Search:desire

Born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, by now much has been made of Fantastic Negrito's own unique story--his early years growing up in an orthodox Muslim household, the doomed major label deal that turned him off of the music industry altogether, the near-fatal car crash that permanently damaged his guitar playing hand--as well as the remarkable redemption arc that began in 2015, when he won the first ever NPR Tiny Desk Contest. In the years that followed, Negrito would go on to take home three consecutive GRAMMY Awards for Best Contemporary Blues Album, tour with everyone from Sturgill Simpson to Chris Cornell to Bruce Springsteen, collaborate in the studio with the likes of Sting and E-40, launch his own Storefront Records label, perform at Lollapalooza, WOMAD, Glastonbury, Newport Folk, Byron Bay Blues, and nearly every other major festival on the map, and found the Revolution Plantation, an urban farm aimed at youth education and empowerment. Son of a Broken Man sees Fantastic Negrito encapsulating the inimitable elements of his celebrated body of work to date, from hard-hitting distorted guitar riffs to melodic and expressive ballads, all fueled by the unexpected twists that have become his trademark. The album stands as perhaps Fantastic Negrito's most personal thus far, exploring family, deception, and the human desire to hide the true self as he dives deep into one of the oldest conflicts in human history, the struggle between father and son. Beginning at a young age, Negrito was served untruths by his father. A made-up last name, a fabricated ancestry, and a fake Somali accent. Why lie? Why create this false narrative? Those are the questions Negrito had to ask himself and the questions that lie at the heart of Son of a Broken Man.

Die französische Alternative Art-Rock-Band Klone kehrt mit ihrem 10. Album "The Unseen" zurück und treibt ihren ohnehin schon üppigen Sound in schwindelerregende, magische Höhen. "The Unseen" ist eine kühne neue Reise durch eine einzigartige und doch kontrastreiche Klanglandschaft, eine immersive, traumhafte Erfahrung, die von der Bedeutung von Dingen spricht, die auf den ersten Blick keine Bedeutung zu haben scheinen. Emotional wie konzeptionell haben Klone wieder einmal neue klangliche Wege beschritten und ihren charakteristischen doch weiten Sound ausgebaut. Seit der Veröffentlichung von "Le Grand Voyage" im Jahr 2019 sind die französischen Post-Prog-Metal-Art-Rocker Klone weltweit zu neuen Höhen aufgestiegen, tourten in Europa, den USA, Australien und Mexiko an der Seite von Bands wie Devin Townsend, Leprous, Riverside, Pain of Salvation und Gojira und begeisterten die Festivalbesucher beim Hellfest 2024, Prog Power USA, Midsummer Prog und Cruise to the Edge. Nach ihrem phänomenalen Album "Meanwhile" aus dem Jahr 2023 ist das Album ein neues Meisterwerk in Sachen Performance und Produktion, bei dem Klone ihre jahrelange Erfahrung voll auspielen. Mit jedem Mitglied und jedem Instrument, das bis an seine Ausdrucksgrenze getrieben wird, hat das Album eine Kraft und Intensität, die sich, obwohl sie manchmal rau ist, gleichzeitig natürlich, kohärent und einheitlich anfühlt, da sich die Band von Motiv und Melodie als Einheit bewegt, Wie immer geleitet von der unverwechselbaren Stimme und Vision von Yann Ligner. Mit 25 Jahren Musik im Rücken scheint es passend, dass "The Unseen" auch die 10. vollständige Veröffentlichung von Klone ist. Das Album ist ein Meilenstein, welches Reflexionen über die Vergangenheit als Mittel nutzt, um die Schönheit der Gegenwart zu würdigen, wobei die Band ihre gemeinsame jahrzehntelange Kreativität und Zusammenarbeit nutzt, um aufschlussreiche neue Perspektiven für das Hier und Jetzt zu bieten.

Die französische Alternative Art-Rock-Band Klone kehrt mit ihrem 10. Album "The Unseen" zurück und treibt ihren ohnehin schon üppigen Sound in schwindelerregende, magische Höhen. "The Unseen" ist eine kühne neue Reise durch eine einzigartige und doch kontrastreiche Klanglandschaft, eine immersive, traumhafte Erfahrung, die von der Bedeutung von Dingen spricht, die auf den ersten Blick keine Bedeutung zu haben scheinen. Emotional wie konzeptionell haben Klone wieder einmal neue klangliche Wege beschritten und ihren charakteristischen doch weiten Sound ausgebaut. Seit der Veröffentlichung von "Le Grand Voyage" im Jahr 2019 sind die französischen Post-Prog-Metal-Art-Rocker Klone weltweit zu neuen Höhen aufgestiegen, tourten in Europa, den USA, Australien und Mexiko an der Seite von Bands wie Devin Townsend, Leprous, Riverside, Pain of Salvation und Gojira und begeisterten die Festivalbesucher beim Hellfest 2024, Prog Power USA, Midsummer Prog und Cruise to the Edge. Nach ihrem phänomenalen Album "Meanwhile" aus dem Jahr 2023 ist das Album ein neues Meisterwerk in Sachen Performance und Produktion, bei dem Klone ihre jahrelange Erfahrung voll auspielen. Mit jedem Mitglied und jedem Instrument, das bis an seine Ausdrucksgrenze getrieben wird, hat das Album eine Kraft und Intensität, die sich, obwohl sie manchmal rau ist, gleichzeitig natürlich, kohärent und einheitlich anfühlt, da sich die Band von Motiv und Melodie als Einheit bewegt, Wie immer geleitet von der unverwechselbaren Stimme und Vision von Yann Ligner. Mit 25 Jahren Musik im Rücken scheint es passend, dass "The Unseen" auch die 10. vollständige Veröffentlichung von Klone ist. Das Album ist ein Meilenstein, welches Reflexionen über die Vergangenheit als Mittel nutzt, um die Schönheit der Gegenwart zu würdigen, wobei die Band ihre gemeinsame jahrzehntelange Kreativität und Zusammenarbeit nutzt, um aufschlussreiche neue Perspektiven für das Hier und Jetzt zu bieten.

Limited Edition Picture Disc. Including Silver/Chrome Obi Sticker and Silver Postcard with album titles and info in English and Bengali. Housed in PVC sleeve.

ICCHĀ is an international collaboration project that originated in 2023 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The work "Chant For Hope" was realized by Miet Warlop and created on site with local performers while Micha Volders composed the musical context. The performance acts as a monumental living sculpture, in which the physical process of casting hundreds of Bengali words in plaster becomes the driving force to create a playing field between performers, public space, and participation. Woven through this performative context are more complex relationships that explore the tension between humans and language. As the words become so visible and tangible, an image of their inner bearing and our dealings with them emerges.

