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Complex, emotive, and straddling several genres, Sketches Of Spain is one of Miles Davis’ masterpieces, a landmark of orchestrated jazz. The third of his collaborations with Gil Evans, Sketches was inspired by the classical ‘Concierto de Aranjuez,’ which sparked the suite that makes up the LP. Drummers Jimmy Cobb and Elvin Jones and bassist Paul Chambers reconfigured their approaches to blend with the orchestra under Evans’ command and Davis uses a muted flugelhorn for the epic opener; his solo on ‘Saeta’ is blinding and the adapted Andalusian folk song ‘Solea’ draws on flamenco. This absolute stunner is a must-have!

Toaster Jah Thomas began his career on the west Kingston sound systems of the mid-1970s, making a massive splash with ‘Midnight Rock’ in 1976. After a debut LP for Channel One, his self-produced Dance On The Corner raised the bar several levels. Voiced at King Tubby’s studio, mixed by Tubby, Jammy and Scientist and edited by the King himself, the album has Thomas chatting over hard Roots Radics rhythms earlier used by Barrington Levy – the perfect platform for Thomas’ relaxed chants, vexed rants, and commentaries on Jamaican life. This is Jah Thomas at his best – a must for all fans of reggae, dub, deejay, and dancehall!

One day early in the global lockdown, Frédéric Blais scribbled four words on a Post-It note and pinned it up in his studio. When he headed to a studio in the mountains north of Montreal to start work on his fifth album as Fred Everything, those words went with him. They would not only provide inspiration during two weeks of isolated music-making, but ultimately provide the subsequent album with its title: Love, Care, Kindness and Hope.

Those sentiments – a positive mantra during a period of personal and collective vulnerability and isolation – resonate throughout the album, a gorgeously warm and beautiful affair that counts as Blais’s most personal, musically expansive, mature and sonically detailed set to date.

While each of the tracks began as a rough sketch laid down during Blais’ retreat, they evolved considerably over the months that followed. Blais reached out to a handful of carefully selected guest vocalists and collaborators, including Stereo MC’s, Robert Owens, Sapele, James Alexander Bright, Wayne Tennant, string arranger Pete Whitfield and multi-instrumentalist Finn Peters. He also lent his voice to several tracks, a first in a career that stretches back to the 1990s.

The results are magical, with Blais not only offering subtle variations on his own trademark deep house sound, but also nods to complimentary music styles and classic electronic albums from the late ‘90s and early 2000s.

Naturally, much focus will fall on the album’s high-profile guests, whose contributions work perfectly with Blais’ cultured dancefloor electronica and soul-soaked broken house grooves. Robert Owens – “the voice of house” himself – expertly delivers lyrics full of compassion and reassurance on recent single ‘Never’, Sapele infuses ‘A Long Time Coming’ with lashings of soulful spirituality, and UK hip-hop/soul legends Stereo MC’s make their presence felt on the subtly Latin-infused dub house excellence of ‘Soul Love’.

Then there’s ‘Breathe’, where UK singer-songwriter James Alexander Bright and backing vocalist Wayne Tennant rise above punchy broken house beats, Blais’ trademark square-wave bass and Pete Whitfield’s swelling strings on ‘Breathe’. By the time kaleidoscopic, sun-down breakbeat brilliance of ‘A Good Day’ arrives to draw proceedings to a close, you’ll be overflowing with Blais’ “love, care, kindness and hope” – just as he intended.

For The Alternate Blues, producer Norman Granz set aside his rule against issuing what are variously called in the recording business outtakes, breakdowns, or alternate takes.
The reason was that despite missed cues and procedural problems in the rhythm section, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, and Clark Terry played the blues at a level of passion and expressiveness the equal of the versions originally released on The Trumpet Summit Meets the Oscar Peterson Big 4. In addition, there are four standards not heard in the original album. With Joe Pass, Bobby Durham and Ray Brown.

"The 40th Anniversary expanded edition of Billy Idol’s iconic Rebel Yell album. Includes the smash hits “Eyes Without a Face,” Flesh for Fantasy” and “Rebel Yell.”

Deluxe reissue features 13 bonus tracks, including the previously unreleased “Best Way Out of Here” and cover of “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” from the original sessions, plus original demos and the Poolside remix of “Eyes Without a Face.”"

Québec's own CANTIQUE LÉPREUX are back with their third full-length album "Le bannissement". It is a tale of self-initiation, a rejection of society, and a glorification of nature - manifested in their signature style of swirling tremolo-guitar-riffs, tortured screams, and elaborate melodicism. Over the recent years they have established themselves as an essential act of the Métal Noir Québécois scene. They channel the evocative power of Black Metal, carrying vast forests, desolate landscapes, impassable mountains, and cosmic torment. The band members are also associated with Mêlée des Aurores, Chasse-Galerie, Acédia, Manière Noire, Chaos Catharsis, Forteresse, Délétère and Au-delà des ruines.

"Le bannissement" tells the abduction of a young girl and the sickness that is forced into her. Tainted, and rejected by those who should have protected her, she flees to wild and unexplored land, where she shatters and mends herself continuously. In these countless battles, she severs her bond to reality, subverts the sickness, and overthrows those who had seized her innermost Dream. Through banishment, liberation.

