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In einer Welt, die sich oft bedrückend anfühlt, sind Insanity Alert wild entschlossen, zu feiern, als gäbe es kein Morgen. Skifahrer besuchen Österreich wegen der pulvrigen Pisten, aber als sich diese Adrenalinjunkies 2011 in Innsbruck zusammenfanden, hatten sie eine viel krassere Art des Shreddens im Sinn. Ihr zerstörerischer Appetit auf 80er-Jahre-Crossover-Thrash wird nur noch von einem unstillbaren Durst nach eiskaltem Bier und guten Bud(s) übertroffen. Moshemian Thrashody hält die Party in Schwung. Insanity Alert geben vier bekannten Klassikern, darunter Guns 'N' Roses und Iron Maiden, einen schnellen und spritzigen Dreh. Einer von ihnen könnte Sie allerdings überraschen. Die Leadsingle "Beerless Fiesta" parodiert... George Michael? "I'm never going to drink again / Poor old lives has taken a beating" schreit Heavy Keevy in rotznasiger Agonie, als würde er sich an die Toilette klammern. Aber Insanity Alert werden sich nicht so bald in den Mosh-Ruhestand begeben. Der Titeltrack packt die Queens-Theatralik auf ein Clownmobil voller Scherze. Don Melanzani schmettert Blast-Beats herunter. Die Ganggesänge sind lauter als eine deutsche Bierhalle. Wenn Special Guest Hauwitzer auf der Party vorbeischaut, geht sein Gitarrensolo ab wie eine Flasche Champagner. Nach mehr als einem Jahrzehnt harter Partys gehen Insanity Alert immer noch überall hin, wo das Gras weht.

December 2012 I showed up totally exhausted in Vancouver BC after touring stupidly and relentlessly for however many straight months and got a job at a call centre raising money for the Red Cross. It was a scent free office but one time this woman cooked a piece of fish in the microwave for 10 minutes on low and hot boxed the whole office - we got sent home early no pay. There was the other woman I named the Call Centre Coltrane because her pitch and routine usually involved improvised flights of fancy that went off in both directions at once somehow landing back down with a credit card number and a donation. I used to sleep under the desk. I was there a few months and at the time I reconnected with John Brennan who I had played with briefly in Montreal at the Mutek Festival. In Montreal John was running an experimental music night at a burrito shop downtown called Garbage Night. While in Vancouver I began connecting with the music scene there and would go hang out with the Shearing Pinx lads who I think lived with Sydney the bass player at the time. I knew Nic and Jer from an AIDS Wolf Tour and was so stoked to get to know them both better. I really fell in love with that era of Vancouver's music scene.
Fast Forward to today. 2024
Actually it was the dying days of 2023 but you get it and John asks if I'll sit in with Earth Ball and I keep thinking about Earth Balance, the vegan butter everyone eats here. I brought my aching bones and my ipads on the beautiful ferry named the Queen of Oak Bay and out to Nanaimo BC, home of the nanaimo bar (a dessert treat - special to this region - that seems to be more popularly found under the weird glass sneeze guards in office building deli's out east in Ontario.... anyhoops ). No one in Nanaimo wants to talk to me about the famous treat. I asked a couple of people. Silence. Nanaimo is like London, Ontario but more fried and by the sea. The town is filled with blown out old sea dawgs with tin coffee pots and loose leaf tobacco, then there's the usual streetfolk you find in this part of the Canadian Pacific Northwest and a bunch of bohemians who I guess have left Vancouver behind - that fine city having become uninhabitable for those not making over 100k a year. And then up the way are all the retirees.
Yup Nanaimo is a strange one. They mined the shit out of this region and Nanaimo is surely haunted by those buried in mining shafts or maimed by the heavy machinery or blown up by accident in the explosives store house. And when Earth Ball fire up the amps in Izzy and Jer's basement you can hear the voices of the ghosts hum through electrical lines and out the speakers, Kellen's hued feedback, Izy's sturdy basslines, Jer's paperbag guitar tone and rumble pack zaps, Liam's (aka the Kid) sheets of sound and Brennen's multidirectional drums.
You wouldn't guess Earth Ball was auto-composing and from what my rat brain can tell - the lyrics are improvised too...Improvising lyrics and singing them is the hardest thing to do in all of music.. Izzy and Jer are pros. And their attitudes are pro too.
The live show is scorched and without naming names they've been known to make headliners nervous. Lucky ones will get to see them live as they tour this beast of a record entitled ‘It’s Yours’ (out May 17th on Upset The Rhythm) and I hope I'm one of them.
But now you, fan of fun but totally fucked up music, have the opportunity to Ball with them thanks to Upset The Rhythm. Enjoy
-Alex Moskos, Montreal QC, Feb 2024

Church Andrews and Matt Davies weave intricate patterns from Fibonacci sequences on new mini-album, Yucca.

Producer and composer Church Andrews (aka Kirk Barley) and drummer Matt Davies return to explore the outer limits of rhythm on a six-track suite that is at once angular and fluid, natural and systematic. Drawn to the restrictions of working solely with one synth and live drums, the pair found creativity in limitation, developing a compositional dialogue between the sonic timbres of Kirk’s productions and Matt’s percussive practice.

Evoking the primitive yet complex form of the plant from which it takes its name, Yucca features tracks that are built around rhythmic ratios of the Fibonacci sequence. Mirroring spiral patterns exhibited in nature, each track evolves like a cellular structure of its own, from the livewire syntax of ‘Chirp’ and the deconstructed ebb and flow of ‘Ferns’, to the mini-album’s title track, where crisp grooves flit between modulated electronics like fireflies.

“I’ve always been inspired by music that is complex without sounding complex,” Matt explains. He maintains a sense of bounce amid the intricate phrasing and cites drummers Roy Haynes and his grandson Marcus Gilmore as inspirations, alongside sabar drummers from Senegal and Mridangam drumming of South India.

With a shared background in hip-hop and the swung beats of J Dilla and Flying Lotus, Kirk Barley and Matt Davies were also inspired by the minimalism of Terry Riley and the sparse palette of dub techno.

Written and recorded in Lewisham in the spring and summer of 2023, Yucca follows the release of Axis in 2022, with the duo having also performed at festivals such as Rewire and Waking Life, and recorded live sessions for FACT magazine and Worldwide FM.

The third release on Yorkshire-based Odda Recordings, following Kirk Barley’s Marionette and Flaer’s Preludes, Yucca confirms the label’s reputation for championing music on the unstable ground between the organic and the synthetic.

Atmosphere, die vielen als eines der beständigsten und produktivsten Duos im Independent-Hip-Hop gelten, erreichten zwischen Juli 2007 und April 2008 einen selbst für ihre Verhältnisse außergewöhnlichen Output. Innerhalb dieser 9 Monate veröffentlichten sie ein komplettes Album, vier EPs und ein 42-minütiges Mixtape mit exklusivem Material, insgesamt 48 neue Songs, und das alles, während sie ständig auf Tournee waren. Diese rasante Veröffentlichungsreihe brachte einige ihrer bis dato populärsten Songs hervor und zeigte ihre dynamische Bandbreite, von stimmungsvoll und nachdenklich über fröhlich und optimistisch bis hin zu einem Boom-Bap-Rap-Stil, der auf dem Mixtape am deutlichsten zu hören war. Das am Weihnachtstag 2007 veröffentlichte Mixtape war ein "Geschenk" an die Fans in Form eines kostenlosen Downloads mit dem treffenden Titel „Strictly Leakage“ - eine Anspielung sowohl auf die Abkehr von den standardisierten Praktiken der Industrie zugunsten des Verschenkens der Musik als auch auf einen anderen prominenten Albumtitel aus der Ära. „Strictly Leakage“ überraschte Fans und Kritiker gleichermaßen, nicht nur, weil die Einladung zum Download ohne Vorwarnung im Posteingang auftauchte, sondern auch, weil das Projekt so einzigartig anders klang als die typischen Aufnahmen von Atmosphere. Ant griff tief in die Funk- und Soulkiste, zog Samples der Live-Instrumentierung vor und produzierte Tracks, die klangen, als seien sie neben Hip-Hop-Klassikern der späten 80er und frühen 90er Jahre entstanden. Slug rappte mit neuer Leidenschaft und klang dabei irgendwie lässiger und unbekümmerter und lieferte endlose Wortspiele mit technischeren Reimschemata als bei anderen Atmosphere-Veröffentlichungen. Gemeinsam schufen sie 13 exklusive Songs, die so klangen, als hätten sie einfach nur Spaß daran, sie zu machen, ohne den Druck irgendwelcher Album-Erwartungen - zweifellos eine ebenso lohnende Übung für sie selbst wie für die Hörer. Zu Beginn wurde „Strictly Leakage“ in einer limitierten Auflage auf Vinyl und CD gepresst, aber es dauerte nicht lange, bis sie ausverkauft waren und die Fans sich auf die Jagd nach Streams und digitalen Dateien machen mussten, um das Projekt zu hören. Nun ist „Strictly Leakage“ auf Vinyl-LP und CD zurück und wird für den Handel verfügbar gemacht, damit Hip-Hop Fans überall dieses einzigartige Kapitel in der Geschichte von Atmosphere besitzen und schätzen können.

Although Santana had been famous for his live shows since his performance at Woodstock, the 1977 album Moonflower was his first live release (albeit interspersed with a series of studio recordings). It showcases the best of Santana in the mid-Seventies: the Latin-infused blues/rock, the spiritual jazz fusion, the unstoppable energy of Santana on stage. A cover version of The Zombies' mid-Sixties song "She's Not There" was released as a single and became Santana's first Top 40 hit in over five years.

Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side is now Gentle Ben and His Shimmering Hands: a new line-up means a new album! Here's the new line-up: Ben Corbett (aka Gentle Ben, vox in SixFtHick), Tony Giacca (bass in SixFtHick, guitars in GB&HSS), Dan Baebbler (guitars in SixFHick, bass in GB&HSS) and Jhindu-Pedro Lawrie (drums). "Brut" is how the album is titled and brut it is! The band creates create music of a rare and savage beauty. Soaring highs, crunching lows and in between only the sound of grown men crying into their beers and young lesbians gasping for air.

ZOMBEAST erheben sich von den Toten und präsentieren "Heart Of Darkness", ihr bisher härtestes, düsterstes und wildestes Album!
Beeinflusst von Danzig, AFI, Mercyful Fate und 80er Jahre Punk, Death Rock und Thrash Metal, haben ZOMBEAST eine perfekte Crossover-Mischung aus Dark Punk und Thrash erschaffen. Die von Mario Montechello geschriebenen Texte handeln von den echten Schrecken des Lebens, vom Okkulten und von Lykanthropie.
Mit Alex Young (Leadgitarre) und Kyle Smith (Schlagzeug) betritt die Band auch in technischer Hinsicht Neuland, das sie bisher noch nie betreten hat.
Donnernde Drums und sich duellierende Gitarren treffen auf diesem lang erwarteten neuen Album auf Gesang mit Kultcharakter - lasst euch das nicht entgehen!

The debut 6 track 7” from Fulmine - an international skinhead masterclass from some global drinking buddies. The five piece band featuring Luca, Sarny, Alex, Chubby Charles and Joe went into Fuzzbrain studio and cranked out 6 tracks in as many hours without a single rehearsal. The sound is very basic, rough and intense with lyrics that are very incendiary. This is proper old school mid paced Italian Oi! with the crunching bass and a vocalist who chews glass for that authentic gravel tone. Think BASTA, NABAT, DECIBELIOS and OCHO BOLAS. It’s so good it could have been released C.A.S Records in the 80’s.

Svart Records release NYC crust punk band Nausea’s two legendary EP’s on one remastered 12” in March 2024! Crust punk originates from the misty moors and factory cities of the UK. Since the '80s, countless bands have been established to play their dirty apocalyptic ruckus in the vein of Amebix, Antisect, and Axegrinder. At the same time, across the ocean, in the squats of New York’s Lower East Side, bassist John John Jesse founded Nausea. Svart Records is releasing Nausea’s two legendary EPs in 12” format for the first time ever, including the Cybergod 7” from 1991 - with a bonus track, "Here Today," from the same recording sessions - and the Lie Cycle 7” from 1992. All tracks are remastered from the original, untouched studio tapes by Jack Control (Darkthrone, Kohti Tuhoa, Fear). Tribal and rocking apocalyptic crust for apocalyptic times. The Cybergod lineup might be the most legendary era of Nausea, where the tracks reach almost epic proportions. The EP is pretty much the blueprint of crust, where Vic Venom’s hypnotic and rocking guitar riffs meet the tribal drumming of Roy Mayorga. Al Hoon’s and Amy Miret’s dueling vocals spit out timeless issues dealing with consumerism and the hypocrisies of organized religions. Musically, the Lie Cycle EP rocks out more in the faster and straightforward style, where Discharge meets Motörhead, and lyrics reflect the times when war and nuclear destruction are still the plague of mankind. Nausea’s timeline lasted only seven years, but they managed to create a cult following with their true dedication to the punk scene and played shows in the squats of Europe and the eastern part of Europe. Their music is timeless, unpleasant music for unpleasant times, but hey! At least it’s more fun to rock out to the apocalypse!

Der Gottvater des Industrial Metal dreht wieder auf! Und zwar primär die kreischenden E- Gitarren, die auch auf dem fünften Album nach der musikalischen Zeitenwende wie ein Hölleninferno lärmen, ohne dabei die musikalische DNA von Combichrist zu verleugnen. Denn das basale elektronische Setting behält Andy LaPlegua auf seinem neuen Album „CMBCRST“ selbstverständlich bei und zeigt damit allen Copycats einmal mehr, wie Wandeln zwischen musikalischen Welten wirklich funktioniert: Wird sich hier noch in räudigen Riffs gesuhlt, donnern dort bereits die derbsten Electro-Bässe und treiben damit jedem Abtrünnigen den Teufel mit dem Beelzebub aus. Exorzismus a la Combichrist! Denn einmal mehr reizen LaPleagua und seine Höllenhunde ihr musikalisches Alleinstellungsmerkmal mit brutaler Souveränität aus und wissen dabei ganz genau, womit sie die Rotte für bedingungslose Gefolgschaft füttern müssen. Only Death Is Immortal!

Der Gottvater des Industrial Metal dreht wieder auf! Und zwar primär die kreischenden E- Gitarren, die auch auf dem fünften Album nach der musikalischen Zeitenwende wie ein Hölleninferno lärmen, ohne dabei die musikalische DNA von Combichrist zu verleugnen. Denn das basale elektronische Setting behält Andy LaPlegua auf seinem neuen Album „CMBCRST“ selbstverständlich bei und zeigt damit allen Copycats einmal mehr, wie Wandeln zwischen musikalischen Welten wirklich funktioniert: Wird sich hier noch in räudigen Riffs gesuhlt, donnern dort bereits die derbsten Electro-Bässe und treiben damit jedem Abtrünnigen den Teufel mit dem Beelzebub aus. Exorzismus a la Combichrist! Denn einmal mehr reizen LaPleagua und seine Höllenhunde ihr musikalisches Alleinstellungsmerkmal mit brutaler Souveränität aus und wissen dabei ganz genau, womit sie die Rotte für bedingungslose Gefolgschaft füttern müssen. Only Death Is Immortal!

Having been dormant for over three years, New York label Satamile returns to continue spreading the gospel of proper electro music with a six-track EP from The Ghost That Walks. Drexciya enthusiasts will be all over this record; the rubbery melody of "The Angriest Angel" recalls the Detroit duo at their most playful but with a simmering undercurrent of tension that is very much the producer's own signature style. Similarly great are the searing analogue synth buzz of "Seven Deadly Sons", the tribal 303 stomp of "Urban Jungle" and the 808 rattle and Belgian rave tones of "Resident Evil". Those who were lost without the label's presence should rest easy - Angry Angels is easily among their extensive catalogue's best releases.

"Philadelphia’s So Totally are a portrait of utmost devotion, and how longevity in any kind of relationship can’t occur without it. Since 2015, the band originally called So Totally In Love has humbly studied their surroundings and themselves, perfecting a sound that from inception was present. So Totally’s shimmering guitars and melodies typically sit underneath lush vocals that concurrently embed themselves in a listener’s subconscious, haunting them with heavy mood and nostalgia for 90’s rock groups like Swirlies, Pixies, and The Breeders. Previous releases, and their dedication to spending years playing regionally, brought So Totally to the point of singular focus on drafting a third album, entitled Double Your Relaxation, while in quarantine in 2020.

