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Echocord revisits Mathimidori’s ‘Akebono’ LP with remixes from Deadbeat, FDF, Rod Modell and Quantec. Late 2020 saw the release of Mathimidori’s ‘Akebono’ on the Echocord imprint, the ten track collection saw the Mathias Kaden alias deliver a number of collaboration and original productions exploring the realms of dub and the guise’s underlying Japanese influences. Here the label revisits the project with an all star cast of remixes in the dub techno world. Stepping up to the plate first is Deadbeat with his ‘Dub’ take on Maiia’, the Montreal based artist shifts focus to tumbling dub echoes, hazy noise sweeps and jittery hi-hats throughout before the ‘FDF Reshape’ of ‘Soso’ lays down a gyrating drum groove atop expansive reggae vocal shots and an ethereal, billowing atmosphere. Deepchord’s Rod Modell deliver his first ‘Version’ of ‘Ork’ next, as expected the pioneering dub techno artist offers up a typically classy interpretation fuelled by hypnotic, chanting voices, the originals fluttering chords and a pulsating low-end drive. Quantec takes on ‘Akari’ next for a refined and reduced offering, laying down minimalistic percussion and subtly nuanced chords before Modell’s ‘Dub’ take on ‘Ork’ completes the release, as the name would suggest adding a more hypnotic and dubbed out aesthetic to things to contrasting his former remix.
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Outside Ludlow / Desert Disco is the first major solo release from Australian performer-composer Sam Dunscombe, now based in Berlin after residing for the past decade in San Diego and Tokyo. A virtuoso clarinettist who has performed in composed and improvised settings with artists such as Klaus Lang and Taku Sugimoto, their practice also embraces computer music, lo-fi electronics and field recordings, in addition to their long-term commitment to archiving, studying and performing the work of Romanian spectralist composer Horatiu Radulescu.
The two side-long pieces presented on this LP began from a chance encounter in a specific geographic location (documented in the photographs that grace the record’s sleeve). Exploring California’s Mojave desert with a friend, Dunscombe made the unlikely discovery of a tangle of quarter-inch tape snared on a cactus. The digitised version of this tape, variously edited and processed, as well as Dunscombe’s own transcription and embellished performance of some of its material on Hammond organ, makes up one of the main ingredients of the LP’s first side. The other is a field recording of the area outside the ghost town of Ludlow, where the tape was found, where haunted silence is punctuated by freight trains and clusters of explosions from gold mines and the local marine corps. Far from any kind of documentary approach, the resulting composition reaches back to the smeared atmospherics and overdriven tape crunch of Hands To, Small Cruel Party or Joe Colley, before the Hammond organ rises up to cast a spectral shimmer reminiscent of 1960s tape music classics like Arne Nordheim’s ‘Warszawa’.

On ‘Desert Disco’ (its title perhaps a clue to the content of the mysterious tape), Dunscombe zeroes in on a single fragment of the tape, accompanying it with analogue synthesis to craft an immersive work based on a single chord. Throughout the course of this work, the monolithic opening sonority gradually splits apart, revealing an infinity of rhythmically phasing lines that swarm like a cloud of insects and patter like falling rain, placing Dunscombe’s piece in a lineage of patient electronic exploration that includes landmarks like Costin Miereanu’s Derives and the contemporary work of Jim O’Rourke.

Limited edition vinyl with images by Sam Dunscombe and design by Lasse Marhaug. Mastered by Joe Talia at Good Mixture, Berlin.

“In some respects, Trust is a simultaneous documentation of progression and regression. A homecoming of sorts, influenced by the interim where we developed our skills as producers and our skills as artists. Armlock, as a vehicle, seems like returning full circle to where we started.”

Trust, out June 2, 2021, is the debut release of Australian duo, Armlock. It’s a nuanced record that explores trials felt in personal growth, from resentment to submission to complacency. A quiet, thrashing gem of songcraft, the record makes as much use of the intimate, empty space as it does of its layered, heavy instrumentals. Each one of these songs conjures a summer storm of internal conflict, with the angst and uncertainty that comes with realizing that you’re finished growing, and rather than feeling a sense of ease you’re left restless and discontented.

Multi-instrumentalists Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell met studying jazz together at Monash University in Melbourne. While rehearsing standards for a small ensemble in 2010, the two discovered their mutual hatred of the genre, opting to explore experimental, song-based electronic music. Alongside Solitaire Recordings owner, Dan Rutman, they went on to form the group I’lls, releasing four records in five years, and, later, the two went on to form Couture. Simultaneously, Lam (along with his cousin Chloe Kaul) found success with the synthpop group Kllo, amassing over 100 million streams on Spotify and critical acclaim from Pitchfork, The Guardian, GQ, NME, NYLON, and Stereogum. Lam’s solo project Nearly Oratorio (also on Solitaire Recordings) has achieved acclaim in its own right, as has Mitchell’s work as a producer and designer for artists like Jack Grace.

With their first release as Armlock, the duo maintains the depths of I’lls’ electronic soundscapes but brings the warmth of analogue instruments with Lam’s clear, disillusioned singing up front. He sounds both heartfelt and dejected in equal measure, with a dispassionate coolness that synergizes with the vulnerability of his lyrics. Live, the duo are backed by a reel-to-reel tape, with Mitchell on guitar and Lam singing, bridging their electronic past and indie present.

A unique new album of poetry and music featuring Marianne Faithfull set to the music of Warren Ellis, and featuring Nick Cave, Brian Eno and Vincent Ségal
With She Walks in Beauty, Marianne Faithfull with composer and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis releases one of the most distinctive and singular albums of her long, extraordinary life and career. It was recorded just before and during the first Covid-19 lockdown – during which the singer herself became infected and almost died of the disease – with musical friends and family including not only composer Warren Ellis but Nick Cave, Brian Eno, cellist Vincent Ségal and producer-engineer Head. She Walks in Beauty fulfils Faithfull’s long-held ambition to record an album of poetry with music.
It’s a record that draws on her passion for the English Romantic poets, a passion she fostered in her A Level studies with one Mrs Simpson at St Joseph's Convent School in Reading. From there she entered the world of As Tears Go By, of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, Top of the Pops and the left-hand path of pop and stage stardom. Sixties iconography and outrage followed, as did her subsequent battles with addiction before her 1979 return to powerful female and artistic autonomy with Broken English, an album which featured her setting to music Heathcote Williams’ poem of eviscerating rage, Why D’Ya Do It?
Drawing deep on the poetry of Shelley, Keats, Byron, Wordsworth, Tennyson and Thomas Hood, Faithfull’s vocal performances set to Ellis’s subtle collages of sound draw out the heart, the quick, the vibrant living matter in all these great poems, making them fresh, renewing them with the complex, lived-in timbres of her voice, and set to a subtle palette of ambient musical settings. It’s both a radical departure and a return to her original inspirations as an artist and performer.
The greatest poetry is best heard, and Faithfull’s accounts of some of the greatest lyric poetry in our language – Keats’ Ode To A Nightingale and Ode To Autumn – are spine-tingling in their deep understanding of the poetry’s powerful currents of meaning and identification. On Nightingale, her voice opens up like an epic landscape, while in Shelley’s miniature masterpiece, To The Moon, she sounds otherworldly, as if calling down from another medium, and the atonal, otherworldly sound textures provided by Eno on Bridge of Sighs and La Belle Dame Sans Merci become a compelling foil for Faithfull’s haunting interpretations of these rich, dark poems.
“They’ve have been with her her whole life,” says Ellis. “She believes in these texts. That world, she inhabits it, embodies it, and that really comes through. There’s just something about the way she can deliver that is incredibly affecting.”
“Eventually I always end up where I was meant to be,” says Faithfull. “I’ve noticed that. It may take a long time, but I get there. I never forget these things. After all these years, I’ve drawn the strands back and they still mean something and they resonate more, actually, because I now have life experience. Life and near-death experience. Many times! Not just once.” She Walks in Beauty is scheduled for release April 30th, with artwork created for the album by British artist and lifelong friend, Colin Self, and with the full texts of the poems, and commentary, included in the liner notes. While Faithfull continues to recover from the after-effects of Covid-19, and the world around us continues to struggle with the impact of the worldwide pandemic, these are poems and performances to steady and lift the spirit.

