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Innerhalb seiner umfangreichen Diskografie präsentiert Both Worlds eine Innovation und rückt das Werk des Pianisten in ein neues Licht. Zum ersten Mal stellt Michel Petrucciani auch eine echte Gruppe zusammen und bildet eine homogene Formation, in der seine Präsenz und Rolle nicht mehr als dominierende Elemente wahrgenommen werden. Während in vielen seiner früheren Aufnahmen das Klavier aus der Rhythmusgruppe herauszustechen schien, um es deutlich hervorzuheben, platziert Both Worlds Petrucciani bewusst innerhalb der Gruppe und macht den Pianisten zu einem integrierten Element des Ensembles, wodurch er der Anführer sein kann, ohne sich wie ein Anführer zu verhalten. Eine weitere Neuerung: Michel Petrucciani setzt die Bläser hier wie nie zuvor ein; sie treten nicht mehr nur als Solisten in Erscheinung, sondern in einem neuen Kontext, als Begleitung und Kontrapunkt. Diese Platte konnte zwar nur dank einer intensiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen Komponist und Arrangeur entstehen, doch auch die unerwartete Produktionsarbeit des Schlagzeugers Steve Gadd trug sicherlich zu ihrer Entstehung bei.

Uw energieboost in plaatvorm: zo klinkt de nieuwe Admiral Freebee. Geboren uit een oerdrive om samen met zijn vrienden slash helden muziek te maken en de studio in te duiken. Openingstrack Seeking A Friend zet meteen de toon: drums zwellen aan, een snedige riff valt in en Tom Van Laere giet er een rauw ‘Armageddooon’ over uit. De wereld staat in brand en Admiral Freebee is er niet blind voor, maar het spelplezier staat voorop. Uptempo, groovy, dansbaar zelfs, met synths en welgemikte opzwepende HEY’s: negen songs lang spatten good times uit de muziek, van eerste single Q&A With Myself over knallers als Future Fathers Of Utopia en The Hunger. Zoals we van Admiral Freebee gewend zijn, is er ook ruimte voor humor en een introspectieve blik. Maar vergis je niet, een schoothondje is hij niet (No One’s Puppy). In slottrack Dog That Never Dies gaat de voet van het gaspedaal en legt het enige ingetogen nummer het album neer, als een synthese van alle thema’s die aan bod komen. En we mogen gerust zijn: met Admiral Freebee gaat het goed, en zowel hij als zijn muziek lopen over van het plezier. Even alle zorgen vergeten en genieten van pure fun.

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Your energy boost in record form: that’s how the new Admiral Freebee album sounds. Born from a primal desire to make music with his friends aka heroes and dive into the studio. Opening track Seeking A Friend sets the tone: drums swell, a sharp riff takes centre stage and Van Laere lets out a raw ‘Armageddooon’. The world is on fire and Admiral Freebee does not turn a blind eye, but first we have some fun. Uptempo, groovy, danceable even, with funky synths and a bunch of infectious HEYs: for nine songs good times are all over the place, from first single Q&A With Myself to bangers like Future Fathers Of Utopia and The Hunger. As always with Admiral Freebee, there’s also room for humor and he doesn’t shy away from introspection either. And make no mistake: Tom Van Laere is no lapdog (No One’s Puppy). Closing track Dog That Never Dies is the only intimate song on the album and sounds like a synthesis of all the album’s themes. And rest assured: Admiral Freebee is doing fine, and both him and his music are bursting with joy. So leave your worries behind for a moment and have some raw fun.

Picture by Ed Templeton/ Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery

Artwork by Jelle Jespers

Admiral Freebee is Tom Van Laere – Tim Coene, Senne Guns en Laurens Billiet. Recorded in summer 2025.

The short, mysterious career of the female French duo Deux Filles is bookended by tragedy. Gemini Forque and Claudine Coule met as teenagers at a holiday pilgrimage to Lourdes, during which Coule's mother died of an incurable lung disease and Forque's mother was killed and her father paralyzed in an auto accident. The two teens bonded over their shared grief and worked through their bereavement with music. However, after recording two critically acclaimed albums and playing throughout Europe and North America, Forque and Coule disappeared without a trace in North Africa in 1984 during a trip to visit Algiers. The short and terribly unhappy lives of Forque and Coule are at the root of the small but fervent cult following the mysterious duo have gained since their disappearance, not least because the placid, largely instrumental music on the duo's albums betrays no hint of the sorrow that framed their personal lives.

This would be a terribly sad story if a word of it were true. In reality, Deux Filles were Simon Fisher Turner, former child star/teen idol and future soundtrack composer, and his mate Colin Lloyd Tucker. Turner and Tucker left an early incarnation of The The in 1981 to pursue another musical direction. Turner claims that the idea of Deux Filles came to him in a dream, and he and Tucker strictly maintained the fiction throughout the duo's career. Not only did they pose in drag for the album covers, the duo once even played live without the audience realizing that the tragic French girls on-stage were actually a pair of blokes from south London. Deux Filles released two albums through Turner and Tucker's Papier Mache label, 1982's Silence & Wisdom' and 1983's Double Happiness'. Both albums are included here and blend watery piano, occasionally ghostly vocals, sheets of synthesizers, heavily processed guitars and the barest minimum of percussion. Drifting and wistful, they're a pair of lost ambient gems from a time when the genre had yet to mature, an excellent example of post-Eno, pre-Orb ambient music.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in gatefold sleeve with original front covers of both albums, and a centerfold of archive images and the original liner notes. Each LP includes a sticker of the Lino cuts by Adrian Gill that was included with the original pressing.

