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Generally regarded as the first true 'new age' record, Steve Halpern's 1975 private press LP has long been in demand by collectors. In particular, the very first pressing of the album included an extraordinary long-form jazz funk track called 'Something for Every Body Suite' that was removed from subsequent versions. Eating Standing is proud to reissue Halpern's classic long-lost original version of the album, officially licensed from Halpern himself that includes this heavy groove-laden masterpiece. This is the very first ever full reissue of the first press album with full reproduction of the artwork. Original copies cost over $700 (assuming you can even find one) but now this incredible landmark album is available once more to enjoy. "Reissued for the very first time since 1975 in its original format and track listing, a legendary album that is considered a game-changer in music. Steve Halpern's landmark album 'Christening For Listening (A Soundtrack For Every Body)' is considered by many to be a crucial and defining album that pointed the way ahead. Predating the ambient/experimental work of Brian Eno, Steve Hillage and even Mort Garson's 'Plantasia', Steve Halpern's 'Christening For Listening' was the first album to explore what became known as 'new age' or ambient music, exploring the effect of tones and rhythms on the human body and mind as well as plants and other organisms. Originally issued as a private pressing in 1975, the very first issue of this album had an extraordinary extended jazz funk track on the B side, a DJ/Samplers delight – DJ Gaslamp Killer is a huge fan. This track, 'Something For Every Body Suite', was never included on any of the subsequent represses making the very first pressing incredibly rare and almost impossible to find. It's reissued here for the very first time, with full repro of the original artwork plus a Q&A by Tony Higgins with Steven Halpern himself.

Vinyl Only / Heavyweight Vinyl / Original Glued Prints tip-on by hand on Thick Cardboard 700 gram / 2 Separated parts handily gluing / PVC Outer Sleeve / Insert sheet Q&A with Lloyd Miller by Tony Higgins / Handcrafted silk-screen "Lloyd Miller 1938/2024" on Vintage paper with 100% natural "Persian Blue" color.

Personnel:
Manucher Paydar - Tar Drum
Lloyd Miller - Dulcimer Santur, Oud, Shamisen, Dhol, Tabla
Marilyn Miller - Flute
Tú Trinh Dàm - Voice
Dusdi Siwi Jarn - Voice

Notes:
Made with the intention of exploring and experiencing the various musical and cultural perspectives of a territory as vast as that of Persia, "Near And Far East" is a significant historical document that transcends the restrictive concept of territory but rather inhabits a space of absolute time. The album's content is not just window into faraway places, but a leap into the times and cultures that have now been swallowed up by the incessant movement of globalization and capitalism. Listening to it is turning your ear into the true musical culture of countries whose rapid change has eliminated the cultural peculiarities at their roots. Inspired by his long journeys in Iran, Lloyd Miller takes us on a journey through the instruments and sounds of a time, giving us his interpretations of a musical world that was - and that now remains - an historical document for future explorers who are curious about the mysterious musical arts of the middle and far east. Certainly a holy grail for samplers and loopers who can find exotic panoramas here! (Tony Higgins)

"Love Conquers All" is a collection of deeply moving songs by The Moody Blues’ John Lodge. All written during difficult times, yet reflecting the positive way in which John sees the world. As John explored his journey of healing, he invited different musicians to collaborate with him on each song, making each song unique, yet at the same time they all carry the same message... that love does conquer all. ‘Love will Conquer All’, ‘Whispering Angels’, and 'Sunset over Cocohatchee Bay’ were all written through personal health challenges, and 'In These Crazy Times’, and ‘The Sun Will Shine’, originally written in lockdown, have been reimagined and remixed for 2024, reflecting how this time is now firmly in the past. 'Whispering Angels' was written by John and his son-in-law Jon Davison, of YES, and Jon features on all the tracks on the release. ‘Love Will Conquer All’ isan almost Christmas song full of hope, plus there are guest appearances on the album by Geoff Downes of YES, Tim Maple, Dave Colquhoun, Ray Nesbit, John’s 10,000 Light Years Band, and also John’s wife, Kirsten and son, Kristian. As you journey with John through the songs, starting with the instrumental ‘Sunset Over Cocohatchee Bay’, and ending with the more anthemic ‘Whispering Angels’, you will be moved by these beautifully crafted songs, surrounded by the incredible musicianship, and feel the love brought to each song by John and his friends and family. This release truly is a journey of love and recovery and John is delighted to be able to share it with you today.

The Red Vinyl version of Beabadoobee’s third studio album, ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’ will be available from One Nation from 14th Feb. This Is How Tomorrow Moves finds Beabadoobee stepping up to a new level in her abilities as a songwriter, crafting arresting melodies and pushing herself to develop and explore new frontiers of vulnerability, both in her storytelling and her relationship with herself.