The album presents a raging and hypnotic narrative. Fast-paced songs drag the listener in a wild hunt, rushing towards self-annihilation. It was interpreted with the band's live line-up and equipment to preserve the fierceness of the mindset it was composed. This raging maelstrom, built on alluring melodies, shows guitarists Blanc Feu and Ascèse's fascination for music history and musicology. The album's emotional power stems not only from black metal's common genre tropes but also from the austere grandeur of early music.

"A spiraling and winding descent into arcane black metal pandemonium! Sounding both modern and timeless at the same time, they unleash some serious throwback Celtic Frost/Darkthrone/early Mayhem vibes while projecting its hideous aura straight into the future with a shape-shifting approach to songwriting that can’t be called anything different but “prog”, while also throwing in the mix some unexpected ambient passages and improvisational liturgic abstractions ( that yield a result of constant motion and disorienting unpredictability, as if we were facing a European version of Negative Plane or a more experimental reinterpretation of the arcane mysticism of Mortuary Drape.

All in all if you are looking for black metal with a touch of timelessness and with classic heavy metal influences mixed with a keen sense of experimentalism then KVELGEYST definitely represents one of the strongest expressions of this school of thought in black metal that’s been seen in a long time." ~ CVLT NATION

Some of us love PIC vinyl but some don't. NWW do loves PIC vinyl, but please take note - that picture “vinyl” is no audiophile format, it’s a collectible format. Especially for music like NWW with its wide stereo spread, swirling high frequencies, and deep droning basses. The more stereo and bass, the wider and deeper the grooves have to be, to provide all information to the needle. But picture discs have only a very thin plastic foil over the pictures, it’s no vinyl, just plastic, similar to pet bottles. On picture “vinyl” can not be pressed so deep and wide grooves, that it would sound as well as a real vinyl. That’s the same for ALL picture LPs, not only NWW.

General conclusion:
Of course, our picture LP editions are enjoyable to listen to! But to get the best sound quality, you should choose the 2CD version, those sound best. For your collection just buy whatever you think looks best.

Includes digital pre-order of Thunder Perfect Mind. You get 6 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.

Before Circus Lupus landed on DC’s venerable Dischord Records, the group’s original Midwest lineup recorded a full album’s worth of songs less than a year after forming. With the demise of DC’s Ignition in the late ’80s, bass player Chris Thomson headed to Madison, WI for college. Before leaving DC, he dove headfirst into being a vocalist fronting the short-lived throwback punk / hardcore project Fury. Thomson served up pointed and profound Tony Cadena-inspired screeds about betrayal, disappointment and poseurs all set to a soundtrack of furiously primitive and chaotic music supplied by members of the DC punk band Swiz. Brief yet influential, this band marked Thomson’s switch to vocals, putting him on course to front Circus Lupus and claim a notable spot in the DC punk timeline of the late 20th century. Soon after arriving in Madison, Thomson was invited to join a new project started by friends Chris Hamley, Arika Casebolt, and Reg Shrader. Circus Lupus marked a change in direction from the familiar sounds of DC punk that Thomson had been associated with for years. The newly formed group looked to noisier Touch & Go and Homestead bands for inspiration, aligning themselves with bands from Chicago, Louisville and Milwaukee. One early supporter of the band described the new group as “profoundly familiar yet uncategorizable. Like if the Germs had gone to college and never got pulled into hard drugs and suicidal behaviors.” The original Circus Lupus lineup played a dozen shows and recorded these songs with Eli Janney at Inner Ear studios in August of 1990 while on a brief tour. Within a year, the band would decide to permanently relocate to Washington DC, where they felt they had more opportunities. Shrader opted to move to Chicago and would ultimately join the Touch and Go band Seam. Old friend Seth Lorinczi (Vile Cherubs) would become their new bass player, forming the version of the band that most listeners are familiar with. While a few of these ended up on their first single, the rest were shelved, some later to be rerecorded with Lorinczi and released on Dischord. L.G. Records is proud to have helped this notable recording see the light of day. The original tapes were recovered by Ian MacKaye and transferred by Darren Edwards. Tim Green remixed and remastered the original recordings at Louder Studios in California.

Falling somewhere between Soulside, Ignition, and The Chocolate Watchband, Vile Cherubs were a short-lived and puzzling band that for a brief window in 1986-88 managed to captivate, confuse, and annoy the D.C. punk scene. Consisting of high school classmates Tim Green, Jesse Quitlsund, and Ben Wides—along with Green’s childhood friend Seth Lorinczi—the Vile Cherubs were more focused on the then-forgotten sounds of ‘60s garage rock and psychedelia than on Minor Threat. Being minors themselves, they likely would’ve remained trapped in the school-dance circuit were it not for Geoff Turner (Gray Matter / 3), who took an interest in the band and recorded their two demos. That first tape caught the ear of d.c. space booker Cynthia Connolly, who despite her initial skepticism paired them with Didjits, Cynics, and other noteworthy bands. Rumors of a potential Dischord album built all through 1987, ending with mysterious suddenness after label co-owner Jeff Nelson dropped in on a rehearsal to find a miasma of LSD, alcohol, feedback, and vomit. Though the band released a posthumous LP in 1988, the original Geoff Turner demos explain why the D.C. scene briefly lost its shit over these teen ne’er-do-wells. Lovingly and exhaustively resuscitated by audio maestro Tim Green from the original multitrack tapes, “Lysergic Lamentations” is the Vile Cherubs at the height of their brief existence.