Upon formation, So Totally collectively bonded over an admiration of Land of Talk. While the influence is certainly present in vocalist/guitarist Roya Weidman’s sugary vocals, the band's love of comfortably resolving melodies, and auxiliary percussion, So Totally sonically have more in common with bands like Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Spirit of the Beehive…creating massive walls of sound on each record that plainly implies the quartets towering live experience. Such huge tones aren’t only because of Weidman and guitarist/vocalist Matt Arbiz playing, but the collective effort of the band, which is rounded out by bassist Ryan Wildsmith and drummer Joe McLaughlin.

Lyrically and thematically, Double Your Relaxation explores where influence and “hypnosis” exist in life, specifically in environment, media, relationships, and self (via mental illness), bouncing between perspectives of witnessing, interacting with, and contributing to illusion and how that ultimately affects our idea of identity. The moody and, at times, surreal nature of the songs lends itself very appropriately to the shoegaze and heavy indie style So Totally plays, making them a perfect addition to the canon of the genre."

Seit 2013 arbeitet Douglas Dare im Spannungsfeld zwischen Klassik und Chamber Pop, Folk und Avantgarde-Experimenten immer neue verblüffende Perspektiven heraus - und singt dazu mit einer Ausnahmestimme, die einen regelrecht umhauen kann. So hat er sich im zurückliegenden Jahrzehnt u.a. bereits die Bühne mit Größen wie Nils Frahm, Perfume Genius und Olafur Arnalds geteilt und wurde zudem von David Lynch und Robert Smith von The Cure für die von ihnen kuratierten Festivals nach Manchester (MIF) bzw. London (Meltdown) eingeladen. Mit seinem vierten Album Omni schlägt Douglas nun jedoch ein ganz neues Kapitel auf. Alles klingt nach Aufbruch, alles ist elektrisiert. Vor allem Robert Raths, der Gründer von Erased Tapes, ermutigte Douglas dazu, die angestammten Instrumente hinter sich zu lassen, alles Akustische auszuklammern. So löste er sich auch vom Klavier, mit dem er aufgewachsen war, und beschäftigte sich stattdessen intensiv mit Synthesizern und Drum Machines. Tatsächlich erinnern die neuen Aufnahmen vielfach an das Werk von Arca oder auch die Aufnahmen der verstorbenen SOPHIE - zwei Künstler:innen, für die der künstlerische Ausdruck vor allem ein Akt der Befreiung ist bzw. war. "Wir haben auch zusammen im Studio abgehangen", sagt Douglas über letztere. "Ihre ganze Herangehensweise als Musikerin hat mich extrem beeindruckt." Und doch ist auch Omni durchzogen von jenem intelligenten Storytelling, dem Schwung der Streicher, dem eleganten Kontrastreichtum und den fast schon märchenhaften Stimmungen, die man von Douglas kennt - und die seine künstlerische Handschrift so einzigartig machen. Passiert sonst ja nicht so oft, dass man einen massiven Electro-Banger hört, der auch aus dem Soho der Neunziger stammen könnte, und darüber Vocal-Loops, die von den experimentellen Sounds der US-Pionierin Meredith Monk inspiriert sind. Letzten Endes versucht Douglas mit Omni, all diese unterschiedlichen Facetten seiner Persönlichkeit - Songwriter, Raver, Beobachter, Lover - unter einen Hut zu bringen. Das Ergebnis klingt maximal queer: verführerisch und sexy, lüstern und vollkommen frei vom Korsett binärer Kategorien. "Selbst Matrosen begegnet man auf diesem Album!", sagt Douglas abschließend und muss lachen. "Noch queerer geht"s echt nicht."

From the early ‘90s to the turn of the millennium, Gabrielle was one of the UK’s most successful and beloved artists. With two unforgettable #1 smashes (‘Dreams’ and ‘Rise’), a back catalogue full of Top 10 hits, two albums which reached 4 x Platinum status, two BRIT Awards, two MOBOs and an Ivor Novello, everything she touched seemed to turn to gold. In recent times, Gabrielle has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence, one that proves that timeless, empowering songwriting and a distinctive voice that is the very definition of soul will never go out of fashion.
The first single from the album, "A Place in Your Heart" will be released on the 18th January (9:30am timed release), and will be premiered on BBC Radio 2 - Zoe Ball that morning. The new single retains Gabrielle's signature sound, opening with her instantly recognisable vocal and provides an anthemic hook fans will no doubt sing along to.
A big part of that resurgence comes from the love shown to her by the current wave of iconic artists. Adele recalls being inspired by the lyric “Dreams can come true” as a child and has been a life-long fan of Gabrielle since, saying, “I remember being mesmerised by her, so pure and so delicate and gentle with her voice and in the way she moved.” And when Adele’s own dreams came true, she returned to her first inspiration and invited Gabrielle to join the bill for her two rapidly sold-out Hyde Park shows in the summer of 2022. The result was a sea of faces - some older fans, but many more who would’ve been too young to remember her the first time around - singing Gabrielle’s songs back to her.
Another high-profile supporter emerged that same year. Stormzy invited Gabrielle to cameo in his ambitious video for ‘Mel Made Me Do It’, where she joined a host of artists including Dave, Little Simz, Headie One and Jazzie B. She was also referenced in its midpoint monologue, when ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ star Michaela Coel narrated Wretch 32’s words: “Gabrielle once told us dreams can come true, and that sentence emancipated the minds of our pioneers.”
2018’s ‘Under My Skin’ in 2018 was heralded as “a heartfelt comeback” by The Guardian on its way to the Top
10. It wasn’t long before she was discovered by a brand new audience too, winning fans with a memorable stint as Harlequin in ‘The Masked Singer’ in 2021.and followed by ‘Do It Again’, an album of which mixed original songs, new takes on all-time classics, and her interpretations of more modern pop favourites from the likes of Billie Eilish, Harry Styles and Rihanna. It shot to #4 on the Official Album Chart - Gabrielle’s highest chart position in twenty years.

With Gabrielle’s star again in ascendance and her high profile live presence, 2024 seems the perfect time to release a new album. She’s consolidated her original audience and found a whole new one.
Autumn / Winter 2023 saw Gabrielle embark upon the ‘30 Years of Dreaming’ headline tour which was extended to a phenomenal 33 dates following overwhelming public demand. Many shows sold-out more than six months in advance, including London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall.

Recording technology was completely revolutionized in the 80s by the multitrack recorder, with the popularity of 24-channel SSL consoles sweeping the world. Japanese pop music created during this wave of digital improvement is now recognized worldwide as ""City Pop."" Techno Pop was another offshoot born of the same revolution. Precise, computer-controlled beats produced by groups like Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) introduced a different type of sound to the masses. By now, these works have been brought into the international limelight and continue to be a major influence on today's music.

At the center of Tokyo’s Techno Pop scene was ALFA/YEN Records. The label left behind an impressive body of work, but much of it wasn't made widely available... until now! This new, definitive compilation focuses on the music archives of the YEN Records catalog, available for the first time exclusively at Light in the Attic. This is a true celebration of Japan's Techno Pop scene of the 80s, reissued with the intent that future generations, internationally, will be able to discover, enjoy, and appreciate ALFA/YEN and its significant contributions to the sonic landscape of the 80s and beyond.

Say what? Tweet’s 2002 debut album, a beguiling blend of blues, beats, soul, and acoustic rock which went to #3 on the Billboard pop charts, boasted two Top 40 singles in “Oops (Oh My)” and “Call Me,” featured cameos by Missy Elliott and Bilal among others and production by Timbaland, has only been out on vinyl…in Germany? That’s messed up! Our double-LP release comes with an insert offering lyrics, and includes the Missy Elliott bonus track “Big Spender.” Pressed in ruby red vinyl limited to 1000 copies…don’t miss out on yours.

If you're reading these words, you're about to become the lucky owner of the "From DJs to

DJs" pack, containing 14 gems on 7”, some of which have never been pressed before. This

carefully crafted and lovingly made pack should spice up your dull evenings by transforming

them into a cheerful mess.

Enjoy !






k F1. Want It Back (Feat. Guts & Patrice) L'Entourloop & Troy Berkley Remix

Solo Throat is the first solo LP from vocalist, composer and movement artist Elaine Mitchener. Drawing on the work of African-American and African-Caribbean poets Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Aimé Césaire, Una Marson and N. H. Pritchard, these twelve new vocal compositions disrupt semantic sense, play with the margins of lyrical translation, and give rise to new voicings. Elaine Mitchener is a veteran of vocal expression in the global Black Avant Garde, traversing free improvisation, cross-disciplinary music theatre and contemporary composition with clarity and joy. Most recently, Mitchener has been improvising and composing with the written word as source material - challenging classical ensembles with her piece (“the/e so/ou/nd be/t/ween”), and commissioning composers Matana Roberts, Jason Yarde and George Lewis to respond to the work of Sylvia Wynter (“On Being Human as Praxis”, Donaueschinger Musiktage, 2020). Her performance of Umbra poet N.H Pritchard’s text FR/OG at OTO in 2021 was a revelation - a solo vocal recasting of the powerful visual-material form that Pritchard uses to disrupt semantic ‘sense’. Building on this performance, Solo Throat takes the work of Pritchard alongside poets Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Aimé Césaire and Una Marson as its source material. Its compositions are a loose translation - a carrying from text to voice which holds multiplicity and celebrates the transformative power of literary possibility. Surrendered to the spacing and repetition of consonants and vowels, Michener’s exceptional phonetic freedom gives rise to a sensuous experience which intensifies the roles of rhythm, timbre and breath in expressing meaning. Solo Throat comes together as much through difference as similarity. Mitchener’s own solo improvisations sit alongside the work of Brathwaite, Césaire, Marson and Pritchard, forming a constellation of unlikely alignments which make no aesthetic conclusion. Instead, Solo Throat is a site of encounter, an irreducibly plural de-composition of words into a heterogeneous assemblage of sounds and impulses, emphasising what Anthony Reed calls, “the play on and the surplus of margins of lyrical translation to resituate other pathways of expression”. Just as the poets cited use white space to complicate our act of reading, so Mitchener utilises silence and multiphonics to complicate the act of voicing and the way we listen. Genre: Experimental / Vocal / Poetry

Following on from his previous two KPM-esque library music releases for the label (Plastic Thought & Wyped Out) Debossed sees Howe ramping up his sound into more rhythmically expansive weirdo club-music territory, taking in everything from footwork, drum & bass, electro, juke and breakcore. The Japanese jazz inspired melodic phrasing is as present as ever, which is paired with affectionate nods to Dreamcast gaming & skate video soundtracks, making for a very fun, fresh and generous listen.

“A master of tricksy computer music.” - The Wire

“The return of Glasweigian, Joe Howe: a prolific noise maker who you may have otherwise known as Ben Butler & Mousepad & Germlin. He’s been doing wonderful things for many years and there’s a whole world of Joe Howe if you want to get involved!”. - Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6 Music)

Ollie Spalding and Jack Watts were friends first, and songwriting partners second, and this quality sets them apart. They're marked by that peculiar alchemy when two voices become one, a special sense of human connection wrought through harmony and emboldened with experience.

New album 'Redsetter' is their coming- of- age moment - gilded indie- folk with an optimistic sense of maturity, it dares to look towards the light. "We had literally no idea what was gonna happen!" Ollie gasps when looking back on the pair's self-titled debut album. Sculpted over the pandemic and released on Real Kind Records - the boutique Communion imprint chaired by Lucy Rose - the record displayed their core values. "The emotion has to be right," says Oliver.

"When we record songs, we want to stay true to the emotion - as though those songs had just been written seconds before they were recorded." The success of their debut brought fresh experiences - writing with Flyte, collaborating with everyone from Matthew & The Atlas and Victoria Canal to Talos and Olafur Arnalds - but also new challenges.

New LP 'Redsetter' takes them from their base in Brighton to a remote part of Texas (and back again); it's a record that's driven by a special kind of determination, dealing with intimate bonds, familial connections, and a quiet sense of renewal. Looking for perfect moments within our imperfect lives, Memorial have displayed extraordinary sense of character to drive themselves forwards. "We've let go of trying to make everything sound perfect," says Jack. "Being vulnerable in that way means that the end product is truer to you than it ever could be. There's a realness to it." Memorial have taken true ownership of their lives, pushing through enormous challenges to unlock new aspects of their artistry, and actualise their dreams.

This country-blues psych album was originally released near the end of 1970, and though it was their sole album, December's Children are a good example of how music was changing between the end of the '60s and beginning of the '70s. Accented by psychedelic keys & organ (especially in "Trilogy"), it's been described as Texas garage rock, with funky, hook driven guitar - particularly in "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Last Monday Night."

2024 Reissue

Transparent grünes Vinyl! Wieder lieferbar! Zum ersten Mal überhaupt seit der digital-only Veröffentlichung 2011 erscheint nun der erste "Minecraft"-Soundtrack in physischer Form. Die Vinylversion enthält zwölf Tracks! "Minecraft - Volume Alpha" ist das Werk des deutschen Komponisten und Musikers Daniel Rosenfeld. Unter seinem Künstlernamen C418 erschuf Rosenfeld den weitreichenden Soundtrack und das lebendige Sounddesign, das das auf Voxel aufgebaute Universum von "Minecraft" zum Leben erweckte. Fans und Kritiker waren durch die Bank weg begeistert von seinen beatlosen, ausgewogenen Electro-Stücken. Die bekannte Gaming Seite "Kotaku" führte den Soundtrack unter der "Best Game Music" 2011 und nannte die Musik "beeindruckend beruhigend", während The Guardian die zerbrechlichen Stücke Rosenfelds aus Klavier und minimalistischem Ambient mit den legendären Künstlern ERIK SATIE und BRIAN ENO. In einem Interview destillierte Polygon "Volume Alpha" auf seine Essenz hinuntern: "Der Soundtrack ist nicht gebunden an die Retro-Ästhetik der Minecraft Graphik. Der Soundtrack setzt sich über sie hinweg. Das Album ist ein Versuch, die kombinierte Game/Music Erfahrung in etwas Himmlisches zu übersetzen."

It's the one all the massive have been waiting for! Part 2 of the Salford sage - DJ Absolutely Shit's 'Memoirs Of A Crust Monster'. More hyped up tear outs, soundsystem ruffage, and bass 'n breaks love songs from our Hell's Angel-dodging beat freak.

Kicking things off with glowing neons and super-charged subs is 'Higher', a modern jungle monster decorated with classic hip-hop samples and a well known diva vox squealing through the melee.
A serious 'watch your bassbins' track - RL HQ have safety tested this on the most robust car stereo systems and so far have yet to avoid any cabinet damage - proceed with caution!

'Lost In Space' rolls outta the speaker stacks with a b-boy swagger and loose breaks. A tribute to classic breakdance electro galvanized with Ab Shit's intricate trademark production chops. You'll want to crack out your finest red Puma classics and a slick tracksuit for this one.

Onto 'Out On Love' and between you and me, someone needs to call the social service for samples - as it's unlikely you'll ever witness a more blatant case of sample molestation. Squeezing every last drop out of a catchy piano lick, TV snippet and drum break; the track really does highlight the unrivaled programming prowess of our Irlam renegade who's taken SP1000 trickery to its absolute zenith.

'Money Talks' sees our cheeky ragamuffin dictate a life affirming sunrise over Pomona - pre-gentrification of course; a thousand smiles and memories of old Mancunia shimmering in the early morning industrial haze. And an abject slight at those who put profits above people - another poignant ode to our changing cityscape driven by the most addictive boogie-based groove and clattering Linn drums.

Spine-tingles and fanny flutters guaranteed ALL DAY on this one cru!
Look out for the full 16 track album due on C90 cassette and digi download coming very soon...

