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Consummate selector DJ Sundae returns to Efficient Space with Nothing Ever Was, an immaculate compendium of phantom independent melancholia spanning '60s/'70s village green folk, outsider shoegaze and new millennium domestic pop. Each recording an emotional exorcism, Sundae breathes oxygen into music that was barely there in its own time, made in quiet places and crawl spaces, shared only with a precious few via private presses, hobby labels and now-decaying CD-Rs.

Free of any prescribed epoch, continent, scene or rarity, Noughties homemade indie pop opens both sides with the 4-track wonders of The Motifs and Betelmire, unlinked contemporaries finding their place alongside Andrew Jay's Crazy Horse rust, the regional-garage adolescence of Pauline Scribner and the anaesthetised Mancunian guitar-poetry of the late Quigley.

The remaining coordinates zigzag between the UK and US. Folk wayfarers John Strang & Valentine Lewis Lloyd, Virgin Insanity, Kusudo & Worth and Penny Wager's spartan Garden of Eden acoustica find their mirror in Empress and Slumber's close-quarters indie pangs. Chicago power pop fixture Phil Angotti is caught at his most tender, while Teri Rini takes the final bow with her universe-stopping hotel lounge torch song.

A deeper, more personal exploration of Sky Girl's sentimental songwriting, Sundae found himself amassing a cache of tracks too undeniable to remain confined to his anonymous mixtapes for TTT, P.A.M. and Good Morning Tapes, or bi-monthly hour on NTS Radio. Again his emotional sorcery draws together an unlikely cast, their unwritten narrative assembled from fragmented memories of past lives left behind by future horse trainers, ketamine therapists and Fab Four cover band careerists.

With not a second squandered across 1LP, it took a village to bring this new companion into being, with David Bergot's forensic audio restoration, dreamlike imagery from Matthieu Crozier, Ivan Liechti's elegant design and a perceptive foreword by kindred spirit Jessica Pratt.

Oscar-nominated composer Max Richter's new album While The Flood Rages, drawn from Richter's latest collaboration with choreographer Wayne McGregor, MaddAddam, inspired by Margaret Atwood's trilogy.

Across 15 tracks split into three acts, Richter blends orchestral writing, electronics, processed field recordings, choir and piano to create an immersive sonic journey.

Themes of ecological collapse, technological acceleration and resilience run throughout, with recurring piano motifs providing moments of reflection amid dense, cinematic soundscapes.

Francesco Messina is perhaps best known for his split album with fellow composer Raul Lovisoni, Prati Bagnati del Monte Analogo, originally released on the seminal Italian label Cramps in 1979. Along with contemporaries Franco Battiato, Juri Camisasca and Giusto Pio, Messina helped reshape the world of modern composition with an organic rawness and haunting beauty.

In November 2023, Messina performed Prati Bagnati live for the first time in Milan, Italy – along with pianist Michele Fedrigotti, who appeared on the original LP. The concert was a tremendous success and led the composer to further reflect upon the music he made over 40 years ago. From his home piano – a hundred-year-old Schimmel with magnificent resonance – new pieces began to emerge out of these meditative sessions.

As Messina says in the liner notes, "The idea of making a new album wasn't the driving force at all; what mattered was trying to reconnect with the 'freedom' I had experienced back then while creating that music. I started over without haste or deadlines, simply trying to find a deeper, inner connection."

W.25TH / Superior Viaduct is honored to present Le api dell'invisibile. From the hazy drone of "For Florian" and the title track to the gentle swells of "Letter for an Absent Friend," the album is a lush amalgam of new age and ambient minimalism that is vividly reminiscent of Messina's earlier work.

The title draws inspiration from a famous reflection by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke: "We are the bees of the invisible. We ceaselessly gather the honey of the visible, to store it in the great golden hive of the Invisible." It is a phrase that has long shaped the way Messina looks at his music – transforming lived experience into sound, making audible what normally eludes the eye.

