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"Night Sketches" is the follow-up to French pop duet Papooz's first album "Green Juice". The album spawned single release 'Ann Wants To Dance' (alongside a video directed by French artist & musician SoKo), which has since clocked over 12 million streams online and counting.



After selling out both Moth Club & The Sebright Arms, Papooz headlined Scala in London in December 2018. Produced by Adrien Durand of Bon Voyage Organisation, Night Sketches finds Papooz perfecting their gift for wonky, exotic pop balanced with surreal, character-driven lyricism.



"We had this romantic idea of capturing the essence of night life: its stories, its suspicious characters, its highs & lows and put them into pop songs." Whilst Night Sketches continues to keep Papooz' tongue firmly in cheek, there's real precision at play in Armand Cottin and Ulysse Penicaut's assimilation of soft rock, jazz and Brazilian music, leavened with an unmistakably British sense of humour (those lyrics sung in English are not by chance).

The Doors Californian kings of psychedelic-blues rock not only stood heads and shoulders above the peace and love hippy explosion of the sixties, but they were also proud to wear their influences on their sleeves by forwarding to the future by reconstructing the past.
The early live shows of the band performed in 1967 at the likes of the legendary Matrix Club in San Francisco would feature the group playing two sets, both featuring a mix of band originals and Blues covers done The Doors way.
Material such as 'I'm a King Bee' by Slim Harpo,'Who do you Love' by Bo Diddley,'Money (Thats what I want)' by Barrett Strong (a song that would stay in the live set for the duration of the bands life) and at The Winterland Ballroom over the Christmas festivites'Mannish Boy' by Muddy Waters were rolled out to an adoring local fanbase.
The classic 'Backdoor Man' by Howlin Wolf would also find a place on the group's debut album.
With all of the members of The Doors being long time blues fans more material was being worked up during rehearsals and added to the live shows along with new songs from The Doors forthcoming albums.
The Doors walked it like they talked it and sadly we will never see the likes of them again...a wonderful mixture of Blues and Psychedelic rock,they proved that in order to meet the future you must never forget the past..NO LIMITS,NO LAWS.................

Mr. K with two slices of Philadelphia disco, from smooth and slinky on our A-side to all-out floor pounding disco madness on the B.

Janice McClain, rightly adored for her Garage classic “Smack Dab In The Middle” (feat. on MXMRK-2068) but her second single is a real under-the-radar treat. The comfortably laid back groove somewhere between a stepper and simmering midtempo disco, classy and danceable as the finest Philly soul. Originally on a small LA-based label in 1983 (and sounding like it could have come out a good five years earlier), written and produced by McClain’s uncle Milt Tennant and his writing partner Thom Page, the same team responsible for “Smack Dab” — all Philadelphia rooted, so the sound should come as no surprise. Add McClain’s heartfelt and uplifting vocal and we easily have a lost classic. Mr. K’s edit trims the rare 12-inch version down for maximum sonic fidelity for its first appearance in a 7-inch format.

The flip side vibe goes in a completely different direction, although once again has its roots in Philly. The disco remake of the standard “Brazil” was a massive hit for the Ritchie Family in 1975, topping Billboard’s dance charts and getting deep into the Top 20 on the Hot 100. The group itself was a studio concoction led by veteran producer Richie Rome, with legendary trio Sweethearts of Sigma handling vocals — you’ll recognize their trademark harmonies from other huge classics like “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” and “Love Is The Message", studious listeners will detect a lot of similarities in the vamp section of “Brazil” and “Love Is…” as the MFSB house band launches into their trademark groove. This vamp section is unfortunately truncated on the original 7-inch single, but the always-attentive ear of Mr. K picks this point to begin his edit, starting where the original single faded out and giving us a full four-plus minutes of galloping disco delight.

Two flavors, both as tasty as it gets, all on one compact piece of wax! Another essential addition to your collection.

Mint green vinyl, limited to 350 copies. Dead Meadow's highly anticipated tenth studio album Voyager to Voyager marks a defining moment in their illustrious 26-year journey. Revered as a pioneering force in the heavy psychedelic rock scene since their formation in the late '90s, the band delivers not only their most emotionally charged and sonically expansive album to date but also a powerful tribute to their brother, late bassist Steve Kille, whose battle against cancer and untimely passing in early 2024 has made it the poignant end of a chapter in the band's history. Written and recorded across three intense sessions in downtown LA's Ultrasound Studios, Voyager to Voyager perfectly encapsulates Dead Meadow's raw energy and creative chemistry. During the sessions, the band worked quickly, using only the first or second take to preserve the immediacy found in their live show, with drummer Mark Laughlin delivering some of his best performances to date.

It is a huge honour to announce the publication of Peter Brotzmann’s final concerts on OTOROKU. When we invited Peter to do a residency at Cafe OTO back in February 2023 we had no idea these would be his last ever shows and he played with such power it would have been hard for anyone present to believe he would never play publicly again.

Recorded over two nights this grouping of Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums feels especially resonant and personal to Cafe OTO. The first time Peter performed at the venue back in 2010 it was in a trio with John and Steve, (released as The Worse The Better kick starting our in-house record label) so it feels fitting that the last shows he ever played here should also have that trio at its core.

The quartet last played together at OTO back in 2013, (released as Mental Shake on OTOROKU), and Brotzmann humbly opened the return of the group saying, "it's a pleasure to be back” before launching straight into a long blast on the alto sax, swiftly met by the relentless energy and engagement of Adasiewicz, Edwards and Noble.

There are moments of tenderness to Brotzmann’s playing that feels specific to this small group - one that cuts across three generations - and in a space that’s come to feel like home. Of course, there is dizzying, forceful, singleminded playing, but even amongst a relentless chorus of cymbal splashes and busy vibraphone clusters the lyrical, spacious moments are savoured and held onto. As he remarked at the end of the group's first visit to OTO, “the Quartet is, for us, a great adventure.”

Peter clearly wanted to play to the end. Did he know these might be his last shows? We will never know. What is clear is he wanted to go out in style and on his terms. For anyone in the room at the time or listening to these recordings it’s clear he achieved that.

It was Peter’s wish that these recordings should be made public and he was due to finalise the cover design on the week he passed away. We would like to thank Peter’s family for working with us to fulfil Peter’s wishes to release this material but more than anything we would like to thank Peter himself for all the extraordinary memories, his generosity and all he has given the music. On a personal level for us, like so many, he meant a huge amount and we miss him deeply.

The Quartet will be released as a complete recording on 2CD and as a special edit version on 2LP. Both feature artwork by Peter Brotzmann and UNTIET and are complete with photographs by Dawid Laskowski.
OTOROKU will also release a special 4LP boxset edition, limited to 250 copies and only available direct from us. Pre-orders are on the website now and Cafe OTO members will receive a 20% discount.

There's iconic. Then there's *iconic*.

A MASSIVE speaker-smashing release, decades overdue. It's been bootlegged - shamefully so, many times over the years - but finally we present the first ever officially licensed reissue of this truly special Afro-disco-not-disco LP from 1979. A favourite of Harvey, Antal, Young Marco and, er, every great DJ to ever play deep records ever, basically. It's not hard to see - or, indeed, *feel* why.

Gem after gem of relentless, irresistibly funky gold, it's an incredibly revelatory album with endlessly complex drum patterns and basslines to dive into, throughout. Truly, this is uniquely FIRE music, unlike anything else you've ever heard, based on Gwo ka music from the gorgeous islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. A thrilling synthesis of primal, hypnotic drums - the most tribal of percussive elements high in the mix throughout - with the loping synth pyrotechnics of, amongst a whole host of other greats, Wally Badarou and bass power of disco funk don Sauveur Mallia (Arpadys, Spatial & Co.)

Originally released on the seminal French label Barclay, you'd be hard pressed to even find an original copy in nice condition anywhere, let alone for a reasonable price, so it's high time an officially licensed, remastered reissue came around. It's just the latest in a long line of Be With reissues where the music sounds like the - drop-dead dazzling - cover. This here is a true drum attack. BUY ON SIGHT!

Tumblack was a short-lived project, produced and arranged by electronic wizard Yves Hayat and it can certainly be regarded as one of the first examples of Zouk, mixing powerful disco-funk arrangements with Gwo ka, traditional music from Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is an Antillean Creole term for "big drum". You can say that again! It refers to both a family of hand drums and the music played with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music.Whilst the first side is credited to the exceptional Tumblack band, the flip is given over to "Tumblack & Friends". These weren't just any old friends. Oh no, they were the absolute cream of the French scene (think Arpadys, Voyage, Le Club, Giant, CCPP, Synthesis, Swing Family) such as Sauveur Mallia, Wally Badarou, Marc Chantereau on percussion, Slim Pezin on guitar and Jean-Paul Batailley and Pierre Alain-Dahan handling drum duties.

The urgent, frantic "Fracas" gets things moving straight away with a cavalcade of drums and percussive funk before giving way to the stratospheric "Invocation", one of the album's many, many highlights. It's effectively one long heavenly drum break, a really hard, raw, tribal drum workout without a whole lot else going on - and all the better for it! One to make you sweat, no question. Up next, "Jubilé" is announced with a bellowing accapella voice, chanting the titular name before the heaviest of kicks smashes out your system and lulls you into an absolute state of bliss for nearly 6 minutes. Whoooooosh! Rounding out the sensational A-Side, "Vaudou" is a scratchy, funky patterned drum workout which - yep, yet again - absolutely slays your neck muscles, making them snap and contract in extraordinary fashion. TURN IT UP!