RL x

Both Tymon Dogg and Richard Dudanski had musical roots playing in The 101'ers with future Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer. All three shared a deep love for southern Spain, due perhaps to the influence of the Romero sisters, Paloma (later "Palmolive" of The Slits) and the artist Esperanza, who were among the first Spanish punk refugees in London. Tymon's career began with beguiling interactions with Apple Records, The Moody Blues and future Led Zeppelin members John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page before he discovered his true musical self as a punk / folk experimentalist, opening shows for the likes of The Slits, Raincoats and Pop Group and becoming the longest-running musical foil in Strummer's career, continuing into The Clash and Mescaleros. Similarly, Richard played in Basement 5, Public Image Ltd, The Raincoats and others before following Esperanza back to Granada...which subsequently became second home to Tymon and Joe. Spain is not without its own punk heroes, and chief among them was Granada's Antonio Arias, another pal of Joe's and leader of Spain's musical heroes, Lagartija Nick, which also included Dacoits members Juan Codorniu and JJ Machuca. Antonio sings the albums two Spanish-language songs. while Tymon sings the other nine...and there's an instrumental, "Mongols", which the band considered too epic as a stand-alone instrumental to mess with! Tymon sings three songs from his past: "The Wheel Of Life And Death" has been heard before as a live bonus track on the expanded reissue of "Battle Of Wills", "Conscience Money" was heard in a very different version on the impossible-to-find "Made Of Light" album, and an embryonic take of "Something To Prove" turned up the even rarer 1989 solo album, "Relentless". If you imagine the playful elasticity of "Sandinista!" recast into a more straightforward record, with Tymon taking the lead on something more than that album's "Lose This Skin", you're halfway there. Guests include Killing Joke bassist / famed producer Youth and Dr Robert from The Blow Monkeys

2026 Repress

DJ Support from Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison, DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, KC Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche

Next up and with a label debut is one of the leading Female artists on the circuit, Tini Gessler! Tini dropped some straight-up club fire on our sister label Toolroom Trax earlier in the year alongside Juliet Sikora and digs deep into her clubby roots once again with 'Do What You Want'. After releases on the mighty Drumcode, Sola and Kittball in recent years, her 10 year career is going from strength to strength which is seeing her DJ all over the Globe on a weekly basis and her music production is making huge waves within the industry, and rightly so. Next up Italian born DJ and producer, CASSIMM is back on Toolroom with a straight up club weapon! After laying down the delicious disco number last year called 'Get On The Funk' with Kid Enigma, this follows suit perfectly and fuses chunky beats, disco licks and has Bruno Blanc sharing some sentimental lyrics about how important house music is to all of us. Last but not least, French artist Tony Romera is back on Toolroom with another slice of Tech House fire. Tony Romera first stepped onto the scene 10 years ago as a fresh-faced 20 year old looking to make waves and disrupt the electronic music world with his unique style and French-house inspired beats. Since then he's been busy releasing music and experimenting with different sounds and styles, putting out music on a range of powerhouse labels and gaining support from the likes of Diplo, Fisher, Chris Lake, Fatboy Slim, Deadmau5, Vintage Culture, Adam Beyer and more. House Y'all's distinct character is built upon a warped, creeping bassline and tough, relentless beats providing an irresistible pulsing backdrop as the familiar chanted vocal emerges. A sonic trip that transports you deep into the heart of the underground.

Countless radio plays on Radio 1 from Danny Howard, Sarah Storie, Pete Tong Other notable radio plays – Kiss FM, Toolroom Radio, Sirius XM, Data Transmission Radio, Radio 1 Dance Anthems, Radio 1 Party Anthems, Rinse FM, Select Radio, Tomorrowland Radio

repress !

Following acclaimed singles from Powell, Blood Music, Shit & Shine and Prostitutes, the next release from Diagonal is a landmark. It marks both the London label's first full-length album release, and the return of abrasive and furiously funky hip-hop deconstructionists Death Comet Crew, one of the most quietly influential underground acts to emerge from the creative melting pot of 1980s New York.

Ghost Among The Crew documents the group's return to studio operations for the first time since the 80s, as well as their first ever full-length studio album. It's a remarkable trip: a consolidation of their early feral disassemblies of hip-hop and electro, but also broader in scope, chewing up and spitting out fragments of soul, jazz fusion, punk and industrial music.
Death Comet Crew were founded in New York City in 1983 by Stuart Argabright, a founder member of post-punk/industrial mavericks Ike Yard and the mind behind Dominatrix and later Black Rain. Their sound, then as now, was a singular proposition: urban in mood, exploratory, often compellingly danceable, yet confrontational. It emerged from the interweaving talents of the group's varied members: guitarist Michael Diekmann (of Ike Yard), bassist Shinichi Shimokawa (later of Black Rain) and Nick Taylor aka DJ High Priest, frequently joined by the late, great hip hop artist and graffiti writer Rammellzee. Having recorded two studio EPs - 1985's At The Marble Bar (featuring Rammellzee) and its follow-up Mystic Eyes - the group disbanded barely a year after forming. They left behind a reputation for their incendiary live performances, several recordings from which were gathered on crucial 2004 compilation This Is Riphop.
The musical climate that first birthed Death Comet Crew was one of fertile cross-pollination of styles. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the seeds of modern day urban musics - hip hop, punk and post-punk, no wave - were taking root in the streets of recession-struck New York City. Argabright recalls dancing at the downtown Mudd Club around 1980 to a bold mixture of styles, with DJs cutting from synth-pop and post-punk to funk, soul and early hip-hop: Bowie and James Brown next to Run DMC, Ultravox and Gary Numan. Indeed, the names of his New York contemporaries operating around the same time - the likes of Liquid Liquid, Run DMC, Afrika Bambaataa, Arthur Russell, ESG, Swans, Sonic Youth, Bill Laswell and more - have since been inscribed in modern music history.
With previous projects Dominatrix and Ike Yard having recently become inactive, in 1984 Argabright formed Death Comet Crew as a means of exploring new sonic avenues. He'd been experimenting with tape, recording and procesing the sounds of his surrounding environment and dialogue from films and TV. Joined by Shimokawa, Diekmann and Taylor, and using drum machines, turntables, spidery guitar and bass, the group assembled a scrambled collage of rhythms and sampled voices. Their live performances were, in Argabright's words, "aurally violent, sharp-edged, downright lacerating", hacking gleefully away at hip hop and electro's rhythmic frameworks. Rammellzee joined the group to vocal 1985 debut EP At The Marble Bar; his MC turn on highlight 'Exterior Street' is all the more remarkable for having been entirely freestyled in the studio. When Death Comet Crew reformed in 2003 for a string of live shows, he continued as an active member of the group, touring and working with them during the recording of Ghost Among The Crew, until he sadly passed away in 2010.
After reforming, Death Comet Crew began writing and recording new material. Now, following on from their just-released Galacticoast 12" through Citinite, Ghost Among The Crew - its title a homage to Rammellzee - hones the group's abrasive early experimentations while tripping into bold and astrally minded new territory. Alongside the core quartet of Argabright, Diekmann, Shimokawa and Taylor are new voices, including Rapscallion (a friend of Rammellzee's), Jessica 6/Hercules & Love Affair singer Nomi Ruiz, and Carolyn 'Honeychild' Coleman. Its eight tracks are steeped in the impulsive spirit of electric Miles and the deep space romances of Sun Ra, and possessed of an enigmatic yet undeniable pop edge. But equally they're pricked with urban paranoia and dread, traits that have long been hallmarks of Argabright's musical projects.
'Me Czar Of The Magyars' opens the album in a twist of tension like the turning of a ratchet. Its taut electroid shudder is paired with machine gunned cymbal hits and a voice telling of "wormwood and opium dens" - the sound of being teleported from everyday city streets into the astral plane, where every sensory input is heightened and the promise of danger or pleasure lurks unseen around every corner. Later, Coleman's lyrics pay tribute to Rammellzee on the sci-fi funk of 'Deep Space Woman'. 'Let The Clubs Ring' melts lounge bar organs and frazzled guitar into freakishly unstable shapes, while 'Drag Racing' matches its title, rocketing along frantically atop clattering drums. 'Moons On Titan's Seas' is halfway interlude pause for rest, like an exotic cocktail in a bar orbiting some as-yet-undiscovered new world. These varied strands are somehow all summarised in album closer 'Ignition Spark', which sets Ruiz's vocals alongside Taylor's and Argabright's. The zone the trio inhabit in this final track exists in perpetual push-pull between contemplation, memory, intrigue and violence, a decisive opening of a new chapter in Death Comet Crew's history.

As with all Diagonal releases, the initial vinyl pressing will be packaged in unique, specially designed artwork.

GRAMMY-award nominated Jordan Rakei is a renowned multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter who, over soon-to-be-five studio albums, has been on a wide-ranging journey that explores the outer reaches of his inner psyche, traversing themes of emotional evolution, personal growth and family with unwavering sincerity. Always positioning himself in and amongst the bigger questions in life, he has navigated his musical journey with passion and precision, unveiling something new about himself through his songwriting at every turn. The Loop is by far Rakei’s most cohesive and evolutionary work to date following an impressive career of previous releases, each of which have demonstrated his natural curiosity and capabilities in exploring new sounds.

“I wanted to try and showcase as many people as I knew on this mix. My idea of Late Night Tales was to distil a series of relaxing moments; the whole conceptual sonic of relax- ation. So, I was trying to think of all the collaborators and friends that I knew, who’d recorded stuff with this horizontal vibe. Plus, I was also trying to help my friends' stuff get into the world. I know the story of Khruangbin blowing up after appearing on the series (in fact, I think that's how I discovered them). So, the main idea was to create a certain atmosphere, but also to help some of my favourite collaborators and bud- dies to give their songs a little push out into the world. Hope you like it” Jordan Rakei



Due for release on 9th April, Late Night Tales celebrate their 20th anniversary with the release of multi-instru- mentalist, vocalist and producer Jordan Rakei’s majestic compilation. The 28-year-old modern soul icon effortlessly stamps his own jazz and hip-hop driven sound all over this gorgeous array of handpicked tracks. A beautifully layered blend that is mirrored in the music he’s made, itcomes as no surprise that such a supremely gifted songwriter should deliver a mix that is all about the song.



Rakei, born in New Zealand, but raised in Australia, moved to the UK in 2015; he released his debut album, Cloak, with Oz label Soul Has No Tempo, but his two subsequentLPs, Wallflower and Origin, came out on Ninja Tune, the former#2 in Album Of The Year for Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide poll, while Origin was nominated for Best Album at the AIM Awards. Jordan had this to say on his upcoming mix:



As Jordan says,there’s so much more to the song selection on Late Night Tales’latest outing than a random collection of artists. Many have some sort of personal connection, so just as Bonobo provided a platform for the breakout of Khruangbin on a previous LNT, this may have the same ef- fect for Rakei’s friends. After a soothing opener from Fink, good friend and big influence Alfa Mist (part of the Are We Live collective) delivers ‘Mulago.’ “I want to champion their sound and show the world how good he is, and I thought it’d be fitting to start the mix with family,” says Jordan.



Next up is Charlotte Day Wilson with ‘Mountains,’ followed by ‘Count A Heart’ from Moreton, an exclusive collab- oration with Jordan, who grew up on the same street in Brisbane, Australia. “She was the first artist I ever collabo- rated with, and one of the first artists to be involved in mycareer,” he explains. Elsewhere we hear Scottish producer and multi-instrumentalist C Duncan’s haunting ‘He Came from the Sun,’ Barcelona collective Oso Leone deliver a dreamy ‘Virtual U’ and Bill Lauren’s ‘Singularity,’ which evokes a striking sense of time and place.



Snowpoet’s ethereal ‘Evitenity’ is a “long mediative nar- rative over a beautiful soundscape,” which at times seems chaotic, nicely juxtaposed with undeniable beauty, and Maro’s kooky songwriting shines on ‘Always And Forever.’ Long-time buddy Armon-Jones contributes ‘Idiom,’ and Jordan’s exclusive cover version is a two-for-one, Radio- head’s ‘Codex’ merging with ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Home’ by Jeff Buckley and another exclusive,original com- position by Jordan, ‘Imagination.’ The latter works as a piece with the spoken (Spanish) word voiced by movie director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, Birdman, and The Reve- nant,) who is a big fan of Jordan’s. “He messaged me when I went to L.A and asked to come to my show. I was in such shock and we hung out after. I thought it would be nice to get him to do this in his native tongue, because I don’t think that’s been done yet on the series.” It certainly is a familyaffair. Not theblood is thicker than water kind, but certainly musical kindred spirits.

The Hammond organ was first manufactured in 1935. In 1954, the now famous Hammond B3 model was introduced with additional harmonic percussion feature. When the company went out of business in 1985, around two million of various models of the Hammond organ have been produced.

The Hammond B3 was originally marketed to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ. It quickly became popular with professional jazz musicians in organ trios. Jimmy Smith's use of the Hammond B3 inspired a generation of organ players, and its use became more widespread in the 1960s and 1970s in rhythm and blues, rock, reggae, and progressive rock.

This collection is centered on the exciting and dynamic sounds of the Hammond B3 organ!

The only proved efficient time traveling method to date is through listening to music, particularly evident when indulging in Jona Jefferies' latest EP released by Spanish house specialists Apersonal Music. It's a refreshing nod to the golden era of 90s electronic music. Across its three tracks, Jefferies masterfully blends elements of ambient, downtempo, and electronica, evoking a sense of nostalgia as if plucked from a bygone era. In contrast to today's TikTok-dominated landscape of short, immediate singles, this EP harkens back to a time when music was crafted with depth and complexity. Drawing inspiration from legendary acts like Boards of Canada and Underworld, it seamlessly transports listeners to the Gen-X decade, when acts like Daft Punk, Orbital and The Chemical Brothers reign supreme and exploited the electronic scene during the MTV era.

On the A side, "Es Camp" embodies the seamless influence of British electronic music on the Balearic scene of the 90s, and viceversa. Feels like Moby’s “Porcelain” if the film "The Beach" had been set in Ibiza. Max Essa's "Romantic Breaks Mix" elevates the track to pure Balearic bliss, setting the perfect mood for any sunset terrace around the globe.

Side B, tailored for the dance floor, runs through “Lost in Paradise”, a track that channels euphoria reminiscent of the underground rave culture during the final years of the 20th century. Apersonal's trusted remixer, Eddie C, delivers an extended rendition of the track that continually evolves, echoing Jim Morrison’s words: 'the music was new, black polished chrome, and came over the summer like liquid night.'

Following on from his atomic single release, Phonk On The Dancefloor, Sofia’s Raredub now presents his highly anticipated full EP via Mutual Pleasure Records. Rare, Raw and Ready is a high-voltage introduction to the Bulgarian bass baron, a title that is fully justified with this latest venture of sound.

Raredub wastes no time in setting the pace for this project, as we’re thrown straight into the searing furnace with opening track BAMBA. Having been road-tested by the likes of KETTAMA, KiNK, Skin On Skin and Raredub himself, BAMBA, with its infectious vocals, gut-hurdling bassline and devious rave-stab melodies, is a carefully constructed weapon of sound, with proven devastating results.

We’re then brought to Juicy Fruit, which sees both Raredub and Mutual Pleasure’s head-honcho Partiboi69 lock palms to create a deeply sensual, highly contagious dance-floor anthem that sees the producer masterfully blend hissing hi-hats and a series of infectious rising chord patterns and melodies which, when combined, are certainly set to cause nothing but dance-floor destruction.

Since being played as the opening track to Partibo69 and DJ Heartstring’s stingzone set, L.L.L is a track which, with its mind-warping bassline,euphoria ladened vocals and pad-work, has enjoyed a growing sense of anticipation from listeners, eager for its arrival.

Snappy Chulo sees Raredub again use a series of piercing rave-stabs to drive his sound, which is partnered with a plethora of electronic experimentation and instrumentation, before the seismic bassline of Break Of Dawn see Raredub bring the walls and ceiling crumbling down; presenting a suitably fitting finale to this atomic attack on the senses.
Rare, Raw and Ready brings Raredub’s prowess for production to the fore, as the Bulgarian producer conducts wild electronic experiments, bending genres and sound into form, to create a versatile, highly contagious and highly atomic serving of sound.

Where stars drench the sky in hues of infinity, amidst the chaotic waves of supernovas, Sleem Gleam emerges from the abyss to debut a fusion of electronic rhythms and reverberated riffs that crash against the shores of reality.

Riding on a hot acid groove and descending into an electric whirlpool, “Lava Barrels at High Tide” is a stripped-back oceanside bop that epitomizes the swell. Up next, “Totally Pitted” hits maximum wetness with an iconic bass line and blazing flanged-out hats guaranteed to jostle a noggin.

On the flip side, the upbeat electro jam “Cosmic Rip Current” presents a hazard to beach-goers in the form of a thick and psychedelic stellar blip-swirl. Lobotomy Party sends it home at high speed with twacked-out vocal samples and surreal pulsating bass.

Sleem Gleam is the new surf-inspired alias of Minneapolis-based Kajunga co-founder Ry Johnson, aka Ryote. He has been making and releasing electronic music since 2007 and DJing since 2011.

Warehouse Find!

Eddy & Dus are long standing and highly respected Croatian DJ and production duo Eddy Ramich and Zvonimir Dusper. They've been responsible for many classic remixes on labels such as Compost, Especial and Schema but after a long hiatus we're happy to say the boys are back, on their best form yet and now we can present to you the mighty A From B.
In its original form A From B is some kind of mutant afro techno
deep house jam that could probably only ever be conjured up in
Zagreb. It's almost as if all those incredible festivals that
dominate the Croatian coastline every summer have spawned their own new genre of house music where tropical beats clash with classic techno and blunted jazz sits right alongside the deepest disco. A From B could be seen as something of a flag-bearer of this genre- bending antics, evoking images of packed dancefloors dancing under the starry skies in the warm night air. Or something. Who better to take on the remix than one of the masters of true deep and soulful house, Osunlade himself. Knowing a thing or two about delivering legendary DJ sets at Dalmation festivals his Yoruba Soul Remix drips with the kind of musicality and integrity that many can only aspire to.
Finally we have a brilliant dub version of the original, going
heavy on the beats, keeping things tribal and hypnotic for those
heavier moments when all you want is to get locked into the groove.