Following the force of their introductory singles 'Tabernacl' and 'St Agatha', the band return with an invitation to explore their landscape of violent poetry and gothic propulsion to the fullest extent yet. Prepare to be lulled under their spell once more with the slow-burn of forerunning single, 'Remoter Heaven'.

Produced by long-time collaborator Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard's Tom Rees. It begins in a dream state of hypnotic repetition that mounts in intensity, with vocalist Jack Shephard presiding over it all with his distinctive, poetic drawl. His protagonist is revisiting a memory of the pain inflicted by a thorn as a child; "I was awake with feeling", he confesses, before the song takes on the momentum that feels like a triumph over the numbness attendant to adulthood.

Of the track, Shephard shares: "I liked the idea of writing a very simple narrative to a big, epic song - something as modest as the story of a child playing in some flowers and then bursting into tears when a thorn pricks their leg. The words are an ode to that sensitivity we embrace when we are young. Then, when we become adults, we insist on subjugating all of that wonderful, absurd rage."

'Remoter Heaven' follows on from 'Tabernacl' and 'St Agatha' which earned Slate rave write-ups and support from publications including NME, CLASH, So Young, DIY, Buzz Magazine, The Most Radicalist and more, as well as early radio plays from the likes of Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq on BBC 6Music, Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1, John Kennedy on Radio X and Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1.

Massive rave Ragga drum. Feat the total hit Bombaklot remix.

Slammin' drum & bass.

1 strong Breakbeat / 1 ragga drum

The Dr. Peacock frenchcore friends ! A full collab album with crazy musician like Creeds, Mat Weasel, JKLL, Ivex... running up to Hellcreator for more speed !

A must have for any Frenchcore lover !!

As we continue the five part journey to say goodbye to the Telomere Plastic series we have Telomere 020.3 now available for preorder!
This five tracker VA, features producers, Hiroyuki Kato, Six Dreams, Ty Senrna Sherman C & Konerytmi!

We begin off the record with ‘Black from Hiroyuki Kato. This long play is over 9 minutes and is a beautifully structured deep & house tune. Perfect for your summer day time sets!

Next on the A2 we have ‘Static Es’ by Six Dreams, This moody minimal breakbeat tune is filled with heavy bass & lush chords, the perfect track to slow things down for a few minutes during your sets!

On the B1 we have Ty Senrna who delivers a whacky groover! This acidic tech tune will work wonders and bring the spooky & trippy energy to the dance floor!

B2 is a tripped out phat acidic break beat tune from the mighty Sherman C. With some tripped out vocals & classic Sherman breaks & bass, this one will get the dance floor rockin’ full speed!

Lastly, we close out the release with a classic tune from Konerytmi. As expected we are gifted with his signature electro & bass beats!

Very limited black copies with a few colored copies available via the Wex bandcamp, be quick!

Ladi6 is a singer with soul. A singer with a hip-hop background and masses of pop-appeal. A singer who first gained attention through her features with the legendary New Zealand export-band Fat Freddy's Drop, but who has also performed alongside such diverse artists as Gil Scott-Heron, Mayer Hawthorne and Mos Def. In short: A singer whose eyes have seen much and whose style is not governed by rules. As if that wasn't enough, her enormous charisma enables her to win her audience over within minutes with full support of her band of Parks and Julien Dyne (BBE).
The 30-year old has always endeavored to use music to tear down barriers and dissolve purported genre-boundaries. With her previous album, "Time Is Not Much" (BBE) which was produced by Parks and Mu (Fat Freddy's Drop), Ladi6 has already taken a perfect shot at her goal, which, combined with the interplay between the many diverse elements of the music, has a highly impressive effect. "The Liberation Of…" has already top the New Zealand independent charts for consecutive weeks and her single "Like Water" is the #1 independent New Zealand song on radio.

Repress!

‘Hardcore Jollies’ was Funkadelic’s ninth studio album and their debut on Warner Bros Records. Released in October 1976 and dedicated to “the guitar players of the world”, it showed Funkadelic was the heaviest black rock band since Jimi Hendrix’s Band Of Gypsies (even featuring Buddy Miles on one track). With lead guitarists Michael Hampton and Eddie Hazel dazzling, the personification of funk Bootsy Collins on bass, Bernie Worrell’s keyboard wizardry and many more, the album was helmed by the genius of George Clinton. Reaching no.12 on the US R&B chart, the album spawned singles ‘Comin’ Round The Mountain’ (US R&B No.54) and ‘Smokey’ (US R&B No.96) and a live remake of 1973’s ‘Cosmic Slop’ from the album of the same name. Recorded during rehearsals for 1976’s P-Funk Earth Tour, this version features a vocal introduction dropped from the 1973 studio cut. Over 45 years since its original release, ‘Hardcore Jollies’ is among Funkadelic and George Clinton’s best-ever albums and remains a masterful example of their creative genius. FUNKADELIC Masterminded by the larger-than-life figure of George Clinton, Funkadelic was a key component of his influential P-Funk empire. Funkadelic’s unique combination of Rock, Psychedelia, R&B & Soul led to the band crossing over to the pop mainstream & gaining a vast international following, becoming one of the most important & influential groups in music. On 6 May 1997, Parliament / Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Prince. To commemorate six decades of thrilling & delighting fans, George Clinton returned to the stage in 2022 for a series of concerts. To celebrate, Charly have reissued Funkadelic’s classic four albums ‘Hardcore Jollies’; ‘One Nation Under A Groove’; ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’; & ‘The Electric Spanking Of War Babies’ (originally released by Warner Bros during a golden period for the band between 1976-1981). Each album will be available as deluxe gatefold Digi-Sleeve CDs in PVC wallets + obi-strip & facsimile-edition gatefold LPs on 180-gram black vinyl & limited edition 180-gram coloured vinyl + 1970s-style obi-strip in a protective PVC sleeve. “They played a HUGE role in creating the future of music.” PRINCE