Ushering in the B-Side, the brief, fidgety, African chant-funk of "Parlement" segues seamlessly, beautifully into "Waka", an overwhelmingly rich gem of percussive funk. You do not want this to end, once it hits its stride. For maximum heavenly drum pleasure, you'd need to go a long way than the moment "Waka" feels like it's fading out before it kick-drum-blend into the mighty "Caraïba (Intro)". It's just staggeringly good. It's a minute-long layered drum prelude to the gigantic track which follows. Indeed, "Caraïba" is arguably the best loved and most well-known cut off the LP. And with good reason...featuring that Mallia bass, warm Rhodes and clavs, synth magic, memorably alto sax lines and, of course, tribal chanting.

Another mighty super-ahead-of-its-time classic, the bouncing bass heavy synth funk of "Chunga Funk" deploys Mallia and Wally Badarou (on Mini Moog) exceptionally well. I mean, come on, that bassline is just ridiculous. Try not to move to this one. This extraordinary record closes out with the more traditional Gwo ka sounds of "Bateau La Passé", the tribal chorus making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Tumblack really is a gorgeous late-70s disco-not-disco essential. It's an absolute MONSTER that will completely blow you away; and, yes, it's as compelling and trance-inducing as the cover. The audio for Tumblack has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The cover of Tumblack is so iconic and we sought special permission from original artist Hélène Majera to recreate this at Be With HQ. It absolutely zings off the print and serves as the perfect finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Ignite’s A Place Called Home 25th anniversary edition on vinyl with bonus tracks out in March 2025 Svart Records is proud to reissue the Californian melodic hardcore band Ignite’s album A Place Called Home. Previously released on vinyl only on its original release date in 2000 on TVT Records, A Place Called Home will finally be available on wax again on March 21st, 2025. Formed in Orange County in 1993, Ignite's sound is hard to pin down. Their music contains elements of punk, hardcore, alternative, and even heavy metal. Their 30-year career has produced several classic albums with A Place Called Home being their commercial breakthrough album, combining the spirit and muscle of hardcore and the catchy tunes of west coast punk rock. Sixteen songs loaded with great hooks, compelling, socially conscious lyrics, and the heaviness that hard music fans love. The band’s bassist and founding member Brett Rasmussen comments the reissue: "When I found out that the guys at Svart Records were licensing A Place Called Home for a vinyl reissue I was beyond stoked. This album will finally be available again, after being out of press for so long, and this time there will be colored vinyl! I'm really looking forward to spinning this reissue and I'm happy that it will be available for our fans to enjoy again on a turntable." The authorised Svart Records 25th anniversary edition of this modern genre-defining classic contains three bonus tracks previously only available on the European CD version of the album and comes with an insert. Available on Svart exclusive black & white marble vinyl, limited transparent red vinyl, and classic black vinyl. A Place Called Home is out on March 21st, 2025.

Ignite’s A Place Called Home 25th anniversary edition on vinyl with bonus tracks out in March 2025 Svart Records is proud to reissue the Californian melodic hardcore band Ignite’s album A Place Called Home. Previously released on vinyl only on its original release date in 2000 on TVT Records, A Place Called Home will finally be available on wax again on March 21st, 2025. Formed in Orange County in 1993, Ignite's sound is hard to pin down. Their music contains elements of punk, hardcore, alternative, and even heavy metal. Their 30-year career has produced several classic albums with A Place Called Home being their commercial breakthrough album, combining the spirit and muscle of hardcore and the catchy tunes of west coast punk rock. Sixteen songs loaded with great hooks, compelling, socially conscious lyrics, and the heaviness that hard music fans love. The band’s bassist and founding member Brett Rasmussen comments the reissue: "When I found out that the guys at Svart Records were licensing A Place Called Home for a vinyl reissue I was beyond stoked. This album will finally be available again, after being out of press for so long, and this time there will be colored vinyl! I'm really looking forward to spinning this reissue and I'm happy that it will be available for our fans to enjoy again on a turntable." The authorised Svart Records 25th anniversary edition of this modern genre-defining classic contains three bonus tracks previously only available on the European CD version of the album and comes with an insert. Available on Svart exclusive black & white marble vinyl, limited transparent red vinyl, and classic black vinyl. A Place Called Home is out on March 21st, 2025.

Also includes a large double sided poster , colour inner sleeves and liner notes by Gerald V Casale.

Spuds rejoice. After years of requests, Futurismo are thrilled to announce a brand new limited pressing of the DEVO’s incredible Recombo DNA 4xLP with Mini CD Set, plus also available is a brand new 3xCD version.


For decades Devo have been working non-stop at Recombo DNA Laboratories on a new kind of research to keep up with the mutating world around us. That extensive research is now ready for public consumption once again. Futurismo were the first to bring you this on vinyl and now they present unhindered access into Devo’s labs, documenting the scientific analysis and demonstrations as conducted by the band between the years 1977-2008.



This tireless research has manifested itself in Recombo DNA…an unmissable collection of studio demos and unreleased rare tracks that span Devo’s entire recording career, from their original basement days to their famed ’Freedom Of Choice’ era, right the way through to unused demos from their last studio album. You may know the track ‘Baby Doll’ but do you know it’s original incarnation as ‘Satan’? If you submit to the findings of Recombo DNA Labs you will, Futurismo’s version of this compilation includes six bonus tracks taken from the archives that had never been released, or even heard before.



This limited edition 4xLP set is a sonic fusion of demos, alternate versions and outtakes, demonstrating the true breadth and talent of one of America’s most important bands. But this set doesn’t stop at four beautiful slabs of mutated vinyl, also included is ’The Somewhere Suite’ served up on the format it was originally intended to be back in the May of ‘89, advertised although never released, it’s contained here in all it’s full length glory on a 3” Mini CD. Recombo DNA is also coming on a 3xCD digipak version for the very first time from Futurismo, including all the wonderful artwork and bonus material. Devo’s Recombo DNA is an essential addition to the collection of any science fearing spud, and the perfect sister release to last years Art Devo. The original 2017 pressing of Recombo DNA sold out in less than 48 hours, so grab this while you can. Each set includes 4xLP on limited edition coloured vinyl and includes a Mini CD. This fantastic collection of devolved recordings and bonus tracks are contained within the gloss laminated wide spined sleeve, with newly tweaked artwork, a huge A1 poster, full colour inner sleeves and liner notes by Gerald V Casale. A 3xCD digipak version is also available. Submit to these findings and witness audio mutation in action.

“One of the most compelling and complex releases of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s post-Black Ark canon, Mercy is the fruit of a long and complex working process that has yielded exceptional results. Spearheaded by the maverick artist and musical outlier Peter Harris with Fritz Catlin, the drumming co-founder of industrial funk dub act, 23 Skidoo, Mercy’s experimental sonic occupies its own space.” David Katz (People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee “Scratch” Perry).

Dash the Henge are excited to announce the vinyl release of Mercy an innovative record featuring the legendary Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and the work of Peter Harris and Fritz Catlin. It will be preceded by vibrant visual representations of key tracks ‘Reggae Poison’, ’Row Fisherman/Whale Song’ and ‘This is Hell’ created by Peter Harris and Llyr Williams. “I always saw Lee as a performance artist rather than a musician in the traditional sense, so this conceptual backing feels like a more accurate setting for his stream of conscious performance art,” Peter Harris explained. “There is an attention to Lee’s history here too, something that elevates the musical collage with the echoes informed by albums like Super Ape where earlier tracks were recorded over again. In ‘Big Fish,’ the lyrics pay homage to Bob Marley’s ‘Small Axe’ and the tune references Perry’s version of ‘Sugar Sugar,’ which he recorded with the Silvertones. Although the structure might seem chaotic, the songs were crafted over a long period of time and the approach was the same as making a painting, where foundations are worked on then painted over and over until it is full wrested.” Nathan Saoudi (founder Dash The Henge/Fat White Family) boils it down. “It’s kind of quintessential outsider music - I can’t explain what they are doing, but they have a why, and that’s enough. That’s why I needed to get involved.”

Pharoahe Monch is one of the most revered and influential emcees in the history of hip-hop, and 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of his fourth studio album "PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder".

In PTSD, Pharoahe Monch continues the story he began telling in his previous LP, "W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)" from 2011. The Queens emcee narrates, in both literal and metaphoric ways, about the trials and tribulations of an independent artist who is at war with the music industry and the struggle of the black male experience in America.

In 2012, during an interview with Shawn Setaro, host of the podcast The Cipher, the rapper explained the connections between the two projects, beyond their titles. “The W.A.R. album was like, I’m going to battle against the machine, I’m doing this independently. I’m putting some things out that I learned and I’m going to expose about the music industry. PTSD is the result of me doing that, where I am emotionally now. It’s similar to how someone comes back from war and is stricken by re-adjusting to a regular situation.”