Green yellow red splatter vinyl
Into the Future’ is the ninth studio album by the American hardcore punk band Bad Brains, which was originally released on November 20, 2012 on Megaforce Records.
t is a tribute dedication to Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, a longtime friend of he band who died of cancer six months before its release, and produced their previous album ‘Build a Nation’
This “Into The Future’ vinyl reissue is on green, yellow and red splatter vinyl in gatefold packaging featuring cover art by Shepard Fairey, a street artist who became widely known with his Barrack Obama “Hope” poster used in his 2008 campaign. His work has been included in many contemporary art museums luding the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

BLUE NOTE TONE-POET-LP-SERIE (STAFFEL 22)
CURTIS AMY & DUPREE BOLTON - Katanga! (1963)
ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS - The Witch Doctor (1967)
- audiophiles, rein analoges Mastering von den Original-Analogbändern
- Pressung in 180g-Vinyl
- extra-dicke, laminierte Tip-on-Sleeves
- wattierte Innenhüllen

Jazz Behind the Dikes Vol 3 is the third and final installment in the Jazz Behind The Dikes series, which highlights some of the greatest Dutch jazzmen under ideal conditions: in their own combo’s and playing the music of their own choice in complete freedom. The result is a collection of straightforward modern jazz by renowned Dutch jazz musicians such as Ron Madna Trio, Tony Vos Quartet and Frans Elsen Quartet.

This third volume of the series is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on blue vinyl.

James are proud to announce the release of their new album All The Colours Of You. Their 16th studio album will be released on 4th June with the title track available today (1st March) across all DSPs. All The Colours Of You follows the release of LIVE In Extraordinary Times, a live recorded version of their last studio album Living In Extraordinary Times, which peaked at #1 in the midweeks.

The album will be their first on a new record label, Virgin Music Label & Artists Services (formerly known as Caroline International), and at their new publishing home Kobalt Music, both of which they recently signed to, reinforcing the endless and restless ambition they have as they approach their fourth decade as a band.

Recorded in part before the Covid pandemic struck, the album was produced by the Grammy award-winning Jacknife Lee (Taylor Swift, U2, REM’s, Snow Patrol, The Killers). On production duties with James for the first time, he bought a fresh approach to their sound, working remotely from his studio, reimagining their early demos, and capturing the band in all their virtual glory.

The result is a record with the most arena ready tracks of their 38-year career, the sound of one of Britain’s best bands, deconstructed and reassembled by one of the world’s most renowned producers.

Newly awarded Dub Artist of the Year 2020 by the specialized website Reggae.fr, Manudigital presents the second volume of his famous "Digital Kingston Session" on vinyl, three years after the release of volume 1 in 2018! These videos filmed in the streets of Kingston, in which the producer invites Jamaican singers from the golden age of digital Reggae to perform their classics in one take on riddims that he plays with the legendary Casio MT40 or "Sleng Teng Keyboard ”, have become a real institution! With more than 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, Manudigital continues to bring together an ever larger and more international audience.

In this volume 2 of the “Digital Kingston Session”, Manudigital gather a five-star cast with the legendary Capleton, the essential Junior Cat and more underground but no less talented artists such as Devon Morgan, Peter Metro, Jigsy King or Bunny General. As on the first volume, two bonus sessions recorded outside Jamaica complete the tracklisting: one in Brooklyn with Red Fox, the most New Yorker of Jamaican deejays, and the other in Paris with the spectacular English MC Deemas J, who has been accompanying Manudigital on stage since 2018.

A second volume of the "Digital Kingston Session" on vinyl which should delight the public, while waiting to get back to live music and sound systems!

In his tenth year with Acid Jazz, the ever-prolific Matt Berry
has crafted a psych masterpiece. Once again proving that
his artistic progression and ambition knows no bounds.
Following the acclaim of last year’s Top 30 album
‘Phantom Birds’ (★★★★ The Times), Acid Jazz release
‘Blue Elephant’, Matt Berry’s sixth studio album with the
ground breaking label.
Recorded during the summer of 2020, ‘Blue Elephant’ is
testament to Matt’s exceptional musicianship, production
skills and songwriting prowess with every instrument
played by Matt - including guitars, bass, a variety of
keyboards and synthesizers (piano, Wurlitzer, mellotron,
Moog, Hammond, Vox and Farfisa organs) - with the
exception of drums (supplied by Craig Blundell), on
arguably his best album to date.
This music soundtracks an album that explores themes
surrounding today’s close scrutiny in all its bewildering,
objectifying and unnerving experiences. Very much a
conceptual and, therefore, continuous long-player, the
album’s infectious grooves come to the fore on standout
tracks ‘Summer Sun’, heavy-psych instrumental ‘Invisible’
and the three-part ‘Blues Inside Me’, which encompasses
a psych journey through a late ‘60s and early glam filter,
mixed with the propulsive ‘Like Stone’.
‘Blue Elephant’ is available on digipack CD, blue vinyl,
black vinyl and audio cassette.