This live album is a recording of the last live performance by Drumwolf (Toru)'s with the band. The concert was held at W.W.W.X. in Shibuya on March 11th, 2023 and includes 13 of the songs that they played at this gig.

It is the last memorial live performance for Toru, the bedrock of Guitarwolf for many years and will be permanently etched on vinyl. This is a must record that fans need to get hold of, as it is the live recording of the band's latest performance featuring many of their classic songs.

Guitar Wolf have been expanding their horizons of their activities in recent years, including an appearance at the Shimane Jet festival, and they hope you can appreciate the pure joy of their universal rock 'n' roll vibes on vinyl that might be too hot for the whole world to handle!

And as a bonus item, you can stream the full live performance of this monumental concert of Guitarwolf in its entirety as well! It was directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi who has previously worked on Guitarwolf's music videos for many years.

This video of their live performance was edited full of tension and speed and it truly displays how much Guitarwolf deserves the title of Japan's number one rock 'n' roll band. This fact can also be relived by seeing this video included in this deluxe edition.

Guitarwolf
Members:
Seiji (Guitarwolf): Lead Vocals, Guitar
GOTZ (Basswolf): Bass, Vocals
Shingo (Drumwolf): Drum Note: Joined the band in 2022

Real-life rock 'n'roll super heroes that rock fans all over Japan continue to admire.
While creating numerous legendary myths in the 1990s, being unique beyond comparison, they continue to consistently blare out their spontaneity to the present day,

The band's unusually extreme and bombastic sound amplifies the embryonic impulses of rock 'n' roll, while Seiji's lyrics mix words that evoke the 'universe' and the 'Showa era' with his own unique sense of humor. In their relentless pursuit of a style that has remained unchanged since the band's formation, the music that the three members who don their entire bodies in black leather play, emits power that transcends time and space. While doing so, they continue to gain enthusiastic fans from all over the world.

Formed in 1987, the original members, Seiji and Billy (bass, vocals) and Toru who joined the band later, started their musical activities together and released their debut album "Wolf Rock" in 1993 from the Memphis-based Goner Records. Later, they signed to Matador Records, one of the leading indie labels in the USA. They also made their major label debut in 1997 with the album, "Wolf Planet" on Ki/oon Records/ Sony Music in Japan.

They have released 12 albums to date. The band has also continued to tour energetically around the world, not only in Japan but also in the US, EU countries, Australia and South America. Billy suddenly passed away in 2005. After having two mighty support casts, U.G. and Hikaru, GOTZ (Gotz) joined the band in 2018 as the new bass wolf. Also, Toru who had been with the band as drum wolf for many years left in 2022 and the band is now more energetically active with their new drum wolf, Shingo.

Tulsa, Oklahoma's Unwed Sailor have been on a tear over the past few years. Following a quiet phase through much of the 2010s, they reëmerged with the aptly titled Heavy Age (2019), and two more full-lengths, Truth Or Consequences (2021) and Mute The Charm (2023), that chart a remarkable evolution of their bass-led, pop-leaning post rock. On Underwater Over There - their ninth LP overall - a current of 80s goth and jangle-pop runs beneath a litany of memorable hooks and compositional left turns, creating a propulsive and intricate world of sound. The band worked collectively on all elements of mixing and production to craft a meticulously layered environment, while maintaining an air of spontaneity and experimentation across the set. Early standout, "Final Feather", drifts through varying landscapes of airiness and haze on a high-neck bass hook, while the hum of voices adds a contrast of angelic comfort. Bearing influence from New Order and The Cure in particular, its balance of gravitas and shimmer is the result of founding member Johnathon Ford's intuitive writing method: the lead bass line comes first, followed by supporting melodies, drums, guitars, keys, and final detailing. "Dusty" is a prime example of this process, as Ford's powerful, low-end groove anchors a full-spectrum array of guitars, bells, and arpeggiations along with Matt Putman's energetic drum section. Its fluid pacing provides a perfect establishing shot, with shifting moods that gather into a coda guided by David Swatzell's harmonized, glittering guitar riffs - a sunrise after a moonless night. In quick succession, "Blue Tangier" widens the aperture with a pounding percussive refrain, vibrant bass tone and an unforgettable, fuzzed-out melodic motif. Sprawling centerpiece, "Junko", is a loose callback to 2003's The Marionette and The Music Box, its deliberate stride and interwoven melodies evoking the hands of a mechanical clock, and the anticipation of something long-awaited but nebulous. It drifts effortlessly from innocence to intrigue, expands into a mesmerizing howl, and vanishes abruptly into mist. While honoring their forebears in winks and nods, Unwed Sailor remain totally inimitable in their approach and style, twenty-five years into an acclaimed career. The band's clear vision for Underwater Over There has yielded some of their most indelible work, and their inventive, passionate approach gives a strong sense of plenty more beyond the horizon.

Repress
Dry mix only single LP edition, reverb mix of 2LP edition excluded.

Issued in 1975, this is the articulation of Zambia’s Zamrock ethos. Its' musicians were anti-colonial freedom fighters, it envelops Zambian folk music traditions, and it rocks - hard. Amanaz were serious, and they made a serious stab at an album. They titled their album Africa, according to original band member Keith Kabwe, “because of how it was shared and how its inhabitants were butchered and enslaved, its resources stolen... all the atrocities slave drivers committed. “ Thus, their “Kale,” a blues sung in Nyanja, that traced the continent’s arc from slavery to Zambia’s independence closes the album. Kabwe and rhythm guitarist John Kanyepa have a winsome softness to their vocals, which sit politely aside the feral growl of drummer Watson Baldwin Lungu, bassist Jerry Mausala and bandleader/lead guitarist Isaac Mpofu. Africa’s vibe ranges from anxious (“Amanaz”) to escapist (“Easy Street”) to straight-up pissed-off. On the “History of Man,” his voice whiskey-burned, his distorted guitar buzzing like swarming hornets, Mpofu indicts his species. There’s a darkness to Africa not found on any other Zamrock records, and a melancholy drifts throughout, specifically on Mpofu’s more restrained “Khala My Friend,” which stands as an effective, bleak situation for the Zambian everyman, the average citizen of a struggling, new nation, who might have had relatives in conflict-torn countries on the horizon, who might have been struggling to find his next meal, who might have seen a bleaker future than his president promised. Then there’s the clear Velvet Underground-influence on the nostalgic “Sunday Morning,” which, as Kabwe recalls, was the first song written for the album, back in 1968, when Velvet Undergound and Nico was a new release - and the underground funk of “Making The Scene.” The album also tackles traditional Zambian music and early-‘60s rock – punctuated, of course by Kanyepa’s wah-wah and Mpofu’s fuzz guitars. But every time Amanaz get too deep, too violent, they come back with an accessible song and woo their listener back to the groove. “Green Apple” is a civil song, featuring Kanyepa’s sighing guitar.

Repress!

Two of dance music's most recognisable names come together once more as Nic Fanciulli returns on the mighty Rekids.

Fanciulli has long been one of the leading lights in the house world. His Saved Records label is one of the go-to outlets for forward-thinking grooves thanks to his own music and his on-point A&R of many other talents. Over the years, his releases have explored every facet of house and tech, while the man himself has played every major club and festival in the world. This is Fanciulli's third outing on Rekids after 12"s in 2019 and 2020, and it might be his best yet.

The stylish and seductive sounds of 'On My Mind' open up with loopy and catchy vocals, disco-tinged house beats and plenty of feel-good energy. The funky basslines and innovative samples make this a fun, full flavour and heart-warming groove that is sure to get crowds locked in and hands in the air. The brilliant 'U Gotta' is another track steeped in classic references but with a modern twist. It builds in careful layers that tease and please with sustained strings and low, grinding bass offset by the diva vocals and atmospheric crowd noise. When it drops, it is the sort of tune to bring real rapture to the party.

The prolific and versatile Ian Martin arrives on Shipwrec with four tracks that make up Future Dawn. Cosmic Garden opens. A piece that blurs genre lines; soft synth-lines are coupled with ruffled rhythms that immerse the listener in gentle orchestral ebbs and flows. Sounds of isolation introduce Future Dawn, modulations reaching over an ever-widening expanse before strings descend. Drums arrive late in this atmospheric journey, one that pulses with a primal energy while conjuring vivid images. The ominously titled Dead Calm opens the flip. Soundtracks have always been an inspiration for Martin and the scores of the silver screen are at the forefront of this work. Brittle beat patterns are the bedrock on which melodies whirl - a bitter acid bass bubbling as tension builds to paranoic peaks. Darker skies loom with the marine chop of Phantom Machine finishing. A flotsam and jetsam of hi hats swirl in the liquid undulations of distorted bass and aquatic echoes, rougher rusted rhythms providing ballast to the eddies and maelstrom of Martin's machines.

Georg auf Lieder ist ein Malocher. Fleißig schraubt er in seinem kleinen Studio an neuen Songs und sucht dabei unermüdlich nach dem eigenen Sound. Er hat sich für die Kreativität als Lebensentwurf entschieden und dabei das tägliche Handwerk zur Kunst erhoben. Mit seinen beiden neuen Mixtapes, dem 8-Spur 22607 Tape und dem 8-Spur 22419 Tape, beweist Georg auf Lieder erneut sein erzählerisches Talent, wenn er fast hörspielartig seine Geschichten in die Welt trägt. Diese Selbstreflexion trifft auf eine musikalische Vielfalt, die absolute Offenheit bedingt. Er ist dabei stetig in Bewegung, auf der Suche nach sich, auf der Suche nach Zugehörigkeit und schärft mit nun insgesamt fünf Veröffentlichungen in nur vier Jahren seine außerordentliche Handschrift als Songwriter.

Das 8-Spur 22607 Tape besticht durch seinen auf den ersten Blick locker beschwingten aber im Kern tief melancholischen Indie-Folk, der an amerikanische Bands wie Wilco oder Eels erinnert. Die Akustik-Gitarre steht im Zentrum und wird von Orgel- und Mellotron-Sounds, schwebenden E-Gitarren und ein aufs Wesentliche reduziertes Schlagzeug unterstützt. Diese Instrumentierung unterstreicht die scheinbare Leichtigkeit der titelgebenden Hamburger Postleitzahl. In seinen Alltagsbeobachtungen berichtet Georg auf Lieder von dem Grundbedürfnis, das uns alle vereint: Ein glückliches, erfülltes Leben zu führen.

Das 8-Spur 22419 Tape und der titelgebende Hamburger Ortsteil Langenhorn stehen symbolisch für seine Sozialisation und die Schwierigkeiten des Aufwachsens, die ihn bis heute prägen und für immer begleiten werden.
Mit „Deutscher Sommer“ startet das Mixtape im beeindruckend düsteren Elektrogewand mit Synthesizer-Arpeggio und setzt die Grundstimmung dieser persönlichen Platte. Georg auf Lieder thematisiert das Aufwachsen mit Migrationshintergrund in Deutschland. Sie „hassen alle Nazis, doch sind nicht meine Freunde“, und der unbewusste Wunsch nach Zugehörigkeit bleibt ihm verwehrt, weil er von den Menschen in seinem Umfeld zum Teil ungewollt oder gewollt ausgeschlossen wird. Hier drückt sich der ganze Schmerz dieses Werkes aus, wenn Georg auf Lieder davon singt, im selben Land sozialisiert worden zu sein, aber nicht die Chance gehabt zu haben, das erwünschte Leben zu führen.

Beide Mixtapes sind der Versuch, unterschiedliche Phasen im Leben des Musikers zu greifen. Dieses Verstehen ist immer auch nur temporär, denn neue Eindrücke und Erfahrungen bieten über die Jahre wiederum verschiedene Perspektiven auf das Geschehene. Was bleibt, sind die Erinnerungen. Die Interpretation ist ständig in Bewegung, wie Georg auf Lieder selbst. Er hat im täglichen Schaffen, Neuentdecken und im Neuzusammensetzen seine Erfüllung gefunden und lässt uns glücklicherweise daran teilhaben.

Nach der Veröffentlichung der neuen Single Legendary Tippers im Januar melden sich Les Savy Fav mit ihrem ersten neuen Album seit 14 Jahren zurück! Oui, LSF erscheint am 10. Mai.

Der sechste Longplayer von Les Savy Fav entstand fast zwangsläufig in einem kleinen Raum: dem Dachboden von Sänger Tim Harrington in Brooklyn. Anders als überall, wo sie bisher aufgenommen hatten, ermöglichte dieser Raum der erfahrenen Post-Hardcore-Band eine dringend benötigte Wiedergeburt. In dieser Zwischenzeit setzten sie das zusammen, was ihre neueste Entwicklung, OUI, LSF, werden sollte, wobei der Titel und das Cover des Albums aus einem Stück Gras wuchsen. "Die Platte ist organisch gewachsen - buchstäblich und im übertragenen Sinne", bemerkt Harrington augenzwinkernd.

Geschmiedet aus demselben Sheffield-Stahl wie Def Leppard, entstiegen auch Crimes Of Passion dieser Stadt mit der Leidenschaft und dem Ziel, unseren Vorbildern auf dem Weg an die Musikspitze folgen. Eine Band, die das Glück hatte, die einflussreiche Ära von Dio, Ratt, Queensryche und Journey miterlebt zu haben, aber keineswegs zu sehr in der Vergangenheit zu stecken, um das Songwriting vom damaligen Emo/Metalcore-Sound beeinflussen zu lassen.

Es war offensichtlich, dass Crimes Of Passion das gewisse „etwas" hatten, denn innerhalb eines Monats nach der Gründung und dem Schreiben der Songs für das erste Album ging die Band auf Tour mit Bands wie Tyketto, White Lion, Great White, Gotthard und durfte auch bereits auf mehreren Festivals auf dem ganzen Kontinent spielen - die Stahlkugel aus Sheffield kam tatsächlich

Celebrating a decade of hip-hop excellence with the 10th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue of Statik Selektah's groundbreaking album, Extended Play. Pressed onto high-quality vinyl and housed in a silver laminated jacket, this limited edition reissue pays homage to the timeless collaboration between the legendary producer and some of the finest wordsmiths in the game.

Extended Play showcases the essence of authentic hip-hop, seamlessly blending old-school vibes with innovative production. Featuring an all-star lineup of rap luminaries, including Action Bronson, Mac Miller, Joey Bada$$, Sean Price, Raekwon, Black Thought, Prodigy, Evidence, Termanology, Posdnous of De La Soul and Talib Kweli amongs several others, this album is a masterclass in lyrical prowess and beatsmithing finesse.

Immerse yourself in the artistry of Statik Selektah as he crafts intricate beats that serve as the canvas for the lyrical dexterity of hip-hop's finest. Each track is a testament to the genre's evolution, capturing the essence of both its roots and its future. From the gritty realism of Sean Price's verses to the introspective musings of Mac Miller, every moment on this album is a revelation.

This commemorative vinyl reissue not only offers listeners a chance to experience the album in its purest form but also provides a glimpse into the collaborative spirit that defines hip-hop culture. The album cover artwork has been meticulously restored and printed onto a silver laminated jacket. Join us in celebrating the legacy of Extended Play and the everlasting impact of Statik Selektah's musical vision!

Following a banging streak of collaboration albums with the likes of Boldy James and Smoke DZA, as well as his successful On High Alert series, Real Bad Man teams up with one of the most buzzing names in underground hip-hop right now, a true chameleon, Pink Siifu. The Birmingham, Alabama native emcee has been shaking the foundations and pushing boundaries in rap and music in general over the last few years gaining major attention and touring the world. On collaboration album "Real Bad Flights" the two both bring their A-game to the table, creating a unique soundscape together with special guests such as Boldy James, Armand Hammer, Chuck Strangers and Iojii among others, to bring you one of the most exciting albums of 2022/2023!

Nach der Veröffentlichung der neuen Single Legendary Tippers im Januar melden sich Les Savy Fav mit ihrem ersten neuen Album seit 14 Jahren zurück! Oui, LSF erscheint am 10. Mai.