The recordings of this performance have been adapted and enhanced to create an album that reflects the energy and expands upon the sound created in Dhaka. ICCHĀ is the Bengali wording of "desire," and reflects the eagerness and urgency felt within the process of this collaboration. In conjunction with the seven performers, a sonic adventure emerges that thrives on the energetic rendering of the Bangla language through transient patterns and snappy melodic figures. The album will be released on 24.05.24 as vinyl picture disc and digital, and will be available as a pre-order online and in local selected record shops.

Blue vinyl repress

With a voice of pure gold and a startling sensitivity for heartfelt pop songwriting, on No Reino Dos Afetos (In the Realm of Affections), Berle firmly embraces earnestness, through starry-eyed Brazilian love songs, ambient vignettes, warm, home-cooked beats and gentle strokes of MPB genius.

Maceió, the capital of Brazil’s Alagoas state on its sprawling east-coast, is home to pastel coloured colonial houses, white sand beaches and a brilliant young composer, poet and multi-instrumentalist named Bruno Berle.

With a voice of pure gold and a startling sensitivity for heartfelt pop songwriting, on No Reino Dos Afetos (In the Realm of Affections), Berle firmly embraces earnestness, through starry-eyed Brazilian love songs, ambient vignettes, warm, home-cooked beats and gentle strokes of MPB genius.

“It’s an album that was built from my desire to find beauty”, Berle explains - his simple, graceful words mirroring the graceful simplicity in his music. But amongst the simplicity, the compositions, arrangements and productions on No Reino Dos Afetos tingle with nuance and detail.

On the contemporary R&B inspired lead single “Quero Dizer” - produced by Berle and longtime friend and collaborator Batata Boy - the swirling, lo-fi, kalimba and guitar-fronted beat is turned into a feel-good hit by the ingenuity of Berle’s honey-soaked vocal melody.

Powerfully intimate, “O Nome Do Meu Amor” (My Love’s Name) is a guaranteed tearjerker, with Berle’s stunning voice soaring over gently plucked acoustic guitar and the textural flutter of soft movement, as if we hear him writing the song in the moment.

Drawing upon a close-knit, collaborative scene of Maceió artists and musicians, (of which Berle and Batata Boy are vital members), Berle also recorded some of his friends songs on the album, including João Menezes’ “Até Meu Violao”, the album’s beautifully laid back sunshine soul opener, which has all the charm of early-70s João Donato.

Having cut his teeth in soft-rock group Troco em Bala, and more recently finding himself embedded in both Rio and Sao Paulo’s contemporary music scenes - collaborating with the likes of Ana Frango Eletrico, who took the photo for the album cover - No Reino Dos Afetos is as musically diverse as Bruno himself. It’s hazy indie rock (“É Preciso Ter Amor”), calming ambient and field recording (“Virginia Talk”) as well as Berle’s own take on West African High Life (“Som Nyame”).

Instantly recognisable as a truly special artist, Berle’s character fills every corner of the sound, which is unsurprising considering he played most of the instruments.

On How It Ends (?), slinky melodies snake through nocturnal atmospherics, drawing you into a world built on poetic, painterly lyricism. Night Crickets, a long-distance groove affair that materialized during the drawn-out days of lockdown, has emerged once again to soundtrack our waking dreams.

David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets), Victor DeLorenzo (Violent Femmes) and multi-instrumentalist Darwin Meiners spearhead a loose collective of like-minded creative souls whom, through sheer tenacity and a burning desire to collaborate and create, transcend the restrictions of space and time. Audio files shared from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, from London to the San Francisco Bay, and the ghosts of Candlestick Park shimmer through the fog, coalescing in a glorious ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ that draws from the past, the present and the imagined future.

Declaring Bauhaus, Love And Rockets, and Violent Femmes iconic, foundational bands in the history of alternative music would receive little pushback from those in the know. San Francisco born artist Darwin Meiners is a fan of all three. A chance meeting with David J grew into a friendship, and Darwin not only became a bandmate, but his manager. After reaching out to Victor DeLorenzo through e-mail, Darwin met the Violent Femmes drummer after their set at Coachella. Soon, after the three collaborated on Darwin’s 2014 release Souvenir.

As the pandemic took hold, Darwin was looking for a new project to occupy the lock down time and approached Victor, who was keen to proceed and suggested that David join as well. The musical trust established between these three was immediate and Night Crickets were born. Within weeks a global process was initiated between them, the recordings eventually forming the album, A Free Society.

Following that release, inspired by how well – and quickly – they all worked together, the trio kept up their collaboration. “We are each free to discover musical connections that could only exist in an ideal creative setting” explains Victor. “We are very lucky to have three musicians who write, sing and play various instruments in one trio… our egos seem to melt into one when we face musical decisions, so our expeditions are always filled with pure discovery, humor and drive!”

How It Ends (?) was crafted with the same collaborative spirit as A Free Society. Each member contributed contributed unique elements to spur their collective creativity—whether a drum pattern, a lyrical concept, or a musical idea—and together, they expanded these initial sparks into the finished work. True to their approach, much of what you hear was captured in the first take, reflecting a genuine, unfiltered moment.

The music on the How It Ends (?) is a true evolution of the debut album. It is deeper and darker. Having said that, the dark tone is alleviated by a healthy measure of the buoyant, bouncy and melodic. “Much of the new material is very psychedelic and the contrast between this heavy, dark psychedelia and the more uplifting pop elements puts me in mind of The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ album to some degree,” tells David J. “The recording process for the new album was exactly the same as the first in that we all recorded remotely, taking turns to share files and reacting spontaneously to the previous track, overdubbing then passing on once again until we all felt that the track was done.”

“While we didn’t start with a specific theme, the album emerged as a contemplative exploration of endings” says Darwin. “It touches on the loss of individuals, the shifting of ideas, and the fragility of systems. Beneath this sense of darkness and finality, however, there are threads of beauty and glimpses of hope. We invite you to immerse yourself in the album and experience the journey we’ve embarked upon.”