RED FANG return with their highly anticipated new album, Arrows! Their first album in five years, everyone's favorite beer-crushing, zombie-killing, air-guitar-contest-judging metal heroes are back in action, doing what they do best- AND MORE. “This record feels more like Murder The Mountains to me than any record we’ve done before or since,” bassist/vocalist Aaron Beam ventures. “It doesn’t sound like that record, but Murder the Mountains was us doing whatever the fuck we wanted, and that’s what this is, too.” Arrows was recorded at Halfling Studios in the band’s hometown of Portland, OR, with longtime collaborator Chris Funk, producer of Murder The Mountains and 2013’s Whales and Leeches. “Chris is a major influencer as far as the weird ambient stuff in between the songs and the creepy incidental noises within the songs,“ guitarist Bryan Giles points out. “I think he definitely creates an added layer of atmosphere that we wouldn’t have otherwise.” Arrows is also a proper title track, which is new territory for the band. “This is the first time we’ve named an album after a song that’s actually on the album,” Beam explains. “We have other albums that are named after songs of ours that are not on those albums. So this time we’re really fucking with you because we didn’t fuck with you.” Similarly, fans might not believe what the song “Arrows” is partially about. “If you’re confused by some of the lyrics to the song, that makes sense,” Beam explains. “But it makes reference to meditation. I started meditating six years ago, but I can only do it when I’m not feeling too anxious. So, when I don’t need it, that’s when I can do it.” Elsewhere, “Fonzi Scheme” was named after legendary Happy Days cool guy Arthur Fonzarelli—if only because it’s in the key of his famous catchphrase, “Aaay.” Producer Chris Funk came up with the idea of bringing in string players from the Portland Cello Project to class up the track. Meanwhile, the opening riff of closer “Funeral Coach” was written 11 years ago. But it took until recently for the song to blossom into its full double-entendre glory. “I was driving around and I saw a hearse that said ‘funeral coach services’ on the back,” Beam explains. “So the first thing that popped into my head was a dude with a headset and a clipboard going, ‘Alright, dudes—more tears! Five minutes in is when the tears are critical, or no one’s gonna believe that anyone cares that this person died.’” In a nod to tradition, Arrows will be available in formats that include all the drums, bass, guitars and vocals. But it could’ve gone another way. “Our original idea was to release the album with no vocals or guitar solos,” Beam explains. “If you want the guitar solos, it’s an extra five bucks. If you want the vocals, it’s an extra ten bucks. So basically people should feel lucky that we didn’t do that. You get to buy the whole thing altogether.” RED FANG think of it as a generous display of gratitude toward their fans. “Yeah,” says Sherman, “Thank you for buying our album, you lucky bastards.”

Recently signed to FatCat’s 130701 imprint, Dutch
composer Rutger Hoedemaekers makes his debut
solo release with a stunning album that marks the
culmination of a decade spent in the hypercreative studio environment he co-founded in
Berlin, including four years working closely
alongside Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Sonically rich, emotionally deep, and immaculately
handled, ‘The Age Of Oddities’ showcases a
brilliant new talent, its cinematic eloquence bearing
witness to Rutger’s experiences composing for film
alongside Oscar-winner Hildur Guðnadóttir and
Jóhannsson, for whom the album is partly a
eulogy.
‘The Age Of Oddities’ is a bold and forwardthinking record, with a rich, hybrid sound seeing
vocals processed and blurred alongside brass
parts and a wall of strings shadowed by Rutger’s
understated, textural electronics.
The album features the Budapest Art Orchestra’s
23-piece string ensemble alongside vocals (Kira
Kira, Else Torp and Laura Jansen), horn (Morris
Kliphuis), trombone (Hilary Jeffery) and violin (Una
Sveinbjarnardóttir, Viktor Orri Árnason), with
Hoedemaekers contributing trumpet, piano,
keyboard and electronics.
For fans of Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur
Guðnadóttir, Mica Levi, Max Richter, Olafur
Arnalds.

In 2013, Anouk was the Netherlands’ representative in the Eurovision Song Contest. The day before competing in the first semi-final, she released Sad Singalong Songs, her eighth album. The album marked a change in sound for Anouk, containing more introspective, symphonic oriented rock ballads. Lead single “Birds” was the song she performed at Eurovision, ultimately placing
9th in the final; the best result for the Netherlands since 1999. The album showcases Anouk’s versatility as an artist. The album reached the number 1 position in the Dutch album charts and already went platinum on its release day. The album also charted in Belgium and Germany.

Now Sad Singalong Songs is released on coloured vinyl for the first time. It is a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on clear vinyl. It is housed in a sleeve containing a printed innersleeve with song lyrics.

Grammy nominated guitarist, composer, and producer, Chuck Loeb has had a musical career that spans over four decades. He was one of the most sought-after jazz recording artists and composer of over
250 published songs.
In 1984 Chuck Loeb joined the all-star group Steps Ahead. In 2010 he replaced Larry Carlton at Fourplay. In 1988 Chuck Loeb started his solo career and was initially under contract with the innovative label DMP. During this time the album Life Colors was recorded. Life Colors is certainly one of Chuck Loeb’s best albums. It is very reminiscent of his days with Steps Ahead. It’s packed with fusion-driven songs with incredible dynamics. The melodic riffs make this album a very special one.
Chuck Loeb passed away in 2017 at the age of 61. The album by Chuck Loeb, which is still legendary today, was no longer available in mint condition for over a decade. Now Life Colors is emerging again - as a Double-LP.

Returning with their first new music in 8 years, Stubborn Heart have announced their anticipated new album 'Made Of Static'. Luca Santucci and Ben Fitzgerald, who have spent the last few years developing the ten brooding electro-soul tracks that make up the successor to their lauded 2012 self-titled debut, have once again struck a fine balance between ominous synth-soundscapes and introspective songwriting. Balance is the key theme here. With Fitzgerald leading the production and manning the machines, the sound is rawer than on their previous album. Left-field pop with dark, icy edges, it finds a home somewhere in between r&b and cold wave. Santucci brings the heart and with it his aching, obsessive lyrics and a desire for something grittier in its presentation. The duo's talents complement each other perfectly throughout. Santucci has amassed an impressive list of writing and vocal credits in his time, with the likes of XL and Warp signee Leila Arab, Plaid, Riton and Soulwax amongst them. Fitzgerald has also been hard at work at his home studio programming various styles of music for artists and producers from around the world. As Stubborn Heart, they come armed with some serious experience and a wealth of influences. There's an honest simplicity in the way they create, with lyrics written in an immediate, direct fashion with the aim to catch a feeling rather than emulate one. On their first album Stubborn Heart garnered praise from the likes of Pitchfork, NME and the UK broadsheets. It was named album of 2012 at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards and Rough Trade placed it in their top 20 best albums the same year. However, it's now that we're presented with an album they feel better represents their dynamic - an album born from the duos combined creative static - as such, 'Made Of Static' is the first fruit of their reunion, aiming to step on from where they left off, and with the promise of much more to follow.

Tibor Szemző is not only a skillful and experienced Hungarian musician but also a media artist with a vast imagination. His last LP, ARBO X – Csoma Grooves, refers to his full-length film A Guest of Life released in 2006, for which he not only directed but also composed all the music. The film is inspired by the life of Alexander Csoma de Körös, a remarkable polyglot from the 19th century who set out from his native Transylvania to central Asia on foot to look for the roots of the Hungarian language. He reached Tibet, dedicated the rest of his life to study of Tibetan manuscripts and finally became the founder of tibetology. After 14 years Tibor Szemző decided to explore the theme further and composed the cinematic performance, Silverbird and the Cyclist, where he as narrator presented the story of Csoma from a different perspective.