Monch told MTV Hive that PTSD is “more mental, emotional and personal” because it came out of the depths of a period of depression. He also gave the internal and external factors that helped him create the album. “I was working on the title track, which took me to a point in between Internal Affairs and Desire, where I was heavily depressed. Through the waiting period, the industry period, and going through a lot emotionally. Then there was the physical problem with asthma. It was the worst. So I started off with that title track and my manager was like, ‘Yo, let’s really dive into that state and how you got to where you are now, and how this follows what people go through to get back to a so-called ‘normal’ situation’.”

The concept album follows a veteran through combat experience, his return home, relationship dissolution, drug addiction, painful depression, and, finally, a triumphant but realistically rendered decision to keep living and struggling.

Playing with a Different Sex was the debut album by seminal post-punk band Au Pairs, released in 1981.

Described retrospectively by AllMusic as ‘one of the great post-punk records’, a review by Record Mirror on its release said the band’s ‘critique of all forms of possession and sexual stereotyping assumes a devastating power’. Themes include sexual politics and the torture of women imprisoned in Northern Ireland during The Troubles of the 1970s, as well as a stunning cover of David Bowie’s ‘Repetition’ about domestic violence. It peaked at No. 33 in the UK, and features the single ‘It's Obvious’, which reached No. 37 on the US Club Play Singles chart. Playing with a Different Sex is available as a numbered limited edition of 750 copies on turquoise coloured vinyl and contains an insert.

After humble lo-fi beginnings in the Australian Art-Pop Underground, Donny Benet has expanded his cult-like following across the Globe with a resonant Array of danceable Repertoire dealing with Love- and Affection. New album "Mr Experience" marks a new chapter, informed by a wealth of musical- and personal development.

For Mr Experience, Donny envisioned a Soundtrack to a Dinner-Party- Set in the late 1980's. While his earlier Recordings drew Inspiration from DIY Pop Conspirators such as Ariel Pink & John Maus, Donny channelled the Stylings of Bryan Ferry & Hiroshi Yoshimura as the Impetus for new Material, evident on the Intimacy found on ‘Girl Of My Dreams’ and it's lush production- with a soothing whistle-along Chorus for good Measure!

Sincerity has been a key component of Donny Benet’s output since the beginning. His songs deal with genuine Emotion served on a kitsch Platter. An alter-ego manifested in the beginning of the 2010's, Donny has blurred the Lines of Artifice to create a back- Catalogue that can embrace- and challenge, often simultaneously, - the notion of Irony in Art.

"Mr Experience" moves further away from ironic Notions as Donny explores lyrical- and musical themes which embody Observations of Maturation in his audience, his tightknit musical Community- and himself. While ‘mature’ is a term that often rings hollow as an album descriptor, the term couldn’t be more apt for Mr Experience.

Previous album The Don was created with the luxury of time. The phenomenal Response to that Album across Europe- and the United States - fuelled by accompanying Music Videos clocking in Views in the Millions- meant that there were scant Windows of Opportunity to write- and record a follow-up.

With a legacy in Sydney’s music community, working with Sarah Blasko, and tightknik collaborators Jack Ladder & Kirin J Callinan, Donny Benet is accustomed to collaboration on the Stage- and in the Studio, mostnotably on the 2014 full-length release Weekend At Donny’s.



“There is such immense talent evident in every aspect of the Donny Bene experience - the vision of the character, the steadfast adherence his narrative and the musicality of Benet himself all combine to makesomething truly genius.” - Double J, Australin.

“Donny Benet makes feminine music for everybody” - Vice, Netherlands.

“The Don does not sound like amusical copying machine”. - 3voor12 National, Netherlands.

“The set was punctuated with virtuosic solos and exquisite harmonies, and added another layer of genius to the show.
We almost couldn’t handle it... Donny for president!" - Indie Berlin.

“Everyone loves Donny Benet” - Feature in Gonzai, France.

“Phenomenal Australian Showman... Offers Top-Class Dance Music with Virtuose-Bass Guitar- and Keyboard Parts & incredible Sound-Colour feel.” - Podujatie.sk, Slovakia.

Donny has toured Europe five times since the start of 2018 and has played in the UK, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, France, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Greece and Sweden. The Don will revisit Europe twice in 2020, once for his own headline shows in May then back again in August for festivals!

2025 Repress

Veyl is proud to welcome back to the label one of the most essential and multidimensional producers today, Filmmaker. To date, the Colombian artist has delivered a plethora of revered releases from his breakout, The Love Market (2019), to his previous album on Veyl, Fictional Portrayals (2022). He consistently traverses genres from postpunk, EBM, synth wave and beyond to create a unique identity still firmly rooted in film culture. Now he returns with perhaps his most robust and powerful offering, Hollywood
Cult.

Comprised of 13 tracks, the album sees the producer elevate his sound to new levels, conjuring a world of haunting atmospheres and devious directions that take the listener through a journey of unparalleled proportions. Kicking off the album is the ritual-like
'Secrecy', which builds tension before exploding into a synth-driven race against time and introduces us to the world that lies ahead. 'Holy Wood' injects a heavy dose of body music for an infectious piece that bleeds perfectly in to the slow burning nostalgia of 'Generational Trauma'. Next, 'Western Malice' picks the pace back up with its evil energy that feels fit for the best horror scenes before 'Shocking Therapy' enters the picture with an exhilarating electro feel.


Now in the depths of the journey, 'Vessels Wine' continues the saga with a high intensity work that gives way to the stirring emotions of 'Peacekeeper Ripper' and the raw, blood lust of 'Criminal Rite'. Now entering the final phases, 'Spiritual Harvest' cleanses the palate before 'Elite Dungeons' comes crashing in with a lo-fi feel that puts you deep underground. 'Two Sets of Rules' charges back with twisted lines before 'No Fetish Without Evil' unveils post-punk strings that puts you in a trance before 'Hanging Finale' closes the release u ltimately fading out into the abyss. Repeat listens will be necessary and the whole album feels like a soundtrack to a dark new world that is perfectly fitting for any Hollywood Cult.

With Helldorado, the third installment of SPIRITWORLD’s death-western trifecta, chief hombre Stu Folsom and his rhinestone- encrusted, Stetson-wearin' wrecking crew take you deeper into a world where the hot desert sun beats down on a singular vision of the American West as a gateway to hell. “It’s a different album than the past two,” says Folsom of the thematic and sonic journey that began with the Las Vegas band’s 2020 Pagan Rhythms LP and continued with 2022’s Deathwestern. From the honky-tonk swing of opener "Abilene Grime" to the Slayer-worthy riffing of "No Vacancy in Heaven" and the unforgettable "Oblivion" (which features members of Black Braid and Rise Against), SPIRITWORLD's story rides on with this latest offering, blasting Mojave-born bloodlust and stomping tomahawk riffs while charging straight into a sonic vision of macabre Americana.

"Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" said the famous boxer Mohammed Ali, in reference to his legendary strike. This punchline also works wonderfully in music, listening to Roseaux's third album. A French success story, created with all modesty and honesty by the Parisian trio: Emile Omar, Alex Finkin and Clément Petit.

The three musketeers of sound cultivate their know-how, now acclaimed by critics and an ever-growing audience since their first project in 2012. It took them time to take a step back and gain perspective in order to offer us a return that is both joyful and resounding.

Roseaux takes root on the banks of soul, folk, jazz, and songs from all eras, a cascade of inexhaustible sounds, where the three composers draw their inspiration and merge their experiences.

The leaves of Roseaux soar to the breath of wonderful voices, chosen with precision by the three friends, like that of the American singer Aloe Blacc, present since the beginning of the adventure, essential enchanter of the three episodes.

Conceived as a dreamlike escapade full of emotions, on the fringes of the massive, instantaneous and often disembodied production, Roseaux is a totally artisanal group, a sort of UFO in the French musical landscape, which operates on instinct and above all on desire.

Thus, Roseaux has become an expert in bringing together, for the duration of a record, the artists who specifically form the DNA of their host: captivating voices, a plot on the piano and cello, but also encounters and reunions, in a poetic and deliberately nebulous universe.

A welcoming nebula, where the listener is invited to listen and immerse themselves without hindrance, in a luxuriant, wild, exciting sound forest. This third album is the work of 3 music lovers, capable of switching roles: writing, arrangements, production, from which emerge this time, eleven tracks with chiseled melodies including three colorful and unusual instrumentals.

A journey between melancholy and euphoria, which led Roseaux to the ends of the planet, from the Caribbean to Europe via Africa to unearth other vibrations and unique performers: the captivating Grenadian-British singer Ala.ni, the little English afropop prince from Ghana, Ghetto Boy, and the disturbing Swedish Isabel Sörling, sign here a first flamboyant collaboration with the group.

While the talented Haitian-Canadian Mélissa Laveaux, the hypnotic Scandinavian singer Olle Nyman, the sparkling French-Canadian Anna Majidson and our remarkable national Ben, already present on the second part, still manage to create a surprise by revealing new aspects of their range.

Roseaux's voices are decidedly impenetrable and its magic is renewed today by making the strength of all these scintillating elements dialogue, to be discovered in a setting of softness and voluptuousness.

Nature is full of reeds, this one is unique.