2024 Reissue

"Still Smiling" is the first album of songs written in four hands by Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld; a work conceived and composed over two years, with dedication, working side by side, deciding and choosing every sound, every word, every silence together. The album, contains 12 songs: 10 previously unreleased, a new version of "A Quiet Life" and the cover "Alone with the moon" by Tiger Lillies. On the album, recorded between Rome and Berlin, in Teardo"s Rome studio and in Einstürzende Neubauten"s "Andere Baustelle" (the historic band of which Bargeld is leader), cellist Martina Bertoni and the Balanescu 4et collaborated. Teho and Blixa dialogue in symbiosis, Blixa"s deep and intense singing ranging from Italian to English and German, Teho"s music sublimating and enchanting between strings, electronics and experimentation. The maturation of ideas and intentions, in the numerous journeys between the two capitals, the desire, listening and meeting of their respective expressions, have left their mark. Still Smiling is a record that gives time, it is a privileged vision that covers all the sky between Rome and Berlin. The collaboration between the two artists began in 2009 for "Ingiuria", a performance by Raffaello Sanzio"s "Societas" that featured Alexander Balanescu on stage in addition to Bargeld and Teardo. In 2010, Bargeld and Teardo collaborated again to record A Quiet Life, the title track of the soundtrack of the film "A Quiet Life" with Toni Servillo. After these two experiences, a strong understanding and artistic affinity was born, which has led to the genesis of "Still Smiling".

Saxophonist and musical omnivore Benjamin Herman has been one of Holland’s most productive musicians of his generation for over three decades. Aside from thousands of gigs, Benjamin has released over 50 albums as a solo artist and as frontman of his groove-orientated ensemble New Cool Collective. His wonderfully diverse musical output includes straight-ahead jazz, Gypsy jazz, punk jazz, film scores, Afrobeat, Latin music and postmodern interpretations of pieces by Dutch composer Misha Mengelberg, as well as collaborations with vocalists, poets, pop stars, hip-hop artists, and instrumentalists from all over the world. The common thread is his quest for a recognizable, personal sound on the alto saxophone. As usual, his latest album finds him exploring new territory.

With his Bughouse project, he fulfills his long-standing desire to blend his old loves of punk and jazz. The latest Bughouse album, "Bughouse: The ERUS / ARC Sessions”, displays the versatility of Benjamin Herman's Bughouse, covering a wide range of styles from jazz-punk to noise, free jazz, and beyond.

Red Laser gets on a kinky tip, where poppers are currency and salacious activities mandatory as label chief Il Bosco grabs us by the nethers and heads for 'The Darkroom EP'.

Inspired by amyl-soaked tales of Euro basement sex club debauchery, and steadily edging its way to a never-ending climax, the EP is a highly charged exercise in x-rated synth-jizz and erotic Manctalo that'll have you quickly believing you're surrounded by massive pulsating dicks on a cocktail of GHB and Mkat.
Maintaining a persistent throb throughout, the EP has us reaching blindly through clouds of pink saturated club smoke, unsure of what our sweat-soaked hands will grasp on to.

Two remixes alongside three originals. Fabrizio Mammarella has the blood rushing to our head quicker than a whiff of Rush Black Label* on his mix of 'Notio Botherdini'. Adding extra acid for a trippier sexperience and urging willing participants to "close your eyes" as he achieves maximum thrust.

Meanwhile local Stretford poppers enthusiast** Bob Swans also has a fumble in the shadows, remixing 'Dark Room' with late late late on in the session in mind - a time of carnal lucidity and primal urges that'd make even Michael Barrymore's peculiar desires look vanilla. It's a sparse and special redux, fluffing us with that latexy bassline and never-ended sfx trails until we're quite literally cumming in your ears.
Apologies, that probably was a bit graphic.

*Poppers brand highly endorsed by Red Laser contributor Count Van Delicious

**Red Laser only hypothesizes to said producer’s poppers usage.

Already receiving strong support with plays by the likes of Deb Grant and Mary Anne Hobbs, Lara Jones' Divided EP is both playful and provocative, turning dance floor sounds into protest songs. Addressing subjects that affect us all – the highly polarised state of our politics as well as our conflicted inner and outer selves – Lara has created a sonic space that embraces this duality and gives voice to her own insecurities and anger at the state we find ourselves in, but also a desire for change, for a world that’s a little less divided. Composed, produced and mixed in her small London flat, Lara returns with her most dance floor-driven EP to date, with high energy pulsating electronics and jazz harmonies that weave into electronic grime and a web of arpeggiated synths, basses and glitchy beats. Divided sees Lara find her voice, bringing a punk angst with Jones’ lyrics and vocals, complimented by her signature electronics as she experiments with her voice more than ever. Listen to selected tracks here. EP comes with full sleeve notes by Mike Flynn editor of Jazzwise Magazine

Katie Gavin's debut What A Relief taps into the unguarded self-possession and homespun pop sensibility of singers like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco, and uses their tenacity as a north star for Gavin's own trek towards self-discovery. "This record spans a lot of my life - it's about having a really deep desire for connection, but also encountering all the obstacles that stood in my way to be able to achieve that, patterns of isolation or even boredom with the real work of love" they say. Written over the course of seven years, What A Relief comprises a set of songs that Gavin always loved but which "had something in them" that she and her bandmates felt didn't quite fit within the universe they were trying to cultivate with MUNA. Many of them were written on acoustic guitar, and are rooted in "a style of music that's very much in my blood, and natural for me," as typified by the Women & Songs CDs that Gavin loves, which compiled music by artists like Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. That openness of spirit is the overwhelming character of What A Relief, an album that's refreshing in its willingness to accept people as they come, even as it remains in dogged pursuit of a life that's kinder, wiser and more loving. Gavin's explorations of desire and intimacy feel time-worn and necessary - songs that might teach a generation if not how to live, exactly, then at least how to look within oneself for guidance about how to move forward.

Katie Gavin's debut What A Relief taps into the unguarded self-possession and homespun pop sensibility of singers like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco, and uses their tenacity as a north star for Gavin's own trek towards self-discovery. "This record spans a lot of my life - it's about having a really deep desire for connection, but also encountering all the obstacles that stood in my way to be able to achieve that, patterns of isolation or even boredom with the real work of love" they say. Written over the course of seven years, What A Relief comprises a set of songs that Gavin always loved but which "had something in them" that she and her bandmates felt didn't quite fit within the universe they were trying to cultivate with MUNA. Many of them were written on acoustic guitar, and are rooted in "a style of music that's very much in my blood, and natural for me," as typified by the Women & Songs CDs that Gavin loves, which compiled music by artists like Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. That openness of spirit is the overwhelming character of What A Relief, an album that's refreshing in its willingness to accept people as they come, even as it remains in dogged pursuit of a life that's kinder, wiser and more loving. Gavin's explorations of desire and intimacy feel time-worn and necessary - songs that might teach a generation if not how to live, exactly, then at least how to look within oneself for guidance about how to move forward.

The French group consolidates its soul, rock and Americana roots in a liberating and timeless second album.

