts a kind of glorious emotive draw - you'd be forgiven for mistaking any one of these tracks as a backdrop to any teen-angst drama. However, while THALA wants her songs to feel nostalgic, it's the complexity of her songwriting that sees her modern compositions really resonate and she is keen to stress her lyrics can be interpreted in numerous ways. And therein lies the heart of this release - a cathartic, wildly empowering, self-explorative from a future indie heartbreaker at her gutsy best. Ltd Clear Vinyl, A5 insert, dlc

Dreamers have dreamt for as long as domes have fallen, bobbing musical swells from Stephen Foster to the Everlys. Now here comes that beautiful dreamer JOSEPHINE FOSTER and, sugarpie, she's not the same. She has donned her magenta vestiments, dreaming back, with mossy verses that haunt like a name never called. It's not just Jo and her shadow, though, this time around-she's got a gaggle of Nashville cats on hand to coax spidery cathedrals from these campfire jams. Folks will want to call this her "Harvest" - with its harp and pedal steel, its double bass and cascading piano. And it's true, "I'm a Dreamer" beckons with a gentle hand, each note clear and crisp so that one feels each grain. Amid such delicate charms, however, lurk muses with rotting flesh, ugly ducklings and Djuna Barnes, wooden floors upon which no babies will be rocked. Wily is the heart that wanders filled with duende and desire, that rides the thigh like a parlor guitar when a strap just isn't handy. These are songs comfortably at home in salon or saloon, dreams deep enough to bury your dread - as sorrowful, as sexy, as stirring a set of songs as anybody's dreamt up in ages.

The legendary Belgian label Antler comes back to life! Pioneering in the 80's and 90's and an absolute spearhead in the world of post punk, cold and new wave, EBM, electro... a series of albums and compilations from the extensive Antler archives are now being released again. The first is a remastered version of this double album by the Limburg Cold Wavers Siglo XX, from 1984. One album with studio tracks and a full live album, mainly recorded in the Netherlands in 1983/84.

Following a four-year hiatus, Jamie has returned with his 6th album and most poignant and heartfelt work to date Chronicling the earliest years of fatherhood and a newfound creative energy, Little Weaknesses is a record that embraces brightness and brims with optimism for the future. Little Weaknesses is Jamie's return to music after a four-year break that saw the birth of his son in 2020."Originally, I had intended to take six months off when he came along. And then the pandemic hit, and I had what felt like three years off," he says. The time away instilled him with a desire to re-wire his creative process, following a period of immense career highs that included performances at Wembley Stadium and Croke Park, and tours with Ed Sheeran and James Blunt. Fatherhood brought a new sense of direction and meant any music he left his young family to play, perform or promote had to fulfil him completely. "Having that time settled me into a style of music that I wanted to make that I wasn't making," he shares. "Now, I would say this record is not that far away from the others, but it does feel much more cohesive. I remember listening to some playlists, like Lost In The Woods or Fresh Folk, and just thinking:'Oh, this is where I should be sitting. This is the music I love. This is the music I get the most out of.'It's all quite simple, but it's all quite beautiful. And there's proper lyrical content, something going on that makes me think about things. Those are the songs I wanted to write." Little Weaknesses is 14 tracks of concise, emotive, painterly beauty. It's a record that sees Jamie wholeheartedly embrace collaboration, working alongside a close- knit group of artists and friends, including multi- genre violinist Isabella Baker who arranged strings for six songs and songwriters Simon Aldred (aka Cherry Ghost) and Jack McManus. The entire album was crafted in Jamie's music room in his family residence in Manchester and recorded by producercollaborator Tim Ross at his home studio in Twickenham.

History has shown that the greatest bands–bands with that certain, ever elusive quality called lasting power–neither conform to nor buck the trends of their time, but rather force the times to catch up to them. Sheer Mag has such lasting power in droves. After almost a decade spent carving out a career that has already become the stuff of modern underground legend, the band’s new stand-alone single, “All Lined Up,” comes alongside the announcement of their signing to Third Man Records–their first partnership with a larger independent label–who will also be physically and digitally re-releasing the entirety of Sheer Mag’s back-catalogue, including their cult-beloved early EPs I (2014), II (2015), and III (2016), as well as their first two breakthrough LPs, Need To Feel Your Love (2017) and A Distant Call (2019). Sheer Mag’s sensibility, as fervently beloved by baseball-tee clad garage rockers and tattoo-less indie kids as it is by leather-and-stud-loyal punks, finds its strength in an unconventional mixture of refined complexity and straight-forward pop prowess. Seamlessly trading between head-turning guitar heroics and a charmingly timeless blend of disco, hard rock, and garage inflected hooks, Sheer Mag’s oft-referenced, never-replicated sound has played an undeniably large role in stoking the current resurgence of interest power-pop forward rock music. While quickly adopted as a fan-favorite amongst the sweat-caked crowds of the early 2010’s underground, time has attested to Sheer Mag’s singular cultural mutability: though never straying too far from their home-town Philadelphian origins

The irresistible rush that comes from listening to Sparkling's music is intoxicating. The Cologne-formed trio's second album We Are Here To Make You Feel is a glimmering widescreen world where emotions are writ large, the group dealing in rousing choruses, twinkling synth toplines and an incessant desire to keep things propelling forward at pace. "We Are Here To Make You Feel is an album about the importance of expressing your emotions" the group say. "It's about love in every kind of way. Love for your friends, lovers and family. It's a reminder to tell your loved ones that you love them. On this record, we wanted to say that in the most honest and straightforward way possible."

Confidence Freaks Me Out is an exercise in patiently constructed joyous absurdity. Each compositional choice was guided by a desire to confound and amuse. Scaffolded by process-first mutant serialism and maximalist cheek, the album crams every inch of the canvas with stimulation, tempered by a lighthearted stupidity. It’s artrock with a bit of orchestral goof, a timid ensemble with party hats on, two composeurs playing musical parlour games

As the music industry continuously evolves, pushing boundaries and challenging conventions, artists like Michael Peter Olsen emerge to redefine the very essence of their chosen instruments. With an
impressive career spanning nearly three decades, Olsen has had mainstream exposure through collaborations with renowned artists like Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Arcade Fire and developed multifaceted talents as a player, producer, composer, and Grammy-nominated songwriter.

However, it is his electric cello based solo project, which debuted in a grimy basement club in Berlin in 2019, and his 2021 album “Yearning Flow'' that truly showcased his desire to subvert expectations of what a cello can be. With the release of "Narrative of a Nervous System," Olsen taps into the prevailing sense of disconnection in modern society, accentuated by the recent pandemic. The record delves into the increasing divisions between the mind and body, metaphorically capturing the struggles many individuals face with their mental health.

Olsen aims to bridge this disconnect through his music,
creating a powerful fusion of sonic and visual elements. While the album is instrumental and conceptually-driven, Olsen remains committed to making the music accessible and relatable. Olsen's
vision is further realized through the inclusion of special guests Owen Pallet, Màiri Chaimbeul, alaska B, and Zoon, each representing older music traditions. Celtic, European, North American Indigenous,
and Traditional Chinese are explored and stretched, offering a modern perspective on ancient intuitively based traditions. While Michael Peter Olsen dismantles the preconceived notions surrounding the cello, he continues to create evocative emotional music.

"Narrative of a Nervous System" invites listeners to explore the disconnections between mind and body, and offers a transformative musical journey that resonates with both the modern world and ancient traditions. “Essentially I’m trying to destroy the cello, but do it in a nice way”

Repress!

Collaboration between French writer Ingrid Astier, actor Pierre Richard and JB Hanak from the band dDamage (Planet Mu, Tsunami-addiction).
JB Hanak is on guitar, bass, synth and rhythmic programming, consumed with a desire to reveal with each changing track a different facet of this imagined nocturnal universe. Ingrid Astier directs the actors as well as the writing of the lyrics, very much as would be found in the cinema.
And then, there is Pierre Richard. At one moment a dreamer, the next a cowboy, suddenly Mafioso and then a nocturnal animal. Thinker, lover, philosopher, astronaut or sandman. Pierre Richard is an actor, an actor of immense presence confined too often to comic roles. “Nuit Jour” offers him roles he has not had in the movies ... And it is breath-taking, both in its register and in a sense of deep renewal.

BLUE-BLACK COLOURED VINYL! LIMITED TO 100 UNITS
Irakli’s new album is due to come out October 2023 on Live at Robert Johnson. Mechanical Moon is a retrofuturistic adventure of beautiful compositions and pulsating rhythms which are weaved together over the span of eight tracks.

We are immersed into evocative atmospheres, full of intricate textures. This is techno where you close your eyes and board an ocean liner that slowly rises and floats towards the moon.

Happy human with sad eyes roamed the neon-lit streets of the artificial island. This section of the metropolis had been designed as a necessity more than any other amenities. It had been allocated a budget surpassing the one for waste management in a city housing over a billion inhabitants.

Society had managed to eradicate love, yet it still grappled with untamed primal instincts such as dancing, sex, or violence. The island provided a discreet haven, away from the prying eyes of telescreens that silently stared into all souls. Similar to Las Vegas centuries ago, it was a safe space where anything was fair game.

Once there, night time lasted all day. Everything retained an analog essence. Music emanated from vintage record players. Amidst the laughter and tears, the artificial glow of the mechanical moon had become the last reminder of life outside.

A life so repetitive that he had been consumed by the desire to transform into a machine or a human satellite. Yet, breaking the cycle in such a manner remained impossible. And so, he wandered for hours on the island, among the weary faces.

Happy as one could be.