"Like an early French film soundtrack with melodramatic overtones, the sound is jagged and disjointed but never harsh. Lilting guitars and ample use of echo smack of Vini Reilly, relying on the hypnotic qualities of the sound rather than abrasive noise" (Sounds, 03/1983)

Uw energieboost in plaatvorm: zo klinkt de nieuwe Admiral Freebee. Geboren uit een oerdrive om samen met zijn vrienden slash helden muziek te maken en de studio in te duiken. Openingstrack Seeking A Friend zet meteen de toon: drums zwellen aan, een snedige riff valt in en Tom Van Laere giet er een rauw ‘Armageddooon’ over uit. De wereld staat in brand en Admiral Freebee is er niet blind voor, maar het spelplezier staat voorop. Uptempo, groovy, dansbaar zelfs, met synths en welgemikte opzwepende HEY’s: negen songs lang spatten good times uit de muziek, van eerste single Q&A With Myself over knallers als Future Fathers Of Utopia en The Hunger. Zoals we van Admiral Freebee gewend zijn, is er ook ruimte voor humor en een introspectieve blik. Maar vergis je niet, een schoothondje is hij niet (No One’s Puppy). In slottrack Dog That Never Dies gaat de voet van het gaspedaal en legt het enige ingetogen nummer het album neer, als een synthese van alle thema’s die aan bod komen. En we mogen gerust zijn: met Admiral Freebee gaat het goed, en zowel hij als zijn muziek lopen over van het plezier. Even alle zorgen vergeten en genieten van pure fun.

——————————————————

Your energy boost in record form: that’s how the new Admiral Freebee album sounds. Born from a primal desire to make music with his friends aka heroes and dive into the studio. Opening track Seeking A Friend sets the tone: drums swell, a sharp riff takes centre stage and Van Laere lets out a raw ‘Armageddooon’. The world is on fire and Admiral Freebee does not turn a blind eye, but first we have some fun. Uptempo, groovy, danceable even, with funky synths and a bunch of infectious HEYs: for nine songs good times are all over the place, from first single Q&A With Myself to bangers like Future Fathers Of Utopia and The Hunger. As always with Admiral Freebee, there’s also room for humor and he doesn’t shy away from introspection either. And make no mistake: Tom Van Laere is no lapdog (No One’s Puppy). Closing track Dog That Never Dies is the only intimate song on the album and sounds like a synthesis of all the album’s themes. And rest assured: Admiral Freebee is doing fine, and both him and his music are bursting with joy. So leave your worries behind for a moment and have some raw fun.

Picture by Ed Templeton/ Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery

Artwork by Jelle Jespers

Admiral Freebee is Tom Van Laere – Tim Coene, Senne Guns en Laurens Billiet. Recorded in summer 2025.

Mia Zapata was the greatest rock singer of her time. She may have likely been the greatest blues singer in punk rock history, the woman who married the 78 and the '78. Tragedy did not make this true. Mia Zapata made this true, and the ferocious, spring-loaded shrapnel frame that was built around her by Andy Kessler (guitar: metronomic and furious), Matt Dresdner (bass: fluid, punching, beat-addicted and melodic), and Steve Moriarty (drums: martial and explosive) - who, with Mia, combined to form The Gits - made it true. The Gits were formed at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio in mid-1986, grabbing and swapping pieces of art, thrash, noise, punk rock, classic rock, and all the sorts of magical silly and bookish jingle bells that an old-school liberal arts education handed you; for the next few years they worked on turning it all into something tough, sensitive, both brutal and kind. Andy, Matt, Mia, and Steve moved to Seattle in middish 1989, landing in a house on Capitol Hill where they (and fellow travelers) wood-shedded and rehearsed for the next few years. The Gits put out three EPs in 1990 and '91 before signing with C/Z Records and releasing their first full-length album, Frenching the Bully. Seattle quickly claimed the quartet as their own and embraced the Gits blend of ferocious fangs and soft heart, the slug/slap of the guitars, and the gorgeous, soft underbelly of the poetic emotions. These qualities not only fit in with the doe-eyed/sharp-clawed grunge ethos but earned the Gits the respect of their peers, including Nirvana, who tapped them to open a major local show in 1990. Then other stuff happened, and their frantic, confessional barbed-heart snowball began rolling up hill very, very fast; the Gits "quickly" (hah! After half a decade learning to implode and explode hearts and stomping their boots on manifold beer-softened, Marlboro-weeded wood stages!) inspired rapture, awe, and the levitation that happened when peak emotion meets peak grindage in front of amps spitting out something that sounded like the mad marriage of Bolan swagger and Dischord tension_ all fronted by a genuinely incomparable woman who held her heart in her mouth and shared it, in all its celebration and fear, without hesitation. The Gits were an angry, inflamed slinky fully in tune with and tuned by the Bessie Patti Smith of her time, truly the only singer who could summon Joplin, Poly Styrene, Sam Cooke, Iggy Pop and Ian MacKaye all in the same goddamn song. In 1993, less than four weeks after accepting an offer from Atlantic Records, Mia died. I leave it at that, because this is not about death; it's about an extraordinary life. I do not say, "You should have been there," I say, "We are lucky so many of us were, and I am so glad we have this extraordinary evidence of the power and gifts of Mia and the Gits that you now can hold in your hands." And I note that Frenching the Bully, this extraordinary testament to the soul, shock, fury and feeling of the Gits, has been long out of print on vinyl and CD, and this new edition - remastered by legendary Seattle engineer Jack Endino - joyfully rectifies that. -Tim Sommer