In 2021, Lowland Brothers, the first self-titled album from the group led by Nico Duportal (vocals, guitars, lyrics), Hugo Deviers (percussion, guitar, lyrics) and Max Genouel (bass, keyboards) built an unprecedented transatlantic bridge between soul, rock and the woody sounds of Americana. " We have some

African-American, but our desire is to transport this baggage and take it elsewhere,” specifies the group from the West and North of France.

Love Is A Flame In The Dark is the debut album by experimental songwriter Karl D’Silva. A raw labour of love, a towering spire of twisted steel, tenderness and becoming, it’s a body of songs that belies the virtuoso talents of an artist whose reputation has been built on collaborating with various avant garde underground luminaries. Self-recorded at home in Rotherham and pulsing with the conviction of a true believer, these songs burst out of their self-consciousness to meet life head on, bristling with energy, 10 glimpses of the human spirit in the darkness.
Recorded throughout 2021 - 2023 and mixed in Leeds with engineer Ross Halden, D’Silva has constructed a Pop language for himself. Mutated songs that owe a small debt to the post-Industrial music of Cabaret Voltaire, Nine Inch Nails and Coil, they’re nonetheless powered by a vigorous tenderness, earnestness and D’Silva’s knack for melody. Each song is meticulously sound-designed, using synthesised sounds created from scratch married with D’Silva’s virtuoso playing on saxophone and guitar. The songs on Love Is A Flame In The Dark are unabashed, earnest love letters to living, requiems for a world fading away and small gestures of solidarity in the face of entropy.
Until now, D’Silva’s fingerprints could be found on live dates with Thurston Moore, Oren Ambarchi, Hardcore pioneers Siege and Rian Treanor as well as recordings by previous groups Trumpets Of Death and Drunk In Hell. Primarily associated with the alto saxophone in his improvisation work, Love Is A Flame In The Dark features a dizzying array of instrumentation, all played by D’Silva. D’Silva’s current membership of the group Vanishing may be a good touchstone for the dense, sonically thrilling world-building on the album but the most
striking instrument, perhaps, is D’Silva’s voice. With a soulful, rasping timbre resulting from prolonged intubation as a new-born, his vocal is both fearless and tender. On the soaring, electronic body mover Wild Kiss, thundering percussion is in service to Karl’s voice full of desire, arching up into a flayed falsetto. It’s a trick repeated on Flowers Start To Cry, where it’s deployed against the backdrop of layers of ripping alto and thudding drum programming that recall Nine Inch Nails’ visceral production, if they were covering a Prince hit. These songs capture the essence of 2024’s Karl D’Silva music; pure physicality
breaking down to reveal a shining, compassionate vulnerability.
The full breadth of Karl D’Silva’s instrumental prowess is in evidence from the off. On The Outside imagines blooming out of personal apocalypse with a soundscape of synth, saxophone worthy of any late 60s Free Jazz blower and crushing sound design. Entropy is planet-sized synth pop, Nowhere Left To Run uses midi-string orchestration to tell a story of light emerging from the dark. It’s a theme picked up
throughout the album: The Butcher is a political parable, the narrator holding power to account with grotesque, brutal imagery. It’s on a track
like Real Life that the true message emerges, however. D’Silva is peering through the layers of artifice, struggle and the fog of daily
living to find a life full of energy, connection and light. Each song here is a route into this light, out of the darkness.

"“Tenalach - The relationship with the land, the sky, the water and the deep connection that allows you to hear the earth sing and be one with nature”

Following on from their many mutual remixes and first collaborative EP “Pleamar” (Wonderwheel Recordings 2020) Chancha Via Circuito y El Búho return with a new EP “Tenalach"" which sees the duo enter new territories and soundscapes. This mysterious, atmospheric and melancholic EP is like the soundtrack to a videogame that takes place in a strange and wonderful parallel universe.

Imagine Zelda set in the jungles and mountains of Latin America.

Croaking frogs sit next to driving snares on the genre-defying Sapo Cururú, birds float above strobing synths on Oropéndola while Sumay’s epic synth lines melt into Chancha’s trademark percussions on Sumay. Opener El Samurai is perhaps the closest to the pair’s well-known folktronic sound, marrying cowbells with bowing violins and its animal-esque synth line.

While the BPM may have risen, this is neither ‘downtempo’ nor ‘umtempo’ and an EP that cannot easily be pigeon-holed - it is fresh and original. It also reflects a darker side to the pair’s music, a sub-conscious reflection of a changing world, holding in each song a constant tension and the desire to escape to new realities where the connection between humans and nature is blurred and equal."

"Le retour à la raison" is an ablum by Teho Teardo"s originally released in 2015. An album that brings together the music written for three Man Ray films. Not a traditional musical accompaniment but a kind of appointment in space with Man Ray. In space, music responds to only one law: truth. Here the relationship between the music and the films is perhaps the most intimate ever achieved by the composer and it is significant that it takes place with silent films in which the director cannot be present. The silent film directors are all dead, missing for decades, and must be intercepted in the cosmos, through the dreams, desires and emotional legacy of their works, like stars shining with their own light. The music is a constellation in a mysterious and seductive world and documents the experience of encountering Man Ray"s art. The project, recorded between March 2014 and May 2015 in Teardo"s Rome studio, mixed and mastered by Boris Wilsdorf at the Anderebaustelle studio in Berlin, was initially conceived for live performance. Presented at Villa Manin, the Maxxi in Rome and the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin, as well as the International Arts Festival in Galway, the album also features Joachim Arbeit (Einsturzende Neubauten), Joe Lally (Fugazi) and David Coulter. The three films by Man Ray that inspired Teardo are "La Retour à la Raison" (1923), "Emak Bakia" (1926) and "L"etoile de Mer" (1928) were also screened during the concerts that followed the album release.

