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It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).

“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”

The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.

“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”

“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”

The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).

Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”

The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…

REVIEWS/RADIO/FEEDBACK:

“Starbed is folky, flavoured by pedal steel, cello, and brass. Dust Tears, in stark contrast, is a mini synth-pop rave epic. Part Bicep. Part Human League. Keep Your Eyes Closed summons a mood that’s romantic, but also dark and potentially doomed – like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks meets Cliff Martinez’s Drive score. My pick though is It’s True What They Say, whose interwoven jangle and picking recalls New Order’s more introspective moments (Love Vigilantes, Love Less… ). Drums crashing, cathartic. Guitar raising dramatic arcs. Its chorus a rush, like a reprise of Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart’s ‘Higher Than The Stars’.” BAN BAN TON TON
"Dust Tears sees them sharing vocal duties over a synth foundation reminiscent of Moby’s Go - Artist Of The Week” THE SCOTSMAN
"Woozy pop" NEMONE (Mary Anne Hobbs Morning Show, BBC 6Music)
"Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop" YOUTH (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney, U2, The Orb, Spiritualized etc)
"Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
"I’m enjoying it” TIM BRINKHURST aka LONDON (IKLAN, Young Fathers, Callum Easter)
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"It’s totally my cup of tea with milk and biscuit" BRENT RADEMAKER (Beachwood Sparks/GospelBeach)
"Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Soulsavers, BE)
"Makes me wanna sit in the sun and sip an Arnold Palmer" CHRIS DIXIE DARLEY (Father John Misty)
“Really beautiful - Cocteau Twins / Spiritualized vibes but has its own thing going on, too - worth checking out!” JULIAN CORRIE (Franz Ferdinand, Miaoux Miaoux)
‘Sounded nice on a sunny day, makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ EAMON HAMILTON (Sea Power)
"Dealing in nostalgia, no bad thing at all, great to play that (Dust Tears) for you” RODDY HART (BBC Radio Scotland)
“I'll give the vocal tracks a spin before the release." VIC GALLOWAY (BBC Radio Scotland)
"Rather good!" IAIN ANDERSON (BBC Radio Scotland)

CREDITS:

Lyrics, Guitars, Keys, Synths, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Mandolin, Glockenspiel: Shaun McLachlan
Lyrics, Vocals, Keys by Sarah McLachlan
Guitars, Synths, String Arrangements, Drum Programming, Engineering: Jaguar Eyes Percussion/Drums/Effects, Fire Extinguisher: Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz)
Guitars by Daniel Land
Slide Guitar by Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty)
Brass by Bruce Michie
Keys, pre-production & engineering on “It’s true what they say”: Gavin King
All produced by Jaguar Eyes and Shaun McLachlan and then mixed at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios by David McCaulay (From Scotland With Love, Rick Redbeard, BBC TV’s Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard score).
Artwork: Jamie Walman (Fourteen Admirals)

MORE INFO:

Although Shaun released a pair of solo singles (When We Dance and Give Your Love To Me) during Lockdown, he will be better known to many via his work as the multi-instrumentalist in Edinburgh band Delta Mainline. With two albums released to date, Oh! Enlightened and Bel Avenir, both rapturously received by fans and critics alike, Delta Mainline have developed an international, cult following. Oh Enlightened (2013) achieved widespread critical acclaim on release, earning the band comparisons to Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen, while 2019’s Bel Avenir pulled in references to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and krautrock. A third DM album is currently being mixed and due for release later this year…

Raw. Deep. Unstoppable.
Born from a transatlantic collaboration, this vinyl delivers soulful house music in all its
shades. Jazzy chords collide with African roots, creating a warm, driving and
uncompromising sound. Four carefully crafted club bangers for every hour of the night
— hypnotic, uplifting, and impossible to let go.

Music To Watch Seeds Grow By continues its second season with Seoul-based left of centre ambient duo Salamanda - Uman Therma (Sala) and Yetsuby (Manda) - and their meditation on the inner life of a basil plant. Seeds 008 is an ambient composition born from quiet domestic observation: a single basil on a windowsill, its days shaped by light, warmth, and the slow passage of time.

The album moves through a full day in the plant's life opening with ‘introduce my atom which is my favorite one’, an act of quiet self-declaration in morning light, before settling into the unhurried rhythmic pulse of ‘to to ki toki tok’- the drip of water, the tick of a clock, the slow beat of photosynthesis. ‘allez, pousse!’ - one of the standouts in this journey - carries the basil's gentle will to grow, to push, to tilt toward the sun, while ‘hungry snail’ captures a moment of creaturely encounter on the glass: an uninvited visitor, moving slowly, wanting. As the afternoon deepens, 'Basil's Ritual' traces the daily ceremony of light and warmth, repeated with calm devotion from root to leaf. Night falls across 'Basil's Dream', and in the stillness something like sleep arrives - the plant resting, imagining tomorrow's sun. The album closes with ‘the blue wine’, a final mysterious reverie in which the basil seems to contemplate its own fate, somewhere between acceptance and wonder.