Produced by legendary producer Rick Rubin and long term collaborator and bandmate Jacob Bugden, Beabadoobee swaps her bedroom for his infamous Shangri-La studio in Malibu to create a deeply self-assured record with a vast sonic scope of rock and pop.

Like a passenger riding shotgun on a road trip, The Villagers Companion offers its own unique perspective and story to tell. Featuring tracks recorded alongside last year’s acclaimed villagers, TVC captures the miles between the start and destination—the faded gas station pit stops, the plastic saint statue stuck to the dashboard for safe travels or luck. It embodies the essence of the journey without the burden of driving—the experience of the ride itself.

The album takes us through the heart of Califone’s magic: reverb-drenched piano chords, electronic whirs, and layers of experimental noise. Guided by Tim Rutili’s abstract, fragmented lyrics—both strange and familiar—delivered through his warm, well-worn vocals, it creates an experience as evocative as it is haunting. Often passing through what seem to be the spaces between radio frequencies, the stations never meant to be heard. Crackles of static, feedback loops, and fleeting signals bloom into meditative moments, with each sound given space to breathe, unravel, and shimmer in slow decay. The result resonates deeply, transforming what might be noise into something profound, hypnotic, and totally immersive.

As with villagers, Rutili and company continue to explore what it means to get lost while surrounded by modern technology. Like a ghost in a machine or a whispered prayer stuck in a telephone line, Califone adds soul—be it damned or saved. And they do so with the kind of transformative magic granted perhaps only to artists a quarter of a century into their craft. The kind that turns a photograph into a tableau, or any darkened space with a microphone into a makeshift confessional. A song into a hymn, and a hymn into a soundtrack to a life.

Like a passenger riding shotgun on a road trip, The Villagers Companion offers its own unique perspective and story to tell. Featuring tracks recorded alongside last year’s acclaimed villagers, TVC captures the miles between the start and destination—the faded gas station pit stops, the plastic saint statue stuck to the dashboard for safe travels or luck. It embodies the essence of the journey without the burden of driving—the experience of the ride itself.

The album takes us through the heart of Califone’s magic: reverb-drenched piano chords, electronic whirs, and layers of experimental noise. Guided by Tim Rutili’s abstract, fragmented lyrics—both strange and familiar—delivered through his warm, well-worn vocals, it creates an experience as evocative as it is haunting. Often passing through what seem to be the spaces between radio frequencies, the stations never meant to be heard. Crackles of static, feedback loops, and fleeting signals bloom into meditative moments, with each sound given space to breathe, unravel, and shimmer in slow decay. The result resonates deeply, transforming what might be noise into something profound, hypnotic, and totally immersive.

As with villagers, Rutili and company continue to explore what it means to get lost while surrounded by modern technology. Like a ghost in a machine or a whispered prayer stuck in a telephone line, Califone adds soul—be it damned or saved. And they do so with the kind of transformative magic granted perhaps only to artists a quarter of a century into their craft. The kind that turns a photograph into a tableau, or any darkened space with a microphone into a makeshift confessional. A song into a hymn, and a hymn into a soundtrack to a life.

Scanning Backwards, Phase Fatale’s second full-length album originally released on Berghain’s in-house label Ostgut Ton in 2020 is now reissued via his label BITE on limited edition pink marble vinyl after being long sold out and sought after. Using the connection between weaponized sound and psychological manipulation as a conceptual foundation, Hayden Payne explores the ways in which music – and sub frequencies in particular – are used to influence thinking and to synchronize emotions and behavior: from military technology to sound systems and the physicality and sexuality of queer techno culture.

Known for his innovative post-punk takes of dance music as featured on EPs for unterton and Ostgut Ton, the Berghain resident draws on his background as both a guitarist and sound engineer to create a heady mix of broken rhythms, noise-, and shoegaze-inflected techno, often at slower tempos. The result is music with space and pace to expand, highlighting the intense rushes of frequencies found in both sonic warfare and functional dance music. Over eight tracks named after a combination of historical and fictional narratives from literature and science fiction, Payne’s rhythmic excursions explore different manifestations of sound as power – specifically within the context of seeing Berghain as an instrument itself. This is also reflected in the album artwork, taken from an early flyer for the SNAX party series and an obvious ode to the fetishization of power dynamics.