TC.KYLIE x The Hourglass brings dynamic jazz fusion music from her debut album, integrating Hong Kong, Japanese and British cultures. Kylie leads her band dynamically on stage playing keyboard and synth keytar, iconic in Japanese jazz rock & highly memorable to watch.TC.KYLIE, a jazz fusion pianist, performs regularly in both Hong Kong and London. Inspired by the likes of Shaun Martin and Robert Glasper, she also continues to write songs in the areas of Japanese acid jazz, following Fox Capture Plan, Jabberloop, Toconoma, Jizue and Bohemianvoodoo. Prior to becoming a performing artist, Kylie previously worked as a news documentary journalist for radio and TV networks in Hong Kong, She spent much of her time connecting human stories and investigating the connections between people and society which was inspiring and enlightening but also often heavy and difficult within increasingly tricky political landscapes unfolding around her.

Under the changing social environment in her hometown and with the hit of the pandemic, she decided to take an indefinite well-earned break in 2020 to take care of her own well-being & passions. During a stay at a jazz cafe and hostel in Lake Towada in Aomori, Japan, encouraged by the hostel owner as a jazz enthusiast; Kylie sat in front of the piano, contemplated and played scattered notes to express what she had been enduring during her time as a political/social reporter.

Finding herself joyfully picking up music in her life again after years of leaving it behind, she wrote the song "The Last Grief" a tribute to one of her deepest sorrows and in remembrance of her best friend in childhood who battled heavily with depression. This song went on to be an official selection for the International Toronto Music Video Festival as well as the Toronto Asian Independent Film Festival in 2023.

"10th Anniversary Edition Ghostface Killah, legendary Wu-Tang Clan member, invites you to rediscover the cinematic brilliance of 36 Seasons, his tenth studio album and unforgettable concept masterpiece.
Originally released ten years ago, this album tells the compelling story of Tony Starks as he returns to Staten Island after nine years, seeking a peaceful life but nding anything but. 36 Seasons is a testament to Ghostface’s storytelling genius and raw lyrical power.
To honor its 10th anniversary, 36 Seasons is being reissued in a range of special formats packed with exclusive bonuses. Fans can look forward to three vinyl editions, including a Deluxe Double Vinyl featuring all original tracks alongside instrumental versions."

This anthology follows Now-Again's Loving On The Flipside, issued more than a decade ago. And that anthology itself got its start in a different time, a decade even earlier - the era in which Now-Again's Egon and his friends chased down funk 45s and the odd LP for their testosterone riddled, aggressive sound. Often times the funk song on one of their chosen is would be the throw-away b-side, the hasty afterthought the band cobbled together the night before hitting - or while in - the studio because they'd put all of their energies into writing the amazing ballad that would ensure their entry in soul's history books. Every once in a while, that funk song they coveted could have been - in an alternate universe - a ballad. The Third Guitar's "Baby Don't Cry," El Pooks* "I Could Do The Impossible" and Spider Harrison's "Beautiful Day" all fit into this category. That realization notwithstanding, more often than not they shined over the ballads to get to the tough stuff. Then they started flipping those funk records over to find some loving on the flip side. Some marvellous tunes were there to be found. This is the long awaited follow up. Contained within this anthology are some of the greatest soul ballads that go sweet with a beat - or, to follow our tagline, epitomize "sweet funk." Most of these songs have never been compiled. Some have never been issued in any form. Some, like the Ledgends entry here, were sampled to great success (in that case for Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's "Deeper"). Some haven't been sampled, but, like Herb Johnson's entry, are patiently awaiting their day. It should go without saying that we're proud to present this music in good conscience; with the full participation of everyone but the most obscure names contained within. And, for those who we've not yet been able to contact, this is our message: We've found your brethren, we've placed them beside you on an album that we hope you feel is befitting of your collective contributions to soul music and now we're just waiting for you. Though the music you recorded is from the years past, vour time is now.

“Machine Against Rage” is the first release on OAOE - a new experimental music series on Wodawater.

Real and cloned voice becomes intertwined with physical space forming a call and response chain of a spatial imaginary emerging from a certain passage from Philip K. Dick. The machine never stops and enfolds the listener with affective feedback tones, subtle rhythms, disjointed impacts and noise. The record is result of a collaboration between the label’s founder Miko Szatko, also known as the techno producer and performer TRSSX and co-founder of EXIT Glasgow, and Verena Lercher, a Berlin-based media artist and resident at spæs - lab for spatial aesthetics in sound in Berlin. All recorded at Funkhaus Berlin between 2023-24, the six compositions originate from various feedback spatialisations and turntable movements amplified by an IKO, the 20-membrane speaker-instrument developed by spæs lab’s co-founder Gerriet Krishna Sharma and the IEM in Graz.

A new artist appears on the streets of City HC Records, he is Andrey Orenstein
multidisciplinary artist, part of the alternative Rock band ‘Tequilajazz’, with several solo musical incarnations such as: Amor Entrave, for electronic Indie beats with tocuhes of IDM of broken beats, Do you like trains? for Acid House, and 50DIX, dedicated to street beats such as jungle, drum n bass, ghetto house, Juke and Footwork, and the pseudonym he uses for Go Ahead! EP, the new and multifaceted 22nd release from the Valencian label.

IF U WANT 2 is the elegant track that takes us into the bustling avenues of the 2st century megapolis, where the urban rhythms of the dance battles in Chicago, Footwork and Juke, along with brief Jungle passages alternate in a brilliant composition with funk and jazz nuances accompanying tight percussion and distorted kicks at 160 BPM.

Tough and Ghetto House and rugged acid define FOOLZ, second track of the A-side in which the demonic power of the 303 sounds embrace the thick and husky voice that together with infectious laughter set a rhythm as pugnacious as it is playful.

FETTA DI LIMONE, Juke, Footwork and Jungle, a perfect combination of American influences, legacy of Dj Rashad together with the English tradition around bass music, are fused by 50DIX with the unexpected and playful Italian lyrics of Tomasso Girardi, in perfect conjunction with the pianos, ethereal pads and mutant synths, that forge the development of the track. Already anthemic before the first beat sounds.

Juke, IDM, Halftime and abstract broken beats combine for the ultimate dance elixir, in the last track of the vinyl titled ICE FEELS KEEN, reaching 170 BPM in a catharsis of braindance, soul and acid exaltation in a dreamy harmony, where the syncopated notes of Oleg Egorov's bass and the velvety voice of Julia Garnits (Ice Hokku) commune.

Bonus digital track - 50Dix ICE FEELS KEEN (DZA REFLIP). Hypnotic, sharp and minimalistic, DZA's remix transforms the original track into an intimate and evocative experience, in which every sonic element acquires more prominence and presence.

Bonus digital track 2 - Fetta di limone (Kaxtelian remix) Inspired by the classic hardtrance sounds of the 90s, from Valencian dance temples such as Chocolate, Kaxtelian reinterprets the track with distorted drums, catchy melodies and Rave spirit at 165 bpm.

Mastering by Steve Voidloss at Black Monolith Studios in London (UK), except for the Bonus track 2 mastered by Raszia.

Once again, artwork and design by Dani Requeni, giving artistic coherence to the label's aesthetic.

Capturing phantom drones behind dusty beats and haunted twangs, Ellis Swan and James Schimpl return for their third album as Dead Bandit. Locked into a musical language unique to their collaboration, the duo once again put us out to pasture across broad sonic plains, drums flapping like loose fence panels in the prairie breeze and bass rumbling like distant thunder. True to their previous two records, Swan and Schimpl keep the strung out guitars at the front of what they do, whether playing a naked, desolate strum or running six strings through disruptive effects processing until they're barely recognisable.
But while there are details of disturbance when listening to Dead Bandit's self-titled record up close, the wider impression is a smoother, more direct affair that toys with post-rock complexity and matches it with the emotional weight of melodic simplicity, gentle grooves and conscious arrangements. 'Weeds' offsets its languid fuzz guitar with shimmering sustained notes before settling into a patient, heavy-hearted composition charged with heartbreak leads pealing out in the middle distance.
By comparison, 'Glass' has a smoky, half-hidden backroom quality. Its brushed whisper of a beat, lingering guitar drones and subtle sub bass come on like a dub wise flip of a sad-eyed country ballad. The mood maintains on 'Half Smoked Cigarette', which captures the grey sky sullenness of post-punk and reframes it in the seductive isolation of rural America. While there's a thickness to the sound on these most direct of tracks on the album, there's also fragility inherent to the sound world Dead Bandit have been shaping out over these past few years.
'Buttercup' swaps sadness for sinister undercurrents, once more drawing on fulsome low end to fill out the sparse threads of instrumentation up top. 'Pink' finds a steady momentum for its own brand of brooding mystery, the sharp end of the beat bringing focus to the many-layered approaches to the guitar which roundly define the Dead Bandit sound. There's an even clearer direction mapped out in the vintage drum machine pulse of 'Koyo', all the better to carry swirling effects treatments and moody melodic figures. Even in these ominous climes there's space for plaintive, endearing hooks which land as the most direct phrases in Dead Bandit's musical lexicon to date.
The fundamental sound across this album holds true, but Dead Bandit are never bound to a singular practice. 'Lucien's Bitters' strikes up a pronounced drum machine beat which comes on like 90s downtempo, and it feels like a natural vessel for the heavy, shoegaze tinted lament of the guitars. At every turn, Swan and Schimpl prove their affinity for all kinds of approaches, and yet the end product is a deeply cohesive, immediate listen that shows just how clear their creative vision really is.