Der sechste Longplayer von Les Savy Fav entstand fast zwangsläufig in einem kleinen Raum: dem Dachboden von Sänger Tim Harrington in Brooklyn. Anders als überall, wo sie bisher aufgenommen hatten, ermöglichte dieser Raum der erfahrenen Post-Hardcore-Band eine dringend benötigte Wiedergeburt. In dieser Zwischenzeit setzten sie das zusammen, was ihre neueste Entwicklung, OUI, LSF, werden sollte, wobei der Titel und das Cover des Albums aus einem Stück Gras wuchsen. "Die Platte ist organisch gewachsen - buchstäblich und im übertragenen Sinne", bemerkt Harrington augenzwinkernd.

New Zealand's Marlon Williams has quite simply got one of the most extraordinary, effortlessly distinctive voices of his generation-a fact well known to fans of his first, self-titled solo album, and his captivating live shows. An otherworldly instrument with an affecting vibrato, it's a voice that's earned repeated comparisons to the great Roy Orbison, and even briefly had Williams, in his youth, consider a career in classical singing, before realizing his temperament was more Stratocaster than Stradivarius. But it's the art of songwriting that has bedeviled the artist, and into which he has grown exponentially on his second album, Make Way For Love, out in February of 2018. It's Marlon Williams like you've never heard him before-exploring new musical terrain and revealing himself in an unprecedented way, in the wake of a fractured relationship. In early December, Williams and his longtime girlfriend, musician Aldous (Hannah) Harding, broke up. While personally wrenching, the split seemed to open the floodgates for Williams as a writer. "_I wrote about fifteen songs in a month," he recalls. Sure enough, while Make Way For Love draws on Williams' own story, in remarkably universal terms it captures the vagaries of relationships that we've all been through: he bliss (opener "Come To Me"); ache ("Love Is a Terrible Thing"); nagging questions ("Can I Call You"); and bitterness ("The Fire Of Love", whose lyrics Williams says he "agonized over" more than any). And there's "Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore", a duet with Harding, recorded after the two broke up, with Williams directing Harding's recording via a late-night long distance phone call. "We finally got to talk it out," he adds. "We still love each other very much."If "breakup record" is a trope-and certainly it is-then Marlon Williams has done it proud. Like the best of the lot, Make Way For Love doesn't shy away from heartbreak, but rather stares it in the face, and mines beauty from it.

Bluesy rust-belt psych from Ohio's December's Children! Bouncing between male and female vocalists, tight harmonies, country flavor and rock 'n' roll style, their sound fit the transition between pop and heavy rock in the late '60s. Pressed on pink vinyl! This country-blues psych album was originally released near the end of 1970, and though it was their sole album, December's Children are a good example of how music was changing between the end of the '60s and beginning of the '70s. Accented by psychedelic keys & organ (especially in "Trilogy"), it's been described as Texas garage rock, with funky, hook driven guitar - particularly in "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Last Monday Night." Opting for a more straight forward rock 'n' roll sound, the band never considered themselves psychedelic (though that was being pushed at the time), and though they weren't as heavy as Blue Cheer, their country-blues sound is nearly a precursor to later albums by Savoy Brown and Blodwyn Pig

"Named for the band’s third lease on life, Third Wind finds Gulfer at a unique moment in their ten-plus year career. When they started in 2011, Gulfer played scrappy, complex math rock influenced by the emo revival. But in 2024 they’ve emerged almost unrecognizable, while still retaining the spirit of what made them all fall in love with Gulfer in the first place.

Third Wind’s stylistic turns are emphasized by deeper texture and simpler songwriting, influenced by the reemergence of 90s alternative and shoegaze. With a new emphasis on atmosphere and more straightforward composition, Gulfer give themselves space to explore audaciously.

Album opener “Clean” gets as close to pop as the band has ever been, where “No Brainer” dabbles deftly in downer rock that asks “what even is my fucking place in the world? "Bold juxtapositions feature elsewhere on Third Wind: pop-punk bruiser “Too Slow” stops on a dime before evolving into a slow burning drum n bass passage, all within two minutes. And then there’s “Heartshape”, a downright love song shrouded in virtuosic performance and electric-acoustic counterpoint. Although these contrasts could be construed as aimless fiddling, their seamlessness is the true essence of Third Wind, indicative of a sage band with a renewed love for what they do."

With words as weapons and public infrastructure as his blank slate, John Fekner's City Squad are always questing for the ineffable, even as they yearn for concrete change - Make no mistake, Idioblast is a serious party where everyone is welcome.

Released in 1984, Idioblast is a lost classic, a future shock narrative ahead of its time, and yet completely of its era, like few artifacts before or since. The cover tips you off from the jump--a crude but effective collage featuring classic Fekner slogans like Toxic Junkie, Growth Decay and Soft Brains Watch The Screen And Buy The Jeans. In an uncanny and tragic coincidence, the very first lyric on the album--"The place to be is on the space shuttle/if you're brave enough to get on it"--seems to anticipate the Challenger disaster just two years later.

But for the most part, the tracks on Idioblast directly reference the concepts that inspired Fekner's visual art. Musically, "Rapicasso" utilizes pneumatic pounding with an industrial edge as Fekner equates the great and controversial painter with risk-taking graffiti kids bombing trains and billboards across the city. Art is in a constant state of exploding--forms, paradigms, outdated ideas.

Splitting the difference between hip-hop and new wave, the Santaniello-sung "The Beat" is like Thomas Dolby meets Run-DMC and should've been a radio staple for at least one sticky summer. It could soundtrack either a couples roller skate or a drug-fueled evening out. Channeling Fekner's slogan-stencil aesthetic, "Travelogue The 80's" is a tour de force reminiscent of Negativland's experiments in audio culture jamming. As Fekner details, "I grabbed all of the sounds via a shortwave radio picking up transmissions from LaGuardia airport and the TV. I recorded and edited on a Sony Pro Walkman and an Aiwa dual cassette deck."

Repress! PRESSED ON BLUE & WHITE SWIRL VINYL! Housed In A High Gloss Jacket With Each LP Tucked Into A Printed Inner Sleeve

Nasir "Nas" Jones' 2001 record Stillmatic was considered a major comeback for the 90s rap icon. It signalled a return to the gritty, urban chaos of his acclaimed debut album, after releasing record after record of gradually more mainstream material, and Nas' return to prominence in the highest echelons of hip-hop. In spite of this newfound critical clout, Stillmatic's release did nothing to squash his then ongoing feud with fellow New Yorker Jay-Z, who had gone so far as to challenge Nas to a pay-per-view rap battle. A challenge Nas rejected, stating "If Jay-Z wants to battle, he should drop his album the same day I do and let the people decide." Nas fans never would get the no-holds barred lyrical battle with Jay-Z many had speculated. What they got instead was one of Nas' most personal and introspective releases to date in 2002. Not long after Stillmatic's release, Nas spent much of his time away from the limelight to tend to his ill mother, who would pass on from breast cancer in 2002. His experiences with his mother's mortality as well as the fallout of his feud with Jay-Z, who continued to produce diss tracks as Nas tended to his mother, would inspire much of the lyrical material on his next record. God's Son was released in December of 2002, and like Stillmatic before it, was subject to major critical acclaim. On God's Son, Nas effectively took the battle-hardened demeanor he had cultivated and tore it down across 14 tracks that were emotionally insular, though still dusted in urban grit, and still finding time to shoot back at Jay-Z's potshots on tracks like "Last Real Nigga Alive" and "Mastermind." Assisting Nas was a slew of top-tier producers like The Alchemist, Eminem, Ron Browz, and Salaam Remi, over samples of James Brown, the Incredible Bongo Band, Fela Kuti, and Beethoven, and guest vocals from Alicia Keys, Kelis, Claudette Ortiz of City High, and even a posthumous 2Pac.

Arriving as the third album on Supreems ‘Sweet Sun’ label – an imprint gathering a reputation for future-facing, storytelling electronic music – Sloucho's 'NPC' explores the duality of his main character and non-playable lives. With a strong Irish artistic presence featuring Rory Sweeney, EMBY, Curtisy and more, Sloucho navigates through Cloudcore-inspired broken beats, bass-driven percussion, alternative dreamscapes and wubby fuck-steps on his most complete release to date, laying the foundation for an origin-story in the process.

Garnering support from Surusinghe, Roza Terenzi, Two Shell and more; some of the tracks on NPC have already been heard in clubs around the world - from Antwerp to London and Mumbai to Paris. ‘Mind Traveller’ offers an ambient introduction to ‘Athrú’, Sloucho’s home world, as the artist's pitched vocals act as the listeners guide into the island's core. ‘Mutant’ features experimental electronic artist Rhoshi on a track that follows the kaleidoscopic sonic-themes of Sloucho’s previous Cloudcore releases ‘Slow Feet’ and ‘Silver Veil’, before the Rory Sweeney-featuring ‘Come Around’ ignites the dance with its dutty screw-face two-step, balanced by moments of melodic contemplation before evolving into a techno-dancehall hybrid.

‘Brand New’ stays on the steppy aesthetic, and brings MCs EMBY and Zack Oke into the frame with a 3D Meta-human video created in collaboration with respected, exhibiting digital artist Aisling Phelan. Using a motion capture suit, they captured EMBY and Zack’s performance and imported it into Unreal Engine, using different environments scanned from around the Greek Islands as the backdrop. The result is mind-blowing; a complete digital realm, shot like a real-life rap video as EMBY and Zack spit bars across an elasticated garage riddim. Full video is on YouTube.

‘Super Maramu 2000’ is a cut of alien-club beamed directly from ‘Eile’, the afterlife of Sloucho’s Neolithic ancestors. A waltzer-ride through Latin-bass and techno with an oxymoronic blend of maximalist and minimalist futurism, it’s as silly as it is serious, before the stuttering, juke-influence of ‘Make It Work’ brings the album’s rapid first half (and a bit) to a close.

Sloucho seamlessly weaves from front left of the club to dark, fume-filled rooms on ‘Two Thousands’ (featuring EMBY and Curtisy), ‘Rocks’ (featuring Zack Oke, who sounds remarkably like experimental spoken-word artist Coby Sey here, and Chilean artist Vatican Jail) and ‘Lights On’ (featuring Yamagōchi), Sloucho explores a previously unseen side to his sound, meandering through alternative trap and hip-hop laden beats that are both dreamy and nightmarish, bringing NPC to its starry-skied climax.

Introducing the next release in Names You Can Trust's long-running collaboration with the prolific and symbiotic musical universe of Bogotá, Colombia. Mau Gatiyo y Los Años Maravillosos formed in 2021, arising from the very same fertile ground of the Teusaquillo neighborhood that has spawned many records and musical mischievousness. At the heart of this experimental movement is what can only be described asTropicanibalismo, where a deep hunger for the roots of Colombian tropical music are only satiated by dissecting it, consuming it and ultimately creating something new again as some kind of untraditional, unholy, and yet referential form of musical sustenance.

Within this concept, there's a clear lineage of inspired and visionary artists that have been featured throughout NYCT's record catalog for the last 15 years that includes luminaries Frente Cumbiero, Meridian Brothers, and Romperayo. Each of these artists' tentacles have touched several parallel projects from their talented neighbors and friends, and whether through production, playing, engineering, or mixing, these collaborations have heavily contributed to a very fruitful and colorful scene that could only exist within Colombia's capital, while also gaining notoriety in the nooks and crannies of northern latitudes like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Mau Gatiyo, a talented accordian player and vocalist, together with his group (translated as The Wonder Years), is precisely one of these projects, a collective that has found their calling in the echoes of thevallenatosandcumbiasthat once populated the nation's airwaves throughout the 20th century. It's a traditional format that has always lent itself to storytelling, whether it be anecdotes about daily life, or using one's voice to raise uncomfortable questions in protest against the system. This is where Mau Gatiyo's poetic, almostnew wavetimbre finds a lane of its own, straddling a 2020s societal landscape under the guise of ostensibly old-time accordion music.

The debut 7-inch from the group, an excerpt from their recently released album Baño Unisex, was recorded at Mambo Negro studios by Ivan Medellin (La Sonora Mazurén) and mixed by Eblis Alvarez of Meridian Brothers, both familiar names and contributors to the NYCT catalog. Alvarez himself, who has emerged in recent years as an international beacon of this new tropical avant-garde, is no stranger to flipping traditional styles on their head, or at least respectfully off-kilter. Mau Gatiyo y sus Años Maravillosos proves to be another great vessel for this veryBogotano expression, draping the classical playing of its group members in a modern day cosmopolitan expression of righteousness, both outwardly in their dashing, performative fashion sense, and lyrically with their cheeky "420, Reloj"ganja-tune promotion – or even their outward dissenter objections to paramilitary and firearm power in "Poder Militar."

Ultimately, these songs lie at the crossroads where two cultural eras connect and become something unique, a protestation one with performance, dance, and artistic expression. This cathartic ritual of protest has a storied history in music, and these two new entries into the NYCT catalog will hopefully find their place amongst a modern day canon, or at the very least, have your feet moving and your head nodding in just approval.

It is a monster album which unites the who's who of the modern blues and rock scene and took Krissy one year to produce! Friends on the album include rap metal giants Clawfinger, the god of hellfire Arthur Brown, the voice Chris Farlowe, Germany's soul queen Inga Rumpf, legendary singer songwriter Stoppok, the iconic Hamburg Blues Band, elite drummers Dennis Chambers & Curt Cress, Blues singing dynamite Big Daddy Wilson and many more. The album includes 24 songs and is almost 3 hours long with a mix of Krissy's original material and his favourite cover songs. "It was a long time in the making and I managed to get it done. I started the pre-production in November 2022 and went in the studio to begin the meat and potatoes process in January 2023. I wanted to get all my favourite musicians together that I have met on the road in my career. They are not all here by any means, but a good handful are! I did not want this album to have a box, so there are many different genres from metal to blues and jazz to rock'n'roll. But in the end, it is a Krissy Matthews record."

Garth Erasmus is an artist and musician based in Cape Town, South Africa. 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' is his first album under his own name. Since 1985 his artistic interests have broadened to include music-making, designing and making his own instruments based on indigenous KhoiSan knowledge. From 1999 to 2012 he was a member of the South African First Nation activist group Khoi Khonnexion. In the past couple of years Garth Erasmus has also been a pivotal part of various international performance pieces and exhibition projects which brought him regularly to Europe. Most of these activities were developed and performed in collaboration with the Hamburg based band Kante and his band Khoi Khonnexion. In April 2024 Garth Erasmus will be part of the group exhibtion 'Oscillations' at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

His works in music are predominantly characterized by a restless quest for alternative forms of expression and materials including self build instruments, field recordings or various electronic music devices.

In this context the music on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' takes on a primal and metaphorical meaning. Rather than a formal, physical initiation, this process is more spiritually inclined, yet it is a spirituality which is consistently put into action.. “Ever since I was an art student I have experimented with alternative materials to release me from the Western education values I received. When I started to make these instruments in the 1980s, my intention was to create art objects but when I discovered the sound they made, it unlocked a door that transported me deeper in my quest in the realization that I was on the right path.

In fact all instruments which appear on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' are products of a process of discovery starting from square one. All this is based and founded on the beauty of simplicity and minimalism as symbolized by the single string Khoisan musical bow and arrow as trance musical instrument. In this sense it soon became manisfest for Garth Erasmus to combine the bow instruments with various electronic instruments. Besides developing his own unique language in music he also shared an expressed interested in experimental sound aesthecis, Avantgarde composition and Free Jazz. However, his non - academic approach towards sound and music was always fueled by the desire for a reconnection to the land and to the idegenious knowledge of the KhoiSan, whose struggle for First Nation status continues.

Song for Morenga
This song is dedicated to a guerilla leader, named Jacob Morenga, who was the leader of the nama/herero anti-german uprisings that occured between 1904 and 1907.

Amaseh Amen
This is a classic mouthbow piece that conjures the spiritual nature of Khoisan cultural praxis.

Gwaing Reverie
It was composed as a personal gift to the other members of newly formed electro-acoustic trio „Gwaing". „Gwaing" is an ancient Khoisan place name, meaning the mouth of the river.

Mcinci Song
A typical meditation on the traditional Mcinci flute. This flute was originally played by shepherds and was made of reed.

The Ascension of Milford Graves
This piece attends to capture the risen spirit of the legendary African American drummer Milford Graves. It was composed soon after his death in 2021.

Song for The Sisters of the Soil
A live improvisation dedicated to Lucelle and Melissa (The Sisters of the Soil) on the occasion of visiting them at their residence, known as „Oppieyaart" on the Cape Flats. On 10 September 2022 there is an online event with them at Kunsthaus Hamburg.