Zweite Vinyl-Nachpressung auf red, black and white 3-way color merge vinyl (Phoenix II Edition). Das Fantasy-Mittelalter-Metal-Phänomen CASTLE RAT präsentiert sein zweites Album! Castle Rat ist die NY Fantasy-Heavy-Metal-Band, die von der Rat Queen angeführt wird, welche die Mission verfolgt, ihr Refugium gegen diejenigen zu verteidigen, die es zerstören wollen. Ihr zur Seite stehen The Count, The Plague Doctor und The All-Seeing Druid. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich mit Heavy Magie dem unerbittlichen Zorn ihrer Erzfeindin - dem Tod in Form von The Rat Reaperess. The Bestiary ist ein riffgeladenes Kompendium mystischer Kreaturen und vorwarnender Erzählungen aus einer vergessenen Welt. Es erzählt 13 allegorische Geschichten von mythischen Bestien und dem Zauberer, der sie beschwört, und verwebt kraftvolle Heavy-Hymnen und dunkle Verzückungen zu einer betörenden und unvergesslichen Heavy-Metal-Odyssee. Als ob Grace Slick mit Black Sabbath ca. 1200 A.D. auf einem Kiss-Konzert Liebe macht. Aufgenommen von Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves in the Throne Room, Björk) und gemischt von Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), bietet das Album episches Heavy-Gemetzel und doomy Hard Rock. Hervorgegangen aus New Yorks abscheulichem, kreaturenverseuchtem Untergrund, schlugen die Fantasy-Heavy-Metaller zunächst mit ihren Live-Auftritten und später mit ihrem Debütalbum "Into The Realm" im Jahr 2024 große Wellen. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2019 haben CASTLE RAT ein lebendiges Labyrinth aus Erzählungen und Mythen geschaffen, welches sie nun rund um die Welt führt. The Bestiary auf CD (aufklappbares Digipak), MC (mit gefaltetem Inlay) und auf LP (farbiges Vinyl, inklusive ausklappbarem Lyrics-Insert)!

Benannt nach einem Song der Speed-Metal-Formation Xandril aus der Hansestadt Hamburg, wurden Avalon ursprünglich 2019 aus der Taufe gehoben. Zwei selbst produzierte, im eigenen Proberaum aufgenommene Demos und eine Single folgten. »Astral Claw«, die erste Veröffentlichung von Avalon auf High Roller, beinhaltet fünf Songs, aufgenommen in den Van Doom Studios in Gelsenkirchen und produziert von Frederik Aderholz. Brandneu sind “Astral Claw”, “Dante, The Loss” sowie “Eternal Darkness”, während “Cerebus” und “Pandora’s Doom” Neueinspielungen der ersten beiden Stücke sind, die die Band komponiert hat. Der harsche und hektische Stil von Avalon auf »Astral Claw« nimmt dabei mitunter auch Einflüsse von Punk und Hardcore auf. Es ist das Ziel von Avalon, auf High Roller Records demnächst ein vollständiges Debütalbum zu veröffentlichen, das das Erbe des teutonischen Speed und Thrash Metal würdig vertritt. Bis dahin heißt es: Stimmt euch ein mit "Astreal Claw"

Auf dem komplett unübersichtlichen Markt der Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichungen rarer Aufnahmen aus dem im weitesten Sinne Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues/Popcorn-Umfeld hat sich die Serie DOWN AT THE UGLY MEN’S LOUNGE mit einer komplett eigenständigen konzeptionellen Farbe etabliert. Das authentische 10“-Format und die Covergestaltung mit obskuren und anonymen Musikerfotos der ersten fünfzig Jahre des 20. Jahrhunderts sind gleichermaßen unverkennbar wie unwiderstehlich.
Das stilistische Spektrum der neuen Auswahl rarer und rarster Trouvaillen aus dem legendären Archiv von Prof. Bop bleibt dem Ursprungskonzept treu: Zwischen Boogie und Mambo, zwischen Blues und Bop, zwischen Exotica und Egozentrik...weniger amateurhaft gespielter Teenager-Rockabilly, eher Rock & Roll etc. von musikalisch versierten und Jazz-geschulten Vollprofis. Allesamt Aufnahmen der goldenen Epoche 1950 – 1962.

Alex Rex, the project of acclaimed musician and former Trembling Bells bandleader Alex Neilson, is set to release his fourth and final studio album, The National Trust, on March 28th. Written in the wake of the sudden death of his younger brother, Alastair, the album is a poignant reflection on loss, love, and renewal, deeply rooted in the landscape of Carbeth—a cabin community in the Scottish countryside that Alastair called home. For Neilson, the cabin became both a physical and emotional project, a symbol of restoration and reconnection.

"For the first four years after Alastair died, his cabin lay empty and exposed to the remorseless Scottish weather. It came to look like a rotten tooth in a beautiful mouth. Cladding was dropping off its veneer, the ashen baubles of dead wasps nests clung to the rafters, all his possessions were just as he'd left them but eaten by mice, moths and time. Ashtrays still carried the crushed centimetres of his old tab ends. The cabins are so joyfully animated by their host's specific personality and this one looked like a haunted house. Guilt, unrealised hopes and encroaching nature yoked together in a wandering sadness. Combined with the fact that I didn't know the right way round to hold a hammer made the project of its restoration seem hopeless.”

Neilson, however, gradually began chipping away at the task, determined to transform the cabin into something he hoped would resemble “a National Trust site occupied by a psychopath,” with a little help from some friends, including Lavinia Blackwall and Marco Rea.