Six track EP full of warm deep house music, spacy jazz not jazz, african and brasil rhythms, plus a portion of psychedelic funk poetry.

‚Children Of Zu Zu‘ is Charles Petersohn‘s restart after his previous label release from 18 years ago, besides some experiments on Bandcamp and SoundCloud. On this EP sound merges into each other, is producing an organic flow. Smooth deep house, different kinds of jazz and jazznotjazz, african rhythms, Brasil batucada, psychedelic funk poetry, inspired by Dr. John and most of all the space music and afrofuturist philosophy of Sun Ra and his Arkestra. Soundscapes and atmos in the background of each song give the music a deeper feel. It took its time to get the music ready. There was the desire of having Web Web pianist Roberto di Gioia in the music, took months. But it was worth waiting. Roberto planted some magic moments in to it. On other hand Charles is hyper critic with his own sound. If jumping into to arena again, there should be something special. When he will be okay with every inch of his sonic work, then its done! ‚Children Of Zu Zu‘ became a collage of thick, warm and smooth housemusic, spacy Ambient Jazz and two dancefloor tools with a deep Afro and Brasil feel.

Here we go with six tracks full of love, full of dreams and full of space.

"Children Of Zu Zu" ist Charles Petersohns Neustart nach seiner letzten Label-Veröffentlichung vor 18 Jahren mit dem Pianisten Jasper van't Hof bei "Jaro". Deep House Music, Jazz Not Jazz, afrobrasilianische Jazz-Grooves, Ambient Jazz, eine von New Orleans Legende Dr. John inspirierte spirituelle Botschaft, einen Gesang von Frauen und Mädchen aus Samoa vom "British Commonwealth Sound Archive" und nicht zuletzt die intergalaktische Poesie von Sun Ra und seinem Arkestra. Soundscapes im Hintergrund fast aller Tracks versetzen die Musik jeweils an einen fiktiven Ort. Es hat seine Zeit gedauert, bis die Musik fertig war. Der Wunsch, den Web Web Pianisten Roberto Di Gioia für die Musik zu gewinnen, schien fast unmöglich. Seine Teilnahme verzögerte sich um mehrere Monate, denn Roberto ist ein vielbeschäftigter Musiker und Produzent. Am Ende hat sich das Warten gelohnt. Er hat der Musik einige magische Momente beschert. Auf der anderen Seite ist Charles mit seinem eigenen Material meist überkritisch. "Wenn ich mich parallel zu so vielen großartigen Musikern und Produzenten überall in der Welt und darüber hinaus mit einer eigenen Botschaft in die Welt begebe, muss das schon etwas Besonderes werden!" Nach endlosen Sessions in seinem Mini-Studio ist 'Children Of Zu Zu' um einiges mehr geworden, als er sich vorgenommen hat. Statt zwei, sind es am Ende sechs Tracks und zwei Bonus-Versionen voller Liebe, voller Träume und voller Space, innerspace und outerspace, geworden. Musik für den Dancefloor, für Jazz Clubs, Chill Zones und obendrein für Kinderzimmer!

On his Discrepant debut Memotone aka Bristolian Will Yates collects some unreleased recordings under a most aptly titled name - »Pruning« - following a healthy stream of releases for such esteemed labels as Black Acre, The Trilogy Tapes or Soda Gong.

Considering the process of pruning as a practice of selective removal, the album takes its name at face value never falling into a mere collection of tossed off material or random B-side assemblage, making it a cohesive listen throughout its disparate timeframe and evasions.

A statement about Memotone's vision itself, »Pruning« veers closer to his Fourth World/ECM/Exotica meets Sci-fi transmutations in alignment with what would be expected from a Memotone release on Discrepant. »Moss Zone« briefly sets the tone with a warm but queasy synth bedsheet that flows into the »Weird Figures« cyber- jungle, all small twinkling percussions and rainforest pads slowly rising. 'Riders' brings the synth-flute to an early Warp meets John Hassell's »City: Works of Fiction« scenario that pops up again in more disrupted form on »Wisdom MOTHER«. »Not What I Thought's« skewed tropical guitar gets going on lo-fi percussion and dissonant synth chords while »Jim Starling and The Inverse Church« bring to mind »Autoditacker« era Mouse on Mars going jazz-fusion. Or what we should expect from their Smalltown Supersound stint. »Beach Scene« is exactly it, as the sun sets into »Come In Don't Mind the Ghost« summer night's stars with all the allure of Stereolab.

Alluring, that's exactly it. Do come in.

Five for Fighting achieved a hit record with "Superman (It's Not Easy)" in 2001 leading to his America Town album going Platinum.

For the follow-up, The Battle Of Everything, John Ondrasik went into the studio with Bill Bottrell, best known for his production work with Sheryl Crow.

On the influences behind Battle and its recording, Ondrasik said, "When I was a kid I could put on Dark Side of the Moon, turn up the sound in my headphones, lie down in the dark, and go away. I wanted that experience again, and so Bill and I were ambitious to the point of absurdity. If we wanted drama, we'd get a thirty-piece orchestra. If we wanted a rock edge, we went after it with reckless abandonment. It was like doing my own private Quadrophenia."

The Battle for Everything was released in 2004. The first single, "100 Years" was a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album itself was certified Platinum in 2009. and is now finally available on vinyl for the first time.

This is a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on gold coloured vinyl. The LP contains a 4-page booklet with lyrics and pictures.

*Repress*

180gr) 10 YEARS ON, ARTHUR VEROCAI'S ENCORE GETS A VINYL RELEASE. The highly anticipated follow up to Arthur's eponymous debut album from 1972, Encore saw Arthur joining the dots over 35 years to createa modern classic of Brazilian music that, like his debut, combined Brazilian influences with his take on American soul and cinematic experimentation, and shows Arthur's sound is as poignant now as it ever was.
To celebrate the album's 10th anniversary, Far Out Recordings announces the first ever vinyl edition of Arthur Verocai's 2007 masterpiece Encore. Remastered from the original tapes, Encore features 11 original compositions from Arthur with guest musicians including Azymuth, Ivan Lins and a nine-piece string section. The highly anticipated follow up to Arthur's eponymous debut album from 1972, Encore saw Arthur joining the dots over 35 years to create a modern classic of Brazilian music that, like his debut, combined Brazilian influences with his take on American soul and cinematic experimentation, and shows Arthur's sound is as poignant now as it ever was.

In the mid-2000's, following on from Marcos Valle, Joyce and of course Azymuth, Arthur Verocai joined the long-line of Brazilian musicians whose music was to be introduced to a whole new legion of fans by Far Out. The story of 'Encore' of course begins with Joe Davis, Far Out's head honcho who stumbled upon Arthur's debut in a dusty record store in downtown Rio in the late 80s. At the time of its release in 1972 critics panned Arthur's debut and both the album and artist subsequently vanished into obscurity. Fast forward to winter 2004 and Joe's at the studio of Far Out Recording artists Harmonic 313 - aka production duo Mark 'Troubleman' Pritchard and Dave Brinkworth - playing them some of his favourite Brazilian albums. Dave recalls the moment Joe put on Arthur's debut, 'As soon as the needle hit the record and we heard the fantastic arrangements, songs and sounds, Arthur completely blew our minds'.

Three months later and Dave was in Brazil with Arthur Verocai, and the plans for what was to become 'Encore' were being laid down. Produced by Dave, 'Encore' sees Arthur on incredible form, the 35 plus years between the recording of his debut and this the follow-up just melting away as Arthur picked up the (conductor's) baton once again to create 11 epic tracks of stirring samba-soul and experimental cinematic movements that sees him creating a record to rival his debut.


Born in Rio de Janeiro on 17 June 1945, Arthur Verocai began his professional music career in 1969 and over the next few years he was responsible for the orchestration of albums by Ivan Lins, Jorge Benjor, Elizeth Cardoso, Gal Costa, Quarteto em Cy, MPB 4 and Marcos Valle, among others. In the 1970s he was hired by Brazil's biggest TV station, TV Globo, as musical director and wrote the arrangements for many of the stations biggest shows. In 1972, following the success Arthur had with the production of Ivan Lins 1971 album "Agora", Arthur recorded his self-titled debut album on Continental Records. 'Arthur Verocai' challenged the musical conventions of the day, combining Brazilian influences with folksy soul and lo-fi electronic experimentations of American artists like Shuggie Otis or the orchestration of producer Charles Stepney.

A long standing resident of the infamous FOLD in London whose risen to prominence with electrifying performances across Europe and a growing discography on esteemed labels such as Ear To Ground, Natural Selection, Raw Quarter, Laburnum, and Mhost Likely , Andromeda unveils her debut on Rant & Rave with Dark Matter EP. Drawing inspiration from the raw essence of 90s techno, with it she hones in her skills with modular synthesis and hardware production.