Bill Withers was a modest, gentle, and yet towering musical figure responsible for some of the most important, universally known soul hits ever written. It’s no wonder that “Just the Two of Us” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” won him two Grammy awards and undoubtedly played a huge role in getting him inducted into both the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Naked & Warm is Withers' fifth studio album, released in 1976. A year earlier, the Sussex label—home to Bill's first four landmark albums—ceased operations. Withers then signed with the mighty Columbia Records, which would remain his home until the end of his recording career. While Naked & Warm retains Bill's unique, earthy approach to soul that made him Sussex's biggest star, it's clear that musically too, he was in transition; the first half of the album is full of synthesized jazz-funk vamps, while "City Of The Angels" is an almost 11 minutes long cosmic funk excursion combining biting Rhodes chords with swirling synth pads and Dorothy Ashby's spiritual harp work. All in all, Naked & Warm might be one of Bill's most underrated records, simply because his previous work for Sussex was just that impactful.

Naked & Warm is available as a 50th anniversary edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on blue vinyl and includes a 4-page booklet featuring lyrics and new liner notes written by Marcia Withers.

Liz Harris has worked with film closely since she began making and performing music live - both her own work, and that of various filmmakers - including a near decade long collaboration with Paul Clipson, and multiple live collaborations with Dicky Bahto and Takashi Makino.

On Music For Two Films About Water she presents two recent scores for short films by the artists Tanja Engelberts and Takashi Makino. Each film, as the album title suggests, is an exploration of water, though beyond that, each work and soundtrack varies - blending literal, improvisatory and impressionistic translations of the theme. Her accompaniment layers mercurial threads of mellotron, tape loops, Wurlitzer and field recordings.

Untitled (from We Exhale)

This piece was originally composed for the film We Exhale. In the film, artist Tanja Engelberts takes the perspective of the river itself, tracing how centuries of damming, channelling, and industrial pollution have reduced the Rhône from a living landscape to a hydraulic object—its breath slowly distorting as chemical processes break down what remains. Her work asks what a poisoned river sounds like when it exhales, confronting us with damage that operates beyond human timescales, already embedded in the river’s body. In her artistic practice, Engelberts investigates how landscapes that are no longer visible can be documented. Rather than excavating the past, she collects and rearranges what she finds on the surface—as a creative exposition of the present. Engelberts’ work places attention on the ‘here’ and ‘now’, allowing traces of the past to be recognized while possible futures can be imagined.

Untitled (from Constellation)

This soundtrack scores the film iteration of a project by Takashi Makino titled Constellation, a collection of works exploring how new meanings emerge through the arrangement of existing images, memories, and fragments. In the film, images, appearing and disappearing within mercurial water textures, are clearly present before the viewer, yet maintain their abstractness and imaginative nature until the very end—projected onto the screen and delivered to the viewer as material for forming new images. Fantasy and reality merge in oceanic, lucid dream. Inspired by the way ancient people connected scattered stars to create narratives, his work invites viewers to discover their own relationships between images and construct new meanings from what already exists. In his artistic practice, Makino captures video of ready-made objects including natural phenomena, humans, and cities, with various formats. In the editing process, he layers and configures them into the fields of mesmerizing, shimmering textures that distinguish his imaginative films.

DJ Support: Glenn Underground, Crazy P, Terry Farley, Aroop Roy, Chris Coco, Frank Tope, Greg Wilson, Dom Servini, Francois K, Max Essa, Oliver Dollar, Pete Herbert and many more

Danny Ward’s Balaphonic project, one of many the long-serving performer, producer, percussionist, drummer and DJ has utilised over a career spanning over three decades, has evolved considerably since his first release under the alias 11 years ago. Conceived as a platform to explore his love of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian musical culture, it gathered new impetus during lockdown and the recording of superb first album Resolution Revolutions, which fused these influences with nods to Balearica, dub, dancehall and deep house.

On the Organic Matters EP, Ward’s follow-up to that critically acclaimed set, the Balaphonic musical universe has expanded once more, with the Manchester native showcasing a wealth of eye-catching collaborations and an even more intricately layered and sonically detailed sound rich in live percussion and instrumentation. It’s an ambitious and widescreen musical vision wrapped in sun-soaked melodies, morning-fresh motifs and simmering, sunset-friendly soundscapes.