“They poured love into the cabin and helped restore Alastair's original vision. The project also helped restore my relationship with Lavinia which had fractured after Trembling Bells broke up in 2017. Alongside long-term Rex lieutenant Rory Haye, we applied the same intensity of dedication that we did in renovating the cabin, into creating The National Trust.”

As with Neilson’s previous albums, the recording process was intentionally unpolished, with songs presented in the studio with no rehearsals and captured in just a few takes. This raw, immediate approach amplifies the emotional weight of the album, which Neilson describes as being at a “personal apex of sour self-reflection, mock misanthropy, and self-exposure.” Longtime collaborators Lavinia Blackwall, Marco Rea, and Rory Haye return, alongside guest musicians like Jill O’Sullivan (Jill Lorean) and Trembling Bells guitarist Mike Hastings, to bring Neilson’s vision to life. The result is a deeply personal and multifaceted work, blending acid wit with haunting introspection.

The songs on The National Trust traverse a wide emotional and thematic range. The title track opens the album with a sharp and confessional edge, exploring love, loathing, and cultural critique with Neilson’s signature wit. “Boss Morris” pays tribute to the all-female Morris dancing troupe that reinvents British folk with vibrant energy, while “Two Kinds of Song” turns self-referential humour into an avalanche of remorse, culminating in the unforgettable chorus: “I’ve got two kinds of song. Which one will it be; one where I hate myself or one where you hate me?” Elsewhere, tracks like “Psychic Rome” draw from the decadence and hysteria of ancient Rome, while “The Coward in the Tower” breaks new ground as the only song Neilson has composed on an instrument before recording.

Throughout the album, Neilson’s lyricism is as vivid as ever, transforming personal tragedy into poignant and often darkly humorous art. Yet, there is a sense of finality to this work. "Songwriting has encouraged me to see the whole world as a resource. The things people say and throw away can be chiselled and polished and plopped into a lyric. It’s the same with building the cabin- scouring the edges of society for pallets, discarded wood, ornaments for the garden. But while song writing brings to life orphaned parts of my personality, the cabin is a synthesis of all my interests – nurturing my emotional health instead of exploiting it. With that in mind, I think this will be my last album as Alex Rex.”

With The National Trust, Neilson closes a significant chapter of his career, blending masterful musicianship with deeply personal storytelling. Known for his collaborations with artists such as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shirley Collins, and Current 93, as well as his decade-long tenure leading the psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells, Neilson has long been celebrated for his eclectic and uncompromising vision. This final album serves as a fitting culmination of his journey as Alex Rex, capturing the essence of his artistry while offering a profound exploration of loss, renewal, and the enduring power of love.

Am 20. Februar 2026 erscheint GLENs viertes Studioalbum - ein fünf Tracks umfassendes, instrumentales Statement aus noisegetriebener Energie und eklektischer, frei formulierter Experimentierlust. Benannt nach dem ersten Satz aus George Orwells 1984, entfaltet sich das Album als hypnotische Kraft strukturierter Chaoszustände: viszeral, im besten Sinne verstörend und mit absoluter Überzeugung vorgetragen.Das grenzüberschreitende Quartett aus Berlin - bekannt für seine intensive Verbindung aus Art Rock, Post-Rock und freier Improvisation - erweitert seine klassische Besetzung aus zwei Gitarren (Wilhelm Stegmeier, Eleni Ampelakiotou), Bass (Roland Feinäugle) und Schlagzeug (Achim Faerber) um Gastmusiker*innen und ein erweitertes Instrumentarium, das von Clavinet bis Synthesizer reicht. So entstehen immersive, dichte und langsam brennende Klangarchitekturen.Geprägt von Wiederholung, Spannung und ständiger Transformation bewegen sich die transluzenten Soundlandschaften zwischen explosiver Energie, struktureller Präzision und freiem Fluss der Improvisation. Körperlich, atmosphärisch und kompromisslos oszilliert GLEN zwischen Minimalismus und Eruption. Roh und zugleich bewusst kontrolliert - ein gelenktes Chaos, angetrieben von Reibung, Wiederkehr und gradueller Metamorphose.

Editions Mego welcomes KMRU back to the fold. Kin is Kenyan born, Berlin based, sonic wizard Joseph Kamaru’s second release on Editions Mego, following on from the classic 2020 release Peel. Since the release and subsequent praise for Peel, the artist has been a staple on the electronic scene performing on numerous stages and festivals worldwide in tandem with a flood of media recognition. Kin could be construed as the second child following Peel. The project came out of initial discussions with Peter Rehberg about what a Peel sequel would sound like. Kamaru is quick to clarify that Kin is not that record; “I'll know when that record will come and when I'll make it. It's already happening... or maybe it lives within both of these Mego records”.

It is this deft ambiguity and vague tiptoeing around the concrete that encapsulates the ambiguous sound world of Kamaru’s vision.

Kin was started early 2021 in Nairobi with Kamaru exploring his noisier palette of sounds encompassing distortions reminiscent of the sounds he would muster from in his youth when playing guitar. He paused making this record for a year as soon as Peter died, then slowly returned to it through 2022 resulting in the immense new work we have here.