The Wild Classical Music Ensemble is a Belgian experimental rock band formed in 2007 by artists with mental disability within the social-artistic non-profit organisation Wit.h in Kortrijk. Their unique sound is a blend of punk/rock riffs, fanatical rhythms and soaring flutes and fiery synths, over which gravitate multiple, multilingual voices that scratch harshly as much as they comfort. There's something very Belgian about this harshness and noisiness. We often think of compadre Arno, from the TC Matic era. During the Covid crisis, the disabled members of the Wild Classical Music Ensemble were undoubtedly subjected more than others to the harsh conditions of confinement, alone in their rooms. Damien Magnette was still able to visit them with sound equipment. This was one of their all-too-few windows onto the world. Forbidden to meet, let alone play together, the members of Wild were nevertheless able to compose songs in tandem with Damien. The tracks were then sent to musician friends - Fabrice Gilbert, Ava Carrère, Wim Opbrouck, Shht, Arthur Satàn, Nathan Roche and Julien ZLDR - who added their artistic touch. Jean Lamoot and Carl Roosens joined the adventure, one as mixer, the other as video director. It's a result of the conditions under which it was created, this is the band's most highly-produced album, and perhaps its most accessible: frankly rock, with a great deal of freedom in production, and sometimes with a certain pop allure. Jean Lamoot's contribution to the mix had a lot to do with it. In addition, the forced slowdown allowed us to devote much more time and attention to writing the lyrics. Leader Damien Magnette says: "For over a year, we were all confined. But what about when you're a mentally handicapped person? Well, it's very different from you and me... We have the right to choose, the luxury of deciding for ourselves what rules we want to follow or not. We have free will. They don't. This series of confined songs is dedicated to all the people who have gone through this crisis, deprived of their free will. We send them our thoughts, hugs and kisses full of true love! The songs respond to a deep desire to look out for each other in adversity (the so obvious "Comment ça va?" by Johan Geenens and Wim Opbrouck, or "Waarom ben je boos" by Sébastien Faidherbe with Wim Decoene, the latter full of empathy). A sense of loneliness is logically present on the album ("Dat is mijn verdriet" by Linh Pham, a very real, very concrete and particularly touching poem, or "Loneliness", whose text was improvised by Wim), if not an understandable rage ("Je ne veux pas" and "My Frustrations"). It worth noting that on "On reste heureux", Sébastien Faidherbe composed all the parts in one go, with an optimism that stands out from the anger expressed in his other songs. Let's make no mistake: none of this is really over. All these emotions, suffering, pain and hope, speak to us far beyond this grim story of covid.

Jubiläums Werkschau des Münchener Indie Labels Echokammer. Wie kein anderes Label repräsentiert Albert Pöschls Echokammer den Sound of Munich Underground. Am Außenposten von Popmusik ist Echokammer ein Labor, in dem Schablonen renoviert oder weiterentwickelt werden. Disko wird (in Kenntnis des Sound of Munich selbstverständlich) neu zusammengebaut, von Punk werden die weiterhin verblüffend beliebten Klischees abgeschraubt, Electro wird mit scheinbar unpassenden Elementen versetzt usw. Das alles klingt nach einer sehr ernsten Angelegenheit. Tatsächlich aber könnte man auch einen langen Essay "Über die Komik in der Musik am Beispiel von Echokammer-Platten" schreiben. Wobei die Komik immer karl-valentinesk bizarr-grotesk ist und nie comedy-witzig. In etwa vergleichbar mit der Taktik, Autoritäten nicht mit Gebrüll, sondern mit Verarschung anzurempeln.

Thirty years after it was released on CD and cassette, Fuemana’s cult classic New Urban Polynesian album is finally available on vinyl. Born from the blood, sweat and tears of the late great Polynesian renaissance man Phil Fuemana and his family and friends, Fuemana’s music transports the listener back to the autumn and winter days of 1994 in the antipodes, where they turned love, loss, grief and acceptance into the finest R&B/street soul album ever recorded in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Fuemana spent several late nights tracking one-take sessions at The Lab Recording Studio with engineers Simon Taylor, Chris Sinclair and Mark Tierney. From there, New Urban Polynesian came together quickly. Across the album, Phil showed off his prodigious skills as a multi-instrumentalist and producer, playing most of the smooth, sophisticated, and heartfelt music himself. In the studio, he shared the lead with Christina and Matty J, supported by a cast of backing vocalists, musicians and guest vocalists, including a young Carly Binding.

From the lush openings of their soulful Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder covers ‘Closer’ and ‘Rocket Love’ to the misty new jack swing serenade of his original ‘Seasons,’ Phil’s goal was to craft material that would let the music industry know the Fuemanas had arrived while also inspiring the next generation.

In 1995, the Fuemana family’s youngest sibling, Pauly, borrowed the initials from Ōtara Millionaires Club and began performing as OMC. Not long after, he changed everything for New Zealand music by recording the feelgood guitar-laced Polynesian pop global mega-hit ‘How Bizarre’ with producer Alan Jansson.

Consumed by a desire to do more musically, Phil established Urban Pacifika Records, where he launched the careers of a new wave of Pacific hip-hop and R&B talent, including Lost Tribe, Moizna, AKA Brown, and Sani Sagala, aka Dei Hamo.

In 2005, Phil tragically passed away from a heart attack aged 41. Five years later, Pauly, equally tragically, joined him after an extended battle with a rare neurological disorder, leaving Tony and Chirstina to grieve and make sense of their family’s extraordinary story.

When New Urban Polynesian first hit record store shelves in 1994, the Fuemanas dedicated the album to their father, Takiula Fuemana. Three decades later, it has expanded in meaning to become a remembrance of their youngest brother Pauly and a celebration of the life and times of their big-hearted big brother, Mr. Fuemana, Mr. Phil Fuemana.

Words by Martyn Pepperell in conversation with Tony & Christina Fuemana.

Gazebo Records feel honoured for the opportunity to share this important album for our inaugural release, now available for the first time on vinyl with remastering by Mikey Young.

All proceeds from this record flowing to the Fuemana family.

Cobblestone Runway (Originally released 2002) was produced by Martin Terefe and features several of Ron"s most poignant songs including "God Loves Everyone", "Former Glory" and Ron"s biggest hit "Gold In Them Hills", which features a duet with Coldplay"s Chris Martin and was chosen by Richard Curtis to feature on the soundtrack to his film "About Time".

Having established a legacy as one of the most highly regarded contemporary UK Jazz musicians of the past decade, Newham-based pianist Alfa Mist’s discography boasts such stone cold classics as ‘Antiphon’ ‘Bring Backs’ and ‘Nocturne’. Alfa is yet to be boxed into a specific genre as his music spans everything from hip-hop beat-making to producing for artists such as rapper Loyle Carner, composing neo-classical works for the London Contemporary Orchestra, and reworking tracks from composer Ólafur Arnalds and pioneering jazz label Blue Note, not to mention his collaborations with the likes of Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch and drummer Richard Spaven, producer Lester Duval and singer Emmavie.

Now unveiling his next offering, Alfa revisits his stellar 2024 performance with Manchester’s extraordinary string outfit Amika Quartet at heralded venue Kings Place (London), capturing the magic of the evening within this awe-inspiring live album. Featuring a handful of brand new, never-before-heard tracks (alongside a number of expansions of previous releases), ‘Recurring’ sees Alfa drawing inspiration from classic live Jazz recordings, capturing a unique moment in time that can never be replicated or replayed. Creating an authentic, unpolished and electric feel, feeding his long-running mission of real-time musical expressions that evolve with each performance. On the genesis of the record, Alfa says: ‘Some of my favourite albums are captured live performances. I came home from a long year of touring and decided to work on some music for Amika Quartet who I've been working with for years on a few different shows and projects. A lot of the music I release is recorded in whole takes, I think there's something nice about doing the best you can with the moments you have. I wanted to take that one step further by recording it as a live show and seeing what happens.'’