Originally released on tape by SicSic in 2014, Aprilnacht commemorates a decade of music from Brannten Schnüre and marked the spring in a tetralogy of albums about the four seasons when it came out. Back then the Würzburg-based project consisted solely of Christian Schoppik, who later welcomed Katie Rich to take over the vocals. He used to perform as Agnes Beil, but dropped the name when, while making this album realized his music was becoming "much gentler and more fragile". Aprilnacht already captured the particular musical ideas that Schoppik would thoroughly keep exploring, delving deeper and deeper into the use and manipulation of samplers from sources so diverging as to wander between the five continents to post-war German family television and cult cinema. Heir of the ritualistic intensity of Coil, of the intricate sampler assemblies of Ghédalia Tazartès', and of the dusty, dismal old ballads from around the world, Brannten Schnüre manages to make these paths cross in a territory that is as inherent as it is uncanny; sieged by the past and intimate as a hearth. An organic approach to folk, ambient, and sound collage, where ethereal yet thoroughly textured pieces coalesce in enthralling, delicate, and innermost musical rituals.

The album cover paintings reveal the temper: dreary old towns where shadows come to dim the slow passage of crepuscular colors, a soft area of reanimation where wind and light come close and foresee the night of spring. Aprilnacht was inspired by the stories of German philosopher and writer Friedrich Alfred Schmid Noerr, whose work exhaustively examines the conflict between paganism and Christianity, safeguarding myth in a way that Schoppik describes as boldly modern, humorous and unpredictable in its variations of the Germanic folklore motifs. "I wanted to do the same with the music," he states, and the music here could as well be suitable for a night when household deities welcome wandering will-o'-the-wisps, water nymphs, and gyrovagues to discuss Perchta's leadership of The Wild Hunt, but this album is not a folk tale, it's not an elegy to worlds already gone, hidden in years; it's an intersection of routes that open mysteriously before our ears like a congregation of vapors. Aprilnacht is a gathering of voices; "There are too many children, and none of them keeps quiet," reads the last verse of «Requiem für eine Ringelnatter.»

Sensuality drips over the music to celebrate both the voluptuousness and tragic quality of nature; "It's raining on me, urine from your flowers," Schoppik sings in «Urin deiner Blüten» and later on, faced with a snake's erotic features, as if he wanted to be embraced by it: "Your quick, sharp tongue and your warm venom; that's what the pond is missing." Orality is where this profusion of contents thrives. When the voices get closer and condense, the words reveal the saliva employed to pronounce them; we feel the mouth and the tongue, but when breath envelops them in sorrow and softens their edges, they sound distant, diffused in the atmosphere, letting go of the body that held them. These two vocal facets oscillate permanently and interact naturally with the fertile assembly of samplers and instruments that develop throughout the album, which condense and disperse impersonating each other, interweaving to search for a specific syntax. Tangled whisperings of enigmatic phrases, timid voices that stick out to check the scene but hide away quickly, shivering trance chants and monastic ambiances, distant screams and clamors in between chaos and warfare swirl until bursting into subtle songs where even Mother Mary comes forth softly. Soothed by foggy atmospheres and crackling punctuations, these voices shape a vulnerable crowd, an occasion of fragility. Along this swarm of songs thrown into thin air, accordions sound like heavy-breathing lungs; clarinets sigh like curtains shaking; violin solos wander around like bees; Gjallarhorns cries distend like fleeing cattle; glockenspiels evoke remote music boxes and inherited toys; backward emanations emerge like slender waves retreating. On the banks of stretching loops and ember textures is where the songs slowly nest, collecting the words to find their tone.

A poem by Jorge Teillier says, "To talk with the dead you have to choose words that they recognize as easily as their hands recognized the fur of their dogs in the dark. To talk with the dead you have to know how to wait: they are fearful like the first steps of a child. But if we are patient one day they will answer us with a flame that suddenly revives in the fireplace." This may be Brannten Schnüre's main purpose: To find the voice to speak to those of whom we were a vision. Not in mourning, but acknowledging the obscure and volatile nature of spring's regenerative force, searching for the treasure of balance, as evidenced in the lyrics of «Requiem für ein Schwalbennest,» "Its nest was destroyed so many times before it was finished, and despite that, the shallow builds as if it is infatuated." The same idea is here in the words of Schmid Noerr, who made poetry an act of resistance to the horror of Nazism; "Since having seen the ability of a brilliant spirit to die, with a calm mouth that everyone saw, health is true again and we affirm it, even if rivers of blood flow." And as we call for the dusk's kindness, waiting to return home and eat with our kin by the stove, our ears become used to the games of the night. We feel like we're rowing on wetlands, while the "moon musick" keeps us vigilant against the slightest movement of water or sweet moan because eeriness here is imperative for survival. Do not succumb to the insipid howl of death, for nothing may last but mutability. You see, the rock has moved a little during the night; the rest is just wind fleeing from the void.

Mint Condition - A record label focused on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics, overlooked gems and never heard before material, mined from the last 30+ years of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London, San Francisco and beyond. Mint Condition have got their digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been in your wants list for years. Dig in!

A serendipitous encounter at an SF record store in the early 90s brought together local music aficionados DJ Dan and Jim Hopkins. Their collaboration birthed the legendary Electroliners project, channeling their shared passion for underground and funky sounds into the iconic left-coast rave anthem, 'Loose Caboose', now firmly nestled in your hands. Pooling their musical prowess, Dan and Jim embarked on a journey of sonic exploration, meticulously crafting their signature sound by dissecting samples and breakbeats, infusing the musical landscape with a revitalizing energy. As their reputation grew within the local scene, they found themselves tasked with supplying a track for a promotional CD-ROM by a burgeoning software company.

Through marathon sessions of digging, slicing, sequencing, and exchanging snippets over phone calls, Electroliners hit their creative stride. It was only natural to unveil their creation in the raw intensity of a live rave setting. Thanks to a connection with DJ DRC, they seized the opportunity, and the rest is history. Copies of the record flew off the shelves by the thousands locally, and its overseas acclaim, spearheaded by licensing through XL Recordings in the UK, cemented its status as a bona fide underground classic. But what exactly is an Electroliner you might ask? Jim sheds light on the inspiration: “I delved into books on trains at the public library,” he reveals. “Among them, 'Electroliner' caught my eye, a train line in the Midwest. Given the track's pulsating train horn, 'Electroliner' and 'Loose Caboose' simply clicked.”

'Loose Caboose' is an all-time classic, and still causes much damage on the dancefloor today. Yet another unmissable addition to the MC reissue catalogue, fully licensed from the artists, mastered and cut by Curve Pusher, and available once again available for purchase. Do not sleep.

Glasgow’s Somewhere Press return with their inaugural vinyl release, a new album from Madelyn Byrd aka Slowfoam. Mining the seam between ecology and technology, Byrd offsets syrupy, dissociated electronics with sparse acoustic instrumentation and expressive field recordings.

The polyrhythmic pulse of the natural world surges through Byrd’s productions, and though the sounds are mostly electronic and strictly metered, a landscape teeming with insects, birds, and wildlife fills the horizon. We’re languidly ushered through the gates on the opening 'Enlightened Smudge on the Machine', juxtaposing glassy tones with flute (from Berlin-based sound artist Diane Barbé) and skittering percussion that could have been lifted straight off Björk’s 'Vespertine'. "No traffic, under the stem," a stoic voice muses while sounds dissolve into waterlogged ambience. There are hints of vintage West Coast new age music, but Byrds' over-arching theme is one of a contemporary digital reality slowly harmonising with its distant, bucolic past.

Field recordist Pablo Diserens provides some of the album's most arcane material, handing over environmental recordings of sulphur pools, Arctic terns and glacial streams. The lengthy 'Divine Morpho, Shimmering' deploys a swarm of insects, forming a looped, uneven rhythm that counters Byrd's pulsing electronics. Choral stems mesh with uncanny strings, blurring the line that separates artificial from organic sound sources. Byrd uses mutation and reconstruction as a form of "speculative melting" to bring us closer to utopia. On 'Like Phantom Memories In The Slinking Storm’, one of the album's most levitational moments, they tease twangy harp-lyre plucks into dubbed-out smudges, eventually given a reprise on 'Grief Rituals' where the same riffs are stretched into slower phrases, queered against giddy, xenharmonic drones.

Bird calls and tremulous exotica mark the brilliant 'Fragrant Dusking', and ‘Soft Body Virisdescence' takes us to a gurgling, kaleidoscopic climax, with electronic processes thrust into the foreground. 'Of Data & Delight' distills all the album’s sonic elements into a sort of delirious fever dream, using pitched animal calls to signal sensuality. It's not ambient, exactly, even if it shares space with the 3XL crew's sludgy eroticism, and it's not wholeheartedly electro-acoustic either. The record exists at a place of convergence, as one era wrestles with a new dawn, and real life glimpses high fantasy.

Parallelle & Nicolas Masseyeff return to Crosstown Rebels to deliver the excellent ‘Surrender’, backed by a remix from Axel Boman. Returning to the iconic imprint following the trio’s stand-out ‘Renegade’ EP in 2023, the new collaborative release, set for release on 10th May 2024, welcomes two hypnotic cuts alongside a slick rework from the Studio Barnhus co-founder.

Three talents with a long-standing and innate musical connection stretching back years, Dutch brother duo Parallelle and French DJ/producer Nicolas Masseyef have been connecting and collaborating to shape a series of lauded projects released via renowned imprints such as DGTL, Systematic, and Masseyef’s own Diversions Music. Reuniting for a second outing on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown
Rebels imprint, following the success of their 2023 debut with the heavily championed ‘Renegade’, the trio return in style with two fresh, original productions backed by an ever-stylish remix from Studio Barnhus co-founder Axel Boman, who returns to deliver his second remix on the label following his debut remixing Dinky in 2016.

The EP’s title track ‘Surrender’ is a rumbling and impactful percussive journey through the darker territories of the night, with skittering synths and echoed vocal interjections adding glimpses of brightness to the otherwise murky sound. Meanwhile, ‘She Says’ keeps the playful vocal elements front and centre, introducing warping melodies and dub-tinged textures. Providing his flip on the latter, Boman’s take on ‘She Says’ is classy and engaging from the off, stripping the track back to expose a raw yet polished interpretation while drawing on hazy pads, eerie tones and sweeping atmospherics for a wonky and trippy excursion.

Born in 1977, in Malang, East Java, Wukir Suryadi began playing music for theatre at the age of 12 with the Idiot The-ater Studio, and later with the Rendra Theater Workshop. In his solo work, and as a member of Senyawa, Error Scream, Bendera Hitam Setengah, Potro Joyo and other groups, Wukir breaks the boundaries of traditional music, death metal and avant-garde performance. On this new release, “Cycle and Prayer,” recorded in 2023, he expands the edges of his unique artistic world further, by digging in to meditative improvisation, art, and community building in his home workshop in the mountains of central Java. These recordings vibrate inwards, toward the microcosmic ecologies of forests and rivers; they distort outwards, resonating with global waves of apocalyptic change that are forcing all living beings to the edges of existence on earth. The result is a meditative poem that moves, as its titles an-nounce, from phenomena to phenomena, praying that humans find a way out from the depths of the depths to the light that illuminates the soul.
An essential mode of creative work for Wukir is the creation of unique instruments, using these sound sources as “bullets of expression.” In addition to the spear-like tube zither Bambu Wukir, he has created the Solet, Enthong, Garu, Luku, Arrows, and Industrial Mutant instruments, which in addition to being used in live performance, have been exhibited in the Instrument Builders Project and the 2017 Jakarta Biennale. In the past few years, Wukir has begun to collaborate with local guitar makers, carpenters, and suppliers of native endemic wood in the mountain region of Salatiga. Using earthen bricks along with local woods (suren, coconut, mindi, and waru lengis) as building materials, he constructed a new studio and workshop space in Tingkir, where this album was made. The trees, water and air of the local environment have exerted a powerful influence in Wukir’s documentations of instrumental sound. On this recording, he uses the simple Cetta guitar, an instrument designed in Bali and made for Indonesian children and local communities of folk and popular musicians, in order to explore the different sonic characteristics of a more “normal” instrument built from local wood.
The themes of the album -- cycle and prayer -- arise from a foreboding series of meta-events that shook Indonesia and the world over the past years, following one after the other: the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian-Russian war, the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy in which football supporters were gassed and killed by police, revelations of govern-ment failures and corruption, the rise of personal vehicles, the increasing disturbance of natural patterns of the rainy season and other ecological cycles. “In these waves of technology and narratives of truth made for certain interests, playing a sound at a certain frequency and repeating can try to bring images and feelings to a certain point of con-sciousness,” Wukir told me. “Sound is a prayer that creates a change, whether gradual or rapid, in the behaviour of living things, to face the demands of the time, as humans struggle to live according to what they believe.” The draw-ings and sketches used for the cover spontaneously emerged alongside the recordings, as an instinctive depiction of “time and sound, nature that is outside of oneself, and nature that is within.”

Kerri Chandler, Dennis Quin and Troy Denari join forces to deliver ‘You Are In My System', a modern take on the iconic 1998 ‘You’re In My System’.

The original mix of ‘You’re In My System’ has been a staple for many in House music DJ sets for the past twenty-five years, a record that perfectly encapsulates the soul of House and Kerri’s distinctive sound. Here we see Kerri Chandler put a contemporary twist on this celebrated cut from his back catalogue, this time collaborating again with vocalist Troy Denari and Dutch artist Dennis Quin, who’s delivered numerous hits on Kerri’s Madhouse imprint such as ‘Move Out Of My Way’ and the last collaboration between the three, ‘Be Strong’.

Here the three artists collaborated to rework and replay the entire composition and create this new 2023 version, Kerri and Dennis using the same hardware used in the original composition and singer/songwriter Troy Denari, lends his vocals to this new version of the track, reimagining the vocals of Mic Murphy to capture the essence and spirit of the 1980's hit by American Synthpop band The System.

Throughout 'You Are In My System' Kerri Chandler’s signature soulful keys, bouncy bass line and dynamic synth work ebbs and flows amongst Dennis Quin's sturdy, swinging and crisp drum style while Troy Denari's refreshed vocals then bring a modern soul and warmth to things, resulting in the dynamic future classic presented here, destined to work its way onto many late summer dancefloors and beyond. Dennis Quin also offers up his 'DQ Dub' for a more raw groove focused fix.

Antal plays the Extended Club Mix at Dekmantel Selectors


Early DJ Support:

Antal - even more effective for nowadays attention span!
Hector Romero - Very nice job on this one. On it.
Domenic Cappello - Still a great tune and love these versions
Sasha - very cool
Massimiliano Pagliara - All time favourite!

Portland based act Dancing Plague has been a steady presence in the dark/cold electronic music scene for quite a few years now.

Since 2016 Conor Knowles’ solo project has been putting out one constant flow of independent releases on multiple formats such as vinyl LPs, EPs, tapes and CDs, creating one sonic palette rich with Ebm, goth, industrial and synth influences.

On their 5th studio album, Dancing Plague continues to flesh out and perfect their unique brand of crushing darkwave.

Elogium explores themes of loss, regret, rebirth and growth coupled with throbbing basslines, rave synths, and pounding drums. Knowles balances aggressive waves of electronics with enough pop sensibilities and catchy hooks to be inviting to those new to the genre.

His skills can be clearly appreciated on tracks like the first single Fading Forms which explores the somber feeling of the years passing you by. Knowles’ emotive baritone crooning paints a melancholic picture of the slow fading of time as you feel like you’re fading with it. The words fall like snow onto cold fields of pulsing 80s synths and pounding drum machine rhythms that bring forth nostalgic familiarity but feel fresh at the same time.

Fans of classic icons such as Depeche Mode, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails as well as contemporary torchbearers Cold Cave and Kontravoid do not sleep on this.
Plenty of disturbing beauty to be found in the depths of the underground

As mood changers go, this track is up there with the best. Last year whilst DJing with miche at Shapes festival in the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, a breathtaking yet ominous Alpine sky suddenly became a picture postcard moment. The clouds parted and a double rainbow formed, as miche dropped Studio Rio's bossa nova remake of Bill Withers’ all-time classic 'Lovely Day'. From there, the dancefloor shifted gears and morphed into full-swing feel-good vibes, in a beautiful, spontaneous moment nobody could have planned for.

Mr Bongo now proudly presents a reissue of this brilliant, bossa-channelling Bill Withers reinterpretation from Studio Rio’s 2014 release ‘The Brazil Connection’. Masterminded by the German Grammy award-winning Berman Brothers, the project was born out of their deep love of Brazilian music. “Our goal was to bring the Brazilian joie de vivre to iconic performances by well-known artists. What would these classic songs sound like had they been recorded in the studios of Rio de Janeiro in the first place, with the best Brazilian musicians and arrangers?” the brothers reflect.