The charms within Kin lay as Easter eggs revealing the true identity behind the colourful sonics only after multiple deep listens. With Trees Where We Can See sets the tone by way of a warm swaying melody inviting the listener in for further investigation. In 2022 KMRU and Mego stalwart Fennesz toured the USA together resulting in a strong friendship and also, the second track here, Blurred. A neat Mego/Editions Mego loop as such. Blurred arranges twangy guitar strums alongside glistening glaciers of shimmering drones. They Are Here represents a darker hue as melancholic clouds of shadowy noir tap directly into the listener's nerve stream. Maybe takes a detour into a bristling euphoric electronic storm whilst We Are screeches in a pattern formation not unlike a highly abstracted Aphex Twin forcing its way out of a hard drive. By Absence concludes proceedings, operating as both exit music and a portal to further sonic investigation with acoustic bellowing residing amongst a kaleidoscopic backdrop.

Kin is a trip that rewards close repeated listens as all the colours and textures, nuance and narratives unveil themselves. This isn’t a record to be glossed over, magic rewards concentration.

Kin is a record to be Played slow and LOUD.

For Pita.

All tracks written, produced, mixed by Joseph Kamaru
Blurred co-written & produced with Christian Fennesz
Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering
Photography: Joseph Kamaru
Layout & Design: Nik Void
Cut by Andreas Kauffelt at Schnittstelle, Berlin

Im Gegensatz zu den früheren Alben der Lost Boys, die innerhalb eines bestimmten Zeitraums produziert wurden, entstand „Pale Bloom“ langsam und versuchte, einen Schöpfungsmythos in seinem Bernstein einzufrieren – eine Ursprungsgeschichte, die uralt und komplex ist, voller Geheimnisse und Metaphern, die weder einer Klärung noch eines Endes bedarf. Jede Veröffentlichung der Lost Boys wagt sich in neues musikalisches und lyrisches Terrain vor. Von allen greift „Pale Bloom“ am weitesten zurück in die Kindheit und findet unbewusst die Rhythmen und Erzählstile, die in den Zwängen einer religiösen Erziehung verwurzelt sind. Beim Durchforsten der vergessenen Akkorde, Refrains und Melodien aus alten Kinderreimen und Volksliedern entdeckten sie den Wunsch, diese überlieferten Klänge in Richtung persönlicherer Wahrheiten zu verändern. Dieser Impuls ist auf dem gesamten Album präsent und in Krugers ebenso klangvoller wie euphorischer Stimme zu hören, wenn sie die verschiedenen lyrischen Formen um ihre eigene Sehnsucht, Trauer und Begierde herumlegt und sie darauf vorbereitet, in der üppigen und großzügigen Subversion der erinnerten Rhythmen der Band zu landen. Im Gegensatz zu ihrem Auftritt auf „Heaving“ und „A Human Home“ sind die Streicher hier weniger affektiert und haben einen eher düsteren und ernsten Charakter angenommen. Sie streben nach einer komplexen Art von Himmel, der durch das Gewicht und die Bodenständigkeit der Grooves ermöglicht wird, die sowohl stoisch als auch ausdrucksstark sind. Die Gitarren bewegen sich frei zwischen weitläufigen, voluminösen Räumen und sind ebenso knirschend wie sanft. Kruger nahm das Album mit ihren Bandkollegen und ihrem engen Mitarbeiter André Leo über einen Zeitraum von sechs Monaten in verschiedenen Studios in Berlin auf. Das Album wurde von Simon Ratcliffe gemischt.

Gemastert und restauriert von den Original-Master-Transfers durch Patrick W. Engel bei TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY im Dezember 2021. Geschnitten von SST Germany auf Neumann-Maschinen für optimale Qualität auf allen Ebenen. Die ultimative audiophile Neuauflage dieses zeitlosen Thrash-Klassikers! Infernäl Mäjesty aus Toronto, Kanada, formierten sich 1986 zunächst unter dem Namen Overlord; ihr erstes Demo brachte ihnen im Underground und bei der einschlägigen Presse gleich genug Bekanntheit ein, um einen Deal mit Roadrunner Records an Land zu ziehen. Das selbstproduzierte Debüt „None Shall Defy“ wurde 1987 veröffentlicht und hat sich seitdem zu einem veritablen Kultklassiker gemausert. Thrasher in der ganzen Welt betrachten „None Shall Defy“ als eines der besten Thrash-Alben überhaupt, und als die beste Kanadische Scheibe auf ihrem Gebiet – sengend, aggressiv und ultra-heavy; trotzdem hat der Infernäl Mäjesty-Erstling bisher nie die gebührende Aufmerksamkeit erfahren. Das muss sich ändern, und dank des Re-release auf High Roller Records gibt es nun die Chance, dieses Stück Thrash-Geschichte (wieder) zu entdecken. Wenn man sich vor Augen hält, dass Infernäl Mäjesty sich nur ein Jahr vor Erscheinen des Albums gegründet hatten, werden seine hohe Qualität, das große musikalische Können und die extrem durchdachten Songstrukturen noch ein Stück beeindruckender. Während der Sound das Albums vielleicht schon auf vorbildliche Weise das Harte, das Klare und das Finstere ausbalanciert, wurde es von Patrick W. Engel (Temple of Disharmony) noch einmal sorgfältig remastered, um das Beste aus “None Shall Defy” herauszuholen. Was Reviewer niemals zu erwähnen vergessen ist, wie unglaublich evil das Album ist; nicht nur was den Sound angeht, sondern auch in der Art und Weise, wie die Band ihre Songs rüberbringt – es ist technisch, aber die Technik ist stets songdienlich; die Riffs werden ohne Ende variiert, es herrscht definitiv kein Mangel an brillanten Ideen, an komplexen Tempiwechseln und an starken Soli.