The dizzying new heights scaled by Ward on Organic Matters is evident from the opening bars of ‘Dew Drops’, a piece created in unison with internationally renowned composer and arranger Robin Dewhirst. Between them, the pair have conjured up a yearning, life-affirming samba shuffler where picturesque piano, xylophone and balafon melodies rise above Ward’s dense, layered Latin percussion and warming bass.

Next, Ward delivers a thrillingly different take on his 2005 composition ‘Switch’, featuring legendary Brazilian jazz vocalist Flora Purim and her equally talented daughter Diana Moreira Booker. Whereas that was a jazzy deep house workout, Ward’s Balaphonic re-make is a shuffling, gentle exploration in 7/4 time – a heartfelt tribute to the Brazilian records with which Purim first made her name in the 1960s and ‘70s.

‘Balaventurers’ sees Ward join forces with an old friend from the North-West scene, R.S.L founder Joe Botham AKA Baleardelica – a multi-instrumentalist and producer whose Flamenco-inspired acoustic guitar motifs provided the starting point for another vividly colourful exploration rich in layered vocalisations, twinkling keys and impeccably arranged percussion.

It’s followed by ‘Life of Strings’, a more up-tempo and dancefloor-leaning excursion written and recorded alongside Amsterdam-based violinist, and composer Katya Gabeli. While Ward’s percussion-rich groove provides propulsion and a rock-solid foundation, it’s Gabeli’s evocative string arrangement that provides the focal point and emotional resonance. It’s a genuinely brilliant collaboration.

To round off a second stunning Balaphonic release on NuNorthern Soul, Ward delivers two simmering, slow-motion delights: the Afro-Cuban rhythms, cascading melodies and melodic percussion motifs of ‘Boxfresh’, and stunning EP closer ‘Home’ – an almost overwhelmingly poignant and beautiful number that gently ebbs and flows on waves of tracked piano, dreamy chords and a comforting sense of closure. It’s a genuinely sublime conclusion to another wonderful Balaphonic release.

10 years since his first edits outing on RNT, label co-founder JKriv digs into his deep well of reworks for a four-tracker of cheeky dancefloor madness. Coming in hot on the A side, I Feel Amor is modern twist on the disco classic anthem, a peak time weapon of epic proportions with hard-hitting beats and churning synths, and the inimitable sing-along vocal (pero en Español). Love Dub is a stripped down deep house affair, a solid driving groove with thunderous bass, synth accents and acapella flourishes. On the B-side, Cuando Bailo is the edit you didn’t know you needed; a callback to a bygone era of one-hit wonder magic, flipped masterfully to be all-club and just a sprinkle of camp. And rounding off the record Dance Sexy takes an obscure purple-hued cover into hypnotic red-light territory, with funky synth stabs riding a pulsing and infectious bass line, in classic JKriv fashion.

This release is a homage to the Turbo label.

Turbo was a part of Joe Robinson and Sylvia Robinson’s All-Platinum Records set up in New Jersey which operated from 1967 to 1979. At one stage the fiercely independent and proudly black owned label threatened to become another Motown or Philadelphia International. That never happened, but the Robinson’s dream of worldwide success came later when Sylvia discovered Rap, recorded Rappers Delight by The Sugarhill Gang and Sugar Hill records was born.

Music historian Steve Guarnori describes All Platinum as "probably the most unusual record company there ever was. Dysfunctional, but at the same time wonderful."

The All-Platinum chaos extended to Turbo. But despite anarchy - some superb albums went straight from manufacture to be deleted and sold as cut-outs - sublime music was created. This 10" 6-track release collects together some of the most hallowed Turbo releases which between them have become cherished by collectors.

Brother to Brother "The Bottle" captures the label at its most astute. Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s original version was an album only track on Strata-East so Turbo seized the opportunity to quickly make a worthy cover version and rush release it a single which enjoyed success.