New Year, same old Omar S - turning out the top quality tunes on a regular basis, all with his own unique sonic imprint but always with a fresh twist each time. This first outing of 2024 on his own FXHE opens up with 'Life Force' which pairs Smith's unique drum sounds - brushed metal, scruffy, raw - with his super sweet synths that always bring the warmth and soul. 'All The Little Hand's Around' is another metallic sound tech house cut with celebratory chord loops up top and well-treated samples, then 'Evil J' shuts down with rasping basslines and glistening 80s keys. Another fine 12" from the Detroit don.

A humanity-reminding suite of miracle moments, Someone Like Me unites a geographically unbound cast of real people in pursuit of a meaningful connection. Taping their lived experience in economic studios in quiet English counties, Pacific Northwest woodland retreats and the big city bustle of Sydney and Los Angeles, these kindred spirits rendered sheer beauty in the process. Custom pressed folk songs of love, loss and the lord saviour.

Illuminating minor works from seasoned players such as former Syndicate Of Sound chart-topper Sharkey and late-era Canned Heat lynchpin James Thornbury, the collection simultaneously honours the fleeting amateurism of hobby musicians. With their one shot at tangible vinyl, freshman Lynne Ann Kingan realised her loose bubblegum rocker on campus time, while U.S. Navy recruit Fred Potts cut his unconditionally serene ballad remotely stationed on a Spanish naval base. Spartan production continues to reign with Jon Betmead’s hair-raising gospel, howling into infinite space, and Goldrust’s stripped back garden hymn.

Throughout the hour-long reflection, faith has an intermittent yet revelatory presence, most overtly with the divine choral soul of Seventh-day Adventist quartet Remnant. More subtly, Gary Ramey and Jim Kennedy both turned to song in their spiritual quests, offering their all to a universal power. An irrefutable compilation cornerstone, the National Office For Black Catholics showcased Charles Murphy’s lionhearted account of the Black experience at a 1971 concert. Five years earlier, high school seniors The Superwomen would use their hauntingly angelic harmonies to address racial inequity with a breathless take on ‘Lowlands’.

Reaching the furthest corners, Someone Like Me secures the inaugural licence of three homespun masterpieces. Discovered by fluke in the digital haystacks of Youtube and Soundcloud, Jim Huxley’s bedroom pop earworm melds peacefully into Charlie Webster’s synthesized reverie. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s John Agostino introduces us to the bizarre world of tax scam records, with the artist only now learning that his tender psych-folk demos were leaked via a 1977 bootleg.

Compiled and lovingly restored by armchair digger Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring/The Green Child), Someone Like Me pays due service to seventeen rarefied journals of truth and devotion. Adorned with visual artist Chris Fallon’s figure and flora dream extractions, the uniting songbook is further detailed by expansive track-by-track liner notes and a forward from San Franciscan poet Rod Roland.

2023 sees the return of multi-talented Norwegian producer Espen Horne to Wah Wah 45s, after a 24 year hiatus. The man behind the label's very first release, the now seminal Magnetica, never lost his connection with the imprint and has remained very much part of the Wah Wah family, making a comeback this year with his first solo material under his own name since that club classic from 1999.

Back in the spring, the first single from the project, the gorgeous soul-jazz beauty Bakeren, featuring the stunning vocals of Resonators' Faye Houston, quickly found a home on Gilles Peterson's internationally renowned BBC Radio 6 show as well as that of Jazz FM legend Robbie Vincent, Bandcamp Weekly and the Fresh Finds Jazz Spotify playlist.

Following that, Bergen Sunrays, became a weekly fixture on the Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show on BBC 6 Music, with the limited 7-inch of both singles selling out within hours of release.

Next up was the wistful Den Franske Gitaren, a lugubrious soul-jazz piece with drum & bass leanings featuring Bergen based MC and vocalist Aich, which found favour with legends Laurent Garnier and Jazzanova as well as hot Japanese production outfit Dazzle Drums.

This was closely followed by the final single to be taken from the album, the stunning and outspoken vocal jazz waltzer Nada Pode Me Calar (which roughly translates to Nothing Can Shut Me Up!) featuring the sublime talent of Olav Wöllo on vocals and Juno - anotherr big one with Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM and Deb Grant on BBC 6 Music.

And now the full album, entitled The Anatomy Of Serene Eloquence is available for your aural delectation. Recorded largely during lockdown, the LP is a sophisticated and composed piece of work that sees the Norwegian producer make connections with musicians from across Europe, and some closer to home, to collaborate on this sedate and peaceful collection of songs.

The aforementioned Faye Houston also appears on the soulful, dub flavoured Don't Fall Asleep, a piece of music that explores the feeling of being isolated whilst sharing a mutual love and drive to explore new sonic possibilities.