The follow-up to his acclaimed Constellation debut Third Album released in lockdown spring 2020, Markus Floats returns with Fourth Album, pushing the Montréal-based artist's distinct abstract electronic compositions into newly evocative terrain (while preserving his record-titling literalism). Faced with another couple of years spent unexpectedly, though not unfamiliarly, secluded and studio-bound, working on both paintings and music, Floats emerged by the end of 2022 with a set of tracks "about 60% finished" and a determined desire to throw off the shackles of distancing and isolation. "I had always thought about Markus Floats as a solo project but I am wrong about that. Fourth Album is about asking for help, inviting in, and making a home. It's about trust, exploration, and the effort of letting go."Sharing his in-progress recordings with a trio of close friends and collaborators from the powerhouse free music ensemble Egyptian Cotton Arkestra, each of these players then spent a day improvising to the tracks at Montréal's Hotel2Tango studio. With violin by Ari Swan, saxophone and mbira by James Goddard, and guitar and drums by Lucas Huang, Floats stitched their extemporized instruments back into his compositional process. The result is a fluid, lustrous, dynamic expansion of his sound and structure that continues to strike the ineffable balance of abstraction and soulfulness rightly highlighted and celebrated in the critical response to Third Album. Fourth Album sustains much of that previous work's enchanting equanimity, while inviting a bit more restlessness, accident and grit, with the incorporation of acoustic instruments and improvisation melding Floats' own background in Electroacoustic Studies and Jazz Performance more than ever before.Signature avant-electronic explorations of arpeggiated and timbral transformation, subtle shifts in harmonic consonance and dissonance, and a through-composed praxis that draws coterminously upon free jazz, musique concrète and modern Minimalism, all continue to shape Fourth Album to great effect. But an additional palette of sonic and gestural raw material is now also decidedly "out-of-the-box", charting a wider range of gestures, textures and temporalities. Fourth Album complexifies and intensifies across its 12 tracks, thematizing dualities and introducing new elements of play and accident, even a sort of looseness here and there, as it conjures communal expressivity within shorter, still scrupulous formal structures. Fourth Album also for the first time includes spoken word as a recorded element, previously only (and always) a feature of Markus Floats live performances. The album's final track samples the poet and activist Fred Moten, closing with these words: "What we've been trying to figure out how to get to is how we are when we get together to try to figure it out." This koan of socially-engaged process and creation/advancement of meaning through praxis and immanence reflects the unique fusion of intangible materiality and affective sensibility at work in Markus Floats music, unfolding in new depths and currents with Fourth Album.

Across the arc of Tristan Allen’s epiphanic, four part journey, Tin Iso and the Dawn, the New York based composer and puppeteer brings sonic life to a fantastical realm of characters whose universal longings mirror our own. In the first release of this mythic trilogy, intricate sound design and spellbinding leitmotifs make sense of loss and what’s beyond.

Formative exposures by way of travel through Asia, studies in Gamelan, a paper mache Christmas angel, and their dad’s Bread and Puppet Theater artifacts formed a web of inspiration from which Tristan’s desire to combine puppetry and their fascination for the narrative power of instrumental music emerged. Years of synchronistic inspirational encounters with “guardian angels” in the form of music mentors and puppeteer masters incentivized Tristan to pursue a project where they could focus on sound and diverse instrumentation.

Through this impulse, Tristan ceremoniously constructed the imaginary world of Tin Iso and the Dawn, loosely based on Wagner’s three act opera Tristan und Isolde. Composed and recorded between 2015 and 2022 across apartments from Boston to Brooklyn, with field recordings from locations of vivid sentiment: Upstate New York—where Tristan grew up, Quebec—where most of their close family lives, and Japan—where they lived briefly as a child, each moment of Tin Iso glimmers with nostalgic immediacy and the prescience of new voyages unfolding.

Tallahassee, FL singer-songwriter Sarah Morrison's debut studio album
Attachment Figure depicts the strangeness of exploring new
relationships with subtle and spacious electronic production - As a
former live keyboardist in Locate S,1, Morrison co-produced Attachment
Figure with fellow bandmates Ross Brand and Clayton Rychlik, both of
whom also play in Of Montreal's backing band
She was motivated to experiment with looser song structures and more
unconventional chord progressions by her collaborators' fondness for avantgarde jazz, as well as Locate S,1 frontwoman Christina Schneider's idiosyncratic
writing style.
Throughout the album, echoing keys, woodwinds, and guitar ripple like a moonlit
lake from which Morrison's voice emerges. Her presence is spectral, yet
conversational, willing to conjure concrete imagery of mango- flavored vitamins
and the warmth of phone chargers alongside ghost stories of mannequin corpses
and epistolary curses, a balance shaped by an obsession with the theatrical
sincerity of Kate Bush and Mark Hollis.
Lyrically, Attachment Figure meditates on questions about identity, personal
growth, and helplessness - whether within a relationship or the oppressive
structures of society itself - often rooted in Morrison's experiences growing up in
the South. "There's a connection between Southern hospitality and femininity and
just allowing things to happen," Morrison says. "I've been in many relationships
with people who have used that 'southern charm' to their advantage. I think a lot
of people, non- men in particular, put on this charm instinctively. It's a defense
mechanism that I was interested in studying."
Attachment Figure is perpetually suspended between states of being, harmony
and dissonance, and contradictory sentiments we all hold as we enter into the
arms of someone new, but ultimately, it's guided by a desire for authentic love--
and a flair for intricate, intuitive songcraft.

Some Sudden Weather” finds Products Band sharpening their focus on presence of mind in a culture of noise. For each pummeling wave of distorted guitars, a tender, melodic vocal floats over its crest.
With every winking, deadpan lyric comes a genuine admission of desire, shame, or hope. These songs faithfully represent the diversity of Products Band’s musical influences.

From high-energy, airtight punk’n’roll to intricate, groove-driven pop, “Some Sudden Weather” refreshes rock vocabularies by sculpting them within the band’s unique perspective. Whether you crave
dancefloor-ready bass hooks, spiderwebbed guitar skronk, or interwoven vocal duets, this is an essential listen for all fans of contemporary post-punk, guitar pop, and thoughtful Midwestern charm. FFO: Ought, Television, The Replacements, R.E.M.

INDUSTRIAS MEKANIKAS returns to the fray, and comes with force, with this new release from producer CUTE HEELS.

This Colombian producer and DJ based in Berlin, and who has published in labels like; Dark Entries, Moustache Records or Schrödinger’s Box, lands in the Madrid label to present us his latest work “Steel Field”, a 12″ of six tracks in mini LP format, where the producer shows us his darker side.

All his tracks converge in styles with a very marked influence of EBM and the most hypnotic Techno, along with the treatment of his vocals with distortion and delay effects, as well as lyrics with a very devastating message,

His new Mlp “Steel Field”, will make you travel from the beginning to the end, will take you to the darkest and murkiest worlds of electronica, will make you can not stop dancing, playing, thinking and moving between the sensations and the most recondite desires of your mind.

Channeling the speed of youth and the heaviness of a fleshy, lived life in equal proportion, Upchuck’s second LP, Bite the Hand That Feeds, is a Trojan Horse par excellence, craftily smuggling in waves of sentimental emotion and clever pop songwriting under a veil of pulsing rhythms and scorching riffs. What binds Upchuck together is a purity of intention, an organic loyalty to a thick knot of uncalculated friendships, struggles, and desires. These are songs about the joy of continuing to live, songs that find each other in the rush of a crushing reality, propelling the listener onward towards a collective release, however brief it may last. Themes of surviving through the night, youth-blinded love, cheap champagne soaked back-alley parties, and chaotic street protests are subsumed under a single unifying thread: the needs we have for one another, our shared hunger for connection. In a world saturated with arbitrary rules and paper-thin moralism, Upchuck offer free¬dom through sensation, a type of unserious transcendence found through the swirl of bodies melting into one another in the passion of dance. With Bite the Hand That Feeds, Upchuck isn’t trying to tell anyone how to live. Rather, they are simply trying to find a way to make life more worth living for both themselves and their friends—if the music compels you to move, you might as well consider yourself their friend too. Shortly after the release of their debut album Sense Yourself, Upchuck absconded to Southern California to record Bite the Hand That Feeds, enlisting the production talents of Ty Segall and the airy reprieve of his secluded Topanga Canyon home studio. Upchuck credits Segall, who recorded the entire record live to tape over the span of five days, with helping to elevate the arrangements of their second record to bold new heights—fans of Segall’s extensive catalog will undoubtedly recognize the shadow of his creative touch in Bite the Hand That Feeds’ commanding, layered drum polyrhythms, tasteful use of oddball effects, and fuzzed out, every-guitar-pushed-into-the-red ethos. All the same, final credit for Upchuck’s evolution from Sense Yourself to Bite the Hand That Feeds must be paid to the band itself. Following the release of their debut LP, Upchuck embarked upon a break-neck string of live shows, touring alongside the likes of Segall’s Fuzz, Amyl and the Sniffers, Negative Approach, OFF!, and Sub¬humans. The razor tight focus of Bite the Hand That Feeds was forged in the fire of these live shows, speaking directly to the power of their in-person presence—these are songs meant to be heard pressed up against a barricade, blasted through dimed guitar amps placed so close to your ears that you can practically reach out and touch them. In its totality, Bite the Hand That Feeds offers a sonic portrait of what it feels like to be young and caught up in the thrill of it all, coursing between ripping dance grooves and thundering dirges, anti-self-serious crowd anthems and charming pop hooks.

Slave To Society pays homage to the legendary cultural theorist and philosopher, Mark Fisher. Diving into some of the conceptual ideas of Fisher’s literature and philosophy, you'll feel like you're wandering through a post-apocalyptic landscape in the future with this hard hitting, haunting and atmospheric piece.

‘The Future That Never Arrived’ experience the paranoia and anxiety of the digital age with this gritty and dissonant track. Fisher's ideas about technology's impact on society come to life in a sonic onslaught.
‘Cyberspace’ exploration of desire and its endless repetition. The frenetic energy of this track mirrors the insatiable hunger of consumer culture.
’Is There No Alternative’ the title track offers a sense of reflection and departure. It echoes Fisher's thoughts on escaping the boundaries of the present moment.
‘Ghosts Of My Life’ this track encapsulates Fisher's critique of our modern capitalist society. The heavy beats mirror the relentless grind of capitalism, while the haunting melodies reflect the loss of authentic experiences.

It's rare to see Nassau, Covid and Grace Jones in the same sentence, but they were indeed part of the creative basis for DJ Vadim's brand new album, FEEL UP.