Capturing the life force of Brazil, the beating heart that is its music, they set out to find the musicians who would fit best with their concept. Landing in Rio in 2013 a series of coincidences led to them being introduced to their idols Marcos Valle and Roberto Menescal, who both agreed to come on board. The Berman Brothers also wanted to find some of the musicians who recorded with one of Brazil’s most influential composers Tom Jobim. “Fifty years after Jobim made the music that really defines bossa nova, we found that many of his sidemen were still active, including Paulo Braga of Jobim’s famed rhythm section. It was magic; everything just fell into place.”

There's no question that the original of ‘Lovely Day’ is up there as one of the most feel-good, spirit-lifting anthems of all time. Here the brothers, with the help of a whole host of Brazil’s finest musicians, rework Bill’s soul-fuelled groove into a bossa nova slice of sunshine. With the blessing of Bill and Sony, they were given access to the original multitracks so they could incorporate Bill’s vocals perfectly into the new arrangement.

Joy-injected horns and bouncing double bass blend with the smile-inducing samba flavour of Pretinho da Serrinha’s cavaquinho playing. Tying it all together Torcuato Marinao who worked with the likes of Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, completes the line-up as arranger of the songs.

The perfect end-of-the-night track, mood lifter or soul warmer, remakes don’t get much better than this.

Warehouse Find! - Test Pressing!

It seems like ages since we last had Roberto Rodriguez on the label with his excellent Be Somebody back in 2008, so we're plenty happy to welcome him back for a long overdue follow up. Roberto clearly hasn't just been sitting on his arse the last 4 years however, having established the Serenades label which released his own LP Dawn last year, as well as putting out the killer Thinking Of You release on Fina plus numerous remixes for rock solid labels such as Let's Play House, On The Prowl, Moodmusic and 2020 Vision. Those familiar with Roberto's productions and credentials will know he has a fine ear for disco and 90's house born out of years collecting records and DJing in the best clubs in his native Helsinki.
Kicking off with Dance Like Nobody's Watching, we see Roberto tread confidently into pure, unadulterated retro house territory with NJ organ stabs, swinging 909 drum groove and choice vocal hits.
Oxymoron keeps things a little deeper with tracky filtering chords and driving drums resulting in a garage-influenced feel with bucket loads of raw attitude.
Finally we have The Black Madonna on board for a remix of the title track. The Chicago producer impressed us recently with her brilliant disco-infused tracks on Stripped & Chewed and Home Taping labels and thought her the perfect choice to contribute to the release. Here she delivers a lesson in stripped back Chicago warehouse vibes keeping everything to a bare minimum for maximum club bump. Kick, claps and piano stabs form the basic groove as she confidently develops the arrangement slowly and surely.

Warehouse Find!

Seems like something's going on across the pond at the moment with seemingly blossoming, or at least rejuvenated scenes in the United States and Canada. Our last handful of releases on Freerange have included artists from Montreal, Tujuana, Pittsburgh and Chicago and we're about to add Los Angeles to the list with this new one from Justin Jay and Ulf Bonde. The young producers have been steadily building steam with a number of fine releases the last couple of years
and we welcome them to Freerange for their debut EP entitled Indecision. The title track sets the mood with a low-slung, super-deep house groove complete
with an intimate vocal and a charming simplicity which contributes to the powerful end result. Elements come into focus then disappear in a fog of reverb whilst playful guitar picks add a live jammed feel to the loping groove giving things a Bob Moses/Francis Harris kind of vibe. Next up is Justin's own Dub version which steers a similar course but focuses on
a more floor-friendly arrangement and minimal vocals.
Flipping over we have Giegling and White regular Edward taking the reigns and working his magic on an incredible, epic remix of Indecision. Those who follow his every move as we do here at Freerange might have some idea of what to expect.
The result is a glorious, almost ten minute long fusion of ambient, dub techno and deep, sub-aquatic house to lose your marbles to. It's fairly pointless trying to describe the delicate twists, turns and subtle details that make up this piece, suffice to say, it's the kind of track that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Closing the digital release we have a bonus track in the form of I See You. Once again, Justin and Ulf have created a heady mix of delicate vocals, dubby atmospherics and a crisp beats which drive the groove along perfectly.

Freerange welcomes Italian via Berlin producer/DJ/label boss Enzo Elia for his debut on the label entitled The Lost Guitar Tapes. Enzo is someone who has been releasing consistently great music for many years, although
often hidden behind a myriad of pseudonyms and underground imprints. For starters he's responsible for a mysterious yet established and very excellent edits label as well as being a member of Balearic Gabba Sound System alongside Bjorn Torske amongst others. Following the philosophy of this collective, Enzo is also producing lovingly and respectfully created re-edits of long lost techno and house tracks as well as many new tunes
for influential labels including Golf Channel and Compost.
But for now we turn to The Lost Guitar Tapes and specifically the original mix of Drifting which opens up the release with a brilliant tension builder. A rolling bassline, crisp minimal drums and a subtly Middle Eastern-influenced melodic line give just a hint of mysticism to this jewel of a track.
For the remix we have none other than the Tel Aviv via Berlin producer Moscoman, fresh from his brilliant debut LP on ESP Institute and releases on Eskimo and his own Disco Halal label. Moscoman's organic, percussion- heavy sound and Middle Eastern roots make him the perfect choice to take
on Drifting and we couldn't have wished for a better outcome. He manages to inject his own identity to the track with newly recorded live guitar and bass parts and taking in elements of techno, new wave and house, he's created a sublime piece of dancefloor drama. Finally we have an alternate Dub version which lays down a firmer four on the floor, extra percussion and dubby stabs for a more driving atmospheric club tool.

Warehouse Find!

Red D is back for a follow up to his brilliant Chez EP which dropped last year and this time he's going for the jugular! The man responsible for
some of the finest house music of the last decade as FCL (with San Soda) and FCL vs VFB (with Motor City Drum Ensemble) knows a thing or two about
what makes the dancefloor lose its s**t, with tracks such as Let's Go Seven, It's You and Can We Try all testament to this.
When he's not DJing at the likes of Panorama Bar or hosting his own stage at Tomorrowland, Red D can be found running his own mighty fine We Play House label from his Ghent HQ.
Moan The Mania opens this release in suitably back to the raw fashion! A minimal drum machine groove and clipped bassline lay the foundations of this tribute to all things jacking with a sprinkling of porno groans to help you on your way. This is sleazy machine funk at it's very best. Next up we have a remix from Eli Escobar, the native New Yorker who has recently been making major waves following the release of his LP Happiness on Classic.
As someone who has remixed the likes of Lana Del Rey, Kim Ann Foxman, Honey Dijon and Holy Ghost we knew he'd be the man to take Red D's baton and run with it.
Keeping the overall vibe of the original intact
Eli cranks the energy further with additional in your face percussion parts and a couple of perfectly placed build ups. Flipping over we have Chase The Cat which takes a similarly stripped-back and minimal approach as Moan The Mania but goes heavier on the 707 beats. Finally we have Dusk Or Dawn closing the release with a deeper mood.
Simple FM synth stabs and glassy chimes provide a tender and naive-sounding counterpoint to the basic beats.
Red D proving once again that limiting your tools and not over-complicating things can often have so much more impact when it comes to house music.

Warehouse Find!

Jimpster serves up the first single entitled Crave from ahead of his forthcoming Silent Stars LP complete with remixes from Atjazz and Flabaire.In its original form Crave, which features the vocals from hotly-tipped Londoner Florence Rawlings, is an emotionally charged electronic torch song guaranteed to get inside your head from the very first listen. The spacey chords and punctuating string stabs bring hints of the 80's to mind whilst Florence's gentle vocal floats in the air like a fresh sea breeze. In addition to the mesmerizing original we present two brilliant and contrasting remixes from one of the UK's legendary producers Atjazz as well as Paris' rising star Flabaire whose D.KO Records has been dropping gem after gem since 2013. Atjazz spins Crave into outerspace with a fat, driving groove and twisted sonics making for an incredibly deep and forward-looking slice of aural gold. In contrast, Flabaire looks back to the early 00's for his classic soulful house rework which calls to mind the sounds of Spinna and vintage Naked Music. Closing the release we have another original track entitled Where You Are featuring Berlin based US native Khalil Anthony. Here we find Jimpster doing what he does best, creating a sublime late night club track with his deft musical touch making this one that will stand out in the crowd.

“Suddenly it’s ok to be a square” - Twelve Cubic Feet, a clear case of a band which should have been bigger than The Beatles but, for some malignant reason, became a blurry footnote in the history of underground music. Formed from the ashes of Exhibit A in the Spring of 1981, the band disappeared leaving no trace shortly after 1983. During their brief existence they released a series of stickers, a monthly newsletter, two cassette tapes and their incomparable ‘Straight Out Of The Fridge 10”, which was at the very top of our dream records to release since we started Sealed Records. Twelve Cubic Feet released this perfect 22 minute 7 track album in 1982 on Namedrop Records (home to Doof, Philip Johnson and Cold War and ran by Philip Johnson and 12CF guitarist Paul Platypus). It is a glorious scratchy DIY indie pop gem with a post punk spirit. The sound is naive and fragile yet very addictive. Based around jangly clean guitars, drums that are on the edge of falling apart, haunting keyboards and a female vocalist that has a knack for a golden pop hook. Hard not to fall in love with. It’s beautiful with a ragged charm that deserves to be heard by the masses. Anarcho Indie pop anyone?? The band played a lot of the anarcho punk haunts of the early 80’s - Autonomy Centre in Wapping, Centro Iberico and London Music Collective and were equally heralded by punks (Andy Martin from The Apostles released one of their tapes) and the DIY music crowd. The line up changed after the 10” and they recorded a Joe Foster produced demo and fell in with Alan McGee's Communication Club crowd. Twelve Cubic Feet burned bright for just a handful of years and now it’s time to burn bright again. Hopefully this reissue will help them reverse one of their sticker statements “today we’re nobodies but tomorrow you’ll know who we are”. This reissue comes with the 16 page booklet that came with the original 10". Twelve Cubic Feet feature members who did time in bands such as Khmer Rouge, The Reflections, Solid Space, Doof and What Is Oil? Amongst others. For fans of the Marine Girls, Girls at our Best, Hornsey At War, Swell Maps and Postcard Records

Mammoth Penguins are a 3-piece indie powerhouse, showcasing the songwriting and vocal talents of Emma Kupa (Standard Fare) backed up by the noisiest rhythm section in indie pop. May 2024 sees the release of their fourth album Here on Fika Recordings. After 2019’s big, bold and confident There’s No Fight We Can’t Both Win, and the initial shock of the global pandemic cancelling a trip to SXSW in 2020, the band returned to the studio in the summer of 2021 to start recording. The new record leans into a raw pop-punk power-trio sound more than ever, with a deep growl in layered guitars and bursts of percussion and harmony. The songs and artwork explore themes about finding a place for yourself and familiarity with people and places. Although it turns back towards a classic three-piece sound, the band weren’t restricted by that palette, adding finishing touches of percussion, extra guitars and backing vocals in short bursts in a garden shed, and also bringing in gorgeous strings to sweeten the title track. The sound builds on the band’s first album, Hide and Seek, which was released with the much-loved and sorely missed Fortuna POP! in 2015. The follow-up LP John Doe in 2017 was an ambitious concept album, exploring the feelings of loss and anger at a man who fakes his own death only to return years later, expanding well beyond the 3-piece rock‘n’roll template, with washes of strings, synths and samples. The ‘Penguins have been smashing it at some high-profile support slots in the lead up to this album release, including at Allo Darlin’s joyous reunion at Islington Assembly Hall (Oct 2023) and Muncie Girls last ever London show (Dec 2023). They play the Leicester Indiepop all-dayer and Wales Goes Pop in March, before heading out on tour in support of the new album in May. Those big singalong choruses need your voice shouting back from the crowd with joy and defiance. Mammoth Penguins are Emma Kupa (guitar, vocals), Mark Boxall (bass, vocals) and Tom Barden (drums, vocals). Reminiscent of the pop melodies of The Beths, the indie dissonance of Land of Talk, and the guitar forward slacker rock of Weezer, Mammoth Penguins marry heart-ache indiepop with spiky guitars and Emma’s frank confessional songwriting. “wonderfully awkward indie pop with a literate flair, sounding a lot like a Weezer record or even a more feminine Wedding Present” Clash // “eminently relatable earworms” Brooklyn Vegan // “one of the finest examples of simple and true indie rock around” All Music // “her characterful voice still carrying masses of charm and the messier, grungey approach bringing a strength all of its own, aided by a clutch of cheerful hooks and riffs that contrast nicely with lyrics dealing mostly with heartbreak and misery” Drowned In Sound

Released in 1969, Bull Of The Woods is the 3rd and final studio album from the 13th Floor Elevators. They are the
first band to call their music psychedelic and are known for their innovative use of the electric pitcher. The original
vinyl has long been sold out and unavailable.

The opening line of Emily Dickinson’s short poem ‘‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers’ inspired the central image of Emily Barker’s new single ‘Feathered Thing’, written while she navigated cumulative grief.

When Barker was first introduced to producer Luke Potashnick (Gabrielle Aplin, Jack Savoretti, Katie Melua) in May 2022, she brought with her a full album’s worth of songs. But after visiting Potashnick’s storied studio, The Wool Hall and hearing his ambitious production ideas, she was inspired to write one more song.

“I also needed to process some heavy news” she comments. Barker and her husband Lukas Drinkwater had been trying to start a family. Following a couple of failed IVF cycles (and other “starts that we’d lost”), they investigated adoption and had decided to relocate to Australia to be closer to Barker’s family.

“It felt like we couldn’t work out what we wanted, but we finally reached a point where we both felt at peace with not having kids,” Barker recalls. “It had been an incredibly intense time, coinciding with a house move and the pandemic.”

And then Barker found she was pregnant. “We’d done all these things to try to make it happen, and then it happened naturally (and against all biological odds). Having previously navigated losses throughout our pregnancy journey, we now had to get our heads around what having this new person in our lives might look like - emotionally and practically.”

Soon after work began on the album, Barker had a miscarriage.

“Songwriting has always been a way of processing throughout my life.” Barker reveals how the new song came quickly as she sat at her piano at home. She shared an early version with Potashnick and remembers him politely asking, “Do you mind telling me what this is about?”

“I think I’d left it too abstract, initially,” she reflects. “It was difficult to open up about the miscarriage, but Luke was very supportive and encouraged me to dig a little deeper without necessarily being specific. I revisited the lyrics, and the result is much stronger.”

“I went to the burnt-out woods/ A tourist with some damaged goods/ Remembered how the trees withstood fires before…”

“The opening line is a metaphor for knowing that I’ll get through this,” Barker clarifies. “It’s about recovery and hope, allowing yourself both the space to grieve and permission to move on”. But Barker’s optimism is never misplaced – she knows the imprint of imagined futures and lost children are carried in hearts and minds forever:

“It’s so hard to let go, wanted to know wanted to know you …”

“I think that it's important to share and normalise these stories, which are all too common, yet not openly spoken about. People hide their pain and don’t want to burden friends and family. I think behind all this anguish, there’s a deep, often untold story.”

Now that Barker is settled back in Western Australia, she’s embracing being an auntie. “I’ve got three younger siblings over here who I’m close to, and they all have kids,” she enthuses. “I look after my brother's kids, aged two and five, one morning a week.”

Recorded - along with the entirety of the new album - at The Wool Hall, ‘Feathered Thing’ begins gently, with oscillating piano and distant drums, until the arrangement gradually transforms into an instrumental dervish of vibrant strings, bass drones and cymbal crashes. Throughout, Barker’s vocals float tantalisingly like a slipstreaming feather.

Watch the video, filmed at The Wool Hall here. The Wool Hall is a studio in Beckington, Somerset, set up by Tears for Fears in the 1980s and used by artists including The Smiths, Pretenders, Joni Mitchell and many more.

Emily Barker is an award-winning singer-songwriter, best known as the writer and performer of the theme to the hugely successful BBC crime drama ‘Wallander’ starring Kenneth Branagh.

Her last album, 2020's ‘A Dark Murmuration of Words’, was produced by Greg Freeman and recorded at StudiOwz, a converted chapel in the Welsh countryside. Lyrically probing, by turns both dark and optimistic, Barker searches for meaning through the deafening clamour of fake news and algorithmically filtered conversation, delivering a timely exploration of the grand themes of our age. It garnered widespread acclaim, with Uncut calling it “…a kind of Australian equivalent of PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake”.

Barker has released music and toured as a solo artist as well as with various bands and collaborations, most notably her long association with Frank Turner, and has written for TV and film, including composing the soundtrack for Jake Gavin’s lauded debut feature ‘Hector’ starring Peter Mullan and Keith Allen.