Darüber hinaus sind die Lyrics schön finster und streckenweise extrem blasphemisch – was will man mehr?

Shake Stew ist mehr als eine Band - sie ist ein Ereignis. Seit ihrer Gründung durch Bassist und Komponist Lukas Kranzelbinder umweht die Formation ein Hauch von Magie und Energie, der sich live in eine hypnotische Kraft verwandelt. Zwei Schlagzeuge, zwei Bässe und drei Bläser erzeugen einen Sound, der zwischen tranceartigen Basslinien, eruptiven Grooves und fragilen Klanggebilden oszilliert. Die Jury des Preises der deutschen Schallplattenkritik sprach von "etwas Kultischem", das den Jazz bereichert, während MOJO begeistert: "Shake Stew twists, blisters and burns like a fevered dream!" Ob im Club oder im Wiener Konzerthaus - die Band zieht alle in ihren Bann. Mit dem Jubiläumsprojekt TEN ONE TWO öffnet sich Shake Stew noch weiter: neue Klangfarben, freie Improvisationen, Kooperationen und eine Besetzung, die mit Yvonne Moriel eine aufregende Stimme integriert. Nach zehn Jahren, zahllosen Konzerten und internationalen Auszeichnungen ist klar: Shake Stew definiert Jazz als lebendige Kunstform - kompromisslos, visionär und voller Dynamit.

Wigwam's previously unreleased rare live recording from 1976 out in February via Svart Records In the summer of 1976, Wigwam performed not only in Finland but also in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. However, the pace slowed down afterward. The early autumn tours planned for European countries were cancelled, and even the replacement shows in Finland had to be postponed due to bassist Måns “Måsse” Groundstroem's sick leave. In October 1976 an opening appeared in the schedule for a studio session, during which Jim Pembroke’s third solo album, Corporal Cauliflower’s Mental Function, was recorded. After that, Wigwam played five gigs in Denmark at the end of November, followed by an equal number in Sweden. No exact information has survived about the concert setlists, but the band was in a stable phase, and certain songs had become staples in their live repertoire. Albums from Wigwam's deep-pop era, which began in autumn 1974, as well as Pembroke’s first solo records had already been released, and rehearsals were underway for what would become the Dark Album, released in 1977. It can be said that this concert, recorded for Danish Radio, is a strong representation of the band’s era at the time. The recording took place in northern Denmark, in a district called Lundtofte in Lyngby. Before this, Wigwam had performed in Køge and Århus, and after Lundtofte, gigs in Ballerup and Copenhagen awaited. Lundtofte was home to the Danish Technical University (DTU), where a student venue called “Studenterhuset” (Building 101) hosted a one- to two-day music events known as Polyjoint during the 1970’s. The events typically featured Danish bands, but also visiting acts like Wigwam. Most importantly, Danish Radio was sometimes present at these events. Wigwam had performed a studio concert for Danish Radio the previous year, but this particular recording is considered the more energetic of the two. Details have faded with time — for example, the identity of the second act at the concert is unknown. In any case, both guitarist Pekka “Rekku” Rechardt and keyboardist Pedro Hietanen remember the band being in high spirits, in top form, and highly motivated.

Wigwam's previously unreleased rare live recording from 1976 out in February via Svart Records In the summer of 1976, Wigwam performed not only in Finland but also in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. However, the pace slowed down afterward. The early autumn tours planned for European countries were cancelled, and even the replacement shows in Finland had to be postponed due to bassist Måns “Måsse” Groundstroem's sick leave. In October 1976 an opening appeared in the schedule for a studio session, during which Jim Pembroke’s third solo album, Corporal Cauliflower’s Mental Function, was recorded. After that, Wigwam played five gigs in Denmark at the end of November, followed by an equal number in Sweden. No exact information has survived about the concert setlists, but the band was in a stable phase, and certain songs had become staples in their live repertoire. Albums from Wigwam's deep-pop era, which began in autumn 1974, as well as Pembroke’s first solo records had already been released, and rehearsals were underway for what would become the Dark Album, released in 1977. It can be said that this concert, recorded for Danish Radio, is a strong representation of the band’s era at the time. The recording took place in northern Denmark, in a district called Lundtofte in Lyngby. Before this, Wigwam had performed in Køge and Århus, and after Lundtofte, gigs in Ballerup and Copenhagen awaited. Lundtofte was home to the Danish Technical University (DTU), where a student venue called “Studenterhuset” (Building 101) hosted a one- to two-day music events known as Polyjoint during the 1970’s. The events typically featured Danish bands, but also visiting acts like Wigwam. Most importantly, Danish Radio was sometimes present at these events. Wigwam had performed a studio concert for Danish Radio the previous year, but this particular recording is considered the more energetic of the two. Details have faded with time — for example, the identity of the second act at the concert is unknown. In any case, both guitarist Pekka “Rekku” Rechardt and keyboardist Pedro Hietanen remember the band being in high spirits, in top form, and highly motivated.

For the first time, all the 1978 recording sessions of Lino Capra Vaccina's legendary Antico Adagio - including Frammenti da Antico Adagio and Echi Armonici da Antico Adagio - collected in one definitive deluxe edition. Minimalism, and so much more. Sheets of resonance, stunning harmonic interplay, intricate rhythms rising as one. Sidelong works of pulsing, hypnotic, ritualistic drone built from vibraphones, marimbas, gongs, bells, and cymbals, threaded by the sustained vocal tones of Juri Camisasca and Dana Matus. A trance-inducing, meditative, cosmic world of sonic interplay - the world beyond, joined with that which lays within.