Kēpa is built whole, even if life has broken a few bones along the way.

Back when he was a pro skater, he gave everything to the board. Today, he gives that same intensity to the stage, delivering hypnotic cine-concerts where motion, sound, and image blur into one. The only falls left now are the ringing final chords of his guitar — not just an instrument, but an extension of his body.

Fingerpicking is his native tongue. So much so that Kēpa no longer sings — he lets the strings speak. Percussive, alive, essential. This music isn’t about performance, it’s about living: a personal quest, a way to reach others by first going inward. Moving against the current without fighting the wind. Finding breath, essence, and remembering we’re all drifting on a spinning planet, surrounded by forces bigger than us.

It’s easier to look away. Easier to follow noise, fear, or false prophets. Harder — and braver — to truly connect.

Released in late 2025, Hotline Service opened the door, offering a wide-open, spiritual escape. With SOUL WASH SERVICES— produced by Timber Timbre — Kēpa goes further. Warmer, deeper, more focused. The album feels like sunlight on asphalt, a long drive with the windows down, time slowing just enough to let something real surface.

A kindred spirit to Hermanos Gutiérrez, Kēpa plays the role of a modern, pagan preacher — guiding us through a dusty, golden road movie that unfolds entirely inside the listener. His music doesn’t shout; it cleans.

Kēpa does it all: writes, plays, films, edits, mixes. Music becomes image, image becomes music. Nothing is separate, on record or on stage. There’s no excess, no showboating — just an open invitation to slow down, go deeper, aim higher.

Tracks like Solarium and Paradisiac reach the peaks with minimal gear: five strings, a few picks, and total control of touch and space. Listening to Kēpa feels like checking in with yourself — a quiet inner trip shaped by sounds from every corner of the world. Blues, not to feel them, but to leave them behind.

After years devoted to picking, his playing has become something sacred.

And if you let it, it carries you with it.

Costas Music returns with its third release after a period of silence, delivering a timeless club-oriented EP from label head Costas, with remixes by Baldo and Youandewan.

It's Me Again sets the tone with rolling 90s-influenced drums, groovy basslines and subtle acid touches, driven by a raw dancefloor energy and atmospheric pads in the breakdowns. Barcelona’s Baldo steps in with a powerful remix, reshaping the track into a peak-time club weapon.

On the flip, Waterphone dives into hypnotic territory with evolving textures and stripped-back grooves built for late-night floors. UK underground favourite Youandewan delivers a distinctive reinterpretation, injecting his signature trippy swing and deep rhythmic flow.

Closing the EP, Drako drifts into cinematic soundscapes and immersive atmospheres, offering a deep and reflective ending to the record.

Deep, acid-tinged underground house with strong 90s influences — crafted for modern dancefloors.

Phonogramme drops Analog Stories Vol. 3 , 4 new exclusive deep house gems by Abacus – raw, stripped-back grooves straight from the analog underground. A deep dive into gritty, hypnotic house for those who know. Limited coloured edition

2025 European press. Originally pressed in limited copies on a Thai LP (2023) - Comes with download code.

‘Araya Lam’ marks the third album from The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. Following their releases ‘21st Century Molam’ and ‘Planet Lam’, the band delves even deeper into the roots of Isan music, collaborating with traditional musicians on vocals as well as instruments like the Pong-Lang, Pi, and Sor. Each element adds a fresh dimension to the band’s distinctive reinterpretation of Molam.

The album also sees the band expanding their sonic horizons — nodding to New York post-punk on ‘Zud Rang Ma’, and drawing inspiration from the musical traditions across the Indian Ocean on ‘Psych Lam Kor’.

By looking back to their roots while continuing to push boundaries, ‘Araya Lam’ represents the next chapter in the ever-evolving journey of The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band.

Polytechnic Recordings - sublabel of Disctechno Music - presents a split EP of jacking house and psychedelic rhythms from Detroit’s DJ Slush and Dretraxx. Label co-founder DJ Slush follows up his Model Collapse EP with 2 jacking, sleazy, 80's-tinged house tracks with garbled vocal samples on A1 and B2. Dretraxx - head of Detroit’s acid-forward Body Worx party - delivers dubbed out modular grooves and on A2. On B1, Interdimensional Transmissions’ BMG remixes Dretraxx for the No Way Back Mix, with some freaky heart-pumping analog techno. Recommended for fans of Midwest rhythms.