Elsewhere, Olav Wöllo pops up again too, this time on O Mar E A Lua and once again singing in Portuguese to give this track a certain Tropicalia feel, as Espen explains:

"Olav Wöllo is a close friend, an excellent musician and vocalist, and a capoeira professor here in Bergen. He has spent much of his life living in Brazil and speaks Portuguese fluently. He wrote the lyrics for this tune years ago and had just been waiting for the right collaboration to come along.

We went to his lovely studio out on this remote island, made a massive gyoza meal, had some serious good wine and stayed the whole night to record his vocal harmonies and outspoken lyrics."

The single Bergen Sunrays also appears on the album in instrumental form with featured keys courtesy of London based player Rory More - here entitled Rory's Sunrays. His Lowrey organ adds a more melancholic feel to the track, as it does on the stunning Belle Époque, alongside the ivory work of Eirik Blåsternes - an emotional, contemplative and atmospheric track that was tested and shaped in the eclipse of Covid.

As with Belle Époque, La Psychosomnie is a playful yet explorative cut that examines insomnia, paralysis and hypnosis courtesy of some enigmatic French spoken word spinning around a framework of drums, bass and swirling keys.

And finally, the album offers up an alternative version of the single Den Franske Gitaren, this time featuring Martin Halla, a vocalist out of the Bergen Grieg Jazz Academy and winner of the Norwegian version of The Voice back in 2012! The perfect flip to Aich's more mournful interpretation of this bass and drum future classic.

Two fabulous funky tracks originally released on the award winning album Goma-Laca – Afrobrasilidades in 78 rpm which updated Brazilian Music originally recorded on 78's in the 1920s to the 1950s. With musical direction and arrangements by Letieres Leite, the vocal pyrotechnics of Russo Passapusso and Juçara Marçal masterfully accompanied by double bassist Marcos Paiva, Hercules Gomes on piano, Sergio Machado on drums and percussion master Gabi Guedes. Under the direction of Letieres, the group created with the singers arrangements of jazzy tones over Afro-Bahian rhythms, and everything was recorded live at Estúdio Traquitana, in São Paulo.

The version of Cala Menino Boca best known from the version by Joao Donato that's been doing the Dancefloor round since the early Acid Jazz days here gets a funky and rhodes led percussive update and of course the traditional tune "Ogum" gets a soulful jazz run through, folky funk like you've never heard before. This is yet another welcome addition to the Jazz Room canon, watch those dancefloors light up when this wax spins!

Debut album by label founders Ilia & Gorovitz and Sun Ra Bullock and their regressive rock duo Stumpf.
to be released on vinyl and digitally on March 12, 2024 with artwork by Lina Bailón and cover design by Ilia Gorovitz

All titles written by Ilia Gorovitz & Sun Ra Bullock
Ilia Gorovitz: drums, electronics
Sun Ra Bullock: bass, electronics
recorded at U.F.O. Studios Berlin by Fabian Knof
mixed by Ilia Gorovitz & Sun Ra Bullock
mastered by Stefan Betke, scape Mastering Berlin
pressed by DMS Berlin

Brainwave Research Center returns with their 3rd Electronic music LP. Their DIY approach to creating music has forged a unique sound that is not experimental music, but music born out of experimentations with analog synthesizers. Feel Free is the third installment of their first four part series and captures the feelings and emotions of a summer season.

The A-side begins with a soundtrack to a daydream; imagining the life of a earthworm. Followed by a teeth-grinding drive through the grime of Brooklyn streets in Interceptor iii. Side A finishes out with that summer euphoria that comes from laying in the grass under the sun through dusk and watching the moon rise.

The B-side begins in a startling manner; an attempt to capture the feeling of falling in your dreams. The music continues down a darker path that reminds us of their second LP, Mosaic, with electronic experiments mixed with acoustic elements. The side concludes with two songs that capture the nostalgic feelings of summer.

Feel Free offers you a glimpse into the musings of everyday life for brainwave research center. Recommended if you like analog / digital synthesizers, sequencers, hand-played melodies, simplistic clock-like rhythms

There was a long time I considered Raymond Richards the ultimate secret weapon. There were sounds he could make that other people just couldn’t. Pure, whole, yet complex sounds. The pedal steel is an extremely niche instrument outside of its Country confines, but its sheer and transcendent depth has never failed to floor me. Raymond’s ear for implementing the steel into literally 'anything' has always been uncanny. After decades of being savvy to his work ethic, multi-faceted studio skills and overall sense of musical honesty, it became a priority for me to channel some of this into narratives through the ESP Institute and get his stories told. Without further recounting the history and trajectory of our musical relationship (see the press release for 2020’s critically-acclaimed album 'The Lost Art Of Wandering'), I can whole-heartedly confirm this sophomore release, 'Sand Paintings', opens an even wider door into Raymond’s visceral, contemplative world. The cast of players has elaborated to include Calexico’s John Convertino on drums and percussion, a bevy of eccentric stringed instruments and even a hint of brass to collectively stratify context for the pedal steel. Through diversifying the timbral palette, we invite an increased soundstage acuity but also reveal untapped wells of emotion for the listener, perhaps even testing cultural literacies. One foot remains in our established ambient realm, while the other steps toward grand cinematic gestures, and despite the dense, insurmountable emotion in these songs, there is a stoic singularity, like a lonesome cowboy pulling up his boot straps to endure another day. 'Badwater Basin' opens with courage, an enormous chord evoking Raymond’s image of “hard dawn”, but in navigating through the dramatic depictions of 'Monument Valley', 'Saguaro' and 'Deer On Hwy 80', we grapple with a cloaked vulnerability—weathered by the elements, beaten down and alone, yet still madly in love with the world. —Lovefingers

Jimpster dons his Franc Spangler cap and joins forces with up and coming London-based producer and DJ Hudson’s Choice for a four track EP entitled Myatts Field. Touching on trippy slo-mo electronic grooves, tropical moods and percussive house jams it brings a more experimental and left field sound to Delusions Of Grandeur which we’re sure you’re going to love!