Before an aberrant idea of progress ludicrously sped up our daily lives, even in hectic Milan it was possible to "play slowly" - with no pressure, simply following the path your art was showing you. This music moves between modal fascinations, ritual evocations, and states of hypnotic trance, evoking the acoustic environment of Tibetan and Zen Buddhist ceremonies and the temporal structures of Noh theatre, from which Vaccina took the name of his original label, Nō. Now, fittingly, this complete collection appears on Ubi Kū, the label of the Italian Buddhist Union.

Lino Vaccina (1953) first gained note as a member of Aktuala, creating a hybrid of rock, avant-garde, and ancient musics while incorporating sonic traditions from across the globe. After leaving in 1974, he studied at Milano's Civica Scuola di Musica, collaborating with Franco Battiato and Juri Camisasca, and forming Telaio Magnetico in 1975. In 1978 he self-released Antico Adagio in a tiny edition and wouldn't be heard from again until 1992. From 1979 to 1985 he was percussionist with the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala under maestros such as Abbado and Ozawa. His career has been marked by an incredibly high bar of quality and a tragically slim recorded output - a rigorous and sensual language fusing Oriental, Mediterranean, and African influences with ritual elements and a cosmic sense of time.

As Massimo Torrigiani writes: "Lino Vaccina's music captivates through its internal coherence and its ability to generate states of suspension and deep listening - through undulations, small melodic fragments, dialogues between acoustic instruments and resonances that seem to evoke a phantom orchestra. An example of personal exploration, discipline and openness that speaks across time to anyone willing to be drawn into its sound."

Frammenti da Antico Adagio and Echi Armonici da Antico Adagio contain material from the original sessions, restored and issued by Die Schachtel in 2014 and 2017. The new masters, prepared by Giuseppe Ielasi, are based on those restorations and the original material. The package includes previously unpublished photographs from the May 1978 sessions and liner notes by Mauro Radice in Italian, English, and French. Cover art by Dana Matus. Printed by Legno, Milano & Mother Tongue, Verona.

Personnel: Lino Capra Vaccina (vibraphone, marimba, tablas, wooden drums, darbuka, cymbals, gong, metal sheets, bells, bass drum, tom, snare drum, piano, voice), Dana Matus (voice, percussion, cetra), Juri Camisasca (voice), Mario Garuti (violin), Roberto Mazza (oboe). Original production by Massimo Villa & Lino Vaccina with Piero Cannizzaro. Recorded May 1978 at Circle Studios, Milano.

The heights of the Italian avant-garde, at their very best.

Joe Allotta's solo project (drummer, composer, and singer) was born from his need for freedom of expression after numerous experiences
as a session musician for artists such as Davide Shorty, Johnny Marsiglia, Funk Shui Project, Mario Biondi, Leburn Maddox, Giles Robson,
Amy True, and Imaani (Incognito).
His compositions embody the desire to make jazz, in its various forms and influences, accessible to the widest possible audience without sacrificing the impact of an engaging and captivating live performance.
Joe Allotta blends hip hop, funk, and drum 'n' bass with contemporary jazz, perfectly blending vocals with his performances. He combines
his rhythmic exploration with a sweet and surprising voice, capable of lending further emotional depth to his music.
"Transition" is a musical journey that reflects a life in constant motion, where everything seems fleeting, fast, and fleeting, immersed in the
frenetic rhythms that surround us every day. The title also encompasses a more intimate dimension: the growth of his artistic identity. Joe is
no longer just a drummer and composer, but also a singer. His intense and surprising voice intertwines with his drumming in a continuous
dialogue, opening up new expressive possibilities and adding further depth to his musical language.
The album was produced in the studios of the Sghetto Club in Bologna, where Joe, together with his producer Jacopo Trapani, spent weeks
researching and experimenting: rehearsing, playing, processing and synthesizing sounds, developing and arranging ideas, thanks also to
the collaboration of extraordinary musicians. The result is a work that blends instinct and research, intimacy and openness, movement and
transformation: exactly what Transition aims to convey.
CREDITS
Giuseppe "Joe" Allotta: Compositions, Vocals, Drums, Bass, Keyboards
Jacopo Trapani: Compositions, Recording, Mixing
Chicco Allotta: Piano (Track 1)
Giovanni Galdo: Bass (Track 1)
Riccardo Dalle Vedove: Trombone (Track 1)
Piergiorgio Perrella: Guitar (Tracks 2, 5, 8, 9)
Elijah Lee Last Jacinto: Piano (Track 6)
Matteo Diego Scarcella: Sax (Track 6) Francesco Brini: Master

London-via-Accra artist BLACK FONDU shares his seven-track debut EP ‘BLACKFONDUISM’, following the underground momentum of singles ‘im not sleeping’ and the Steve Lamacq BBC 6 Music-premiered ‘holla back girl’. Available on vinyl, and with a self-directed video for ‘#music’, the project marks the first full expression of a voice emerging as one of the UK’s most uncompromising new forces.

‘BLACKFONDUISM’ captures that evolution in its rawest form. The EP came together quickly through instinct and freestyling, recorded between his room in London and a short period in Paris. Each track reflects a world he understood only after living through it. ‘IN D4 CLUB’ channels the exhilaration of acceleration, ‘BOYS’ explores the foundation provided by maternal love, ‘im not sleeping’ confronts denial after more than twenty revisions, ‘C00N V2’ marks a moment of creative rebirth, and ‘BLACK1E’ navigates the tension between self-perception and the world’s gaze. Closing track ‘#music’ distills the entire project into one statement.