ARBO X is the music from this performance and it is based on the soundtrack of the original movie but the material has been restructured and enhanced by new layers. There are fourteen relatively short tracks on the album and each of them has a very specific character, sometimes mysterious as the titles of the tracks themselves. Their arrangement is ingeniously composed. Szemző’s typical bass flute and voice with percussion accompaniment on the first track Axis is a very impressive introduction to the whole album. The following tracks build up a series of colorful sound parables, which are in no way descriptive. Every element, whether it’s a double bass, viola, soprano voice, vocal trio or electronics, fits perfectly within the overall sound fabric with effective timing. Listening to ARBO X one unwittingly concentrates on interweaving details without loosing the sense of the whole. It’s certainly a great benefit, as in previous recordings, that most of the musicians participating in the recording of ARBO X are very familiar with Szemző’s music and his collaboration with some of them goes back to Group 180, a new music ensemble he founded in 1978 and soon earned international acclaim. This most recent album belongs among a long line of recordings that Tibor Szemző has released during his musical career and displays great compositional complexity and a keen sense of a perfectly balanced sound spectrum.

Alexandr Krestovský

Andy Gill begann mit der Planung einer Compilation zum 40-jährigen Jubiläum des stilprägenden Gang Of Four Debütalbums "Entertainment!" (1979), seine Witwe Catherine Meyer setzte nach seinem Tod 2020 die Arbeit fort und wandelte zusammen mit allen Beteiligten das Projekt in einen Tributsampler mit dem Titel "The Problem Of Leisure - A Celebration Of Andy Gill & Gang Of Four" um. Jede:r teilnehmende Künstler:in interpretierte einen Track nach Wahl aus Gang Of Four's 40-jähriger Karriere nach ihrem/seinem Gusto neu. Es beteiligten sich mehrere Protagonisten der internationalen Rock/Alternative-Szene, darunter Tom Morello & Serj Tankian (Rage Against The Machine), IDLES, Herbert Grönemeyer, Helmet, Gary Numan, Flea & John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Killing Joke, Warpaint, 3D aka Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack), La Roux, The Sounds, The Dandy Warhols, LoneLady, Hardcore Raver In Tears (aus China), Sekar Melati (aus Japan), u.v.m. Das Artwork steuerte der britische Kult-Künstler Damien Hirst bei. Das Doppelabum erscheint als 2CD Digipak, 2CD Casebound Book, 2LP Gatefold, limitierte MC.

James Kelly Duhon was a native of Beaumont, Texas, a city about 20 miles from Port Arthur, Texas. In the late 1960s, he was in a group known as The Ascots. All in all Duhon released four 45s including "In School" b/w "Heart Breaker (Child Maker)" which found a national release on Mainstream Records. When he retired from the road, he settled back in Beaumont, Texas where he died of natural causes in 1998.

Bounding on from the Door to the Cosmos, the label'sexpansive triple vinyl compilation, OnTheCorner has paired up new artists in this series of cosmically twinned EPs. Twinning EPs on a single piece of wax reduces the impact on the environment and wallet friendly. Each brace of cosmically twinned OnTheCorner artists interstellar balearic for the deepspace bound. Each 12" will be split taking over a whole side of black wax. Party wax loaded with Stardust. Get your fix of tomorrow's sound, tonight! Side A is UFFE's 'Not All the Stars EP' - an underground emissary channeling dark bass weight through a prism of jazz-house - dub-tech hitters. A singular talent leading the charge into new frontiers with OnTheCorner. Not All The Stars EP is aprelude to his first LP on the label and follows on from City's Dead and that featured on Door to the Cosmos in 2020. Petwo Evans' 'Bootstrap EP' on the flip side is made of soundsystem-primed, innovative club tracks. Welsh Futurism, celestial electrics and objects of space-junk percussion. CERN loops, cyber kinetic grooves, machine pulses and chugging house kicks converse in the orbit of 'Gyroscope'. Petwo Evansfeeds the tracks compulsion with heady layers awash with dreamy vocal stabs, synths and hazy harmonics.

May 28 will see prolific Japanese vibraphonist, multi-percussionist and composer Masayoshi Fujita mark a new sonic direction with his forthcoming album Bird Ambience on Erased Tapes.

Bird Ambience brings several fresh changes for the artist. Until now, Fujita would separate his acoustic solo recordings from the electronic dub under his El Fog alias and experimental improvisations with contemporaries such as Jan Jelinek, Bird Ambience sees him unite all of these different sides to his work for the first time, into one singular vision. He also makes a lateral leap from his signature instrument the vibraphone, on which he created his acclaimed triptych Stories (2012), Apologues (2015) and Book of Life (2018), to the marimba, which takes centre stage on his new album alongside drums, percussion, synths, effectors and tape recorder.

“The way of playing the marimba is similar to the vibraphone, so it was kind of a natural development for me and easier to start with, yet it sounds very different”, explains Masayoshi. “The marimba bars are made with wood and it has a wider range than the vibraphone, which gives me a bigger sound palette with more possibilities. I play the instrument with bows and mallets, and sometimes manipulate it with effects.”

Bird Ambience also marks his liberation from fastidious preparation for past solo releases to new endeavours in improvisation. “I prioritised trying to capture the wonder which happens during those occasional magic improv moments. Sometimes the mic-ing and placement of instruments was pretty rough; things weren’t perfect and everything was done quickly, but it turned out as the final recording. Overall when I
couldn’t decide between two takes, I told myself to go with the first”, Masayoshi recalls.

Arranged with a perfect Kanso-like balance, the unhurried pace of Bird Ambience allows each sound and phrase enough time to be mindfully absorbed and savoured. This subtle but affective work carries ethereal remnants of Midori Takada’s minimalism, the static atmospheres of Mika Vainio, To Rococo Rot’s organics and the bucolic electronics of Minotaur Shock. Fujita vaporises contemporary and classical, ambient and dismantled dub, controlled noise and fragments of jazz into an atmospheric, static mist, which he skilfully coerces into new forms.

After 13 years in Berlin, Masayoshi recently relocated to a new home and studio in the rural Japanese mountain village of Kami-cho, Hyogo, following his life-long dream of creating music in nature. Even though the album was entirely recorded in Germany before he left, it has this palpable sense of reverie found in the natural world. From there we can only imagine the kind of impact his new life in rural West Japan will have on future works.