Opening track AcidMan sets the tone of the EP with a bubbling 303 line taking centre stage while pitched down vocals add a hint of menace, heightening the psychedelic mood. Dubby FX and analogue synth lines drift in and out of focus and give a live jam feel to the arrangement reminding us of something that might grace the decks of A Love From Outer Space. Heavily Percussed continues offering up a crazy percussion tool loaded with wonky cross rhythms, glitchy found sounds and a hypnotic synth sequence for good measure.
Flip over for Myatts Field, another slower tempo mutant discoid house groove which takes us on a deep trip into the jungle. Echoing sax and hazy vocals transport us to another world where Weather Report experimented with rolling four on the floor grooves and spacious dub.

Closing out the EP Roots picks up the pace with another percussion-heavy slice of tropical sounds which doffs a cap to masters such as Gregory and Osunlade. Steel pan melodic lines intersperse with chiming synth sequences making for an unusual yet hooky club track which will lock the dancers into its incessant groove.

Irlam's infamous upstarts DJ Absolutely Shit are at it again with four more tracks to rattle yer spines and rupture yer spleens.
Utilizing the classic approach of sourcing a sick sample, adding a rugged breakbeat, then tweaking out the buzz for maximum enjoyment, the pair deliver an explosive EP of global hypercoloured mayhem that burns hotter than an oz of 'Ells Angels sputnik.

'Bridge To Your Heart' grabs Sade by the hand, shoves two purple doves down her throat and queue-jumps to the front of Bowlers for an endorphin-rushing hardcore workout full of modern beat engineering and sample manipulation.

Switching approach, 'Bolivia' shuns the dreamy feminism for an altogether more masculine affair - roping in the Wu for an argy-bargy, elbows-out speaker shaker full of hi-definition laser stabs and destructive, land mine subs.

Hitting the accelerator, 'Rocking You Eternally' traverses the jungle boarders in a blacked out Nova, Ab Shit's flair and panache at drum programming and contemporary production chops beautifully on show throughout this big system roller with a carp-hunting vocal hook.

'Gong' closes off proceedings, merging moods inna more seductive flavour. E-soaked pianos and a gentle throb coaxing us to that end-of-night climax that'll have us humming the piano line all the way down the M65 home.

No jokes cru, this is some of the best tackle to emerge outta the DJ Absolutely Shit studio to date. One of two, vinyl-only EPs and ahead of their debut album that follows on C90 tape.

Boing boing boing, boing boing boing, boing boing!!

Die britische Musikerin Lucy Rose hat 2019 ihr drittes Album "No Words Left" veröffentlicht. Es wurde von den Kritikern am stärksten gelobt und gipfelte in einer ausverkauften Show im Londoner Barbican Theater. Es war eine Platte, die in einer Art stiller Ehrfurcht wiederkäute, emotional aufgeladen und geschickt vorgetragen.
Lucy hatte geplant, in der Zeit nach dem Album einige wohlverdiente Zeit zu Hause zu verbringen, nachdem sie seit ihren späten Teenagerjahren unermüdlich auf Tournee war. Zum Ausgleich gründete sie ihr eigenes Plattenlabel, Real Kind Records, und brachte neue Platten von Künstlern heraus, die sie bewunderte und von denen sie glaubte, dass sie die gebührende Aufmerksamkeit verdienten.

Inspiriert von einer Amerikareise mit ihrem Freund und Rapper Logic, arbeitete sie später mit dem renommierten Produzenten Kwes zusammen, um die Platte fertigzustellen.
This Ain't The Way You Go Out ist ein Album, das aus der Asche der Verzweiflung erschaffen wurde, das die kleinsten grünen Triebe nährte und etwas zum Leben erweckte, das sonst verbraucht aussah. Es ist eine neue Ära für Lucy, und zwar eine Ära im reinsten, wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. Eine Künstlerin, die sich der Kraft der Musik wieder bewusst wird und dabei eine Menge Spaß hat.

Heretik Golden Age repress... Third for mr? Benoît : Excellent selecta of tunes !