"Ton Of Dynamite" by Frankie "Love Man" Crocker was Turbo’s debut release in 1968 (it actually sounds a later recording). At the time Frankie was a DJ on WWRL radio station in New York and the release was essentially a reward for his previous support of All-Platinum releases. The record (a b-side) is actually made Willie & The Mighty Magnificent who went on to re-record it as

"Funky 8 Corners". It took until 1975 for "Ton Of Dynamite" to get recognition when it became an anthem as the UK Northern Soul scene adopted it as part of the movement away from old skool 1960’s Soul. Whatever its’ provenance, "Ton Of Dynamite" is now revered by the Rare Soul and Funk communities.

The Optimistics "Man" from 1971 is another b side single. The group specialised in smooth harmony Soul but "Man" is a funkier affair which won support from Rare Soul aficionados and will cost you £600 plus if you are lucky enough to locate a copy of the hard to find 45.

Willie & West "Attica Massacre", also from 1971, is an even more elusive single. It is a powerful protest against the killing of 29 prisoners, many black, following a riot at a prison - Attica Correctional Facility in New York. The deaths and a subsequently discredited cover up caused outrage. John Lennon was amongst the first musicans to make a recording about the bloodbath, but the most emotional protest is this Willie & West track. Only 300 copies were manufactured of one of the most powerful civil rights recordings ever made. The vocal sounds like anti-War Edwin Starr at his most bristlingly aggressive.

Perhaps the strangeness of All-Platinum is best illustrated by the later success of Lonnie Youngblood "Sweet Sweet Tootie" which is essentially the backing track of "Attica Massacre" plus exquisite sax playing by Lonnie. Despite it selling 100,000 plus copies the label did not see this as a reason to reissue "Attica Massacre". Strange. Or as Marvin asked "What’s Going On"?

The New Sounds "Don’t Take Your Love From Me" was only issued by Turbo as an album track. Despite good music on it the LP was poorly (it at all)/ promoted and flopped. The superb "Don’t Take Your Love From Me" is a long time Northern Soul / X-Over favourite.

Larry Saunders mesmerising "On The Real Side" made no impact when released on Turbo in 1974 but was nevertheless issued in the UK by London Records. The Northern Soul discerning dancers instantly latched on to its combination of uplifting lyrics, heartfelt vocal and clomping beat and since then its’ appeal has extended across the whole of the Soul community. Without doubt an all time classic.

So six treasures from a label that despite frequently advocating cash out of chaos frequently conjured up awesome music.

ANORAX is grateful to have the opportunity to present this very special Soul selection.

Often credited as the father of multi-media theatre, Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993) took complete creative control over his productions - including cutting-edge approaches to lighting and costume that transformed human bodies into shifting sculptural shapes, while also composing wildly innovative electro-acoustic and synth-based audio as accompaniment.

After initially experimenting with musique concrète and tape manipulation (as demonstrated on the 1959 LP Choreosonic Music of the New Dance Theatre of Alwin Nikolais) Nikolais became the first owner of Robert Moog's synthesizer at the Audio Engineering Society convention in New York in late 1964. Relying heavily on the Moog and later the Synclavier synth/sampler, these 21 tracks document Nikolais' highly-prescient compositions across the mid 1960s through to the late 1980s - existing not only as extensions of his other-worldly choreographic productions, but standalone pieces of foundational mid-century American electronic and experimental music.

"Born in Southington, Connecticut in 1910, Nikolais’s early years and early career were in acting, music and puppetry. It was not until the late 1930s that he began his work as dancer/choreographer in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was commissioned by the Avery Memorial Theatre, a part of the Wadsworth Atheneum, to create an evening-length work to the music of Ernst Krenek. Previously his work and study as a pianist-organist found him accompanying silent films. This sort of accompaniment required from the musician not only a playing skill but also a versatility in improvisation, matching movement to sound, and evoking mood to situation.