‘Fragile as Humans’ is scheduled for release on May 3rd 2024 through Everyone Sang/Kartel Music Group. The album will also feature earlier singles: the vast, cinematic ‘Wild to be Sharing This Moment’ and the meditative, crestfallen ‘Loneliness’.

Sonic Behavior by Driftmachine & Ammer is an album exploring the origins of sound, noise, and various music genres. Alongside lyrical declarations of love for noise ("Song To Noise"), the album delves into sonic reflections on how beauty and emotion emerge from mundane vibrations in the air ("The Siren Is A Simple Device"). For the first time, the analog sound researchers of Driftmachine (Andreas Gerth, Florian Zimmer) incorporate spoken language and noise into their sound research. They have collaborated with word and sound artist Andreas Ammer, renowned for his radio plays with Acid Pauli, aka Console ("Spaceman 85"), or FM Einheit ("Radio Inferno," "Symphony of Sirens").

In "The Siren Is A Simple Device," the words are spoken by 81-year-old musician and poet legend Ted Milton (Blurt, Loopspool). Despite its simplicity and obvious ability to produce high volumes, the siren has led a marginal existence as a musical instrument. Yet, it is capable of evoking the most intense emotional states in the listener in the shortest possible time, like almost no other sound-producing mechanism. "Sonic Behavior" capitalizes on this fact. The familiar hypnotic sounds of Driftmachine are accompanied by a siren organ inspired by the revolutionary Russian futurist Arsenij Avranov and built by Andreas Ammer, while the lyrics talk about the simple physical reasons behind the sound chaos that has just been unleashed: A siren ... chops the air into sound.

The core of the album is "Song To Noise," an electro-acoustic mini-symphony about the beauties of noise and all its producers, which is based on a poem by the British poet Deryn Rees-Jones and spoken by the poet herself and Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten, Hackedepicciotto). Driftmachine & Ammer develop a soundtrack that is as powerful as it is loud and danceable (which is why the LP also includes a textless version of the composition).

"Sonic Sculpture" is the zenith of the work: a text/music track spoken by Ted Milton, which creates the possibility of a sound sculpture that encompasses the universe: What if one could imagine the infernal sound that encompasses all conceivable harmonies at the same time? A piano does when you throw it down an earthly staircase (the epitome of music is a piano falling down the stairs) through silent space to the next theoretically life-filled, Earth-like planet, Proxima Centauri B. The radio makes it possible. Driftmachine & Ammer tried it. The result will be heard there in 4.24 light-years. On planet Earth, the time has come on May 2, 2024. On this day, Sonic Behavior will be released, a conceptual album by Driftmachine & Ammer exploring sound, its creation, and its power.

Warehouse Find! Test Pressing

Pattern Select aka Milton Jackson and Show-B have gone well and truly back to the raw on this, their first collaborative work together and debut EP for Delusions Of Grandeur. Both producers have been busy on some top quality projects just recently with Milton Jackson remixing Recloose for Planet E and Show B producing for Robert Owens on Compost. The pair met at a party in Munich, promptly fell in love, and soon enough Pattern Select was born.

Kicking off Tale Of The Tape sees the pair go deep n dark on this low-slung groove where demonic laughter rides the driving hats and insesant crashes until the filtering arpeggiated synth line joins the fun. Tale Of The Dub gives us a stripped back, dub-infused version which goes a little lighter on the craziness of the first version but without losing any of the deep, hypnotic funk.

Cottam is a producer who will need little introduction seeing as he's been getting hyped from all corners of the electronic scene following a series of untitled vinyl only EP's on his own Cottam label. Brilliant releases on Story and Use Of Weapons followed, and now we're very happy to have him bring his own unique take on house music here on this remix of Tale Of The Tape.

Finally, another original entitled Matrix drops the bpm's further for a lazy, hazy, hiphop inspired jam with deep atmospherics and simple rolling groove.

Holland, Dozier and Holland are arguably the greatest songwriters ever. More prolific than Lennon and McCartney, they shaped “the Sound of Young America” and propelled the Motown sound in the mid-1960s into a creative stratosphere unmatched by any other independent music label. Their trademark catchy teenage love songs were delivered energetically by previously unknown Detroit groups like The Supremes, the Four Tops, Martha & the Vandellas & Marvin Gaye. Although synonymous with Berry Gordy’s Motown, it was their departure from Motown after a stand-off strike in 1967 and a brutal legal battle that led them to run their own group of labels, Invictus, Hot Wax and Music Merchant. This compilation is a definitive look at this period in history, exploring how H-D-H, under a new guise ‘The Creative Corporation’, drove the next generation of soul music in a myriad of different ways, towards funk, underground disco and jazz. Featuring 55 tracks, this collection documents HDH’s creativity and growth over this seminal 8 year period. During this time the trio developed new artists to rival Motown’s success such as Chairman Of The Board, Freda Payne, Honey Cone, Glass House, Flaming Ember, 8th Day, Laura Lee & Eloise Laws. The collection is complete with a detailed depiction of this period in history by award winning author Stuart Cosgrove who wrote the Soul Trilogy, a series of books on soul music and social change - Detroit 67: the Year That Changed Soul, Memphis 68: The Tragedy of Southern Soul which won the Penderyn Prize, as Music Book of the Year in 2018, and Harlem 69: the Future of Soul. Stuart’s notes detail the relationship with Motown in the final days, the immediate fall out after the trio left Motown and the creation of the new labels Hot Wax, Invictus & Music Merchant

Nach zwei von der Kritik hochgelobten Alben, zahlreichen Mini-LPs, EPs und Singles kehrt das Londoner Trio Girls In Synthesis mit seinem neuen Statement, dem dritten Album "Sublimation", zurück. Wenn du dachtest, du kennst GIS bereits, dann irrst Du Dich diesmal vielleicht.GIS gehen weiter und haben eine düstere und intensive, aber dennoch melodische Sammlung von Tracks erschaffen, ihre Interpretation einer kantigen Pop-Platte. Der Opener 'Lights Out' besteht aus zwei Teilen; der erste ist ein Barrett-eskes Gesangs- und Gitarren-Lamento über Schlafmangel, das über eine von 'Faust Tapes' beeinflusste Freeform-Noise-Sektion in einen stampfenden, hochintensiven Showdown übergeht. In Songs wie "Deceit", "We Are Here" und "Picking Things Out Of The Air" zeigt sich die Gruppe von ihrer melodischsten Seite, indem sie einige der chaotischen Noise-Elemente ihres charakteristischen Sounds auf ein Minimum reduziert und leidenschaftliche, schwebende Vocals und Keyboard-Melodien in den Vordergrund stellt. Ihr Markenzeichen, das treibende Schlagzeug und der Bass, ist besonders bei den Stücken "I Judge Myself" und "Corrupting Memories" zu hören, wird aber durch intensive, vom frühen Gothic beeinflusste Keyboardlinien ergänzt, die Einflüsse aus den späten 1970ern/frühen 1980ern mit der zeitgenössischen GIS-Intensität in Einklang bringen. Die langsam sich steigernden Tracks 'I Was Never There' und 'The Prefix' bauen mit spärlichen Arrangements und kreisenden, spiralförmigen Outros Spannung und Atmosphäre auf, während die Band im abschließenden 'A Damning Lesson' zu ihrer intensiven, knüppelnden Soundwand zurückkehrt, nur um sie in eine verschwommene, hallende Drum-Machine zu schicken, die an die frühen Arbeiten von Cabaret Voltaire erinnert. Nächstes Kapitel, nächstes Level für GIS!

Nach zwei von der Kritik hochgelobten Alben, zahlreichen Mini-LPs, EPs und Singles kehrt das Londoner Trio Girls In Synthesis mit seinem neuen Statement, dem dritten Album "Sublimation", zurück. Wenn du dachtest, du kennst GIS bereits, dann irrst Du Dich diesmal vielleicht.GIS gehen weiter und haben eine düstere und intensive, aber dennoch melodische Sammlung von Tracks erschaffen, ihre Interpretation einer kantigen Pop-Platte. Der Opener 'Lights Out' besteht aus zwei Teilen; der erste ist ein Barrett-eskes Gesangs- und Gitarren-Lamento über Schlafmangel, das über eine von 'Faust Tapes' beeinflusste Freeform-Noise-Sektion in einen stampfenden, hochintensiven Showdown übergeht. In Songs wie "Deceit", "We Are Here" und "Picking Things Out Of The Air" zeigt sich die Gruppe von ihrer melodischsten Seite, indem sie einige der chaotischen Noise-Elemente ihres charakteristischen Sounds auf ein Minimum reduziert und leidenschaftliche, schwebende Vocals und Keyboard-Melodien in den Vordergrund stellt. Ihr Markenzeichen, das treibende Schlagzeug und der Bass, ist besonders bei den Stücken "I Judge Myself" und "Corrupting Memories" zu hören, wird aber durch intensive, vom frühen Gothic beeinflusste Keyboardlinien ergänzt, die Einflüsse aus den späten 1970ern/frühen 1980ern mit der zeitgenössischen GIS-Intensität in Einklang bringen. Die langsam sich steigernden Tracks 'I Was Never There' und 'The Prefix' bauen mit spärlichen Arrangements und kreisenden, spiralförmigen Outros Spannung und Atmosphäre auf, während die Band im abschließenden 'A Damning Lesson' zu ihrer intensiven, knüppelnden Soundwand zurückkehrt, nur um sie in eine verschwommene, hallende Drum-Machine zu schicken, die an die frühen Arbeiten von Cabaret Voltaire erinnert. Nächstes Kapitel, nächstes Level für GIS!

On a cold December's night, we packed the Paradiso in Amsterdam, ending our tour in glorious fashion. This night felt like a homecoming show, marking my seventh time headlining the "pop temple". The "creme de la crème" line up included one of my oldest friends Marnix. Slider returned on keys for this tour, having been a crucial member of our musical family for years. We brought out the big guns for these shows, having a crazy variety of classic keys on stage. These included an electric grand, clavinet, multiple synths and multiple electric pianos. Needless to say, the stage was pretty full! Willem being the powerhouse he is, raised the bar as usual. An amazing drummer and an amazing singer! Last but not least, returning to Paradiso with Xander felt incredible. Him and I have been doing this even before I descended down to earth and became Jett Rebel. All of us are friends and being on stage with these people is a privilege and a blessing. You'll be able to hear the crowd's excitement in the way we play. My primary goal was to make it feel like you were actually there. I live for this...

It was the summer of 1996 in London. Rat Scabies had his studio 'The Arch' underneath Kew Bridge, in which various projects were recorded. At some point, Rat (The Damned), Derwood Andrews (Generation X) and Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) drifted in to rehearse and write songs to record an album. Pretty soon they were ready to start recording, but they didn't have a singer. They called upon an old friend Gary Twinn (20 Flight Rockers), who flew in on the red eye from Los Angeles and immediately started recording. It may have been a good idea to give Gary time to get over the jet lag, and write some more songs. But Gary's lyrics were working well and it was sounding so good they started laying down the tracks. A day or so later, Martin Lee Stephenson, a young hot mixer came down to the Arches and mixed the seven tracks that were recorded. The plan was to do a few more songs and have a finished album. Gary went back to the west coast and started booking shows. It was all looking good, and it was fun. Then Glen called to say the Pistols had offered him to reform with a world tour called Filthy Lucre, and he'd be doing that for the next six months at least. So, Dead Horse was truly dead, and the whole idea was abandoned. These tapes have been on the shelf for almost 30 years. These tapes are being released in the interest of music history, and the fact that they were never quite finished shouldn't matter to anyone. The quality of the people involved shines through.

Limted version on 2LP transparent violet vinyl in gatefold sleeve, 300 copies! ‘Lefto presents Jazz Cats' is back with volume 3 and still doing what it does best: putting you in the front row of what the thriving Belgian jazz scene currently has to offer and revealing a melting pot of the musical talent.



'Lefto presents Jazz Cats' is back with volume 3 and still doing what it does best: putting you in the front row of what the thriving Belgian jazz scene currently has to offer and revealing a melting pot of the musical talent coming out one of the smallest countries in Europe. Never change a winning team they say, so we're happy to have Belgian DJ and eclectic connoisseur Lefto on board again.

Although you expect thecompilation to be talking jazz, volume 3 explores a broader array of styles, genres, and sounds than ever before, arriving at a point where the 'young cats' of today don't bother no more. It may focus on the Belgian scene, but let's face it, seeing the influences, this one could be compiled from all over the world. From the empowering and bittersweet voices of Oriana Ikomo and Adja, over the more acoustic-electronic productions of Moodprint, Ciao Kennedy, Kassius and echofarmer. It's even expanding the Jazz Cats universe to dub and bass-heavy tracks with Kin Gajo and Le Ministère, Ethio-jazz from Azmari, while sending you back to earth with bodies' swirling sax and drums. That saxophone still rings in your ears when you end up in the orbit of the march-like drums of Bodem, Orson Claeys' piano testing your ability to follow him, slamming the breaks to go smooth cruisin' with HONEY (Morricone meets Khruangbin, anyone?), to crashing in a raging tempo on that last track of Bruno x Soet x Moene. And there you are, back with us.



2018's 'Lefto presents Jazz Cats' included tracks from some of Belgium's biggest hitters, including Black Flower, STUFF. De Beren Gieren and Glass Museum who have all gone on to receive global acclaim. The album was given the accolade of 'Album of the Week' on Worldwide FM and also received further radio support from Jazz FM in addition to numerous glowing reviews. The 2022 follow-up 'Jazz Cats volume 2' paved the way for a new generation inspired by its peers, entering another era of very talented individuals and collectives. Maybe even more so than 4 years before. It uncovered a beautiful balance of more established but also obscure musicians and artists. Opening up to electronics and dance, enter bands like ECHT!, Stellar Legions and TUKAN. Thrilling innovative soundscape grooves and jazz fusion with Bandler Ching and L?p?GangGang, not to forget about the weaving musical odyssey that is M.CHUZI. In addition, there's the balanced unease of One Frame Movement, the laidback 'acoustic electronica' of Boombox Experiments, the classic funky jazz stylings of Cargo Mas and cinematic The Brums, all of these have set volume 2 on the map as an essential release for any jazzhead with a passion for new sounds.

Tastemaker, selector, curator, DJ and producer, these words often get mentioned when Lefto's name pops up in discussions. And rightly so. If you've ever had the pleasure to listen to one of his incredible Boiler Room sets or one of his many radio shows, you'll know why. Famed for his gloriously eclectic taste on the decks, he switches effortlessly between hip hop, funk, breaks, neck-snapping beats, future bass, South-American influences, bruk riddims, some wild African rhythms and of course, jazz.

Growing up as a child, his father would have the sounds of jazz flowing through the speakers. Which led him to bars around town to hear the latest jazz ensembles. Falling in love with the genre, he would later refine his knack for record digging and fine ear for music working at Belgium's legendary Music Mania record store in his hometown Brussels. Which makes that Lefto is consistently a couple steps ahead. He doesn't wait for the next thing to land in his lap, but actively seeking it out.

Lefto on Jazz Cats volume 3:
"Another release in less than two years! I am very impressed by the amount of creative "jazz" talent we've managed to compile over the last couple of years. Thanks to the internet, young musicians find inspiration from around the globe and incorporate diverse influences into their work. Given the history and heritage of jazz in this country, it has managed to create a healthy jazz scene supported by festivals, venues, press, and labels. Therefore, I am very proud to present to you the thirdinstallment of Jazz Cats. This compilation is dedicated to the young and hardworking musicians who are the present and the future of Belgium's jazz scene."

Firnis DC lands on Perko’s FELT imprint with Firnis der Civilisation, an eponymous collection of 9 tracks that transmit the enigmatic meditations of its author; discordant trudges of twilight romanticism from pastures far beyond.

The uncommon threads that bind FELT intersect neatly at Firnis DC. Their previous outings as тпсб, for Blackest Ever Black, Climate of Fear and AD93, and a pair of The News Cycle releases, were cult hits of uncanny ambient techno and jungle volleys interpreted through lenses of outsider electronics. A snug fit, in other words, for Perko’s unpredictable stable.

On Firnis der Civilisation, we find things paired back further than before. Its 9 tracks play out like beatless symphonies of wayward folk music who’s basement transmissions have been intercepted from the ether; a stirring limbo of grotty emotions that inspire and conflict in equal measure. Tracks offer brief portals into zones of sampladelic oddities, haunted vocals and scatty euphoria that is collectively driven by an (un)willingness to straddle familiar pastures. By the time you reach its finale gut-punch of Dreifach Fiktierung’s twitching breakcore and Innozenz Jahr funk rollage, you are offered a light at the end of a rather odd tunnel that you never quite understood how you got there in the first place.