Due for release via Alfa’s own Sekito Records imprint, a potent, raw and spontaneous energy permeates the release. Marking his first project with a full string arrangement, the iconic Kings Place venue’s reputation for spectacular acoustics, as well as intimate setting made an ideal location for the live recording. The decision to record in a live venue rather than a studio was driven by Alfa’s desire to push beyond his comfort zone and explore new creative territories. On first single ‘Checkpoint’, Alfa also takes to the microphone, breaking away from his usual introspective lyrical style to make comments on the current state of the world. He explains: “ 'I've written lyrics before but this is the first time I've ever tried to write a poem and it ended up being about the double standards of violence we see in this world everyday”. This offering is a testament to Alfa’s continuous evolution as an artist, blending his introspective lyric with broader societal observations, all while maintaining the improvisational spirit of jazz.

Music On Vinyl, in collaboration with Warner Music Ben- elux, presents the new versions of the Dance Classics series. Originally released between 1988 and 1990 as a series of cd compilations which included soul, funk, and classic-disco tracks.

Dance Classics Vol. 1 includes floorfillers by Chaka Khan, Change, Sheila & B. Devotion, Sister Sledge, Zapp, Chic, Jenny Burton, Starpoint, Lace, George Ben- son, Sheila E. and more tracks. All songs have been newly selected, remastered and feature a broad selection of dance classics, including hidden gems and rare tracks.This collection includes full length 12”/album versions and unmixed dj-friendly tracks.

The sleeves have been updated with new, yet familiar, artwork and are instantly recognizable. Each edition also includes a 2-page insert with credits and cover photos.

Dance Classics Vol. 1 is available as a limited edition on 2LP’s on gold coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

Time to welcome another newcomer to Freerange with a brilliant debut that has already been gaining a lot of interest from early spins. Stefano Ritteri should be a familiar name to many, having dropped several well- received releases on key labels such as Pets, Rockets & Ponies and Get Physical as well as his own monthly Rinse France radio show. A producer in the old school sense, he has the ability and desire to flip from deep, emotive and down tempo jams to the most impactful, high energy floor fillers, all with a deft touch and unique and experimental spin. The Italian producer, now relocated to London, has a studio chock full of vintage synths and hardware outboard which keep him inspired and ensure his output sounds fresher and fatter than most, as can be heard on this excellent two-tracker entitled A Different Happiness EP The title track is a spaced out, percussion-heavy jam which takes a minimal approach but wins hearts and minds with an ear-worm of a melody that gets gets you hooked in from the start. Snippets of spoken word add to the intense atmosphere making this one of those sure-fire, perennial tracks which can work in a variety of sets and still guaranteed to make an impact and stand out in the crowd. Flip over for Pocket Melody, another simple yet effective and inventive track which sees Stefano letting loose on his synths and coming up with some warped Zawinul-inspired vibes in the process. The playful melody snakes around in an improvised way whilst the dubby drums and classic analogue machine beats ensure everyone stays locked into it's hypnotic groove. Definitely a producer to watch for us and we're sure Stefano is on track to continue making some amazing music. We hope you love this as much as we do!

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 150, lyric sheet, A5 photo card, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony in May 2016

High Roller Records, Galaxy Vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert

High Roller Records, Galaxy Vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert

If you haven’t been living under the rock you certainly know who Marilin is. Marinella is an Italian-born, London-based artist who with her utmost professionalism is no stranger to the powers of light and darkness, that depends on the mood of the party she is performing at. However here we will leave the light alone and focus on the darkness. Favoured by sir Craig Richards himself, Mariiin has toured the globe playing at the most different and unique events that has given her the edge and insightful knowledge she possesses. Whether she takes people on the musical journeys by herself or with her partner in crime Bobby, it is always an experience that is impossible to forget with the burning desire to repeat and repeat infinite number of times.

Her solo EP “La Notte” has a very unique and defined dark character which has landed on the label with absolutely in sync with its vision.

High Roller Records, Galaxy Vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert

Fables of the future fuel the present. Lisel (Eliza Bagg) draws from this tradition on The Vanishing Point, a daring musical odyssey of altered singing, experimental pop, broken melodies, and striking electronics. A culmination of her continual dissemblance of genre, Lisel’s new album is an epic composed of allegorical tales, forming a dystopian storybook of life in the shadow of impending catastrophe. It’s a high-concept work of contemporary pop sounds, hyperpop motifs and tropes. Every song reflects the shared psycho-emotional experience of moving towards unsettling futures and looking beyond these outcomes, to the point where the horizons vanish. Evolving the sonic toolkit she employed on Patterns For Autotuned Voices And Delay (2023), Lisel transforms pop into a canvas for operatic storytelling. Along with making her own work, Bagg is a classical singer working in baroque and contemporary experimental opera, and with her project Lisel, she seeks to develop new, expressive qualities out of ancient vocal techniques from the Baroque and Renaissance periods. Her opera experience has infused her with a desire for a big, cinematic sound and holistic world-building, creating a “total artwork,” and she fits that medium into the form of a solo project. From haunting whispers to soaring melodies, she reaches back towards ancient musical traditions while incorporating futuristic sounds in order to imagine how a possible future might look back at contemporary existence. Dystopic stories melt into pop songs, hammered to ruin. Both through sonics and lyrics, the album recounts urgent narratives as ancient mythological fables, chronicling in operatic density the deepening awareness of the world’s looming, inevitable vanishing point. Photographer Carla Rossi further builds Lisel’s world through a series of photographs that similarly draw on Renaissance and Medieval painting, while placing them aesthetically in a digital realm. In these dramatic, hyper-stylized photos, Lisel takes up classical poses and yields iconographic symbols, further exploring the dissonance in her work as these manufactured “paintings” recall storytelling of the past while depicting images from an imagined future.

Formed in 2021, Baltimore hardcore band Jivebomb burst onto the scene with a ferocity that has carried them into being a must see and listen to band. Jivebomb broke out with their demo that year, followed by 2022’s well received Primitive Desires EP, and single “American Rule” was released in 2023 on Flatspot Records’ The Extermination Compilation. The band announces a new 12” vinyl release featuring all their recorded material to date with new artwork and a silkscreened B-side.