Nik was drawn initially to dance by his involvement with the percussion scores used by the illustrious early twentieth century German dancer Mary Wigman. In trying to learn more about percussion, he was lured into dance class and thus his career began. His development of music and dance occurred simultaneously. His introduction to the twelve-tone technique opened his mind to the expanding areas of atonal music, and his dealing with music as sound per se. In 1948, after being appointed director of the Henry Street Playhouse in New York, Nikolais formed the Playhouse Dance Company, later known as the Nikolais Dance Theater, and began his aesthetic orientation toward dance as a study of motion. By the 1950s, he had ceased creating literal dances and began his explorations and eventual milieu as an abstractionist.

Sound became an important part of his abstract theatre. For his first dances, which involved his new thinking of dance as both a visual and kinetic art, he used live percussion scores in which he directed his dancers to play instruments of all nature. There was a combination of children’s toy instruments as well as harsh and resonant automobile brake drums, and other pitched auto parts which he also used to accompany classes. Once he installed his own tape recording machines, he quickly used the limited range these instruments provided in a new way, slowing and increasing speed and reversing sound. He also made the sounds adhere to the choreographic structure (not the other way around), thereby giving the dance its independence from the musical phrasing. But the real need remained: the search for new sound. Nik made a sound library, recording noises and percussion and vocal sounds, which the French aptly called musique concrète. Needless to say, he became a master at splicing bits and pieces.

From 1956 to 1962 Nikolais composed eleven major scores for his theatre pieces using such techniques. In 1963, James Seawright, who at the time was assisting Nik in his productions and also working at the Columbia-Princeton Center for Electronic Music, recorded a sound bank for the production Imago (1963). With this material, Nikolais created his first synthesizer score. Imago won the Paris Grand Prix in 1968 and launched the Nikolais Dance Theatre towards its national and primarily international acclaim.

During the same period, Seawright came to Nik and told him of a young man who had invented and constructed a simplified synthesizer and insisted that Nik visit the electronic fair currently being held in New York. Nik did so and met Robert Moog. He was completely taken by the new machine and after making some suggestions to Moog, (which Moog made), Nik bought the inventor’s first machine with the aid of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Moog himself was astonished by what his machine could produce for Nik. This machine was later acquired by the Museum of Musical Instruments at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as the first Moog synthesizer. The Synclavier was Nik’s next source of sound and since the mid-1970s remained the major instrument in the Nikolais soundroom.

Alwin Nikolais has been honored and awarded throughout the world. He has received the French Legion of Honor, the Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of the Arts, two Guggenheim Fellowships, as well as Mellon, Ford, and Rockefeller grants. He has been a recipient of NEA grants since 1966, been awarded five honorary doctorates, all for his remarkable achievements in Dance Theater. His genius has influenced several generations of artists."
—Murray Louis

Blind Harmonies returns with its second release, this time welcoming Argentinian & Berlin based artist Augusto Taito for a powerful and deeply detailed EP. Built around four carefully crafted tracks, the release moves through driving rhythms, dynamic grooves and refined sound design, balancing raw club energy with subtle textures and hypnotic movement. Each track carries Augusto’s distinctive approach, functional yet emotional, precise yet alive. Alongside the driving moments, the EP also reveals a more personal side through a melodic piece filled with introspection and meaning, adding depth and contrast to the journey. A release designed for both the dance floor and deeper listening.