VILLAGES ist ein seltenes Kunststück geglückt. Die zweite LP des Indie/Postpunk-Trios "Excessive Demand" schafft es tatsächlich aus komplexen Zutaten einen absolut eingängigen, fesselnden Sound zu erschaffen. Das Vinyl-Release erscheint am 28. Oktober 2022 gemeinsam auf It's Eleven Records und Pike Records. Ungewöhnliche Drum Grooves treiben die acht Songs voran, während analoge Synthesizer und verhallte Gitarren Schicht um Schicht hinzufügen - die elektronische Kühle trifft dabei auf einen warmen Bass-Sound und einen oft fragilen, mehrstimmigen Gesang. Verschiedenste Einflüsse aus Synth-Pop, Indie/Artrock und Postrock verschmelzen VILLAGES zu ihrem originären, detailverliebten Sound, der bei jedem Hören neue Facetten offenbart. Darin spiegeln sich so unterschiedliche Inspirationsquellen für das Trio wie u.a. Battles, Trail of Dead, LCD Soundsystem, Deerhunter, Pttrns, Chad VanGaalen u.v.m. Der Albumtitel "Excessive Demand" steht für den energiefressenden Alltag, der alle utopistischen Gedanken und Bemühungen um eine gerechtere Zukunft überlagert und zunichte macht. In ihren Texten setzt sich die Band kritisch mit persönlichen, aber auch gesellschaftlichen Themen wie Gewalt, psychischen Erkrankungen, Privilegien, überholten Rollenbildern und Selbstinszenierung auseinander. "Excessive Demand" wurde im Sommer 2021 mit Roland Wiegner (Produktionen u.a. Jungbluth, Düsenjäger, The Hirsch Effekt) in der Tonmeisterei Oldenburg aufgenommen und von der Band in Eigenregie um Synths und Vocals in Dresden ergänzt. Mix und Mastering sind ebenfalls von Roland Wiegner. Das Artwork stammt von Fabian Bremer aus Leipzig (Radare, AUA).

About 20 years ago, Carlos Giffoni quickly made a name for himself both as a noise guitarist and a laptop noisician upon arriving in New York (via Florida and Venezuela). His expertly curated annual No Fun Festival, as well as his No Fun label, further solidified him as a key figure in the international noise scene. The festival's success proved the formula for experimental and improvised music fests could work with the noise underground as well, but it also capitalized on the faster rate of connections being made between geographically disparate artists as a result of the (still relatively nascent) internet. Back then Carlos would play his laptop like a pinball machine, in contrast to the static stage presence of most laptop performers, and his solo music, like many others' at that time, expressed a less dark and dour vision of the implications of harsh noise. By the close of the 2000s, he had stopped doing the festival, switched gears musically to playing the lighter No Fun Acid sets, and moved to LA. Now he has re-emerged in a big way with Dream Walker, his first full-length since 2018's Vain (and only his second since 2010). Inspired by the masterful performances and diffusions he heard at the February 2023 GRM electronic music festival in Paris, particularly sets by old friends Lasse Marhaug, Jim O'Rourke, and Eiko Ishibashi, he began conceptualizing new music of his own in response, turning to synthesizers and other hardware to produce a work more firmly in the tradition of European electronic music than anything else he's done. Intended as a late night listen that evokes the edge of consciousness, with Carlos getting as close as possible to a trance state during the actual recording and mixing, each of the eleven tracks transition into one another rather than being standalone discrete pieces, forming two side-long suites that proceed like stages of a dream. Unabashedly tonal and repetitive, the glistening opener "Now Dream," the droning "Sleep Walker," and the closing triptych of "Lost in Descanso," "Sunrise," and "The Hidden Path" occupy a power electronics-ambient nexus that feels spiritually close to the Mego label. Elsewhere, "Ticking Clock" is reminiscent of Stereolab's non-easy listening vintage electronic side, while the two-part arpeggiated "Euphoria" recalls early Oneohtrix Point Never (which Carlos released on No Fun). The contrast between "One Breath"'s crackling opening and its remarkably fluid and soaring sustained synthesized chords is a distillation of the album's lingering tension between electronics' ability to project mechanical rupture as well as the organic and the infinite _or "walking between dreams," as Carlos himself puts it. Produced by Lasse Marhaug (who also mastered Carlos' first solo album, Welcome Home, back in 2005), released by Stephen O'Malley (who I remember DJing at the No Fun fest), with cover art and photos by personal friends, Carlos considers the album a family affair. But Dream Walker most of all heralds a maturation of the artist, and stands as a record that exists out of pure desire, rather than obligation or force of habit; a statement of reconnecting with music not by merely revisiting it, but by building on what's come before, both in his own work and in the music he loves. -Alan Licht, New York, December 2023

Jacky Terrasson (Piano)
Guests :
Kareen Guiock Thuram (Vocals), Camille Bertault (Vocals), Grégoire
Maret (Harmonica), Billy Hart (Drums), Eric Harland (Drums)
French Trio :
Sylvain Romano (Bass), Lukmil Perez (Drums)
American Trio :
Kenny Davis (Bass), Alvester Garnett (Drums)