Working alone has brought challenges, but he has learned to trust the emotional volatility that fuels the work. “I care so much and would die for this, but I cannot let it kill me. I have to trust myself the same way I trust myself when I make music.”

At 21, BLACK FONDU has carved out a sound that collides hyperpop, noise, rap, punk energy and abstract grime into something instinctive and volatile. Influenced by everything from Rachmaninoff to MF DOOM to Xiu Xiu, he writes, produces and performs every element, including the fractured visuals that accompany his tracks. Praise from BBC 6 Music, Pitchfork, NME, The Quietus, Pigeons & Planes, METAL and Line of Best Fit has positioned him as one of the most intriguing new voices in the UK underground, with explosive live shows across London, the UK and Europe.

With BLACKFONDUISM, he introduces a universe that refuses to sit still. “I wanted this EP to act as an introduction to my worlds. It felt important to put this out so I can do anything after.” He hopes listeners feel alive when they hear it, and jokes that he wants the record to “evolve music, even just a little.”

BLACK FONDU’s sound remains a paradox, abrasive and fragile, chaotic and meticulous, always guided by instinct. Or, as he puts it, “A bit fucked. But alive.”

Bellbird hat seinen Namen und seine musikalische Inspiration von dem Vogel, der für einen der lautesten und markantesten Rufe im Tierreich bekannt ist. Die Band beschäftigt sich mit Themen wie der Verbundenheit zwischen Musikern, Genres und der Natur. Ihr zweites Album und erstes für Constellation, The Call, ist direkt vom Weißglockenvogel inspiriert, dessen extremer, unverwechselbarer Ruf analysiert und direkt in den explosiv schönen Titeltrack des Albums eingewoben wurde. Das in Montréal ansässige Quartett bestehend aus Claire Devlin (Tenorsaxophon), Allison Burik (Altsaxophon, Bassklarinette), Eli Davidovici (Bass) und Mili Hong (Schlagzeug) begann während der Pandemie bei Park-Jams zusammen zu spielen, inspiriert von der Jazz- und Free-Improvisationsszene, die sich um das Café Résonance gebildet hatte. Aber die vier Montrealer Neuzuzügler fanden erst nach einer Einladung zum Ottawa Jazz Festival 2021 als Bellbird zusammen und haben seitdem ihre Harmonie und ihren gemeinsamen Sound durch jahrelanges Touren und Zusammenspiel verfeinert. Das Quartett geht über sein gefeiertes, 2023 selbst veröffentlichtes Debütalbum ,Root in Tandem" hinaus und setzt auf einen stark kollaborativen Kompositionsprozess. Nachdem sie zuvor die Kompositionsaufgaben aufgeteilt hatten, entstanden die acht Songs auf The Call aus musikalischen Workshops und Improvisationsspielen, wobei sie sich auf Gedichte und Gespräche stützten, die sie während ihrer Aufenthalte außerhalb der Stadt ausgetauscht hatten. Das Ergebnis ist ein kraftvolles, stimmiges Statement, das ihre jazzzentrierte Instrumentierung mit Einflüssen aus Rock, Fusion und Folk verbindet, von Mingus und Eric Dolphy bis hin zu Ornette Colemans Prime Time und Indie-Rock. Ein wesentliches Merkmal ihres Sounds ist, wie sie die üblichen Rollen ihrer Instrumente umkehren, wobei die Blasinstrumente rhythmische Muster und unterstützende Texturen einsetzen, während Akustikbass und Schlagzeug die Form bestimmen. Dieser Ansatz ist ein Mikrokosmos der egalitären Ethik der Band: Sie agieren als echtes Kollektiv, ohne ihre individuellen Stimmen zu opfern. Das Album schafft einen Ausgleich zwischen kraftvollen Kompositionen wie dem Titelsong ,The Call" und Momenten, in denen die Band das Tempo drosselt, um sich der thematischen Einfachheit hinzugeben, wie in ,Soft Animal" und ,Phthalo Green". Im Gegensatz zu ihrem Debütalbum, das in der Stadt erarbeitet, aber auf dem Land aufgenommen wurde, wurde ,The Call" im legendären Hotel2Tango in Montréal von der Toningenieurin Sylvaine Arnaud aufgenommen, die die rohe Energie der Live-Auftritte der Band einfängt. Die Produktion verzichtet weitgehend auf eine traditionelle Ästhetik und setzt stattdessen auf kraftvolle Drums und einfallsreiche analoge Bearbeitung, die die viszerale Wirkung der Musik unterstreichen. Obwohl die Musik oft melodisch reichhaltig und zugänglich ist, scheut sich die Band auch nicht vor ,hässlichen" Klängen und nutzt Multiphonics, gestrichenen Bass und metallische Texturen, um eine Klangpalette zu schaffen, die ebenso eindringlich und naturalistisch wie explosiv ist. Das Album ist sozial und politisch engagiert und ein Beweis für die tiefgründige Musik, die nicht von einem einzelnen Leader, sondern von einem zutiefst einfühlsamen Quartett geschaffen wurde, das als Einheit zuhört, reagiert und kreiert. The Call vermittelt die Gefühle der Band zur Klimakrise und zur globalen Solidarität, wobei einer der zentralen Titel des Albums, ,Blowing on Embers", ausdrücklich einem freien Palästina gewidmet ist. The Call ist ein entscheidender Schritt nach vorne, ein einheitlicher Aufschrei einer Band, die ihre kraftvolle kollektive Stimme voll und ganz gefunden hat.