"ASSEMBLE MUSIC 15 YEARS - Part II : Founded in Lisbon in 2011, Assemble Music celebrates its 15th anniversary with a three-part vinyl compilation, bringing together fifteen artists who, in different ways, reflect the label's past, present and future. Released simultaneously in November 2026 and distributed worldwide by Clone Distribution, the three records are less a retrospective than a continuation of what Assemble has been building since the beginning: music with character, made by artists with their own language, away from trends and easy categorisation. Across fifteen years, Assemble has moved freely between house, techno, electro, dub and more experimental forms of electronic music. The catalogue has never been defined by one particular sound, but rather by a certain approach, personal, uncompromising and built to last. Part II begins with Eduardo de la Calle, whose uncompromising approach to techno and electronic music has made him a natural part of Assemble's more recent history. His contribution continues a relationship that has developed through releases and appearances around the label showcases. Tom Dicicco & Roger 23 move into deeper ambient techno territory, bringing together two producers whose work has always pushed beyond the conventional boundaries of house and techno. Radboud Mens is a Dutch sound artist and composer whose work has long explored the space between experimental electronics, minimalism and techno. Active since the early 1990s, his approach is built around repetition, texture and the physical qualities of sound. His contribution to the compilation reflects this perfectly with a deeply minimalist piece, stripped back to its essential elements, where subtle shifts and details gradually shape the track. Chicago's Hakim Murphy represents another long-standing Assemble connection. His relationship with the label goes back years, and his raw, instinctive approach to house and techno embodies much of what Assemble has always looked for in an artist, individuality before formula. Closing the second record, Myles Serge delivers a pure definition of deep techno, hypnotic, atmospheric and deeply immersive, built on subtle movement and timeless Detroit-rooted sensibilities, establishing a new connection with the label."

Deep in the sea lives one of Earth's most ancient creatures: the Nautilus. Hunted for its beautiful shell and now, through our global evolution, endangered, like so many other beings. Perhaps most astonishingly, no one has ever observed a baby Nautilus in the wild. The title track of this debut EP takes you on a dark journey, searching through the deep ocean for this elusive animal.

On the other side, I don't believe in Fermi’s Golden Rule, is a sonic interpretation of a statement made during a quantum field theory lecture, questioning the experimental mathematics often used to derive the famous rule. But actually, trying to express the confusion about quantum physics in general.

The dub-infused EP is mainly inspired by the pioneering magic of Detroit’s electronic music scientists and the experiments of European electro wizards.

It's been a while since the last EP of fresh productions from long-serving Parisian producer LaRoye - three years in fact. On this belated and welcome return to action, the French artist transfers from Mad Mats and Tooli's Local Talk label to the fast-rising Deeppa Records imprint. He's brought with him a quintet of previously unheard cuts. The focal point is opener 'Everybody's Got Soul', a deliciously warming, shuffling and sun-soaked slab of woozy deep house soul that comes accompanied by a wonderfully cosmic, slow-build and percussion-rich interpretation from Darryl Baaki. Elsewhere, LaRoye flits between bouncy deep house futurism ('I Want Ya'), smooth tech-tinged deepness ('Surrender'), relaxed and melodious broken beat ('Long Way To Go') and thickset, early morning dreaminess ('You Have To Understand').

"ASSEMBLE MUSIC 15 YEARS - Part I : Founded in Lisbon in 2011, Assemble Music celebrates its 15th anniversary with a three-part vinyl compilation, bringing together fifteen artists who, in different ways, reflect the label's past, present and future. Released simultaneously in November 2026 and distributed worldwide by Clone Distribution, the three records are less a retrospective than a continuation of what Assemble has been building since the beginning: music with character, made by artists with their own language, away from trends and easy categorisation. Across fifteen years, Assemble has moved freely between house, techno, electro, dub and more experimental forms of electronic music. The catalogue has never been defined by one particular sound, but rather by a certain approach, personal, uncompromising and built to last. Part I opens with XDB, an artist whose relationship with Assemble goes far beyond a single record. His deep, understated approach to house and techno has always been closely connected to the musical identity of the label. Aubrey, one of the enduring figures of the UK underground, follows with decades of experience behind him and a catalogue that stretches back to the early 1990s. Synchrojack connects the compilation to another important lineage: the raw and deeply individual British house music with a track produced and never released in the 90's. Activ-Analog bring their machine-driven, analogue approach back to Assemble after previously releasing on the label, while Kumquat Kids aka Julian Phethean & Steve O'Sullivan with a track originally released in 1999 on the Various Positions EP for UK label Organised Sound. "Surface" is a genuine late-90s underground rarity! Over the years, the original 12" has become increasingly sought-after and notoriously expensive on the second-hand market."