As a busy international DJ, this was nothing short of armageddon for Vadim. The skies were darkened, but rather than sink into inactivity and hibernation, DJ Vadim created within himself his own tropical music festival, an alternative universe that would share some kind of kinship with the recordings made at Compass Point Studios, orchestrated by Chris Blackwell for Grace Jones (1980-1982), James Brown, AC/DC, and many others...

It was a melting pot of world-class musicians, blending reggae, pop, soul and African rhythms and sounds... together creating one of the most influential albums of the period, and it was in this spirit that the inspiration and title of DJ Vadim's new album, FEEL UP (literally 'Feel good' / 'Have the strength, the courage'), was born.

Forty years after those sessions at Compass Point Studios, the same quest for discovery took place in Vadim's Barcelona studio. The desire for growth, self-discovery and the creation of new sounds took hold. The dubcatcher with its 80s digital sounds went out and came back with a wide variety of musical tapas.

Inhale, exhale, FEEL UP is the soundtrack you've been missing without even knowing it!

Part Two of the Album "Let Me Dance"

Oliver Marquardt aka Dj Jauche, one of the avant-gardists and pioneers of the Berlin techno and house scene, releases his new album "Let Me Dance".

During the last 3 years, he has incorporated influences and experiences from over 35 years - as a DJ, event organiser and clubber - into his album.

The idea to produce this album was born in the lock-down and with it the desire to make people dance again - house music, in all its facets.

For this new project, Rakoon is moving towards a warm, fully-fledged electro sound. "The Ones We Love" is an ode to those we love, to those we have loved, to the way encounters, sublime moments but also wounds, shape us.

The EP opens with the electronic ballad 'Carry Me', whose intoxicating synths remind us of those who have accompanied us, with whom we have moved forward and overcome trials. It's a nostalgic escape, with a vocal sample adding a touch of melancholy. As usual with Rakoon, hope is never far away on the danceable 'Moving Strangers', an energetic, enigmatic track where glitchy vocals intertwine with unstructured synths to give us that feeling of osmosis that arises in a crowd, when you share powerful moments with strangers. We continue the artist's electronic journey with "Always", whose analogue synths contrast with the depth of the vocals, revealing something unchanging in this journey. The radiant 'Memories' brings 'The Ones We Love' to a fitting close, in a hit built like a guitar-driven song, but made for the dancefloor. It's a track as unforgettable as the memories of the shared moments that make us who we are today.

On this universally intimate EP, the French producer conveys his feelings, but also his optimism. It's all about Rakoon and the emotions you feel when you listen to him: the desire to move forward together, to dance together bound by a transcendent force. An introspective journey full of honesty that we want to share, carried by its inspiring and intoxicating melodies. A journey of hopes and encounters that we want to continue to travel with him.

Belgium excellent electro acid tunes, from one of the Acid Mercenaries musician. Techno to breakz, a masterpiece ! Don't miss that wicked melt of oldschool sounds and newskool styles... FAT !

Meernaa's So Far So Good travels perfectly with a glistening night out or a drive to a secret hideaway. It exists somewhere between R&B, jazz, psychedelic rock, art rock, and pop. As a genreless artist, it mirrors her constant struggle to balance a vibrant day to day of falling in and out of love, writing and recording music at her studio and the intensity in the back of her mind - her familial struggles concerning death, drugs, and instability. Meernaa's previously released singles "Another Dimension" and "On My Line`' introduce a celestial and soulful album. The weather of these songs is varied, the poetry shifting its winds from tender playfulness to desire. For fans of: Aldous Harding, Khruangbin, The Weather Station, War on Drugs, Kali Uchis, Perfume Genius, Cate Le Bon, Sade, Lucy Dacus. "as intriguing as it is beguiling and mysterious." - The Line of Best Fit

Meernaa's So Far So Good travels perfectly with a glistening night out or a drive to a secret hideaway. It exists somewhere between R&B, jazz, psychedelic rock, art rock, and pop. As a genreless artist, it mirrors her constant struggle to balance a vibrant day to day of falling in and out of love, writing and recording music at her studio and the intensity in the back of her mind - her familial struggles concerning death, drugs, and instability. Meernaa's previously released singles "Another Dimension" and "On My Line`' introduce a celestial and soulful album. The weather of these songs is varied, the poetry shifting its winds from tender playfulness to desire. For fans of: Aldous Harding, Khruangbin, The Weather Station, War on Drugs, Kali Uchis, Perfume Genius, Cate Le Bon, Sade, Lucy Dacus. "as intriguing as it is beguiling and mysterious." - The Line of Best Fit

'New World Artifacts' is the debut album from Rouen, France-based group Unschooling, arriving following their 2021 'Random Acts of Total Control' EP and 2019's 'Defensive Designs' tape. Out October 6th via Bad Vibrations, it's a collection of lo-fi post-punk clocking in at 30 minutes, underscored with subtle pop melodies and structures but never far away from bouts of chaotic no-wave dissonance. Here, Unschooling claim loud and clear their desire to return to a sound which is less calibrated, less obvious. As they themselves write, "New World Artifacts is an ode to the unexpected, a tribute to many art rock bands who are always where you least expect them." Already heralded as one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the new school of post-punk revivalists, having spent the last couple of years playing to busy crowds and festival fields across the continent, 'New World Artifacts' might just mark them out as the best in class. The Unschooling quintet, as referred to on the album's collage artwork, is made up of Vincent Fevrier (Vocals/Guitar), Damien Tebbal (Bass), Paul Morvant (Guitar), Marc Lebreuilly (Guitar/Synth) and Thomas Fromager (Drums). Although their music might revel in discord, it is a calculated one. The musicianship is complex and meticulous, hardened by their time spent together playing on the road. For 'New World Artifacts', additional musicians were also brought in to expand the sound in new ways, including saxophonists Levi Gillis (The Dip, Beat Connection) and Emeline Morisset (Les Agamemnonz), and Kyleen King (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, My Morning Jacket) on strings. Pressing Info: 180g blue vinyl, limited to 300 hand-numbered copies ww, download card included.

Like an annabac, the first seconds of the first song from the first album by SAFFRON EYES (a group from Saint-Etienne including members of Raymonde Howard, Le Parti, ThOmas.W...) summarize, for those in a hurry, the themes and feelings that will be developed on the short half-hour of music that the disc contains: smiles in front, blows in the back, amicable breakups and deaf threats. Smile Until It Hurts encapsulates all of this: pleasure in offering (racy and referenced songs, in the fine tradition of indie rock), joy in receiving (pies in the mouth). If the previous EP - first recording act - of the group Pursue a Less Miserable Life (released in 2020 on our label) had a taste of the end of summer, this one clearly smells of the Cold War. He is degreased, boned and only the desire to fight remains, mischievously camouflaged under a form of obvious beauty that whistles in the shower. A production fed on indie rock and its roots (blues, post-punk and a hint of doo-wop), bringing together around a happy campfire the Pixies, Jesus Lizard, Wet Leg, Fugazi, The Cramps, The Gun Club, La Luz, The Feelies, The Bad Seeds, Kathleen Hanna, Anna Waronker…

'New World Artifacts' is the debut album from Rouen, France-based group Unschooling, arriving following their 2021 'Random Acts of Total Control' EP and 2019's 'Defensive Designs' tape. Out October 6th via Bad Vibrations, it's a collection of lo-fi post-punk clocking in at 30 minutes, underscored with subtle pop melodies and structures but never far away from bouts of chaotic no-wave dissonance. Here, Unschooling claim loud and clear their desire to return to a sound which is less calibrated, less obvious. As they themselves write, "New World Artifacts is an ode to the unexpected, a tribute to many art rock bands who are always where you least expect them." Already heralded as one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the new school of post-punk revivalists, having spent the last couple of years playing to busy crowds and festival fields across the continent, 'New World Artifacts' might just mark them out as the best in class. The Unschooling quintet, as referred to on the album's collage artwork, is made up of Vincent Fevrier (Vocals/Guitar), Damien Tebbal (Bass), Paul Morvant (Guitar), Marc Lebreuilly (Guitar/Synth) and Thomas Fromager (Drums). Although their music might revel in discord, it is a calculated one. The musicianship is complex and meticulous, hardened by their time spent together playing on the road. For 'New World Artifacts', additional musicians were also brought in to expand the sound in new ways, including saxophonists Levi Gillis (The Dip, Beat Connection) and Emeline Morisset (Les Agamemnonz), and Kyleen King (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, My Morning Jacket) on strings. Pressing Info: 180g blue vinyl, limited to 300 hand-numbered copies ww, download card included.

KID FRANCESCOLI, leader of the French Riviera Touch is back with the stellar album SUNSET BLUE out Sept 22nd 2023.

After a first sold-out world tour (over 200 concerts in Europe, USA, Asia...), and successful hits such as Nopalitos, Blow Up or Moon (now certified diamond, with more than 200 millions streams), the Marseille-based producer, crooner and multi-instrumentalist, Mathieu Hocine, is eager to share his most accomplished LP ever. This fine collection of soulful songs honor his Mediterranean roots, with elegant and pop melodies. His most recent success and the creation of his first original soundtrack with AZURO, installed him as one of the best French songwriters of his generation, with a unique signature sound.

"I live in Marseille, I spent my childhood in Corsica, I have Algerian origins, my first vacations with friends were in Barcelona, vacations with my first girlfriend in Roma,... Then, I had the chance to perform in Morocco, Greece, Turkey and Egypt: each time I spent time in the Mediterranean region, the people I met there made me feel like I was part of the same country. This shared multiculturalism is really comforting, it has its own poetry and strength, bringing uniqueness and empathy to the people. It is essential for me. I love my city: it’s the perfect place to feel good with sun, sea, family, friendships, love... It gets me emotional, bringing tears with a smile".

With his new musical gem, Mathieu Hocine unveils 11 elegant tunes of his finest craft: sunbathed French Touch (Run Run, 1986), romantic chillwave (Corsica), uplifting synthpop (You Are Everywhere, Like Magic), electronic-soul (Casino Soul), cinematic disco (Solaris), cosmic R&B (Sweet and Sour, Take Time), … Everything is in this record.