The EP opens with the title track, where a brooding tapestry of foreboding synths gradually rise in pitch and complexity, simulating the mysterious expansion of the cosmos. Lost Planet follows with hypnotic leads and an unyielding rhythm section. Appropriately titled Black Hole follows which cuts through with razor-sharp stabs and a resonating bassline. Closing with El Abismo, Andromeda ventures into darker sonic territories. This track is a no holds barred assault, where interwoven synth lines clash against commanding percussion and a punishing kick, asserting dominance over the dance floor with commanding force.


As a digital bonus, Andromeda invites Severn Electronics label owner, 7XINS, who delivers an outstanding remix of Black Hole. With his signature sound, 7XINS layers complex synth textures and reverberated drum patterns that twist the mind and tease the senses, crafting a remix that is as intricate as it is impactful.

T. Gowdy returns with a major statement and luminous stylistic expansion on his third album for Constellation. Trill Scan is an exquisite suite of songs literally and figuratively about alchemy, where Gowdy melds his background in choral and medieval music with his trademark analogue electronics. Following the acclaimed Miracles (Bleep Album of the Week / Albums of the Year 2022), Gowdy's bar-raising new LP centers human voice for the first time. Choral set-pieces and solo lead vocals, along with his own lute playing, are novel elements in Gowdy's work, and draw on strains of Middle Ages polyphony and the Baroque "broken style" to further distinguish Trill Scan from anything in his discography to date. Gowdy sees "the modal language of medieval Europe as a less distant cousin to indigenous traditional music practice" compared to a Classical-colonial "patriarchal order of tonality that honours a system of domination." The 12th century Notre Dame School of choral music and 17th century style brisé each carry tonal materiality, heterodox technique, and cultural-historical symbolism central to Trill Scan's conceptual and compositional alchemy. Gowdy coheres these beautifully into his palette of serpentine slowburn electronics, a minimal analogue-driven techno shaped by aleatory strategies and tinged with post-punk grit. Gowdy's sound has been aptly described as "gently transportative, flickering like a busted halogen lamp" and his overriding pursuit of psychoacoustic immanence likened to "getting your brain massaged" and praised as "blissful work that bristles with effervescent energy, like brain waves coming in and out of focus." Trill Scan expands this sonic sensibility with more conspicuous harmonic complexity, stylistic variety, and humanistic narrative arc. Alternately sacramental and intimately personal vocals, sometimes wordless and sometimes lyrical, are worked into superlative instrumental tracks, yielding a warmly immersive concept album that's equally Gowdy's most musical. Gowdy sings explicitly of alchemy on the hypnotic album centerpiece "Novus Lumen" with lyrics that gesture at these medieval processes of material investigation. The tension between the scientific and esoteric is crucial; the separation and synthesis of physical substances in medieval alchemy maps onto his fixation with the interplay between the materiality of sound and psychoacoustics. Gowdy follows the Jungian interpretation of classic alchemical texts as an historical bridge to theories of the psyche, where consciousness itself is treated as materiality and similarly subjected to methodical analysis and experimentation, to deconstruction, dissolution, transformation, reintegration, metamorphosis. Song titles like "Arislei Bone" and "Materiadiscipuli" further reference these mythopoetic throughlines from medieval alchemy to modern psychology. Gowdy chooses disruptive forms from the history of Western music that symbolize and prefigure the modern psychological subject and its struggle for/against order, even as they also evoke liturgy and the Renaissance court. The sacramental adds a potent dimension to his pursuit of psychoacoustic activation, meditation, and transcendence, as choral passages intersperse with electronic drone and pointillism throughout the album. His gorgeous Fennesz-meets-lute rendition of the Baroque composition "Courante" by François Dufault offers idiomatic salon-secular counterpoint. Album closer "Strewn" is bookended by a final recurrence of choral invocation, with pulsing earworm motorik techno in between, over which Gowdy whisper-sings a dreamlike vision quest of mythic-alchemical imagery: "as I washed my eyes they turned to metal / and the memories melted to the metal / the metal of my heart." A mesmerizing final song that explicitly invokes Gowdy's search for materialized abstraction and substantive musical immanence wrought from his own psycho-therapeutic subjectivity, and encapsulates the album's turn towards more harmonic, historicized, and humanistic elements. Trill Scan commingles empyrean and earthly electronic songcraft to genuinely original and absorbing effect. Thanks for listening. RIYL: Coil, Nicolás Jaar, Alessandro Cortini, Pantha Du Prince, Fennesz, Visible Cloaks, Actress,

The late, great Calvin Keys’1971 debut album for the Black Jazz Records label announced the arrival of a new star in the jazz guitar firmament. Keys had spent the ‘60s backing up the crème de la crème of jazz organists—Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff, Richard “Groove” Holmes—but for his first record as a leader, he was eager to play with a piano player instead. So he recruited one of the best—Larry Nash, who, besides being a member of the L.A. Express, played with everybody from Eddie Harris to Bill Withers to Etta James. Bassist Lawrence Evans, drummer Bob Braye, and flautist-songwriter Owen Marshall rounded out the group on Shawn-Neeq, which might remind some of Pat Metheny’s early work (Metheny acknowledges Keys as an influence), or Grant Green.

But what gives Shawn-Neeq extra depth is that it comes from the heart; as Keys says in Pat Thomas’ liner notes, which feature an interview with the artist: “My thing was, I write about some of the experiences that I’ve had in my life.” Keys became a fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene before he passed in April 2024; this is the album that started his journey. Another gem from the celebrated Black Jazz catalog, pressed in blue with black swirl vinyl limited to 750 copies!

Electronic pioneer Sasha links up with Artche for dramatic new single 'Hold On', Artche also provides his own version of the track.

Last Night on Earth founder Sasha sits in his own world after more than 30 years of innovation as a DJ and producer. His meticulously crafted sounds have constantly redefined the underground, and with this label, he has spearheaded the melodic movement with his own music and careful A&R of exceptional contemporary talents. This latest release finds him working again with Newcastle-based producer and vocalist Artche, who has already collaborated to great effect with the likes of Franky Wah and Cristoph on Eric Prydz's Pryda Presents and also released solo on SHÈN Recordings. His mix of deep house and techno has won fans like Pete Tong and Lane B, and he asserts his skills once more here. Says Artche of his return to LNOE.

The fantastic 'Hold On' is a dramatic ride lit up with sweeping, spine-tingling synths. It has a grand architecture and widescreen atmosphere with profound melodies and moody bass rolling down below. Angelic vocal sounds shimmer amongst the epic chords and the whole sophisticated track makes an inescapably emotional impact. The Artche Mix works the drums into airy, dusty broken beats that bring a different vibe while the original vocals and lush synths remain in place and tugging at the heartstrings.

Demonstrating the poignant power of experience + human connection + innate musicality + operating in the present moment, Jeff Mills' Spiral Deluxe collective unveil their second album - The Love Pretender. Driven by the free expression and creativity of improvised performance, Spiral Deluxe is an electronic jazz fusion project comprised electronic music visionary Jeff, along with legendary keyboardist Gerald Mitchell (Underground Resistance/ Los Hermanos), Japanese rocker Yumiko Ohno (Buffalo Daughter/Cornelius) on Moog synthesizer and the Japanese bassist, adopted New Yorker, Kenji "Jino" Hino - son of Terumasa Hino, the world famous jazz trumpeter. Together, the four key players formed a band centred around completely improvised journeys through sound.

During their unrestrained performances, what Jeff describes as sonic "conversations" arose between the musicians, as they each contributed to full-length live shows, and studio sessions. Within the boundless parameters of freeform spontaneity, they developed an unspoken understanding of one another, finding balance and poise within the unplanned performances. The resulting recordings have been used for three releases so far: Two EPs, Kobe Session (2016) and Tathata (2017), and their debut album Voodoo Magic in 2018. With The Love Pretender, we're presented with another stunning collection of "tracks" extracted from one long improv session.

With each musician proficient in their specialism and, of course, an all-out music lover, the communication between the group members became almost telepathic. Very little preparation was needed, and their performances flowed naturally and organically. This can be heard, and felt, throughout The Love Pretender. Tracks like 'The Soloist' evolve effortlessly, each new shift subtly influenced by one of the musicians nudging the conversation into a different phase, and the rest responding accordingly, or vice versa. It's music that embodies the true nature of mindfulness and letting go of fear. In their unstructured, liberated cocoon the artists thrive and create musical moments that have, fortunately, been captured for us all to immerse ourselves in. Jazzy notes fill the air, combined with electronic bass, synthesised beats, sparkling keys and an all-round warm and welcoming atmosphere, with the slight edge you can only get from improvised performance.

Sylvain Luc's posthumous appearance on the album is of significance too. The French guitarist died in March 2024 at the age of 59. His natural flair adds another dimension to the album, bringing a touch of that laid back 1980s American California Coast feeling to tracks such as 'Society's Man'. These contributions to the LP, recorded separately, add character - a final sprinkling of humanity to complement the aliveness and presence of this body of work. Three other musicians also added their creative energy to the project. They were; TOKU, a Japanese jazz musician who specialises in wind instruments, especially the cornet, trumpet and flugel horn. And there's Masa Shimizu, who also has wide-ranging with the guitar, as well as being a producer.