Caroline Says' haunting new album, The Lucky One, is a poignant exploration of how the ghosts of past relationships linger, sometimes holding more sway over our hearts and minds than our current connections. We revisit these ghosts through evocative landscapes of our memories - hometown bars, road trips, and late-night swims. Through a series of fractured and persistent memories these songs capture the bittersweet realization that the past, though imperfect, can sometimes be a more comforting and meaningful companion than the present. Opening track, "The Lucky One," confronts death's role in shaping our memories head-on, as it ponders the way death freezes a person in time, forcing us to confront the complexities of grief and its lasting impact on our relationship with the one we lost. Other tracks delve into the complexities of relationships that naturally grow apart as life takes us in different directions. For example, "Faded and Golden" reflects on the bittersweet nature of reunions with old friends, where the idealized memories of youth can clash with the realities of the present. Then, "Actors" takes this a step further, acknowledging the influence of perception and desire in friendships, and the idea that in many ways "all friendships are imaginary friendships," as it confronts the disappointment of inauthentic connections, and the facades we sometimes put on in relationships. "Roses" began when Caroline was looking through her grandma's collection of commemorative Kentucky Derby glasses, each one etched with the name of a winner. The song delves into the story of "Sunday Silence," the horse that won the year Caroline was born. Researching the horse's journey from near-Triple Crown glory to retirement in Japan sparked a metaphor - a pressured being (the horse) desperately trying to please but ultimately disappointing. The owners eventually selling the horse becomes a relatable symbol of unmet expectations, and the sting of falling short despite our best efforts. Album closer, "Something Good," revisits Caroline's Alabama childhood. Lost on a recent trip to Birmingham, unable to find the familiar path to a riverside hangout, the experience becomes a powerful metaphor; we can't always retrace the paths in our memories, but those memories, however unreliable, continue to shape us. In the end, The Lucky One celebrates this enduring power, acknowledging how past relationships and experiences, even those lost to the haze of time, continue to inform the stories we tell ourselves, and the way we navigate the present.

Coke Bottle CLear Vinyl. The breakout success of 2016's Puberty 2 saw Mitski hailed as the new vanguard of indie rock, the one to save the genre from the white dudes who've historically dominated it. But the often overlooked aspect of being a rising star is the sheer amount of work that goes into it. "I had been on the road for a long time, which is so isolating, and had to run my own business at the same time," Mitski explains, "a lot of this record was me not having any feelings, being completely spent, but then trying to rally myself and wake up and get back to Mitski. I was feeling really nihilistic and trying to make pop songs."We want our artists to be strong but we also expect them to be vulnerable. Rather than avoiding this dilemma, she addresses directly the power that comes from appearing impenetrable and loneliness that follows. "With a lot of the romantic infatuations I've had," she says, "when I look back, I wonder, Did I want them or did I want to be them? Did I love them or did I want to absorb whatever power they had? I decided I could just be my own cowboy figure that I so desire." In Be The Cowboy, delves into the loneliness of being a symbol and the loneliness of being someone, and how it can feel so much like being no one.

Xylitol is the alias of Catherine Backhouse, producer and DJ under the name DJ Bunnyhausen. She was a resident DJ at Kosmische, the now dormant Krautrock club and is a fan of jungle and hardcore. She currently co-hosts the radio show Slav To The Rhythm, which focuses on vintage central and eastern European pop and electronica and she's also co-writing a book on Yugoslavian pop culture. 'Anemones' is a total project from the cover to the music. Backhouse is fascinated by early botanical illustrations of anemones and other aquatic fauna, and how the act of taxonomy reveals as much about human psychology, desire and sublimation as it does about the organic specimen as a thing in itself. Each track is a microcosm of this 'other life', an allegory for the extraordinary potential latent within bodies that the dancefloor has the power to activate. Using early jungle and garage as starting points to connect dots and open up contrasts between dance music and vintage electronics, Backhouse finds a sweet spot which, in her words "feels like something that's simultaneously still and ancient yet propulsive and ecstatic." Not afraid of letting the the hiss and flutter of the music show, 'Anemones' holds attention with ancient bubbling synths and gracefully drifting arpeggiations, occasionally brought to heel by charming melodies, all accompanied by breakbeats that explode like fireworks. 'Anemones' has a lively and unpolished aesthetic that's a kindred spirit to Nondi_'s 2023 album of smeary, water-damaged footwork, 'Flood City Trax'. 'Moebius' pits the spaced out neon chords of the track's namesake against absolutely tearing breaks, allowing time for this almost overwhelming combination to become near enough transcendental, while the bleeping melody and sad slavic chorus motif in 'Okko' feels like an artifact from an alternative future. The Drexciya meets 2-step garage of 'Dobro Jutro' creates a welcome respite at the album's midpoint before the flow builds up again to 'Daša' with its glassy sounds from a lost radiophonic workshop miniature meeting bruising kicks and snares. Meanwhile 'Iskria' has purring synth chords and 8-bit melodies evoking the cosmonaut age. The subliminal influence of the Yugo era is felt in DIY synthesis and Mitteleuropean melody and seen in song titles such as 'Jelena', 'Miha', 'Daša' (named after novelist Daša Drndič) and 'Iskria' (taken from the fictitious Balkan region in Ottessa Moshfegh's bleak fable 'Lapvona'). 'Anemones' very effectively folds experimental genres from different times and places into a very enjoyable new sound.

London-based rising star Sans Soucis (they/them) shares their debut album ‘Circumnavigating Georgia’. Circumnavigating Georgia sees the writer and producer Sans Soucis take us through their coming of age and the reclamation of their identity, tearing apart systemic patriarchy and anti-blackness that's impacted their life. Each track on the album is set to introduce the audience to a new sonic palette, influenced by both the music and personal experiences from Sans Soucis' teenage and early adulthood. Born out of a desire to reconnect with the uninhibited joyfulness and authenticity of childhood, Sans Soucis’ music is a radical act of reclamation. Free from the constraints of genre and with a wide gamut of sonic touchstones – from the effervescent electronics of Little Dragon, Solange Knowles’s alt-R&B, the emotional edge of Joni Mitchell and the robust pop melodies of Rihanna – Sans Soucis’s world is one overflowing with vibrant musical textures pertinent lyrics and refreshing dose of hopefulness.

On their third full-length album, 'The Signal', the Compact Disk Dummies keep a few interesting balls in the air. They play with the opinions and expectations of the outside world, while also confronting their own desires and doubts. This is aptly depicted on the cover with a table, a bell, two brothers and an impatient crowd: who is waiting for whom? The album is as diverse as its cover is surprising. In a mix of styles and influences ranging from retro house to funk, Lennert and Janus Coorevits demonstrate their versatility. Following their scintillating performances at Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop, and the success of the radio hits 'There's No Sex Without You' and 'fomo', 'The Signal' marks the start of a new era for the Dummies.