Skylax Records Is Proud to Introduce You to the Sound of RotorMotor With Their Astounding "Dream Beams" Ep That Encapsulates the Essence of Early '90s Trance, Italo Disco, and Ebm, While Evoking the Nostalgic Sound of Kompakt From 2004 to 2007. Hailing From Ljubljana, Slovenia, RotorMotor Is a Dynamic Duo Whose Tracks Have Gained Popularity Through Their Association With Lesyeuxorange, Feinstoff, Sexy Dinosaur From Outer Space, and Esteemed Remix Luminaries Like Neurotiker. Prepare to Be Transported Into an Audio Realm Where Pulsating Beats and Infectious Melodies Collide. the Ep Kicks Off With "Size of a Photon," a Track That Encapsulates the Signature Sound of Kompakt in Its Purest Form. "Feel My Pulse" Follows Suit, Immersing Listeners in a Rhythmic Journey That Resonates Deep Within. One of the Ep's Standout Moments Is the Remarkable Remix by Italian Producer Amarcord, Recently Acclaimed for His Releases on Ombra International, Eskimo Recordings, and Curses' Excellent Compilation "Next Wave Acid Punx". Amarcord's Remix of "Flashblinded" Flawlessly Blends Breakbeat and Trance Elements, Resulting in an Elegantly Treated Sonic Masterpiece. on the Flipside, RotorMotor Collaborates With Pholia on "Flashblinded," Delivering Both an Instrumental and a Vocal Version. the Vocal Rendition Adds a Post-Apocalyptic Touch as Pholia's Robotic Voice Sings in Slovenian, Creating an Atmospheric and Haunting Experience. "Dream Beams" Is a Demonstration to RotorMotor's Ability to Fuse Influences From the Past With a Contemporary Twist, Creating a Sonic Landscape That Captivates the Senses. With Their Relentless Energy and Creative Vision, RotorMotor Never Ceases to Amaze. This Vinyl Release Is a Must-Have for Any Enthusiast of Electronic Music Seeking an Extraordinary Sonic Adventure. Grab Your Copy and Experience the Hypnotic Power of RotorMotor....

The 12 songs that constitute Dreams, the third full-length from the Kaohsiung trio Elephant Gym, explore the deep spacetime continuum that consciousness cannot capture. Beyond the trio’s staple instrumentation of guitar, bass, and drumset, Dreams blends in wind instruments, traditional drums, and Taiwanese narrative. Through collaboration with Hakka singer-songwriter Lin Sheng Xiang and pop musician 9m88, notable for their accomplishments in jazz, soul, and R&B, Dreams is a sweeping narrative about a fantastical dream that crosses the boundary. After pressing play, please do close your eyes, and enjoy the dream

The third studio album from Rebecca Downes with 12 new, original blues-influenced, rock tracks all written by Steve Birkett and Rebecca. Album mixed by Bill Drescher and Chris Childs. With exciting new material that continues the evolution of the music towards rock, More Sinner Than Saint is worth the wait. At the outset, Downes consulted with producer Chris Kimsey, who has previously worked with The Rolling Stones, to select and refine the 12 tracks and to achieve what she and co-writer Steve Birkett see as the perfect expression of their current writing. With five of the fabulous tracks having been mixed by Californian based Bill Drescher, whose previous accolades include working with Rick Springfield and The Bangles, Downes showcases her trademark powerful vocals throughout. With the remainder of the tracks being mixed by Thunder’s Chris Childs, the pedigree of this album is faultless. With her superb studio band that includes Dan Clark, Lloyd Daker and Magnum’s Rick Benton, there was no shortage of artists queuing to join her on the odd track or two. The multi award winning Alan Nimmo (King King) plays guitar on If I Go To Sleep and Magnum’s Tony Clarkin delivers a fabulous guitar solo on Breathe Out. With her signature voice, style and song writing, it was little wonder that last year she was voted Female Vocalist of the Year at the FORM UKBlues Awards. The release of this jubilant new album once again gives her the chance to showcase her formidable powerhouse and gutsy vocals in tracks that have greater range and depth than anything she’s done before. Rebecca said: “We were honoured and humbled to receive Chris Kimsey’s guidance. He gave us confidence about the direction of our writing changing to a rockier sound and advice on the way the material should be recorded. Meeting Bill Drescher in LA was fantastic – such a lovely, down-to-earth guy – and his mixing took the five tracks to the next level. Chris Childs has since done an excellent job on the rest in matching Bill’s mixing style. We are very proud of this album – and the way the music has evolved towards rock. More than ever before we believe it captures the best of our song writing.”

Obwohl sie aus den entferntesten Ecken des nordischen Undergrounds zusammenkamen, sind Night Shall Drape Us durch Blut und einen unerschütterlichen Geist für schnellen, melodischen, kompromisslosen Black Metal vereint.

Ihr Debütalbum enthält acht perfekt ausgeführte Hymnen, die von einem unerbittlichen Chor von Verrückten gesungen werden. Lunatic Choir bietet schnelle Blastbeats gepaart mit rohen und doch melodischen traditionellen Black Metal Riffs.

"Eins mit den Bestien der schwarzen Flamme", singt die Band in "Under the Dead Sky" und gibt sich damit in die Arme des Heiligen Todes.

FFO: Craft, Dødheimsgard, Satyricon, Dissection

Mit "Under a timeless spell" hat sich Adrian Hates einen Traum erfüllt ... einmal ein Album mit einem Orchester aufnehmen! 35 Jahre nach der Gründung des Tagebuchs der Träume ist es nun also soweit: 9 Diary of Dreams Klassiker erklingen in völlig neuem akustischem Gewand, gemeinsam realisiert mit der Philharmonie Leipzig. Kein Keyboard und auch keine Gitarre hat hier Platz gefunden, dafür aber unglaublich überwältigende orchestrale Klangwelten, die Songs wie zum Beispiel "Malum" und "the Valley" eine völlig neue Tiefe und Tragweite verleihen. Überwältigt von dieser emotionalen Reise endet das Album ganz persönlich und ruhig mit einer Klavierversion von "the Secret". Nachdem dann der letzte Ton verklungen ist, fühlt man sich berührt, aufgefangen und umarmt und hofft leise auf eine Fortsetzung dieser neuen Welt.