Themes on the album include the optimism one can have by simply trusting the process and trusting that everything will work out in the end. By playing together in the way they do, Spiral Deluxe place their trust in the mystery of what will happen next. Getting comfortable with not knowing is key to a sense of peace with regard to the future and this energy is vital to their collective musical output. By embracing the notion of the unknown, you become an eternal optimist, living in the moment, rather than projecting into the future. This cultivates excitement, an antidote to anxiety.

Meanwhile, the title alludes to the shifts and changes that have occurred in today's society, whereby it's possible to achieve success through pretending. The superficiality, and falsehood, that can often be presented via social media, can lead to questions about what's real and what's not. From AI to the fake personas that populate the dominant platforms, The Love Pretender speaks to a process that is symbolic of the time we're living in. Behaviour that has become acceptable in today's world, which may not have been as welcomed a few decades ago. But this is part of the cycle of life...

Jeff's intention with this music is to present it in high-fidelity, to be listened to over and over and over again. In post-recording he worked for hours to ensure the audio quality was as high as it could be. The goal is to create music that people can live with their entire lives, from his solo work to these masterful improvisations. Music that comes to life, music that has a voice we can replicate with our own vocals. Expressive, unstructured, and alive...

With The Love Pretender Jeff Mills continues his mission to experiment with music outside the bounds of what is typically expected. It's freeing, enlivening, vibrant and uniquely human. As ever, Jeff's visionary outlook and bold approach to musical performance and recording has produced a body of work that epitomises his often revolutionary capabilities. There's no pretending here, just pure unadulterated sonic transmissions from a wonderfully daring, inspiring and optimistic ensemble...

The queen Ella Fitzgerald and the king Louis Armstrong first met in 1946 for the recording of "The Firm Fram Sauce", a song made famous the previous year by Nat "King" Cole. They had the opportunity to collaborate again in the studio for a few tracks in 1950 and 1952, but it was mainly between 1956 and 1958 that the duo was extremely active. Thanks to the impetus of producer Norman Granz, the star-studded partnership recorded at this period nearly fifty songs, considered masterpieces of jazz history. All these great standards were released on Norman Granz"s Verve label, with a dream cast: Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich, and Louie Bellson. The grand finale took place in 1958 with their incomparable version of Gershwin"s "Porgy & Bess" conducted by Russell Garcia. For this Greatest Hits album showcasing the association of two geniuses, we have focused on the 1956-1958 period, choosing the most iconic standards and concluding this double vinyl on a high note with three excerpts from "Porgy & Bess".

I wrote The Shit Punx Hate for Realicide in 2005. This version was made for Decide Today around a decade later, maybe 2015? It was about the pathetic narrow-minded dogmas that were common in Cincinnati punk, being discriminated against when our approach defied dominant aesthetic criteria, chronically misunderstood and rejected without consideration.

This experience in my formative years led to a long path of thought as I entered adulthood. Those feelings of being "other"ed, treated poorly based on who I was, started to seem less significant compared to the prejudices I saw friends faced with. Targets of bigotry due not to a subcultural choice, but aspects of themselves they were born into. Of course I mean things like race, gender, class, abilities. If being dissed by punk rockers sucked for me, imagine what it must feel like being the only black kid in a social circle that can't even recognize its own racism, the only woman in places misogyny is the celebrated standard, having a non-white family at risk of deportation, growing up "male" or "female" when you've always known they are wrong about you, etc. This was my mental gateway into prioritizing these struggles, wanting to become an ally, then even more so an accomplice.

Revolutionary Reason was written in 2018 during my time working with Mass Action for Black Liberation, and revised abruptly this year while recording for this record, as it was inconceivable not to address the epitome of merciless colonial atrocity orchestrated by the state of Israel. While I write this, the IOF is massacring families in the West Bank. The death toll in Palestine is currently estimated at around 41,000 and it hasn't even been a year since this modern Nakba began. I hope these songs help make apparent that whatever you said you "would do" during Jim Crow America, Nazi Germany, Apartheid South Africa, any archetypal history now synonymous with wrongness, yes I can confirm NOW IS THAT TIME to do it ...if you were for real about it that is.

Big respect to my Arab friends who are so patient while I learn the stuff my school conveniently omitted, to my Jewish friends tirelessly combating the violence of their ethnicity being shackled to a cult of Zionism, to native resistance across Turtle Island that articulates so well that this fight is also still/always very domestic, to contemporary hiphop telling today's stories while rock music often merely offers retro fashion, and of course to Kieren and Borg my homies in OZ.

All my love to intifada direct action everywhere dismantling the imposed global suicide pact that is white supremacist capitalism.

~ Robert Inhuman 28 August 2024

Since the first release 5 years ago, Jazz Room Records has released an eclectic and interesting selection of releases.

From the Jazzy commercialism of the Take Vibe version of The Stranglers "Golden Brown" (5,000 vinyl single sales) to the 1960's Headshop Sounds of West Coast Fluteman Eric Ghost.

Other notable releases on Jazz Room include the critically lauded album by Vibraphonist Khan Jamal "Infinity", a compilation of Japanese tough funk fusionists indigo jam unit put together by DJ Colin Curtis, Nuyorican Latin House from Tata Vasquez, Jazz Dance Madchester Rave from Cruisic and some South African Holy Grail grooves from Abacothozi! The latest release is the Underground Latin J-Jazz of Copa Salvo, first introduced to London by DJ & Music Legend Jean-Claude.

Next up is an in demand Jazz Funk Obscurity from Educator and Trumpet Player John Lamkin whose self released album "Hot" saw the light of day in 1984 then disappeared into the Rare Jazz ether.

Currently changing hands for €300 and upwards it's again about to see the light of day in 2025!

This is an album that is aptly named with all the elements we love: Latin, Funk, Soul, Jazz and all round Double Hipness. What a Hot item it is too. From the Funky as it gets opening bars of "Ticket" through the Rio bound flight "722", taking in a visit to Wonderland with some Soul Jazz Vocal stylings on "Flower Power" and the Funkiest 17 minute Journey to Trumpet Enlightenment in the Title track "Hot" which is, true to its name, Scorching by the finish line is reached.

Already getting Big Ups on UK Jazz Funk Scene Founder Colin Curtis's Cult Radio Show "Jazz Dance Fusion" it's gonna be getting plenty of plays worldwide at the "Hottest" radio stations and funkiest jazz dance nights near you soon!

Ross Allen: It's brilliant!! Perry Louis: Massive! Dr Bob Jones:I Love Big Time!Colin Curtis: Killer!

Crafted from solo recordings of 42 top-notch improviser musicians mostly drawn from Berlin’s multi-layered experimental scene, the monumental Phantom Orchestra project by Raed Yassin is finally getting released on Morphine Records. More than 1000 minutes of source material, recorded at the Morphine Raum during the fall of 2021, is distilled into a cogent work marked by a dazzling display of editing and blending, and packed into a double LP containing 7 “movements” of the Phantom Orchestra composition.

Crafted from solo recordings of 42 top-notch improviser musicians mostly drawn from Berlin’s multi-layered experimental scene, the monumental Phantom Orchestra project by Raed Yassin is finally getting released on Morphine Records. More than 1000 minutes of source material, recorded at the Morphine Raum during the fall of 2021, is distilled into a cogent work marked by a dazzling display of editing and blending, and packed into a double LP containing 7 “movements” of the Phantom Orchestra composition.

The Lebanese composer, musician and visual artist Raed Yassin has built a career straddling artistic mediums and communities, his devotion to improvisation, his connection to experimental electronic music, and his interest in the archive distinguishing a progressive impulse rooted in historic exploration. In 2020 Morphine Records released his wildly ambitious Live in Sharjah, made by a kaleidoscopic expansion of Praed, his duo with clarinetist Paed Conca. He resumes his interest in large-scale projects with Phantom Orchestra, conceived during the pandemic when most European improvisers were forced to redirect their energies into solo work,

Each set of the Phantom Orchestra’s solos was cut on a Dubplate, ready to be performed on 12 turntables routed to a six-channel setup, to create a unified and breathtaking composition from the spontaneous material. The resulting material was then edited and prepared to be cut on a Double LP format, marshalling a staggering variety of improvised footage into an air-tight collage that locates abstract consonance, stunning sonic rhymes, and unusual harmonies without shutting out the sort of exhilarating collisions and fraught tensions inherent in collaborative improvisations. With this final stage of the composition, Yassin offers a vibrant testimony to the diversity of Berlin’s community of improvisers, to say nothing of his own refined artistic sensibility in achieving such a remarkable feat of blending so many contrasting voices into a truly unified piece of music. “For me it's about how to learn to be a community again,” he says. “And how to live in a world together again, which is a very difficult question for me.”