Lenxi's debut album on Nous'klaer Audio receives a well-deserved remix treatment, breathing new life into its original dream world. Kindred spirits Polygonia, oma totem, Human Space Machine, and Daisy Moon each reimagine the material through their own distinct sound. A powerful and diverse collection of reinterpretations: From intricate, hypnotic textures to driving, dancefloor-ready energy, each remix opens a new pathway towards a vibrant second life primed for club systems and festival stages alike.

2026 Repress

London based composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Akusmi announces 'Lines', an exhilarating new collection of works born from the desire to take where the acclaimed debut album 'Fleeting Future' left off - in search of new forms.

" 'Secant', I must have listened to this tune 3 times in a row, this one soundtracked my night drive through the winding roads" - Benji B, BBC Radio 1

'Lines' is presented as a Limited edition clear vinyl (500 copies only worldwide), printed in heavy-weight reverse board sleeve with a hand-numbered edition sticker. The vinyl edition also features 'Oblique' (A2), an exclusive version for the vinyl format, plus the now revered 'Longing for Tomorrow' - (Brandt Brauer Frick Remix), previously unreleased physically and now pressed on vinyl format, ending side B. The cover artwork features another collaboration with Dutch visual artist Sigrid Calon and design by label founder Adam Heron.

Formed with a sense of urgency and a reductive approach 'Lines' is almost entirely comprised of alto saxophone, clarinet and piano with embellishments of ambience and minimal percussive elements. Recorded in full at his home studio in London, Pascal Bideau speaks about the process:

"I wanted to go a bit more a bit more horizontal and ambient, work with layers of lines, might they be dotted or straight, and leave them to unfold and see where they would take me."

Akusmi uniquely finds the spaces in between experimental jazz, crossover classical and ambient music.

Fossils in Transit dropping their first EP with diverse club focused features. The label
wants to express their love for timeless pieces and extrapolating it to their own vision.
Brussel based duo Kappen & Latence showing their musical spectrum on the A-side. On
the B-side Ennio Tyson debutes his take on timelessness.
A1 is a warm and slowly building track guiding the listeners through a blissful state. This
percussion driven piece sets the perfect mood for sunrises/sunsets. In A2 the rebellious
nature is defined by punk vocals, an acid bassline and crunchy percussion. Produced for
dark clubs and peak-time slots. B1 ventures into a bass-heavy realm where scattered
perc-like vocals and stabby synths create an ominous atmosphere. Keeping the body in
check while the mind wanders. Closing the EP on B2 with an off-the-wall minimal tech
house roller. Balancing a steady energy level to keep a tight grip on the dancefloor.

After years of shaping his sound, Makz steps forward with his debut EP. No big statements, just four tracks that speak for themselves.

On the A side, Clubmate sets things in motion with a steady drive. Execution Style follows up with heavy drums and a rolling bassline that keeps pushing forward.

On the flip, Ferro brings his own take on Clubmate. His DDC Tornado remix pulls the track into a deeper, more hypnotic space, made for those later hours.

B2, 926813, is a small nod to The Set Crew. Light in name, but the track itself carries real weight.

No gimmicks, no extras. Just honest house music, built for the floor.

Heavily sought after two-tracker, Ricardo Villalobos releasing under his moniker “Richard Wolfsdorf” in his early years, remastered, new cut. P O W E R P L A Y.

Mr Bongo proudly presents, ‘AFIM’, the second solo album by one of Brazil’s most exciting new talents, Zé Ibarra. You may be familiar with the hypnotic, entrancing tones of Ibarra’s vocals through his work with the Latin Grammy award-winning, four-piece, Bala Desejo and the band Dônica. He has also toured with the musical titan, Milton Nascimento, performing guitar and vocals, which is quite the honour and a testament to Ibarra's craft. As a solo artist, he has performed headline solo shows in Japan, Portugal and the US, as well as recently completing a support tour with the great, Seu Jorge.

‘AFIM’ is comprised of eight tracks, featuring Zé’s own compositions as well as cover versions of tracks by contemporaries and friends, Sophia Chablau, Tom Veloso, and Dora Morelenbaum. It combines elements of MPB, jazz, pop and progressive rock in a bold, authoritative style. The album represents the intersection between different facets of the artist, from the stripped-down, intimate, guitar singer-songwriter, to dense arrangements with sweeping strings sections. Writing this album allowed Ibarra "to explore sides of myself that had not yet been organized in an album: a certain darkness, a more cinematic musicality, a desire for new soundscapes.