For the first time ever, Kid Francescoli paid tribute to his mixed origins with his collaboration with world-renowned lute and mandolin player Hakim Hamadouche (Rachid Taha, Patti Smith, Brian Eno, Tricky...), whom added Algerian patterns to the introspectives songs Drift in Blue and The Morning After.

"My ambition is to create pictures in people's heads with music, to transport them instantly into a movie"

SUNSET BLUE is an instant-crush album: crystal-clear, strong, personal but universal at the same time.

It's an ecstatic soundtrack for this moment when time is suspended, the golden hour when everything seems possible. It feels like Love is in the air, you're living your best life and you're at the right place at the right time. This album embodies this magic moment where we would like to last forever… Like an epiphany, Kid Francescoli's new album is a moment of pure pleasure, a soothing way to escape reality.

"I see myself as a melodist.I would like my music to feel like velvet. There's something cinematic, classy about it, and yet comforting. It's very simple, popular and synonym of love and passion"

His friend French 79 co-produced the album, while the american rapper Bamby H2O brought his NYC swag (on Sweet & Sour), Stan Neff (Polo & Pan, Kungs, Christine and the Queens...) took care of the mix and Alex Gopher (Daft Punk, The Blaze, Bon Entendeur...) added a final touch of magic when mastering. Nicolas Despis (known for his work with Etienne Daho, Hoshi, Juliette Armanet... and many famous French rappers) later joined this dream-team to craft custom-made artworks. SUNSET BLUE is a deeply personal quest, a human adventure for Mathieu Hocine (whom explores his maghrebian origins, his feminine side, his subconscious space, ...). It's a male's work, but don't get it wrong, this LP would be nothing without women’s touch : Julietta (on Run Run and Take Time), Sarah Gaugler from Turbo Goth (on You Are Everywhere and Like Magic), and iOni (on Drift in Blue).

“Music has this magical power to broaden your vision of the world. It's fascinating because, like dreams, it's the kind of irrational things science can't explain and that makes life exciting."

Planets aligned perfectly on this project and thanks to this five-star cast of collaborators, Kid Francescoli achieved his personal holy grail : he orchestrated a great 21st century pop-music album.SUNSET BLUE is a new turning point between organic and electronic, both a mediterranean travel and a Californian dream, a bridge between Ennio Morriconne and modern electronic music.

Also, while it might be called SUNSET BLUE in honor of the sea and the Portuguese / Brazilian concept called “saudade”, but it is a really optimistic album, whose true colors would rather be "yellow-orange-red" in nod to the sun.

Created in the midst of the world tour, SUNSET BLUE is a direct result of the lives’ energy and fans’ joyful vibes: going back in the studio after smiling, singing and dancing with people all around the world inevitably gave Kid Francescoli the desire to retranscribe this ecstatic feeling in music. This album is a sensitive experience, from sunrise to sunset, from first track to last one. It’s an exploration of an everlasting summer, reaching its climax in the very final seconds of the track Corsica, making us want to press play and dive into this jewel all over again.

A beautiful cosmic trip, whether you like to stay in bed cocooning, to travel far, far away or to dance ‘till dawn, to catch the first rays of light.

Make sure to catch Kid Francescoli on his next world tour to have a good time.

: Written and recorded in a series of bedroom studiosin England and France, London-based Gareth Donkin’s extraordinary debut, Welcome Home, showcases the 23-year-old’s stunning mix of instrumental virtuosity and emotional intuition, blending highly sophisticated melodic and harmonic craftsmanship with deeply moving lyrical explorations of longing, desire, and determination. The songs here draw on soul, funk, pop, yacht rock,hip-hop, jazz, and even bossa nova, hinting at times to everything from Michael Jackson and Bill Evans to George Benson and Jamiroquai, and Donkin’s performances are nothing short of mesmerizing, layering up instrument after instrument in the best one-man-band tradition of Prince or Stevie Wonder. The result is a moving work that’s equal parts brain and brawn, a masterful coming-of-age self-portrait from a young artist discovering himself—and his sound—one song at a time. Born with perfect pitch, Donkin was already fanatically obsessed with both jazz piano and drums before he turned twelve. In high school, he began DJing and teaching himself to record and sample, and by the time he headed to the Leeds College of Music to pursue a degree in production, he was already writing and recording his own material at home. His first single, “Catharsis,” would go on to rack up more than a million streams on Spotify, and a series of subsequent tracks would find similarly organic success and help land him a deal with the burgeoning drink sum wtr label.

Numen ist das dritte Album von ALKALOID, und es enthält einige der kompliziertesten, nachdenklichsten, aber auch komplett verrückten Ideen der Band. Das Album wird aus der gottähnlichen Perspektive eines uralten Außerirdischen erzählt, der mit seinem dämonischen Grunzen die gesamte Galaxie umgestalten kann.

ALKALOID sind immer noch durch ihre Liebe zum Death Metal verbunden. Schließlich handelt es sich um eine Supergroup, die aus Gründungsmitgliedern von OBSCURA, DARK FORTRESS und SPAWN OF POSESSION besteht. Das feurige, mit den Fingern getippte Solo, das sich nach der Hälfte von "Clusterfuck" herauskristallisiert, wird wie eine Ameise unter einem Drop-D-Hammersturm zerquetscht.

Aber auf "Numen" spielt die bayerische Band auch mit allen möglichen Genre-Experimenten. "The Cambrian Explosion" stellt den Tech-Death mit verführerischen Anflügen von Jazz und Flamenco auf den Kopf.
ALKALOID sind die verrückten Wissenschaftler des Metal. Mit "Numen" haben sie eine weitere explosive Mischung aus progressivem Death Metal geschaffen!

FFO: OBSCURA, BEYOND CREATION, FRACTAL UNIVERSE

Numen ist das dritte Album von ALKALOID, und es enthält einige der kompliziertesten, nachdenklichsten, aber auch komplett verrückten Ideen der Band. Das Album wird aus der gottähnlichen Perspektive eines uralten Außerirdischen erzählt, der mit seinem dämonischen Grunzen die gesamte Galaxie umgestalten kann.

ALKALOID sind immer noch durch ihre Liebe zum Death Metal verbunden. Schließlich handelt es sich um eine Supergroup, die aus Gründungsmitgliedern von OBSCURA, DARK FORTRESS und SPAWN OF POSESSION besteht. Das feurige, mit den Fingern getippte Solo, das sich nach der Hälfte von "Clusterfuck" herauskristallisiert, wird wie eine Ameise unter einem Drop-D-Hammersturm zerquetscht.

Aber auf "Numen" spielt die bayerische Band auch mit allen möglichen Genre-Experimenten. "The Cambrian Explosion" stellt den Tech-Death mit verführerischen Anflügen von Jazz und Flamenco auf den Kopf.
ALKALOID sind die verrückten Wissenschaftler des Metal. Mit "Numen" haben sie eine weitere explosive Mischung aus progressivem Death Metal geschaffen!

FFO: OBSCURA, BEYOND CREATION, FRACTAL UNIVERSE

Revealed a few seasons ago thanks to the abrasive potential of their riffs, the French duo Bandit Bandit consisting of Maëva & Hugo imposes its musical genre, as well as an insolent ease to handle the French language, which one can hear in their amazing first album, 11:11.

In 2019 came the first show, the first music video, the first studio session. The name "Bandit Bandit" was born during a photo shoot with a friend, in a desert landscape, wearing scarves, boots and pistols. As for the repetition of Bandit, it is to better underline the duality of the project which, very quickly, found its own public, thanks to tracks as striking as "Maux", the first french-written one, and an imagination which incites the press to nickname them the Bonnie & Clyde of rock.

After two electrifying EPs, "Bandit Bandi"t and "Tachycardie", the duet needed to "explore further than the rock-genre itself" on a 11:11 produced by Azzedine Djelil (Rita Mitsouko, Catherine Ringer, Minuit, Lulu Van Trapp...). This first album mixes music genres, investigates pop music with all its amplitude, as a guiding thread between raw rock and the more sophisticated alternative style. Until now self-centered and cathartic, the texts of Bandit Bandit remain intimate on 11:11 while proving to be political, freed from prudishness, playing with words. Their unrestrained music resonates loudly throughout this album with a devouring desire as insatiable as contagious.
"11:11", frist album. Includes "Toxique Exit", "Si j' avais su " & " La marée ". Available on Cd & Vinyl.

Das Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project, das sich aus Teilen des legendären Gun Clubs, Freund*innen des Sängers Jeffrey Lee Pierce (1958-1996) und Fans des Künstlers zusammensetzt, präsentiert mit "Axels & Sockets" den dritten Teil eines außergewöhnlichen Projekts. Mit Künstler*innen wie Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, Lydia Lunch, Warren Ellis, Mick Harvey und Kid Congo Powers sind hier viele bekannte Namen der ersten zwei Teile "We Are Only Riders" und "The Journey Is Long" vereint. Zum ersten Mal dabei sind keine Geringeren als Mark Stewart, Thurston Moore, Primal Scream, Andrew Weatherall und Punkikone Iggy Pop! Koordiniert von Pierce"s musikalischem Wegbegleiter Cypress Grove, schaffen es die Musiker*innen auch beim dritten Teil, aus Songskizzen, Demoaufnahmen, Riffs, Textfetzen und Soundschnippseln, die Pierce vor seinem Tod aufgenommen und niedergeschrieben hatte, neue und atemberaubende Songs zu machen.

The DIAMOND DOGS ladies and gentlemen!
One of the world's finest pure rock & roll bands, still doing it just how they please, sounding better than ever.
New record "About The Hardest Nut To Crack" was recorded live. 12 brilliant tracks, all mixed/produced/written and arranged from scratch at Strawberry Studios over eight days in the early spring of 2023. It's a hell of a statement!

Sound Like: The Faces, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Ronnie Wood, J Geils Band.

It would be insufficient to call Rory McPike “prolific”; it does a disservice to the depth and breadth of his oeuvre as Rings Around Saturn, Cactus Head, Bleekman, 2200, Dan White, and as one half of Turner St. Sound. His work can be broken into a litany of different genres, but at the heart of it all lies an endlessly explorative spirit with a restless desire for expression. This impulse spans his diverse body of work and all the different facets of his musical practice.