Lennert notes, "Pfff, I would think about everything indefinitely. And I'm not the only one, I notice. Stuck in a kind of limbo, a state of uncertainty, surrounded by signals, but still feeling a certain fear of following the signal."

On 'The Signal', 'fomo' dissects human desire, reaching for the unattainable. 'Where We Go (Calypso)' is like the shipwreck no one wants. And in the title track, the female lead character finds herself in a toxic relationship, the signs of which are obvious, at least to the outside world. While the content of 'The Signal' revolves around doubt, contemplation and acting or not acting, the musical interpretation is in direct opposition to that. The Compact Disk Dummies do not doubt; they hold their heads up and their chests out. With certainty, they mix everything that excites them musically into the blender, without grinding the identity of the Dummies themselves; actually enriching it instead. The retro house of 'Solàr' (a song about Louis the Fourteenth? Why not) flows into the rampant funk of 'Ballet Dancer' before expanding into 'Underwater'. In every track, you sense the long road the Coorevits brothers have travelled since their breakthrough - and their then angular electro-punk. This third album is Lennert and Janus' most sophisticated work in the expanding universe of the Compact Disk Dummies.

In addition to being a mix of styles, 'The Signal' is also a mix of collaborations. There is the French touch of mixer Michael Declerck and mastering engineer Alex Gopher. There is the Dutch input of Wieger Hoogendorp (Goldband) and Jens Van Der Meij (Froukje). Beautiful string sections are provided by Wietse Meys and Reinhard Vanbergen, bass licks by Boris Van Overschee and backing vocals by Isolde Lasoen and Judith Okon, among others. Producer Jasper Maekelberg always kept an eye on things. And again, for the third album in a row, after 'Mess With Us' (2013) and 'Neon Fever Dream' (2020), artist Athos Burez also provided the artwork for 'The Signal'.

But however international the music sounds, however great the contributions from other top artists, 'The Signal' remains largely the work of the Dummies, with Lennert as vocalist, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist, and Janus as engineer, producer and all-around tech wizard. The album was not made in New York, Tokyo or Berlin, but in Desselgem. Studio 87, the Coorevits family's garage converted into a studio, remains Ali Baba's cave for the Compact Disk Dummies. In their studio crammed with synths, percussion and guitars, Lennert and Janus could not ignore the signal: time to smash it!

A1 - Desire
Opening the EP in quietly epic fashion, Desire begins with a delightful beat pattern with adistinctive cymbal hit set over warm bass tones and whale song samples. A smooth, thoughtful bass melody is introduced which joyfully intersects with gorgeous piano keys while swirling strings and atmospheric vibes layer and recede like tides of the ocean, creating a truly unique journey of a track that will linger anywhere it may be heard.

A2 - Voidscaping
Instantly setting the scene with crisp, striking breaks, Voidscaping is an atmospheric treatfor the senses with serene throwback pads reminiscent of the halcyon days of Good Looking. Bringing the piece up to date for the Spatial era is the typically intricate blending of reflection and intrigue ASC conjures with his sampling and reverb work, effortlessly thickening the soundscape with memories old and new.

AA1 - Let Go
Opening with the vibrant sounds of twilight nature and metallic bongos, ASC sparinglydeploys a glorious choral vocal before the breaks take off with an energetic pattern drivenby constant, playful hi hats. As the track develops, questions are asked of the listener bythe curious atmosphere, gradually unraveling with strings, synths and trademark vocalusage, offering a new perspective with each listen.

AA2 - Meltdown
A darkly, anxious undertone floods the mix as Meltdown grips the listener from the first barwith skillfully sequenced minimal breaks, hi hats that whoosh in and out like evening crickets you can't quite track, and intense ambient padwork. A longing female vocal occasionally yearns over the various melodies which enter at will, discreetly developing the mood with purpose, unfurling a stream of aural consciousness from this incredible producer.
Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial / Red Mist)

John Davis is a sound artist and filmmaker based in the Bay Area. Active since the mid-aughts, he has published recordings on labels such as Root Strata and Digitalis, as well as on his own Bimodal Press imprint. “Landlines” sees a return to the SOD catalog for Davis, following a full-length release in 2013, and may be seen as somewhat of a spiritual successor to that album. In all of Davis’ work, there is a specific pastoral sensibility that feels firmly rooted in the forests and coasts of Northern California, moving with the delicate and erratic cadence of dust motes rendered visible in bright sunlight. Opening track “Verichrome” articulates the soundscape wonderfully, stitching together Music Mouse-esque formant synthesis and meditative vocal sampling with an exquisite minimalist suite for prepared piano. Of these recordings, Davis himself writes, “In a general sense the conceit here is nostalgia, a desire to reflect on the importance of connection – to ourselves and to the world around us. The title is, of course, a euphemism for the telephone, but I am also considering landscape, horizons, and infrastructure, as well as the invisible lines that connect us, the threads that bind us, and the communities that form us.”

Three years after appearing on Doom Sessions Vol 5 split, High Reeper are back with their most ambitious album yet,"Renewed By Death". A true heavy metal assault of eight tracks that take you on a journey to the darkest depths and leave you there to rot. Featuring monolithic riffs that pummel you from the opening of the album to the close, guitar solos reminiscent of George Lynch and Dave Navarro, and powerful vocals that deliver a knockout blow. This album showcases the band's desire to keep evolving and exploring new sounds and ideas. "Renewed By Death" was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Shane Trimble at the band's brand new studio Sletner Sound, in Wilmington Delaware with Justin Di Pinto also engineering. The cover was done by Solomacello and photos of the band were done by Drew Wiedemann.

Neon yellow vinyl, limited to 350 copies. Three years after appearing on Doom Sessions Vol 5 split, High Reeper are back with their most ambitious album yet,"Renewed By Death". A true heavy metal assault of eight tracks that take you on a journey to the darkest depths and leave you there to rot. Featuring monolithic riffs that pummel you from the opening of the album to the close, guitar solos reminiscent of George Lynch and Dave Navarro, and powerful vocals that deliver a knockout blow. This album showcases the band's desire to keep evolving and exploring new sounds and ideas. "Renewed By Death" was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Shane Trimble at the band's brand new studio Sletner Sound, in Wilmington Delaware with Justin Di Pinto also engineering. The cover was done by Solomacello and photos of the band were done by Drew Wiedemann.