The album features the single, 'Transe', a song with an instantly comforting tone reminiscent of classic Brazilian songs of the past (think Caetano Veloso). It is built on a rhythmic guitar that supports dynamic sound layers, opening space for Ibarra's intense interpretation. Cinematic atmospheres that lend an air of mystery come courtesy of string arrangements by Jaques Morelenbaum.

His unique cover version of Sophia Chablau's 'Segredo' is equally compelling, taking Sophia's punky-indie original in a different direction and making it feel like his own. 'Essa Confusão', a song celebrating the intensity of love and co-written by Dora Morelenbaum, is steered into epic, 70's AOR, singer-songwriter territory with wind arrangements by Ibarra, Jorge Continentino and strings by Jaques Morelenbaum.

The album is the result of the collaboration of experienced musicians and long-time partners of Ibarra. Fellow Bala Desejo and Dônica member Lucas Nunes co-produced the album. The core band featured on the record consists of Lucas Nunes on organs, Alberto Continentino on bass, Daniel Conceição and Thomas Harres on drums and percussion, Rodrigo Pacato on additional percussion, Chico Lira on Fender Rhodes and Guilherme Lírio on guitar.

The overall feel of the record is archetypically quintessential without slipping into retro mode. It is a stunning album from one of the finest musicians of his generation. A true star of Brazil’s blooming contemporary scene.

Heavy, reminiscent of a release from the nineties, Younger Than Me pulls us through interdimensional soundscapes on his debut to the label — a wormhole morphing from ultra-emotive breakbeat and hallucinatory progressions into full-blown, boisterous acid techno at its very best. A producer with an endless catalogue of releases, notably on incredible labels including Jennifer Cardini’s Dischi Autunno, now steps up on Neptune Discs with his Vaco Loco EP. The Berlin-based, Italy-born producer is joined by Byron Yeates and label regular Biodive on the B-side, each taking turns remixing A3, Aargh!!!, pulling it in different direction — one leaning into trippy trance atmospheres, the other exploring a more immersive progressive terrain.

Traversing wormholes and flexing versatility, Nicola Cruz gets back on his club-ready biz.

No proper introductions needed here. Sometimes you just have to sit back and appreciate someone at the top of their game. The third portal thing, done masterfully. Hats off.

Time-honoured templates that provide the foundations for his hybrid mutations. Three mescaline-strength techno incursions backed up with a vivid projection of fractal electro.

Big on murk. Properly steeped in introspection, expanding consciousness and horizons. The vision quest endures for the duration.

New levels of insectoid detail and lysergic flourish revealed with every close listen, but he’s always keeping it robust. Giving it chest with some serious dancefloor dramatics until the final unfurling.

We welcome you to the third installment of Scala. Each new release on Scala Muziek reflects the evolving mindset of its founder. For the third chapter, Pascal Benjamin delivers Soul Extension EP, an exploration of movement, mood, and the subtle shifts that define his sound. A1: Almost Fact sets the tone with taut rhythms and shimmering low-end pulses, balancing tension and release in constant motion. A2: Shift Happens dives deeper into modulation, its warped stabs and filtered delays gradually building a shifting, evolving energy. On the flip: B1: Extension expands into rolling grooves and atmospheric layers, blending vintage warmth with modern precision. B2: Phases closes with a sparse, contemplative mood—fragmented voices and echoes creating a hypnotic sense of drift. Soul Extension captures Pascal at a point where artist and label move forward as one, shaping the next chapter of Scala Muziek’s identity.

Gunnter drops Paris Match EP on wax, blendin’ raw Parisian house vibes with next level grooves. Bloodsport to Distraction, every cut hits hard, straight for the floor. Spin it loud, let the city sweat.

Raw afterhours house rooted in the early 90s New York warehouse sound.
Heavy MPC-driven drums, deep sampled pads and stripped grooves designed for long late-night sets. A functional 12" moving between raw house energy and deeper afterhours moods. Limited pressing of 200 hand-stamped copies. No repress. No digital.

Assemble Music welcomes XDB for his first appearance on the label. Born and based in Germany with Greek roots, XDB (Kosta Athanassiadis) has been deeply involved in electronic music since the early 1990s. Known for his broad musical vision and refusal to be boxed into a single style, XDB has built a reputation through both his carefully curated DJ sets and hardware-driven productions. His sound draws from raw Detroit traditions, dub techno and deep house, favouring analog textures and stripped-back machine funk. On this three-track EP, XDB explores the darker edges of house and techno, blending classic Detroit influences with raw analog production to deliver a focused and uncompromising statement. With releases on respected imprints such as Sistrum, Ferox and Dial Records, this debut on Assemble Music feels perfectly placed and essential.