‘All Things Shining’ touches on ambient, electroacoustic studies and filmic/VGM composition, but outside of these references, it stands as a beautiful suite of songs and a testament to the power of the creative impulse. Best Effort is proud to present the realization of Rory's vision.

Oráculo Records long time partner in crime Carlos Grabstein rules Berlin based MISERIA records. Started as a DIY cassette and digital label back in 2021, the imprint is clearly focused and specialized in ultra-rare synth based darkwave compilations. Now in 2023 MISERIA joins forces with Oráculo Records to present a selection of his best releases to date in vinyl format for the very first time, presented in DOUBLE GATEFOLD format in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid BLACK vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

‘Time Will Tell’ : A journey in reggae music from Bristol to Kingston JA.

Embark on the wild journey of a reggae-loving Bristolian youngster who travelled to the heart of Jamaica on intrepid mission to record a timeless reggae album in the 90s. ‘Time Will Tell’, a collaborative masterpiece uniting the extraordinary talents of Henry & Louis (Andy Scholes & Jac kLundie), Blue & Red (aka Rob Smith from Smith & Mighty) and renowned Jamaican and UK-basedv ocalists.A musical opus that infuses reggae's rich history into modern rhythms straight outta Bristol.

It all began in the summer of 1997, when Andy Scholes decided to trace the origins of reggae music straight back to its origins; armed with a 16-track reel-to-reel and an abundance of passion,he flew to Jamaica with a desire to record his reggae heroes over riddims built by Rob & Jack in Bristol.

Through a series of unexpected events Andy crossed paths with UB40 in the streets of Kingston.He built a friendship with the band and their lead singer, the legendary Ali Campbell took a ninterest in the project, generously giving Andy free access to his studio in Port Maria allowing him to bring life to ‘Time Will Tell’.

Scholes got in the studio with various Jamaican artists and recorded with Tony Tuff, Prince Green, and Johnny Clarke, each contributing their distinct voices and adding to the album's spiritual and conscious themes. The mystical vibe continued with the participation of other artists like Ghadian, Shalom, Pacey, Ben Dice, and Kerosene Oil, each bringing their own authentic style to the project.

The making of ‘Time Will Tell’ required time, dedication, and the synergy of a like-minded collective. The album embodies the warmth and transformative power of music serving as a driving force for positive change.

22 years after its initial release, the album is freshly remastered and reissued onto 12” vinyl by Dubquake Records!

The Durutti Column viola-playing master - a composer and
arranger for the likes of U2, Coldplay, Peter Gabriel and Blur, as
well as co-founder with Tony Wilson of the Factory Classical
label - had been composing music spontaneously, instinctively,
when the idea of ‘Tree’ arrived. The album came from a desire
in John Metcalfe to write at scale - perhaps a natural reaction
for a composer writing out of the silences and solitude of our
recent pandemic years.

C-50 Cassette Tape. 100 Copies only.

dispari introduces you to Hanoi-based Vietnamese artist Trần Uy Đức. Carried by large curiosity, urgency and delight, their sonic expression can be grasped as a self-exploration which is touchingly intimate, fragile, rebellious and cociliating. In their own words:

„It's my desire to escape into this person I don't know.
Die, orphaned kite flutes.
Watch me escape the orphaned kite flutes.
If you beat it up many times.
Don’t, don't, he predict thunder.
Who asked me tonight to explain one, two, two miracles.
Same problem.
C-c-c-fuck
I'm singing for my body.“

Trần Uy Đức

Hive Mind and Sing A Song Fighter are delighted to present to you their first collaborative release, the amazing solo guitar album from legendary Congolese guitarist Kahanga Dekula aka ”Vumbi”.

Swedish producer Karl-Jonas Winqvist (founder of Sing-A-Song Fighter and member of Senegalese/Swedish act Wau Wau Collectif) has been a longtime fan of Vumbi Dekula’s artistry which led to him releasing The Dekula Band's debut album ”Opika” in 2019 with the Dekula Band.

While watching the band perform was always a blast, says Karl Jonas, his desire to hear Vumbi play on his own, without the thunderous drums, wailing saxophones and chanting vocals grew in his mind, “Because, in a way, Vumbi’s guitar playing is like an orchestra on its own. And the idea of just concentrating on all the amazing riffs and beautiful, uplifting melodies was just so appealing”. Karl-Jonas proposed the idea of producing a solo album to Vumbi, and within a week the production process began

Recorded in two days during lockdown at the Helter Skelter Studios in Stockholm, Karl and Vumbi allowed the music to guide them. Vumbi was inspired to play 2nd guitar adding some harmonies and melodies here and there, and on the final track (”UN Forces Get Out of the DR of Congo”) he introduced a banjo into the world of ”Congo guitar”. Karl Jonas started up his old rhythm box machine to some of the songs to see how Vumbi and his playing would react to it. Elsewhere, wordless backing vocals from Karl-Jonas and Emma Nordenstam were added to Maamajacy, bass melodica by Karl-Jonas appears on Weekend, and a little piano tinkering from Emma adds some sparkle to Zuku. But clearly, Vumbi's virtuoso playing remains the star of Congo Guitar.'

NOAR is a young collective of enthusiasts in electronic music from Dresden.

The aim is to bring locals from dresden and eastern germany on the screen of like minded people. The scene is bursting with talents and audiophiles of several generations and therefore we want to give these talents a platform and make their output accessible to like-minded people.

‘Clone Scratch’ by Friedrich Ernst comes with a distinct electro vibe for build ups in a club and vocals in dreamy watery manner reminds us what’s up to us.

‘locknr01’ by The Isolator gives us a cold industrial goosebumps. A whole factory is under pressure performing that straight electro tune while heavy strings foreshadow its collapse. Here and there screws turn out of the steel beams, soft like bubbles. You have to take cover to avoid being shot.

A3 by Anachronism follows straight up. ‘Lost Control by Distance’ shows us what unconsciousness feels like. In this breakbeat thunderstorm we are sitting in a crashing airplane not quite ready for what's coming next.

With ‘Establishment’ the thunderstorm lightens and suddenly soft sunrays from Planetary Secrets come through the cloud cover. You are dreaming with soft melodies warming up your face while your body is moving to uk influenced breakbeat.

The duo KAWA KAWA is making their release debut with B2. This track clearly serves you on peak times with lovely and rough vocals while its energy easily lets you understand what a desire means.

The EP is finished with a fast electro belter from Otis Key. With it’s minimalistic approach
‘Copy Natural Processes at the Nanoscale’ lets you dive into the grid of existence with your electron microscope. From time to time you can see light coming from underneath with cold strings layered between the rhythm.
Dude what if...Is it… the matrix?

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, black vinyl, ltd 400, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover with 5mm spine, 8 page booklet, poster, A5 photo card, Transfer, mastering and audio restoration by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in April 2022. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, blue vinyl, ltd 450, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover with 5mm spine, 8 page booklet, poster, A5 photo card, Transfer, mastering and audio restoration by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in April 2022. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels

Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output. Following our release of Courts Or Wars, combining their early material, we are proud to reissue their only full length album, World Of Rubber.

Fueled by experimentation in both song construction and recording techniques, the duo leave you enveloped in what The Quietus described as, “a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanizing effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society.” Indeed, the goal had been to make each album a concept album, with this to be titled: Second Layer’s World Of Rubber. Alas, this was to be the first and last of those efforts. New detailed liner notes from Graham Bailey shed considerable light on the creation of this cold classic and its immediate aftermath.

Bailey’s inventive construction and deconstruction of various electronics, effects boxes and tape loops form the propulsive base for these songs. Borland’s guitar playing is jagged and unleashed. Above it all is an undeniable sense of melody and Adrian’s distinctive vocals. Soon, they would wonder where Second Layer ended and The Sound began, but World Of Rubber would stand as a document of this fertile period. It would also be a lasting testament to their desire to push the boundaries of their creativity. Dark and brooding the result is what Bandcamp described as “brutally bleak, blank-eyed post-punk that remains chillingly compelling.”

Showcasing CLT DRP’s unique position at the cutting edge of electronic, noise-infused music, Nothing Clever, Just Feelings seamlessly merges various genres to create a unique sound that is both exhilarating and reflective. Focused on themes of queerness and heartbreak, each track explores the raw emotions that come along with these lived experiences, delivering a personal and poignant message at every turn—newfound feminism in vulnerability and gender fluidity; newfound femininity in humour and the fear of being alone.

The first vinyl release from American artist Sydney Spann, Sending Up A Spiral Of well encapsulates Spann’s body of work thus far. On their music, which reacts to themes of family systems and care work, Sydney writes, “people who have done care work —nannies, sex workers, therapists, nurses— may possess their own musical knowledge, developed over time through particular modes of voicing practiced to achieve a desired outcome in their labor. Attending intimately to these ways of voicing and listening and bringing them into a sound practice could be a way to legitimize a less recognized kind of musical knowledge.”

Sending Up A Spiral Of explores this unarticulated expression through sound and song. The titular piece traces Spann within some quixotic woodland, as if beginning inside of some urban fairy-story. Self-soothing singing quivers under dragging branches, peeling cement and other tactile grit. The work drops into a new proximity half-way through as electronic contours overtake the environment. Sine-tones smolder in a pulsating choreography, perhaps reminiscent of Richard Maxfield’s “Night Music” played at half-speed.

The second section of the record depicts a series of five smaller portraits, expressed (or disguised) as lullabies. An oceanic humming permeates them. “Possession” and “Purposeful Evening” are the most song-like lullabies, with their verse-chorus repetition and melodic simplicity. Innocuous words “baby” and “honey” are encoded with deeper, often painful connotations. Sydney’s voice and vision for this album is ambitious, cloaked in the strains and contradictions of what love means in the nuclear family.

A 16-page artist pamphlet of rubbings, photographs and sheet music accompanies the LP, along with a digital PDF of Spann’s thesis “Sending Up A Spiral Of: A Musical Epistemology Made Through Care Work.”

After the thematic albums 'True' (2012 inspired by Berlin and David Bowie).