Heist welcomes rising star of the French House scene Marina Trench to the roster with a stunning release full of classic house cues across 4 warm & deeply grooving house cuts.
With only a handful of releases on DJ Deep’s Deeply Rooted (2019) and Wolf Music (2020), the young Parisian producer is only just getting started. And as far as starts go: This release on Heist will definitely open some eyes & ears across the house scene.
With her elegant and soulful sound both firmly rooted in classic deep house as it is contemporary, Marina showcases a mature sound that’s rarely seen with emerging producers. With a smart choice of samples, beautiful original vocals and smooth pads,
Marina layers her tracks effortlessly into warm compositions that work just as well in your living room as in any sweaty club.
The aptly titled opening track “Sunrise” is a smooth affair with pads oozing in and out and a faintly recognizable and definitely catchy choice of samples. An open electronic bass gives the track a serious tone, but it’s the melancholic chords that make you doze off reminiscing the days of endless festivals in the sun.
“Carry on” is built around classic house stabs with cleverly layered arpeggios and textures giving the track it’s depth. The main attraction here is the trumpet solo by German wunderkind Christian Altehülshorst. As far as chance meetings go, this is a nice one. Christian (who we met through our mutual friend Lorenz Rhode) was our impromptu trumpet player during a show at La Machine back in 2019, where Marina played alongside us. They got talking and before we knew it, we had this track in our inbox. It’s jazzy deephouse at its finest.
On the B-side, we’ve got “Over there”, where Marina layers here own vocals on an infectious house groove and the closing track “Wake up” featuring the emotive vocals of French Algerian artist Sabrina Bellaouel. The latter track evolves around a LFO’d pad and a minimalist groove, giving the vocals all the space to shine in a track that could easily be the one in your set that sets the room on fire.
As far as label debuts go, we could not have hoped for a better one. We’re sure we’ll get to see a lot more of Marina in the near future and hope she serves as a shining example for other emerging producers.
Enjoy the music,
Maarten & Lars

Recorded in 1973 in Rome - at Piero Umiliani’s "Sound WorkShop" – this one of the stand-out italian libraries to say the least. The whole record oozes a dreamy, mysterious, surrealist atmosphere enhanced by the vivid instrumentation that open a series of mesmerizing pieces which range from the gentle to the hypnotic. Eastern sounds, ritual horns and assorted metal banging and scrapping add to the whole mix for a landmark sound that will eventually evolve in delirious lysergic passages, hypnotic bass riffing, stoned funk beats, dubbed-out passages and Rino De Filippi trade-mark collage and sound manipulation.

It’s a given that timing is everything in music – most obviously in terms of composition and production but often just as much in regard to conception and release – the latter two doubly poignantly so in the case of this massive DOOM vs The Sugarcubes mash-up LP from turntablist and producer Krash Slaughta.

Which is why the tale of this project’s gestation is perhaps what should be told about it before anything else.

Begun last August and finished on 25 October, the album started life as an idea born from a casual listen to final Sugarcubes album Stick Around For Joy that Krash had bought a copy of years before in a charity shop. Contemplating the cover art while listening to the LP and the track Hit in particular, it came to him that here might be the musical basis for a concept LP in the grand tradition of the hip-hop mash-up album. Thus the project was born, becoming something of an obsession as lockdown restrictions recommenced through a sanity-testing autumn. As it developed, the provisional title of Stick Around For DOOM morphed into Sugar Coated DOOM and Brighton artists Leigh Pearce and Rob Crespo were roped in to create the artwork. So pleased was Krash with the results that he decided to self-finance the pressing of the LP to vinyl which in turn would allow him to send a copy to DOOM in the most fitting format. On that basis, along with his dad’s advice that if you want something done properly; do it yourself’, he initiated the process for a limited press run as soon as the project wrapped and telephoned his dad (who’d been shielding and who he hadn’t seen for months) to say he’d done precisely that. In a tragic twist, this turned out to be their last ever conversation, for Krash’s dad died suddenly the next day. Two months later of course, while waiting for the Covid-slowed vinyl pressing process to complete, came a further tragic twist as the world received the delayed news that DOOM himself had also passed away back in October – in the event, only five days after Krash’s father. So it’s no understatement to say that Sugar Coated DOOM carries significant emotional resonance for its maker, forever linked as it will be to the deaths of two of his personal heroes.

Which brings us to the content. The album contains seven vocal tracks, with an alternate version of one and instrumental versions of five of the seven across two sides of an album with the music, track names, LP title and cover art mashing up musical, lyrical/ textual and visual elements of The Sugar Cubes’ Stick Around For Joy with DOOM acapellas, track names and references. Listeners won’t need long to appreciate that Krash Slaughta was right to be proud of his creation, almost certainly correct in thinking DOOM would dig it and no doubt The Sugarcubes too. Also, who would have thought The Sugarcubes had so much potential for beat-mining? But then seeing potential in the unexpected was always a vital skill from the golden era of sampling in hip-hop and those who follow in the tradition. The first track proper, for example, swipes Madlib’s lo-fi beat from underneath the vocals for Figaro and replaces it with the looped and beefed-up opening bars of the Cubes’ I’m Hungry. The result is a natural fit. But then the blending of elements in every track on this release provides evidence of the effort and love put into its creation, reinvigorating DOOM’s classic vocals while re-purposing The Sugarcubes in a manner that will delight. Indeed, if you’d didn’t know the work of Bjork’s former band, you’d be unlikely to pin an early 90s alt-rock LP as the sample source. I imagine listeners will have a hard time picking a favourite too. Perhaps Hit It (based on the track which triggered the project idea in the first) which splices the Bond-theme-ish Hit with My Favourite Ladies might prove the most popular, or the monkey’s favourite, Nurse Chong, which blends Happy Nurse with Raedawn (named for Tommy Chong’s daughter) from Viktor Vaughn LP Vaudeville Villain. Whichever one punters pick though, anyone who hears anything off this will know it’s one to rank alongside your other favourite hip-hop mash-up albums. And who knows – perhaps even Mr Daniel Dumile himself might have considered it a not unfitting epitaph.

A welcome departure from their first effort, the record has gained greater reconection in recent years when contemporary audiencies could fully aprreciate the strenght and harsher direction the duo decided to take for their follow-up album.
More rhythmically-oriented tunes whilst revisiting some old-favorites like Daguerrotipo or La Edad del Bronce (both off their first album, but albeit in new mixes).

The Wah Wah edition has been mastered from the original tapes by Eugenio Muñoz, reproduces the original sleeve artwork and and features an insert with photos and info. It is a strictly limited edition of 500 copies only.

Toronto’s Ducks Ltd. will release their debut EP, Get Bleak on May 21, 2021 via Carpark Records. Composed of friends Evan Lewis, on lead guitar, and Tom Mcgreevy, on vocals and rhythm guitar, the band built a reputation in their hometown for their bright, sinewy, guitar sound while sharing bills with artists like Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Weyes Blood, The Goon Sax and Juan Wauters. They have earned accolades from Pitchfork who praised the band’s “lilting, throwback jangle pop,” and acclaim from outlets like NPR, Paste, NME, Apple Music 1, and more.