2026 Repress

After laying low in the burroughs for a few years the NY Stomp is back! Reconnecting with the raw, driving spirit of classic New York house, the project delivers a heavyweight, floor-focused EP. Each cut captures the kind of club energy that once shook iconic early-'90s institutions like The Tunnel, Twilo, and Sound Factory. This is unapologetic, no-frills house music made for serious systems and peak-time moments.

Some things in life are meant to be consumed whole: a perfectly paced movie, an oyster at Whitstable Bay, a novella on a sunny afternoon. Into this pantheon of singular experiences comes Runners, the second album from London instrumental rock quartet Dog Unit. The follow-up to At Home, the band’s cult favourite 2024 debut album, Runners moves seamlessly across its 42-minute runtime. It finds the quartet – comprising Sam Walton, Henry Scowcroft, James Weaver and Lucy Jamieson – crafting tracks that undulate, churn and yearn in service of a greater purpose as they plough fertile fields of sonic storytelling. Made over the first four months of 2026 at the band’s studio in Limehouse, East London, Runners finds the core group, alongside producer and long-time collaborator Mark Estall, operating with greater ambition and scope than ever before. This time they commissioned a string quartet specifically for this project, and reappointed noted experimental bass clarinetist Heather Roche, as well as taking in a cavalcade of instruments at their studio, including vintage synths, drum machines, pianos, and harmonium. The band’s music is often compared to cinema, and if At Homewas a charming micro-budget indie flick bursting with potential, Runners is a widescreen realisation that stands up to repeat viewings.

"As sharp as I sing, it still soothes you, doesn't it? Like a lick of ice cream?" sings Thao Nguyen on her Kill Rock Stars debut, We Brave Bee Stings and All. Whether it's intentional or not, the line describes her sound perfectly. Nguyen's rich, breathy voice -- and the way she croons, yelps, and drawls with it -- recalls Cat Power, Fiona Apple, and Sinéad O'Connor. However, these comparisons suggest that Thao is a searing, intense artist when nothing could be further from the truth: her country-tinged indie folk-pop is playfully observant, mischievous with just a hint of vulnerability. By playing against type and putting a voice that seems tailor-made for brooding into songs that are sunny and sweet, Nguyen carves out her own intriguing territory among indie folk songstresses.

On We Brave Bee Stings and All's first two songs. "Beat (Health, Life and Fire)" builds brass, ukulele, and piano to an urgent but joyous peak, while "Bag of Hammers" is as rambling as it is catchy. The interplay between Nguyen and her band, the Get Down Stay Down, is more intuitive than ever, and the album's fuller sound (courtesy of producer Tucker Martine) complements her more fully formed songs.

In fact, most of the album is so cheery that it's a good thing Nguyen's voice isn't delicate, or her music might be sickly sweet instead of fresh and engaging. Fortunately, "Feet Asleep"'s Dixieland moxie and "Geography"'s jazzy flourishes help keep the album from sounding too predictable. Even if this isn't Thao's first album, We Brave Bee Stings and All is a fine introduction to her music.

Sciahri and Sublunar are truly proud to present the next chapter in the label's journey: Hadone's debut album, Kept What Remained. Known as the co-founder of TSSRCT alongside UFO95, and following his contribution to Veil Of Echoes II, Hadone returns to Sublunar with a body of work that fully showcases the breadth of his artistic vision. Throughout the album, he reveals an impressive ability to merge emotional depth, powerful rhythms and sophisticated sound design into a deeply personal and unmistakable sonic identity, further establishing himself as one of the most compelling artists in today's techno landscape. The journey begins with the ambient title track, "Kept What Remained", an atmospheric introduction that sets the tone for everything that follows. It seamlessly transitions into "It Was Never Really Gone", a deeply emotional piece with a memorable arrangement that lingers long after it ends, before "Red Hour" raises the intensity through driving percussion and a tougher sonic approach. The B-side opens with "The Enemy Within", an explosive combination of intricate sound design and powerful rhythmic structures. It is followed by "Claim Your Due", a more submerged and atmospheric composition whose versatility makes it equally effective across different moments of a set. On the C-side, "Nobody Hears The Warning" gradually builds momentum through hypnotic energy and striking production, leading into "A Gentle Kind Of Madness", where beautifully crafted synth work and meticulous arrangements create one of the album's most distinctive moments. The final side begins with "A Dog That Learned To Speak", blending contrasting synth textures and detailed effects into a constantly evolving soundscape. The album concludes with "The Quiet Refusal", an epic and powerful closing statement that perfectly brings together the emotional intensity, coherence and artistic vision of the entire record. With Kept What Remained, Hadone demonstrates that innovation doesn't require sacrificing identity. Instead, he delivers an album that is bold, emotionally resonant and unmistakably his own, confirming his place among the leading voices of contemporary techno.