'Desire' (2015, an instrumental opera about longing), 'Goldbrun' (2017 a homage to Europe and Honing's interest in European art music) and 'Bluebeard' (2020, a dark album mainly inspired by the 300-year-old fairy tale of the same name), there is now 'Heaven on my mind'.An album on which the quartet's now decade- long existence undoubtedly pays off. Not only is the almost telepathic way the band members communicate with each other an important feature; this fifth quartet album also clearly shows Honing's love for Charles Lloyd, Pharoah Sanders and the freer acoustic jazz that emerged along with the 1960s hippie movement.

Formed in Berlin, via an instagram notice board "We Formed A Band" set up by the band Gurr, LOBSTERBOMB had no idea at the time it would lead to them signing to the label that discovered Gurr, Duchess Box Records.

The Trio Nico Rosch, Vik Chi and Crayon Jones all immigrated to Berlin looking for the same escape and lust from the places they had left behind. After connecting with eachother during the pandemic of 2020 they started writing songs drawing on their environment, fears and frustrations of the time but had an desire for seizing the moment and making the world their own, a feeling they still have today..

"I have a bit of an obsession with a band from Germany called LOBSTERBOMB, I think they are magnificent" says legendary Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon on his American radio show on Sirius XM.

On his third album Comité Hypnotisé let you belly flop into his eleven chambers of the Danza Del Piri-Piri: expanding the feral and contagious universe he started to build a lifetime ago. Levitating and shimmering a glistering way through deep old skool 70's sitar vibes and jitterbug grooves. This boogieman aka the Millionaire-mind and part of the Evil Superstars has carved some hot smoked out bass and organ flared cuts on wax, ready to never leave you again. Whether it is with woodchopped kazou sounds stretching into hazy sunshine desire or dazzling basslines blending with interstellar and stuttering kick drums: the Danza Del Piri-Piri flip-flops and slams into a wiggly relentless sonic future.

FFO Sven Wunder, Ennio Morricone, Khruangbin, Flying Lotus, The Meters, Parliament, Edan, The Gaslamp Killer.

Comité Hypnotisé is the brainchild of Tim Vanhamel, frontman of Millionaire and Evil Superstars, two of Belgium's most famous alternative rock bands. In 2013 Tim started creating solo music that only got released in 2021 on his first solo album through the Belgian eclectic Cortizona label

RIYL: Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Bark Psychosis, Caspian, Mogwai, This Will Destroy You. Exclusive vinyl colour (Opaque Mix Hellfire), limited to 1000 copies, and features a gatefold jacket, printed two-sided Euro sleeves, four art prints, and download code. Breaking from the strange monotony and abnormal norms that took hold during two years of pandemic life, Hammock returns with Love in the Void, an album that looks to the future, seizes the present, and unabashedly relishes the experiences and bonds that bring meaning to our days. Known for crafting orchestral works of stirring cinematic ambience, on Love in the Void the Nashville-based duo of Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson bring guitar-forward, heart-pounding urgency to songs that shout through and shatter the static of complacency. Since forming as Hammock in 2003, Byrd and Thompson have released 14 critically-acclaimed albums and are renowned for their unique talent for bringing inexpressible emotion to life. The Covid-19 pandemic followed closely after one of Hammock’s career-defining works, the Mysterium, Universalis, and Silencia trilogy that chronicled the incomprehensible loss of Byrd’s 20-year old nephew. At their homes and apart, Byrd and Thompson then recorded Elsewhere, an album of shimmering ambience that channelled alienated longing and displacement into avenues that gave way to worlds and possibilities yet realized. Shaken awake and needing to break free of frustrations and longings, Love in the Void pulses with an unbridled spirit for action and experience and a burning desire for connection. Across songs that hammer home the keenly felt emotions of life’s highs and lows, Byrd and Thompson crest soaring crescendos awash in reverb and delve to keenly felt moments of quiet introspection, with unflinching lyrics on tracks like “Undoing” and “Denial of Endings’’ that weigh choices made and circumstances that can’t be changed. Lush and dramatic string orchestration from Matt Kidd (Slow Meadow) and emphatic drumming from Jake Finch heighten the stakes in play, and Christine Byrd’s (Lumenette) ethereal vocals leave mysteries lingering in the haze. Love in the Void is Hammock’s loudest album to date, embracing daring and vulnerability with palpable vitality at its core, and moving into an unknown future without fear.

In Rumi's poem A Great Wagon he writes of a place of total acceptance. "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there," It is a boundless, liminal space where we can release the judgments we make and carry of ourselves, and the comparisons to others. When we think of this field, there is a sense of tranquility that only comes when we are undisturbed by the shadow self and see existence as neither bright nor dim, white nor black. But as lead singer Greg Bertens explains, arriving there is a whole different story. "This is a poem I've returned to over the years, and I love the idea of this place, but getting there is life's journey." Bertens adds "I think the longing for and elusiveness of this field is a recurring theme in our music." Field is enveloped by themes of regret, disconnection and frustration but with the space to understand that these feelings are a natural part of the struggle between reconciling the inner and outer self. The Los Angeles/San Francisco-based group have been indie shoegaze stalwarts since their formation in 2001. After two decades and a handful of line-up changes, their extensive discography presents a dynamically textural, lush psychedelic rock that has featured guest appearances by members of Pavement, My Bloody Valentine, and Snow Patrol, among others. 2021's LP We Weren't Here was hailed for its dense instrumental blanket, where unrelenting hi-hats and heavy kicks exist alongside dreamy drone guitar. This propulsive nature permeates Field, as members Bertens, Noël Brydebell (vocals), Nyles Lannon (guitar), Jason Ruck (synths), Justin LaBo (bass), and Adam Wade (drums) produce a kaleidoscopic sonic landscape. Patient, sprawling instrumentation builds a foundation in which Bertens' themes of endurance, perseverance and clarity can bloom with a considered poise. As a lyricist who writes in response to the instrumental arrangements, rather than a focus on a specific theme or person, Field is a testament to Film School's ability to create in the moment, and to showcase the magic that stems from when we are truly present. Album opener "Tape Rewind" is a swirling rush of color, as sustained guitars, darkened bass lines and urgent, percussive swells dance alongside each other. "This is the newest of all the songs on the record and feels like a new level of heaviness for the band," Bertens explains, noting that its lyrical context of struggling to move past trauma adds to its cathartic essence. Field is bookended by heavier themes, with closer "All I'll Ever Be" taking on the perspective of those we hurt when we embrace our own toxic behaviors. Originally written to be a simple acoustic guitar and vocals song soon turned into an ethereal, effects-laden composition, with Noël's hazy lead vocals ushering in a new-found acceptance. "It's all I want / To be released / And all I can be," she laments, cementing Field's message of accepting ourselves in whatever form we find ourselves in. "Defending Ruins" is a murky relentless underworld, inspired by the freewheeling tones of Texas-based band Holy Wave. "Defending the ruins, defending remains," Bertens spits, among a richly-layered outro. "Don't You Ever" confirms Film School's ability to merge both delicate and growling instrumentation throughout the album, with the song's softly spoken section hovering above sparkling guitar. "Is This A Hotel" bends towards the electronic aspects of the band, with wailing synths accompanying a story of bitter desire. With over two decades in the industry, Field cements Film School as a distinct, dominant force in the shoegaze scene. Soaked in an emotionally open, imaginative atmosphere, the album is both singular and expansive, and leaves the door open for a constantly evolving interpretation. Film School have never confined themselves to the rigidity of specifics, and it's on Field that they urge us to look beyond the binary of certainty, and to take a second look

Blonde on Blonde: A double album that transcends time, defies space, suspends reality, and looks through the human soul and tells the listener characteristics about themselves they didn't know. Professor Sean Wilentz, historian-in-residence for Bob Dylan's Web site, comes as close to summing up its brilliance in his superb Bob Dylan In America as any who've tried: "The songs are rich meditations on desire, frailty, promises, boredom, hurt, envy, connections, missed connections, paranoia, and transcendent beauty – in short, the lures and snare of love, stock themes of rock and pop music, but written with a powerful literary imagination and played out in a pop netherworld." No lie.

As part of its Bob Dylan catalogue restoration series, we are thoroughly humbled to have the privilege of mastering the iconic LP from the master tapes and pressing it on 45RPM LPs at RTI. We feel that the end result is the very finest, most transparent edition of Blonde on Blonde ever produced. Forever renowned for what the Bard deemed "that thin, that wild mercury sound," the album's famed aural character lives and breathes on this superb version, with wider and deeper grooves affording playback of previously buried information and lifelike presentation of the studio sessions.

Prized for a unique sound that cultural critic Greil Marcus tagged "the most glamorous record imaginable; listening you can see the chequered jester's suit Dylan had worn on stage for the nine previous, furious months," Blonde on Blonde is to music, production, prose, and performance as what hydrogen is to water. The secret to its inimitable aural character partially stems from Dylan's request in Nashville to producer Bob Johnston to remove the baffles from the studio room, allowing the musicians to interact as well as the music to assume a more organic quality that drifts from one microphone to another.

The story of Blonde on Blonde is almost as compelling as the music within. Dylan, frustrated with how initial attempts fared in New York, relocating to Tennessee and pairing with Nashville's top session players as well as members of what would become the Band, feverishly chasing perfectionism while also arriving at an on-the-fly feel that remains a reference point for recorded music. The Bard sweated over lyrics, demanded his band get the exact sounds he heard in his head, and limited most takes to a handful at most. A majority of songs were recorded long after midnight, the post-A.M. vibe reflected in the nocturnal aura, woozy optimism, inversion of intervals, and spiritual soulfulness of the playing.