The opening track, “Get Bleak” sets a thematic tone for the EP, one of cultural self-awareness and satiric critiques of society’s pressures and the often ridiculous demands – and prices we pay – to exist. Chiming with breezy indie guitar sounds akin to those of Flying Nun and Sarah Records acts, the track, that features a contribution from Laura Hermiston of Twist, pokes fun at the idea that moving from city to city will fix the problems in your life. Following suit is “Gleaming Spires”, a track that zeroes in on the cities we live in and the push-pull relationships that we so often share with them. “Anhedonia”, via it’s tightly-wound rhythm and nostalgia-inked guitars, shifts focus to the times when one is unable to wring any joy out of the things that they find important in life.

Bringing the band’s characteristic restless bounce, thoughtful lyricism and penchant for orchestration, the tracks explore topics like troubled friendships (“It’s Easy”), self-destructive desires (“Oblivion”), and living with decline (“As Big As All Outside”) while maintaining the balance of earnest self-reflection and humor that endeared audiences to the original release.

Full of the unbridled radiance of jangle-pop, the debut EP from Ducks Ltd.’s Get Bleak celebrates their strengths while expanding their thematic and compositional horizons, and providing an intriguing glimpse of what’s to come.

Forest Green Vinyl

Toronto’s Ducks Ltd. will release their debut EP, Get Bleak on May 21, 2021 via Carpark Records. Composed of friends Evan Lewis, on lead guitar, and Tom Mcgreevy, on vocals and rhythm guitar, the band built a reputation in their hometown for their bright, sinewy, guitar sound while sharing bills with artists like Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Weyes Blood, The Goon Sax and Juan Wauters. They have earned accolades from Pitchfork who praised the band’s “lilting, throwback jangle pop,” and acclaim from outlets like NPR, Paste, NME, Apple Music 1, and more.

The opening track, “Get Bleak” sets a thematic tone for the EP, one of cultural self-awareness and satiric critiques of society’s pressures and the often ridiculous demands – and prices we pay – to exist. Chiming with breezy indie guitar sounds akin to those of Flying Nun and Sarah Records acts, the track, that features a contribution from Laura Hermiston of Twist, pokes fun at the idea that moving from city to city will fix the problems in your life. Following suit is “Gleaming Spires”, a track that zeroes in on the cities we live in and the push-pull relationships that we so often share with them. “Anhedonia”, via it’s tightly-wound rhythm and nostalgia-inked guitars, shifts focus to the times when one is unable to wring any joy out of the things that they find important in life.

Bringing the band’s characteristic restless bounce, thoughtful lyricism and penchant for orchestration, the tracks explore topics like troubled friendships (“It’s Easy”), self-destructive desires (“Oblivion”), and living with decline (“As Big As All Outside”) while maintaining the balance of earnest self-reflection and humor that endeared audiences to the original release.

Full of the unbridled radiance of jangle-pop, the debut EP from Ducks Ltd.’s Get Bleak celebrates their strengths while expanding their thematic and compositional horizons, and providing an intriguing glimpse of what’s to come.

Comet Records presents the Tony Allen & Afrika 70 reissue series with the classic late seventies first four solo albums of Tony Allen remastered and restored: Jealousy, Progress, No Accomodation for Lagos & No Discrimination, all coming in an heavy Deluxe Tip-On Jacket.
1978's No Accommodation for Lagos, Tony Allen's third solo album, is an effortless Afrobeat masterpiece. The Afrika 70 band floats through two of Tony's heaviest and most churning compositions.
With this album, we start to hear Tony Allen's unique style of Afro-Funk that he would explore for decades to come as a solo artist - it is groove-focused, a rolling meditation on rhythm.
The first track, "No Accommodation for Lagos" is one of Tony's most pointed and churning songs, recorded in a chaotic period following the army raid of Fela's compound. There is a seriousness to the funk, a real burning purpose in the performance of every instrument, from the horns to the shekere. Tony's performance is supercharged - he clearly showed up to the studio that day with a fire in his heart. The followup track, "African Message," is an Afrobeat compositional staple. Tony sits back in the cut through most of the supremely funky track until about seven minutes in, when he steps into the spotlight to express himself fully - his emotions, his frustrations, his convictions - in a fiery duet between his drumkit and his voice. The percussionists coalesce around him in support, lifting Tony up as he gives it his all.
Tony Allen was a musical and compositional visionary, and this album finds him beginning to explore that vision outside of Fela's immense gravitational pull. They are the start of a new era in Tony's fruitful career as a solo artist, opening the floodgates for his distinctive Afro-Funk sound and laying the foundation for the next generation of Afrobeat musicians to come.

Oldivibes present next VA with Local Dub, Alex Pervukhin, Oden & Fatzo, Wagnest.

Celebrating a determined and ambitious 15 year tenure as Yorkshire’s chief bastion of deep house music, Hudd Traxx enlist a who’s who from their gilded halls to contribute tunes for a special anniversary release. Split across two vinyl parts and an expansive digital release, it’s a pretty prestigious occasion featuring dance music legends Nightmares On Wax & Jovonn, long term label stalwarts Iron Curtis & JT Donaldson, a guest appearance from Mark Hawkins (FKA Marquis Hawkes) and a track from label head Eddie Leader. Adding to the already weighty credentials are Agnès (releasing his first material since 2013), Berlin-via-Italy producer Black Loops.

On Part Two longstanding Hudd Traxx veteran JT Donaldson drops “What I Got” - twisting and contorting throughout its duration, a serpentine roller rich with block party flavour and the very essence of deep house coursing through its veins.

Dixon Avenue Basement Jams’ Mark Hawkins does some moonlighting under his newly deed-polled alias with the epically beautifully “Chasing Paper”. No royalty credits heading north of the border here, just swathes of satisfied revellers and euphoric dancefloors guaranteed upon delivery.

Meanwhile, another Hudd Traxx regular, Iron Curtis, pays tribute to one of the scene’s greatest on “Kerri On (Chandelier Dub)”. A red-lit nocturnal jam that Mr. Chandler himself has rubber stamped, its ever-growing bassline, soaring strings and delicately placed keys taking us towards a seriously blissful conclusion.

Concluding part 2 is a track by Agnès - founder of Sthlmaudio Recordings. The stylish Swiss keeps true to his remit – deep, dubby, transcendent grooves that sway lushly with the midnight air. “Embryonic Connections” taking us right back to the roots of that tribal beat and a fitting end to this mammoth release and a perfect lead up to his forthcoming Hudd EP.

4 tracks which perfectly instil why Hudd started this label of love 15 years ago; to showcase fierce, uncompromising dancefloor workouts in as sincere and stylish manner as possible. The artists and tracks chosen show the adventurous routes and development the label keep as their main point of focus – to unearth the tantalizing new and exciting sounds of house music’s continuous evolution.

This release is dedicated to Richi Larkin & Yuriano x

Offering a multi-faceted LGBT+ experience, this stellar 1LP, pressed onto rose coloured vinyl, brings together old and new for the most fabulous musical accompaniment to your 2021 summer. £1 from each unit sold, will be donated to Stonewall in support of their work towards LGBT+ equality.