2026 Repress

Ribe & Roll Dann serve up potent techno on Mutual Rytm with 'Virtus Occulta'.

Built around concepts of unacknowledged work and enduring merit, the release marks their first EP on SHDW's widely
respected label.

Based in Toledo and Madrid, Ribe & Roll Dann are exciting residents at Laster Madrid and Lanna Club, two of Spain's leading venues. Emerging as driving forces in their national techno scene, they have also made an impact on the global landscape, making wider moves through collaborative releases on Klockworks, and individual outings on a number of other influential labels. Having previously featured in the label's Federation of Rytm IV compilation, the pair make their full EP label on SHDW's Mutual Rytm imprint to open March with a deep dive into their expansive sound.

Opener 'Sub Terra' is a pure club tool that is direct, physical and rooted in the underground with a seriously heavy low end. 'Extra Lumen' is more restrained but still built on a steady, forceful rhythm with controlled energy that prefers to operate in the shadows. 'Ars Non Placens' stays true to the idea that music is not made to please, but to exist on its own terms with hunched drums and dubby undercurrents. Next, 'Meritum Negatum' fizzes with static electrical charge and minimal drum funk and is a direct reflection on overlooked skill and unacknowledged work, before closer 'Virtus Persistens' delivers a continuity and a steady pulse rather than an explosive ending, keeping you locked throughout.

In addition, three digital bonus cuts come alongside the vinyl package. 'Labor Inauditus' speaks to hours of technique, production and booth experience that remain invisible. Next come the taught, rubbery rhythms and unrelenting atmosphere of 'Silentium Testium', while 'Sine Aplausu' - which means without applause - brings a ghostly late night vibe that you will never want to end.

2026 Repress
Berlin-based duo Disguised land on Mutual Rytm with a splash of signature driving techno on ‘Nightrun’. German-born, Berlin-based pairing Alvaro and Domenik are Disguised, a duo that feels closely connected to their favourite club RSO and its Robus Floor, where most of their musical inspirations happen. They head up their own label, Inherit Records, and also host parties at Berlin's new C115 venue on the Berlin highway. Already this year, they have dropped an impressive collaborative EP with their studio partner and close friend Fabio, aka FANK, who features on this EP with his own vocals. Their sound is always defined by driving drums and hypnotic melodies that build up to intense dancefloor peaks, and here they showcase this to its fullest on their Mutual Rytm label debut via five vinyl-only cuts and three digital bonuses built and crafted to make a lasting impact. The powerful 'Where Thoughts End (ft. FANK)' rises up through the ground like an oncoming train, as drums rumble, synths peel off the groove, and moody voices have you looking over your shoulder. 'Nightrun' is glitchier and more textured, with a fractured energy that keeps you on your toes. 'Crusher Wheels' is a deep, back-lit, and trance-inducing sound made for 4am, while 'Ashes and Algorithms' layers up eerie melodic details with bulky drums for a spare but atmospheric trip. 'All You Find (ft. FANK)' is dubby, greyscale techno with a muscular rhythm and unsettling synths, taut and tensile, balancing right on a knife-edge. Three digital bonuses explore different moods - the subtle melodic touches of 'Silent Pulse', the cosmic energy of 'Sceptre Rd', and the rising optimism of 'Twinfall’.