Lyon, France’s Meurtrières has not strayed far from their original goal of writing old-school, epic heavy metal with medieval overtones on their newest effort, Ronde De Nuit. If anything, the band (consisting of new vocalist Fiona, the guitar tandem of Flo Spector and Olivier, bassist Xavier and drummer Thomas) has taken what they started on their well-received 2020 self-titled EP and added new layers of complexity and depth. It is the natural transition for a band gaining more confidence in its songwriting abilities. Yet the noticeable change starts in the vocal spot. Out is the original frontwoman Fleur and in her place is Fiona. Meurtrières wasted little time introducing Fiona — the band started playing live shows and writing new material with her right after the release of the EP, thus, giving Meurtrières ample time to hone its new material. And Fiona fits the band’s hard-charging, gallant music like a glove, coming away with a stronghold of fiery, epic choruses — all sung in the Meurtrières’ native tongue. The lyrical subject matter on Ronde De Nuit still spans the medieval domain but with increased emphasis on paintings by Rembrandt (The Night Watch) and Johann Heinrich (Füssli). The band aimed to make the songs “pictorial,” reflecting imaginary portraits to draw in the listener. Except for “Aucun Homme, Aucun Dogme, Aucune Croix” (which is a known French medieval legend about a real woman), the songs on Ronde De Nuit are based on fantasy with a desired fate: All the depicted characters are doomed to tragedy, for in the world of Meurtrières, there is no such thing as crowned kings and queens and even glorious warriors. Artwork by Ivan Brun rounds out a package that perfectly ties in thematically with the desperate and dark themes of the lyrics. It is a fitting component to an album laced with stunning visuals and epic, old-school metal of the highest order!

Neue bezaubernde Metal-Horizonte

Das neue SinHeresy-Album “Event Horizon" unterstreicht den einzigartigen Sound von SinHeresy, der aus druckvollen, modernen Vibes, kraftvollem Riffing, fesselnden Atmosphären und unvergesslichen Melodien besteht. Jeder Song ist perfekt um die kristallklare Stimme von Cecilia Petrini und die starken Vocals von Stefano Sain herum aufgebaut, die sich von Zeit zu Zeit vermischen und duellieren, während die Rhythmen härter und dynamischer werden und einen Hauch von melodischen Metalcore-Einflüssen aufweisen.

Der atemberaubende Ritt über 10 Tracks führt den Hörer auf eine Reise ins Unbekannte und steht für die endlose Entdeckung der innersten Gefühle, Tugenden und Schwächen, die wir manchmal sogar vor uns selbst verbergen.

Radiorama were one of the most successful Italo disco projects in the 1980s.

With hits like „Chance To Desire“, „Aliens“ and „Vampires“, the Italians conquered all European charts.
The album „Four Years After“ from 1989 is now remastered available on CD and vinyl.

Introducing CROWD002: Join us for an thrilling techno experience crafted by the talented Argentinian DJ and producer Sol Ortega, featuring a remix by FJAAK.

This EP delivers a carefully curated collection of effective dancefloor bangers that showcase the genre's timeless allure and the artist's exceptional artistry. Immerse yourself in the enchanting beats and harmonies of each track, igniting a desire for more.

Verwirrung - das Gefühl, perplex und verwirrt zu sein - ist die Inspiration für das neue Album von Pale Jay. Es ist eine gefühlvolle Erkundung des allmählichen Zerfalls einer Familie aufgrund von jahrelanger Vermeidung und Missverständnissen. Während dieser schwierigen Zeit begann Pale Jay, die Geschichten, mit denen er immer gelebt hatte, zu hinterfragen und seine Identität neu zu untersuchen. Das daraus resultierende Werk, Bewilderment, ist sein erstes komplettes Album, das Antworten auf diese und andere Fragen geben will. Pale Jay ist ein ausgebildeter Jazzsänger und Pianist und hat alle Songs des Albums geschrieben, aufgenommen und produziert, mit Ausnahme von "By The Lake", das in Zusammenarbeit mit seinen Labelkollegen Okonski - Steve Okonski, Aaron Frazer und Michael Montgomery - entstanden ist. Die Musik von Pale Jay ist von einer Vielzahl von Songwritern beeinflusst, darunter Labi Siffre, Carole King und William Onyeabor. Bewilderment ist eine nahtlose Mischung aus Pale Jays Markenzeichen, staubigem Soul, langsamer Disco- und Afrobeat, wobei die Streicherarrangements von Raven Bush den beatlastigen Produktionen eine zusätzliche Ebene der Magie verleihen. Pale Jays Debüt-LP ist eine fesselnde Reise der Selbstentdeckung. Jeder Song auf Bewilderment erzählt eine eigene Geschichte, aber alle haben ein gemeinsames Thema: persönliches Wachstum und Selbsterkenntnis.

Crème de la Deutz are a desire freeway and palm lodging. Mousy trees yearning for shell stars. During the release phase Crème de la Deutz will show an exhibition at Matjö, Cologne as well as perform at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf / Salon des Amateurs and at Temporary Gallery, Cologne on the occasion of Düsseldorf Cologne Open Gallery Weekend.

Pink Siifu’s latest release, GUMBO!, is another sprawling Afrocentric vision from one of the boldest voices in contemporary rap. Following up on 2020’s NEGRO, the album’s songs are as rich and varied as its titular stew. Siifu’s boundless style makes for an unpredictable but rewarding ride across the album’s 18 tracks, as he explores the diverse sounds of his influences and breaks new ground with a unique class of co-stars.

Siifu, born Livingston Matthews and raised between Alabama and Cincinnati, has already notched a conspicuous list of collaborations in his burgeoning career, from legendary producer the Alchemist to Australian electronic group the Avalanches. Siifu also embodies various inspirations through a range of alter-egos, often producing under the moniker “iiye,” or as half of the duo B. Cool-Aid with Ahwlee, both of which appear on GUMBO!.

The variety of guest features and production on GUMBO! only elevates Siifu’s ability to push the boundaries of genre and song structure. “Voicemails Uptown” (produced by Soulection’s Monte Booker) is the second of two back-to-back posse cuts, sporting five plus vocalists each. “Lng hair dnt care,” the album’s first single, was produced by Ted Kamal, who first garnered attention for his outside-the-box edits of contemporary rap staples. And while several of the album’s tracks are well within his bag, the jazzy, drumless loop on “Fk U Mean/Hold Me Dwn” could’ve been a cut off of his collab album with Virginia rapper Fly Anakin, FlySiifu’s.

Though rife with standout tracks, GUMBO! is greater than the sum of its parts. Siifu’s ambitious range and impressive pool of features create an otherworldly listening experience. Overall, it reflects an intense desire for self-expression and creative growth, one which he shares with many of his influences. Like Outkast, Sun Ra, Baraka, or Bad Brains, his unique soundscapes re-imagine a genre without restrictions, breaking new ground in search of artistic and personal freedom.

Three years after the original release date of Caterina Barbieri’s career defining album Ecstatic Computation, the Italian artist reissues the record on her newly found own label light-years.

Caterina Barbieri is an Italian composer who explores themes related to machine intelligence and object oriented perception in sound through a focus on minimalism. Ecstatic Computation revolves
around the creative use of complex sequencing techniques and pattern-based operations to explore the artefacts of human perception and memory processes by ultimately inducing a sense of ecstasy and contemplation. Computation is turned from being a formal, automatic writing technique into a creative, psychedelic practice to generate temporal hallucinations. A state of trance and wonder where the perception of time is distorted and challenged.


Equally nervous and ecstatic, the fast permutation of patterns can create a state where time stands still whilst simultaneously being in motion. Is this propulsive music moving forward or backward? As
long as the perception of the present is constantly enhanced and refreshed in an endless sense of loss, re-discovery and the search for self-orientation this question lies mute aside the thrilling and perplexing moment of the matter at hand.

Featuring the singles "Desire Lines" and "Hypocrite", Split is the second full studio album by Lush. Produced by Mike Hedges - famed for his work on The Cure"s Seventeen Seconds & Siouxsie and the Banshees"s A Kiss in the Dreamhouse - and mixed by Alan Moulder, Split sees the band hit a poppier sound whilst retaining their almost pitch-black feel.

I could smell the curves of the river beyond the dusk and I saw the last light supine and tranquil upon tide-flats like pieces of broken mirror, then beyond them lights began in the pale clear air, trembling a little like butterflies hovering a long way off. -The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner

This is the third and final instalment of Jeremiah M. Carter’s album triptych, »Vessels«. Following »Rejoice« and »Speak You Also«, all three album’s where conceived within a 6 month period during ferociously exalting creative sessions.

The Emotional turmoil of the early pandemic is as present on »Vessels« as it is in the other two albums, yet the final instalment showcases as more distinctive sense of focus, where the earlier albums saw Jeremiah expel a state of uncertainty and trepidation into an intense, almost spiritual form of musical cleansing, Vessels still bears those same hallmarks, yet comes across with an air of refinement and finality.

Spanning six pieces, each work feels like an integral part of the albums overarching narrative, fervently nestled amid divinity and humility. By its final piece, which also clocks in as the longest in the entire triptych, we are treated to one of Jeremiah’s finest moments, and for a few seconds, it all comes together for one last swansong, forming a sonic distillation of elation and grief, desire and passion. – It’s all here.

Julian Cannonball Adderley's only Blue Note album, Somethin' Else, would likely forever be famous in music lore if just for the presence of Miles Davis. The iconic composer/trumpeter steps into the role of sideman on the 1958 set, one of just a handful of times he'd make such a move after the calendar passed the mid-1950s. Yet evaluating Somethin' Else strictly on Davis' involvement misses the big picture. Plain and simple, Adderley's jubilant work remains a jazz landmark due to the chemistry of its Hall of Fame personnel, enthusiasm of its participants, and sophistication of its arrangements – not to mention the reference-grade production and inclusion of the definitive renditions of two all-time jazz standards.

Limited to 6,000 numbered copies, pressed on dead-quiet MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, and mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's ultra-hi-fi UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector's edition pays tribute to the record's merit and includes the bonus track "Allison's Uncle." Offering reference-calibre sonics, this spectacular collector's version provides a clear, transparent, ultra-dynamic, and up-close view of a cornerstone effort that witnesses Adderley and Davis sharing horn duty alone for the only time in their fabled careers – an arrangement that occurred as a result of Adderley having joined Davis' majestic sextet a year prior.

The premium packaging and beautiful presentation of the UD1S Somethin' Else pressing befit its extremely select status. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording. No expense has been spared. Aurally and visually, this UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artefact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the iconic photos to the gorgeous finishes.