Side A, entitled ‘Queer Club Classics’, provides the perfect throwback snapshot of all your favourite queer tracks, including worldwide hits such as Cher’s “Believe” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman”.

Whilst Side B, entitled ‘New Age Anthems’, is an assortment of the best music from more recent years. This collection combines tracks from LGBTQ+ artists such as the indie-legends Tegan and Sara, and pop pioneer L Devine, as well as popular songs within the LGBTQ+ community such as Lizzo’s charismatic feel-good bop, ‘Juice’.

After missing out on Pride celebrations in 2020 and with the summer of 2021 set to be the start of a long-awaited celebration of freedom, this vinyl release is a surefire way to keep up your spirits right the way through to summer 2022.

Have you ever felt like you’re being watched? Have you felt unseen eyes staring at you, monitoring your every move? Composer and guitarist Daniel Davies reflects on this familiar paranoia on his new EP, Spies. Across its five stirringly atmospher- ic tracks, the frequent John Carpenter collaborator evokes the tingle you get on the back of your neck when you sense you’re under surveillance - a feeling some psychologists have dubbed the “psychic staring effect.”

The songs for Spies were composed in the fall and winter of 2020, in the depths of pandemic lockdown. Working in isolation in his L.A. studio, Davies composed the five tracks entirely alone. With no collaborators, his gaze turned inward, and the songs feel intimate and intense. Yet at the same time, they would become the most sonically expansive material he’s ever put on a solo record. His guitar and synthesizer are bolstered by double bass, cello, viola, and violin, adding a new depth to the music.

As he did for his 2020 full-length Signals, Davies teamed up with acclaimed visual artist Jesse Draxler for the artwork. The stark, black-and-white piece that Draxler contributed for the cover of Spies perfectly captures the mood of the record. Eyes are cut out, disassociated from faces, their gazes made inscrutable. Yet they seem to fix on the listener. Have you ever felt like you’re being watched? Maybe you are.

Spindle Ensemble’s highly anticipated sophomore album is scheduled for a release on Thursday 27th May 2021 on vinyl, CD and digital download via Hidden Notes Records. The vinyl version will be accompanied by a special 12 page booklet which also includes liner notes written by celebrated DJ and Broadcaster Nick Luscombe (BBC3’s Late Junction/Musicity/Flomotion Radio).

In conjunction with the announcement a brand new single Caligo - with B side Menilmontant - was released via Bandcamp on Friday 5th February 2021 together with a unique music video that combines super 8 footage and scratched 16mm film visual artist Narna Hue (watch the video below).

A special socially distanced album launch concert is due to take place at St George’s Bristol on Thursday 27th May depending on COVID guidelines and restrictions at that time.

Since their formation in Bristol in 2016 contemporary chamber quartet Spindle Ensemble led by composer and pianist Daniel Inzani (Yola, Alabaster dePlume, Tezeta) which also features tuned percussionist Harriet Riley (Charles Hazelwood’s Paraorchestra, Bristol Symphony Orchestra), cellist Jo Silverston (Mesadorm) and violinist Caelia Lunniss (Edward Penfold) have garnered much praise for their innovative take on contemporary classical music, rooted in spontaneity and improvisation performed with deft musicianship and unique instrumental pairing all resulting in truly captivating sonic soundscapes.

Equally at home performing in concert halls such as the Union Chapel, Southbank Centre, Bristol Beacon, St George’s Bristol and festivals including Shambala and Hidden Notes to churches, art centres, record shops and independent venues across the UK they continue to bring their music to a diverse and ever growing audience.

Listeners may hear influences from composers such as Satie, Pärt, Ravel, Reich, Glass and Moondog in their music but might also find the soundtracks of Morricone and the minimalist aesthetics of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra nestled alongside the more experimental leanings of groups such as Rachel’s, Esmerine, Bell Orchestre and Amiina.

The quartet’s forthcoming album Inkling was recorded at various venues across Bristol, capturing their performances as unique 3D sound images enabling the listener to hear each instruments position mimicking the audible experience as a live audience member. Unlike their debut BEA, some of the compositions on Inkling also features a collection of guest musicians expanding their sound to an orchestral scale, featuring the addition of brass and percussion instruments.

In September 2019 the group released a double A-side single of Chase and Okemah Sundown from the album with accompanying videos by acclaimed Director/Cinematographer Fred Reed and stop-motion animator Marie Lechevallier.

Spindle Ensemble’s highly anticipated sophomore album is scheduled for a release on Thursday 27th May 2021 on vinyl, CD and digital download via Hidden Notes Records. The vinyl version will be accompanied by a special 12 page booklet which also includes liner notes written by celebrated DJ and Broadcaster Nick Luscombe (BBC3’s Late Junction/Musicity/Flomotion Radio).

In conjunction with the announcement a brand new single Caligo - with B side Menilmontant - was released via Bandcamp on Friday 5th February 2021 together with a unique music video that combines super 8 footage and scratched 16mm film visual artist Narna Hue (watch the video below).

A special socially distanced album launch concert is due to take place at St George’s Bristol on Thursday 27th May depending on COVID guidelines and restrictions at that time.

Since their formation in Bristol in 2016 contemporary chamber quartet Spindle Ensemble led by composer and pianist Daniel Inzani (Yola, Alabaster dePlume, Tezeta) which also features tuned percussionist Harriet Riley (Charles Hazelwood’s Paraorchestra, Bristol Symphony Orchestra), cellist Jo Silverston (Mesadorm) and violinist Caelia Lunniss (Edward Penfold) have garnered much praise for their innovative take on contemporary classical music, rooted in spontaneity and improvisation performed with deft musicianship and unique instrumental pairing all resulting in truly captivating sonic soundscapes.

Equally at home performing in concert halls such as the Union Chapel, Southbank Centre, Bristol Beacon, St George’s Bristol and festivals including Shambala and Hidden Notes to churches, art centres, record shops and independent venues across the UK they continue to bring their music to a diverse and ever growing audience.

Listeners may hear influences from composers such as Satie, Pärt, Ravel, Reich, Glass and Moondog in their music but might also find the soundtracks of Morricone and the minimalist aesthetics of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra nestled alongside the more experimental leanings of groups such as Rachel’s, Esmerine, Bell Orchestre and Amiina.

The quartet’s forthcoming album Inkling was recorded at various venues across Bristol, capturing their performances as unique 3D sound images enabling the listener to hear each instruments position mimicking the audible experience as a live audience member. Unlike their debut BEA, some of the compositions on Inkling also features a collection of guest musicians expanding their sound to an orchestral scale, featuring the addition of brass and percussion instruments.

In September 2019 the group released a double A-side single of Chase and Okemah Sundown from the album with accompanying videos by acclaimed Director/Cinematographer Fred Reed and stop-motion animator Marie Lechevallier.