“This Album was published with the support of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture – AFAC”

London based flypaper, the project of singer-songwriter Rory Sear, is back with his first ever vinyl release. The big nada / another orbit 12" collects flypaper's first two EP:s as well as new single"coming back again" on 12" black vinyl limited to 500 copies via PNKSLM Recordings (7ebra, ShitKid,Chemtrails etc.) As flypaper, Sears retain the melodic sensibilities shown in his work as frontman and chief songwriter of Brighton indie combo Beachtape, coupling them with a gentler soundscape which showcases his rising stock as a songwriter while firmly establishing flypaper as one to watch with a debut album due out in 2025. RIYL: Hovvdy, Sun June, Elliott Smith, Sam Evian, No Windows

No matter how much of their filthy riches Munich’s oh-so shiny and smart glitterati are going to spend on generic pest control, they’ll never manage to exterminate SPINNEN (n.b. German for “spiders” – and also for “being bonkers” ;) Instead, SPINNEN will spread even further, they’ll form new networks, take over new corners, new spots, connect more musical dots with invisible, incendiary cobwebs.

Whereas these two SPINNEN – Sophie Neudecker (drums) and Veronica “Katta” Burnuthian (bass) – have been doing their spidery thing(s) in countless muggy, experimental corners of Munich for years (think bands such as Bombo, Uschi, Apian, The Living Object, Friends of Gas + other art ventures, tats, Schaufel & Besen Records…), the duo’s first full-length offering for Weilheim-based Alien Transistor sees them move on towards a warm kind of light – “Warmes Licht”. Inspired by Lambrini Girls, Peaches, McLusky, Amyl And The Sniffers, and all things loud and gain-heavy around their hometown, the album – obviously two body parts (A + B side), 8 legs (tracks) – is set to arrive in March 2025.

“Zusammen wachsen/Zusammen fallen,” meaning grow together/fall together feels like a fitting motto on opening track “Träume,” an initial onslaught of shouts, spiky basslines, crunchy chords, a whole lot of awesome friction in that lovely lower end. “Visionen folgen/Kämpfen und Erschaffen,” is another apt line while doing just that, fighting, creating, turning visions into soundscapes, into pure sonic fun & resistance. Putting even more pressure on the mosh pit with wordless “Wirken,” that titular warm light eventually breaks through towards the end of hypnotic “Moment”: The lyrics might talk about a calm state of mind – but these two are certainly not slowing down, not aiming for consistency, or for “making it”…

“Warm” has no drums, no message, it’s pure light, all playful organ hypnosis, paving the way for the b-side that opens with first single “Geister” (spirits/ghosts/genies): Arriving with a rough wind that immediately turns things upside down, it’s all screams and riffs, turbines and propellers – one of many moments that make you realize how bad you want to see this hi-octane duo live, how good it must feel to have them scare the shit out of your body (“Verscheuche mich aus meinem Körper”). They’re like two genies coming from the same smashed bottle, offering three wishes to those who’re lucky enough to listen (Fuzzy Noise Pop? Punk Catharsis? Rrriot Krautsound?).

Following a quick melancholy breather (“Lichter”), things once again get restless as they rush towards the punk finale via slow-burning demolisher anthem “Ermüdend”/“Immer wieder,” only to unleash one last battle cry, one last middle finger made of light and noise to the heated room (“Mäuse”) they’ve long taken over.

It’s certainly no coincidence that a certain square/fine/upstanding citizen named Margit O. gave Munich’s Bürgerpark Oberföhring a scathing 1-star review on Google Maps exactly four years ago – at the very moment that Sophie and Katta first met just there, which eventually lead to the formation of SPINNEN. The reason for O.’s negative rating: “Too loud”.

Fust--the lyrical powerhouse Southern rock band from Durham, North Carolina--announce their new album Big Ugly, out March 7th on Dear Life Records, the record label that launched the careers of MJ Lenderman and Florry and that has become a haven for contemporary songwriters. Big Ugly arrives after the release of 2024's Songs of the Rail--"one of the best alt-country compilations_in a long, long time" (Paste) -- and 2023's standout Genevieve, which unassumingly introduced new listeners to Fust's unmistakable blend of "small-town poetry" (Mojo) with a familiar yet probing "country-tinged folk-rock" (KEXP) that made it "one of the most fun rock records of the year" (Pitchfork). Genevieve was their studio debut, recorded with producer Alex Farrar (Manning Fireworks, Rat Saw God, Tomorrow's Fire) in Asheville, North Carolina. The reception was far better than the band expected, stirring them to immediately start working on Big Ugly, their second collaboration with Farrar. Recorded over ten days in June of 2024, Big Ugly is the explosive sound of Fust uncovering a freedom within their sincere form of loose and fried guitar rock, realizing more than ever before an intimacy within bigness. The members -- Aaron Dowdy, Avery Sullivan, Frank Meadows, John Wallace, Justin Morris, Libby Rodenbough, Oliver Child-Lanning--weave their voices alongside guests like Merce Lemon, Dave Hartley (The War on Drugs), and John James Tourville (The Deslondes) to form a music that sounds like a conversation between old friends. And that's exactly what it is. At its heart, Big Ugly is a story cycle, following tough-skinned characters who seem to inhabit a shared and fictional small town--Big Ugly--that in reality gets its name from a lowly populated and unincorporated area in southern West Virginia around where Dowdy's family has deep roots. The album cover_a mural from the Big Ugly Community Center just off the Big Ugly Creek--was painted by locals for a 2004 play performed by the children that interpreted their elders' stories. In a way, Fust's Big Ugly does something similar as it takes the same area as its backdrop and reimagines a life depicted in the mural between the bars, gas stations, general stores, and double-wides. Throughout the album, we join the characters in finding history and meaning in the banal theater of their own private jerkwater.The songs on Big Ugly are hearteningly varied, moving from beer-fisted radio country to elegiac drones to deconstructed ballads. Songs like "Spangled" take up the theme of past traumas and present desensitizations colliding, of the small and cosmic coinciding in the life of a heedless protagonist. "Bleached" finds the soul-searching narrator recalling the feeling of inner vacancy in their childhood: thoughtless, speechless, herded around like cattle in backseats. And "Mountain Language" laments the poverties of Southern life at the same time that it promotes a higher poverty, a country utopia that's just out of grasp, where we could live if we could only "make it up the mountain again." The mystical hermeticism and the dime-store everyday are two sides of every insignificant thing in the town of Big Ugly.

Waxwork Records is thrilled to release PHANTASM Original Motion Picture Score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave. In celebration of the iconic Horror film's 45th Anniversary, this special triple LP features the complete score sourced from the original 1979 master tapes for the first time in any format, a full LP of never before released cues from the Phantasm score recordings sessions, and the newly re-mastered original 1979 score album.

Directed by Don Coscarelli, Phantasm has become a horror classic due to its surreal and unconventional storytelling. Filming on weekends over the span of a year, and working with a budget of only $300,000, Coscarelli and his crew created a bizarre, gorey, and entirely original horror film. Some of the most famous aspects of the film, like the floating silver orb, come directly from Coscarelli’s dreams, which give the film an even more ethereal feel. Composers Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave were inspired by the horror scores of Goblin (Suspiria) and Mike Oldfield (The Exorcist) to create the haunting sounds of Phantasm. Myrow and Seagrave were working with synthesizers in the early days of the instrument. Says Coscarelli, “The synthesizers we used back then were so primitive that you couldn't repeat something; you would program the synthesizer, which means setting all of these dials to create a sound, and you went back and tried to get it again and forget it - it was impossible.

"I recently received notice that our long-term film storage vault in the basement of the historic Howard Hughes Headquarters building on the corner of Romaine and Sycamore in Hollywood was being permanently closed. During the process of moving out our negative materials, I came across the original three reels of Ampex 456 analog tape used in the Phantasm score recording sessions. Listening now to the score, including the outtake tracks, I am impressed with how inventive and adventurous Fred and Malcolm were in their approach to scoring Phantasm."

Waxwork Records is excited to release the definitive PHANTASM Original Motion Picture Score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave as a deluxe 3xLP with features including the expanded and complete score sourced from the original 1979 master tapes, never before released score cues from the Phantasm recording sessions, and the newly re-mastered original 1979 score album. Each disc is pressed to "Silver Sphere" metallic silver colored vinyl and housed in a heavyweight triple gatefold jacket. Also included are exclusive liner notes by Phantasm writer, director, and producer Don Coscarelli, an 11""x11"" insert, and full album artwork by Graham Humphreys.

After many years, Deformer has proven to still amaze and reinvent themselves. Fans always await the next record, because you never know what to expect, other than that it's most likely ear-shattering. This time again Deformer exceeded the expectations! The new crushing four track record entitled 'Instruments of torture', shows that Deformer still takes the lead when it comes to originality. Deformer has collaborated with some musical giants before and this time teamed up with Death Metal icon David Vincent (Vltimas, I Am Morbid), who previously shook up the music industry with Death Metal legends Morbid Angel. Featured on two tracks, David's signature grunt goes hand in hand with Deformer's musical carnage. This is not just groundbreaking, it's legendary!

Deformer producer, Mike Redman, is considered a musical maniac, known to be an artistic freethinker and has never watered down the Deformer concept. Where its foundation is still Hardcore Jungle, Deformer has always added various music genres into the mix making Deformer a genre of its own, even before terms like 'Breakcore' existed. Many of the more popular names in the field acknowledge that Deformer has always been a great source of inspiration. Where David Vincent made a blueprint in Death Metal, Deformer definitely did that for Hardcore Jungle/Breakcore.