The vibrant potency reveals itself openly on an analogue set that provides full-range reproduction of an ensemble that also includes pianist Hank Jones, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Art Blakey. Each and every snare hit, downbeat, and cymbal splash registered by the latter take on realistic proportions, blooming and decaying as they would right in front of you on a stage. Jones' foundational bass lines register with uncommon depth and palpability, the litheness of the strings and fullness of the instrument epitomizing the definition of rhythm. Stellar, too, are the surefooted 88s. Sublime in scale, tonality, and attack, with the delineation such you can practically separate the white and black keys in your mind. As for that liquid interplay between Adderley and Davis? Breathtakingly lifelike in timbre, naturalism, purity, and presence. This collector's version takes you there – there being Rudy Van Gelder's legendary New Jersey studio in March 1958 to witness it all unfold, again and again.

For reasons that extend far beyond the outstanding playing and flawless repertoire, Somethin' Else is without question a record you'll always want to watch and hear come together. As veteran critic Bob Blumenthal observed writing about the album four decades after its release, "The instant rapport achieved by the quintet is thus the product of much shared and common history, though the tensile strength that they create throughout created a totally unique feeling that can be attributed to the sensitive musicianship of all concerned, including the supposedly hard bopping leader and drummer." Such inimitable feeling, or emotion, courses throughout every passage, and no where more obviously than on "Autumn Leaves" and "Love for Sale."

Without question, the discreet interpretations of the Johnny Mercer and Cole Porter songs, respectively, found on Somethin' Else have long been considered part of jazz's alluring mystique. Adderley and Davis bring contrasting approaches to the table yet sound of a singular mind on "Autumn Leaves," with the latter's muted trumpet and the headliner's lush alto saxophone dovetailing into a performance that endures as a blueprint for expression, counterpoint, sophistication, fluidity, and linearity. Blues, melody, and romance pour from their horns. Their bandmates, picking up on the intimate vibe and calm mood here – as well as on the spry, head-over-heels spirit of "Love for Sale" – join in on the conversation with sharp economy and float-on-air roundedness.

Not to undersell the other three numbers, all deserving five-star status. Twelve measures in length, the title track offers a slow burn in swing. Written by Adderley's brother, Nat, the 12-bar "One for Daddy-O" transmits funk flavors. The closing "Dancing in the Dark" pops with lushness and temptation, its stream of bold colours and understated textures calling for a moonlight twirl, or at least fantasies suggestive of a memorable night. Somethin' else, indeed.

Incredible jazz / prog / folk score to groundbreaking tattoo film by maverick filmmaker. Unreleased until now, so don’t go saying it’s a reissue because it isn’t, but I’m sure some people will because they always do.

John Samson (1946 - 2004) was a truly great documentary maker. He must be as I’ve been obsessed with his work for many years. Educated first at Glasgow School Of Art (circa 1963) and then finally in the art of film making at The National Film And Television School in Beaconsfield - he headed there in its opening year of 1971 having made a short film that got him a scholarship.

It was at the NFTS that Samson met Mike Wallington, who was to become his right hand man and eventual producer; together as a quite brilliant team they made a handful of inspiring, entertaining and hugely prescient films about important, overlooked, unseen and marginal fringes in society. Tattoo (1975) Exploring the rather clandestine world of tattooing in the UK. Dressing For Pleasure (1977) Exploring the rather clandestine world of festish in the UK. Brittania (1979) A film about railway enthusiasts and a steam train restoration.

Arrows (1979) The life of dart player Eric Bristow. Drag Ball (1981) An unreleased film about the annual Porchester Hall Drag Ball. The Skin Horse (1983) BAFTA winning film about The Outsiders Club, a dating agency for disabled people. The subject matter in all films was always unusual for the time, and Samson managed to navigate his way with compassion, interest and subtlety, immersing himself in the chosen scene and producing moving, fascinating and sometimes darkly amusing situations. His documentaries also do not rely on traditional voiceovers, with stories, facts and narrative threads being dictated by the subjects.

I’ve tried for a long time to find the music for a couple of his early films (there was actually an original 7” for Arrows) - so far this is the only unreleased soundtrack I have found. This one was written by Steve Jolliffe, who met Samson at the NFTS. Joliffe was the resident composer and had a room at the college complex where he could work on scores for the fledgling film makers. Jolliffe was and still is a multi-instrumentalist and prolific composer who had met Edgar Froese at the Berlin Konservatorium in the late 1960s and played in an early incarnation of Tangerine Dream. He toured with blues rock outfit Steamhammer, before hanging out at the NFTS, making this recording (and many others) and eventually rejoining Tangerine Dream in the late 1970s. Jolliffe still writes, records and releases today and once i had made contact with him we traced the original Tattoo master tape to a box at his brother’s house. Musically it’s charming, slightly folky, a touch baroque, there’s a whiff of prog too, and it perfectly suited this early documentary about the art and desire of tattoos. I only wish it was longer. But the film is only 16 minutes long. Seek it out if you can. Try and find all the Samson films, they really are a joy.

As well as featuring intimate footage of tattooed people, the film also includes a rare and very early interview with Alan Oversby (better known as Mr Sebastian), a seminal character in the development of tattoos and body modifications worldwide - it was he who eventually was to tattoo and pierce Genesis P-Orridge.

The images for this vinyl release were all found in Mike Wallington’s Tattoo documentary research folder from 1974, and were photos sent in to Mike and John by people who wanted to feature in the film. Most answered an advert in Time Out, and others included people from my home town of Aldershot where tattooist Bill Skuse and his wife, Rusty (the most tattooed woman in Britain at the time, and featured in the film) were based. His parlour was situated at the back of the arcade where we all used to lose all our pocket money in the slot machines.
The Musicians:
Steve Jolliffe - keyboards, flute, sax Geoff Jolliffe - bass guitar Julian Furniss - guitar Mick Kirby - drums

Proud internet motormouth and Pittsburgh mainstay Thomas Cox finally returns with a second release on his QED Recordings label. The tracks were made in February and were road-tested over DEMF weekend. Each one, he says, was made on hardware in one take, so they have a naturally rugged edge and dynamic feel that makes them all the more real.

'Desire Paths' again betrays his love of Omar-S with its layers of grimy drums and perc and distant cosmic chords, while 'Thunderhead' has a busted drum funk feel akin to Theo Parrish's famously fucked up work. Another worthy outing from Cox, then,

Stepanida Borisova is an outstanding singer from the republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Siberia, and its most reknowned exponent of folk theatre. As a singer, Stepanida performs in many different styles of traditional Sakha singing. She is mostly known as a performer of poems - tojuks, one of the genres of Sakha storytelling folklore. Tojuks, long with other genres of singing, form the core of the Sakha epic Olonkho, an anthology of supernatural and heroic legends and fables, an absolute essence of Sakha poetic and vocal expression.

Her signature style of singing is "enelgen", a disturbing and somewhat dark yet mesmerising, ecstatic, meditative and improvisational style, conveying a very intimate and personal feeling of love, loneliness or longing. "Music puts restrictions on you. It puts you in the mould. But the real life is different. Without thinking about musicality and form, one must sing what one feels" Stepanida Borisova comments on her art and performance.

During her long career, her desire to break out of the restrictions of tradition and to expand her sound, led her to perform with musicians from many different cultures - Europe, Middle East and Asia. But of all Stepanida's collaborations, the duo with the Czech drummer and composer Pavel Fajt is undoubtedly the most long standing and well documented project.

Fajt, with his relentless desire for experimentation and musical challenge, is probably one of the most reknowned musicians on the Czech alternative rock/jazz scene. With his musical career starting in the early 1980s, he was crucal in laying the foundations of the Czech folk/rock movement, first with legendary rock band Dunaj, then moving on to work with the violin player and singer Iva Bittova, guitarist Fred Frith, Jim Meneses and many other musicians.

The soaring spiritual dialogue between the two free spirits in music began with a run of successful concerts and a TV debut in Prague in 1998 and still continues. Stepanida's stunning embodiment of the ecstatic female shaman, Pavel's vibrant and expressive drumming manner - combined with the theatrical background and performing experience of both - make an amazing spectacle of sound and vision, in which all the colours of Stepanida's unearthly and powerful voice are neatly dovetailed into Pavel's ornamentation of beats and rhythm.

The songs presented on this album were recorded in Brno in 2002 and are finally seeing their first vinyl release.

THE LEGENDARY 1980 ALBUM REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES.
• 2LP SET WITH 12” X 12” BOOKLET.
• INLCUDES THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ‘COMS 1-3 RDX SUITE’ (TAKEN FROM THE ‘COMMERCIAL
ALBUM’ MULTITRACK TAPES).
• PRODUCED WITH THE RESIDENTS AND THE CRYPTIC CORPORATION.
• THE SEVENTH IN A SERIES OF VINYL RE-ISSUES OF THE RESIDENTS’ CLASSIC 70S ALBUMS.
Formed in the early 1970s, The Residents have now been charting a unique path through the
musical landscape for 50 years. In celebration of that remarkable and unlikely anniversary, we
present an expanded vinyl edition of the classic 1980 LP ‘Commercial Album’.
Following almost a decade spent attempting to redefine what pop music could be, but with zero
hit singles to show for it, The Residents finally caved and produced their own pop music album as
the 80s dawned. But rather than have each song repeat the same minute of music three times as
per the traditional pop format, The Residents produced no less than 40 one-minute pop
masterpieces, and invited the listener to do the repeating bit themselves if they felt the need.
The resulting ‘Commercial Album’ both showcased the incredible depth of the group’s musical
palette and proved definitively that they could easily be as big as The Beatles if they wanted to.
Probably bigger, actually.
Featuring a breathless collage of toe-tappers, memorable melodies, instrumental experiments
and guest performers (Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and XTC’s Andy Partridge among them), the
record has since acquired legendary status among both fans and confused onlookers alike.
Alongside the original album, this 2LP edition presents the ‘COMS 1-3 RDX Suite’ – a brand new
interpretation of (almost) the entire album, produced by the group using the original multi-track
tapes – and a brand new sleevenote essay shedding new light on the album’s production.
‘Commercial Album’ is the latest in The Residents’ extensive ongoing pREServed series – expect
more throughout 2023 and 2024. Possibly even 2025 too, the way things are going.