Yo No Se return after a 5-year hiatus since their last album, Soma. Their
new album Terraform continues on from the dystopian world created in
Soma but this time taking the narrative to the stars. Terraform explores
the ideas of making a fresh start on another planet but the same
problems creep in…. Greed, corruption and hate. Exploring more of a
grunge feel along with some hard psych the band recorded with Dom
Mitchison (as well as Alex doing guitars and vocals at home), mixed with
Ali Chant and mastered again with grunge godfather, Jack Endino.
The band have toured across Europe in support of Soma in the last 5
years and gained a reputation for their loud and energetic shows. The
album has 3 drummers under its belt and countless breakdowns on the
road. With the pandemic kicking in just as the band started touring, they
had plenty of time to finally record (and find another drummer).
Terraform is a record 5 years in the making due to sheer bad luck.
Hopefully, their luck will change as the band are already working on their
follow up record.
The first single Black Door approaches the subject of corruption
amongst 'leaders'. The idea comes from Boris Johnson getting Brexit
'done' to forward his own career without thinking about the impact it will
have on peoples lives. We’ve had enough and we're ready to tear down
the establishment. The idea being that these problems we now face will
follow us wherever we go unless we stamp them out, here, on earth.
The artwork for the cover is by renowned sci-fi artist Bruce Pennington.

Born in San Francisco, Rickey Kelly moved to Los Angeles in 1982.

I first heard Rickey on the local Jazz station and that haunting sound on vibes was just too much to resist. He was working at Hughes Aircraft and didn't have time for gigging in the evening. He had to take care of his family which numbered about six children. I began booking his band soon after meeting him. An artist this blessed should not be working a day job I thought. Rickey soon quit his job at Hughes aircraft and began performing full time. Rickey stayed in his apartment for long periods of time just practising. He often mentioned to me that he needed to stay in isolation to keep his music pure. During Rickey's stay in L.A. he had worked with all the great jazz and R @ B bands. Musicians like altoist Bobby Watson, the legendary drummer Billy Higgins, The Jazz Crusaders, pianist Ahmad Jamal, and one of the most popular artists of his generation Marvin Gaye, often called on Rickey to perform with their bands. As great as these artists were, the addition of Rickey Kelly on vibes seemed to make their music better.Because of his isolation Rickey's music has developed a uniqueness and purity of sound that transcends styles. One reviewer described it as a "childlike quality, a profound innocence”. Relax and listen closely. This is music with a purpose

The past year's lockdown has proved undeniably challenging to improvising musicians who typically thrive on face-to-face interaction. But bassist Mike Watt, drummer/percussionist Mike Pride, and guitarist/banjoist Brandon Seabrook have all built their careers on kicking down the barriers between genres, so why would they let a little pandemic-induced isolation and geographic distance stand in their way? Convening for the first time as Three-Layer Cake, these three dizzyingly inventive artists bake up a long-distance set of singular, boundary-defying collaborations on their combustible debut, Stove Top. Stove Top is uncategorizable in the best sense of the word, patching together elements of punk, free jazz, new music, no wave, doom metal, dub, avant-funk, and various subsectors of the experimental in such freewheeling and raucous fashion that the very idea of divvying them up into disparate inspirations seems laughable.

Freshly started label blickwinkel (Dauw sister label) announces the release "Balts" by Schreel Van De Velde. It’s the first outing of the duo Lucas Schreel and Casper Van De Velde under this new moniker and can be seen as the follow-up album of Schreel's acclaimed debut album which was released last year.

As the album titles suggest, love in all its glory formed a major inspiration in the making of this album. The duo, however, didn’t restrain themselves to a sole conceptualization of this theme but instead explored it more widely and free. The result is a consistent collection of compositions reflecting on human encounters, relationships, sexuality and more. It’s love and broken love. It’s attraction and repulsion.

With Balts, the duo created a set of animal miniatures evoking feelings of melancholy while also joy and happiness have their place. Given the instrumental nature of the songs, the music remains kind of mythical and never really shows its true meaning. As such, these little miniatures form the duo’s own unique wildlife and is open for the listeners interpretation and own narrative. Dolfijn is the first single from the album and will be released on all digital platforms alongside a video by Jelle Martens.

Lucas Schreel is a classically trained guitarist based in Brussels. His first solo album We're Never Afraid of Getting Up Every Morning was released through Sentimental Records in 2020 and was well-received both in written-press (Humo, Enola & Indiestyle) and radio (Duyster, Radio 1 & Klara). Besides his solo work, Schreel is also a member of the lo-fi indierockband Kloothommel.
Acclaimed Brussels percussionist Casper Van De Velde made quite a name for himself through his bands like SCHNTZL, Bombataz, Donder among others. His work received prices at International Jazz Contest d’Avignon and Storm! Contest (Jazzlab). Casper is currently also a member of the recently formed An Pierlé Quartet.

Blickwinkel is a freshly born label based in Ghent and Brussels. It’s founded by Pieter Dudal (Dauw) and visual artist Jelle Martens (Nicolas Jaar, Vinyl on Demand, W.E.R.F.). After working in the music scene separately for almost a decade, they found common ground in both their admiration for sound, image and especially its dialogue. Unfettered by place or genre.

Matière Mémoire presents the MMXX Series: In anticipation of the year 2020, Matière Mémoire asked 20 experimental/electronic artists to create an original 20 minutes piece and an artwork. Throughout the year batches of 5 new vinyls will be released.

Each record is limited to 500 copies and comes as a crystal clear vinyl featuring an original track of 20 minutes on one side, and a laser engraved artwork on the other. Each 12" is housed in a transparent sleeve printed with the MMXX logo, coming with a print of the artist artwork.

Participate in this series: Franck Vigroux, John Duncan, Phill Niblock, Jim O’Rourke, Reinier Van Houdt, Stephen O’Malley, CM Von Hausswolff, Hampus Lindwall, Oren Ambarchi, Shiva Feshareki, Bérangère Maximin, Kassel Jaeger, Daniel Menche, Charlemagne Palestine, Giueseppe Ielasi, Carlos Casas, Susanna Santos Silva, Joachim Nordwall, Karbé Dinel, Mauro Lanza

Matière Mémoire presents the MMXX Series: In anticipation of the year 2020, Matière Mémoire asked 20 experimental/electronic artists to create an original 20 minutes piece and an artwork. Throughout the year batches of 5 new vinyls will be released.

Each record is limited to 500 copies and comes as a crystal clear vinyl featuring an original track of 20 minutes on one side, and a laser engraved artwork on the other. Each 12" is housed in a transparent sleeve printed with the MMXX logo, coming with a print of the artist artwork.

Participate in this series: Franck Vigroux, John Duncan, Phill Niblock, Jim O’Rourke, Reinier Van Houdt, Stephen O’Malley, CM Von Hausswolff, Hampus Lindwall, Oren Ambarchi, Shiva Feshareki, Bérangère Maximin, Kassel Jaeger, Daniel Menche, Charlemagne Palestine, Giueseppe Ielasi, Carlos Casas, Susanna Santos Silva, Joachim Nordwall, Karbé Dinel, Mauro Lanza