In his own words: “All tracks on the album, no matter the style, were tailored to sound a certain way in Berghain – something I figured out through years of dancing in the middle of the floor, DJing as a resident and investigating what frequencies really penetrate the body. This includes speech and high-frequency, brain-penetrating instrumentation and drilling textures that I had not utilized so often before, but which I think also have an effect on thought and memory. It’s especially true in a space where gay and fetish roots combine with music in unexpected ways, almost in a cultish manner. A musical and physical deprogramming and reprogramming, psychic driving and de-patterning, the erasing and replacing of memories.”

Ultimately, Scanning Backwards surveys not only the manipulative properties of electronic music (mantras, loops, subliminal messages) but also how rhythm facilitates both moving and thinking in synchrony; a pulse of coordinated sound- and brainwaves.

"Langt Fra Jorden" ("Lejos De La Tierra", in Spanish, for the book) is the result of the dialogue between the Spanish photographer and artist Irene Zottola and the Danish musician and artist øjeRum initiated by IIKKI, between June 2024 and November 2024.

øjeRum is Copenhagen based musician and collage artist Paw Grabowski. In his øjeRum guise, he plucks and strums his treated acoustic instruments, sounding at times like church bells, at times like angelic harp, at time like drones, and suspends the listener in the magic of his melodies.
With a deep back-catalogue of releases since 2014 - spanning labels such as eilean rec., Room40, Line, Opal Tapes and many more - he continues exploring his minimal, textural and deeply personal style of ambient music.

Irene Zottola is a Spanish photographer and artist who explores the limits of analog photography to generate a world of dreamlike and poetic character, often accompanying her images with text.
She has been self-taught in Madrid in the laboratory of the Slow Photo collective since 2016. In 2017 she is a finalist in the Rfotofolio Grant.
Her work has been exhibited in Spain, Italy and Morocco. She has published with editorials such as La Bella Varsovia and Lumen (Spain) and magazines such as She shoots film (Australia), Fisheyemagazine (France) and Vostmagazine (Korea).
In 2021 she received one of the Grants to Creation granted by VEGAP with which she began a new project in Paris and was part of the artistic residence ART(e)gileak of the BBK with a participatory photography project. She is one of the 33 authors of the Mission Region project organized by the Community of Madrid and is part of the platform of the National Image Centre in Spain. Winner in 2020 of the V Edition of the Photochannel Contest, she has published with Ediciones Anómalas her first photobook, "Icarus", which has been a finalist in PhotoEspaña and in Les Photobook Awards of Les Rencontres d'Arles 2022.
"Lejos De La Tierra’’ is her second book.

Fine Art Book, Ltd. to 500 copies:
Hardcover book printed on Munken Print Cream 115g/m2 // 80 pages, 17cm x 23cm, 42 photos // Logo and slot embossed // Hot gold stamping // Visible seam and cutting cover pages // Hand-numbered, hand-stamped.

We are glad to introduce you to our new full length album, sound designed and arranged by Spanish duo Crime as Service. Their musical output has always been solid and consistent, always offering diverse visions on techno sound.

For this particular work they have explored the deepest side of their sound palette, starting with the beatless intro Unlocked, made of subtle drones and field recordings.

Next track is Altered Circuits, a bass heavy groove on the first bars soon followed by mechanical components colliding with atmospheres and micro drone. A combination of pressure and deepness.

Shadow Crew follows with a continuous sequence over a shuffled beat, the usual textures appear on top of the main synth line spicing the mood, until bleeps and asymmetrical components complete the equation.

Zombie Botnet changes the mood drastically, adrenaline goes up and new sonic components add hypnosis to the overall feel as the track goes by.

Second slice of plastic opens with Lazarus Group, intense and dark with super effected synth lines running through the stereo field wisely.

Darknet Operation, as the title suggests, is opaque and gray but also liquid with water samples appearing randomly along the arrangement. The groove behind is relentless and effective, one more time mixing intensity with mindfulness.

Unknown Exploits shares similar feelings as the previous one, a combination of tension and sonic details.

Closing the release, Deconstructed Blockchain, aimed directly for the dancefloor with a psychedelic approach on the main sound, constantly mutating and evolving as the minutes go.

A solid collection of well-crafted techno tunes, aside from tendencies and hype, made to last.

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you.

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you.

Miki Yui is a musician, artist, and composer, originally from Tokyo, who has been based in Düsseldorf since 1994. Her whose work has long explored multiple forms of media, while documenting liminal zones of perception. On her latest album, As If, Yui creates a subtly connected suite of electronic music, drawn from improvisations and randomised processes that she has engaged with modular synthesis. Deeply poetic in its expression, even at its most minimal, the six pieces on As If have a curious tenor – they are, each of them, intensely sensuous, almost haptic listening experiences, as though the laser focus that Yui displays towards her compositions allows her to engage them as almost physical presences in the world.

One of the keys that unlocks the intimate complexity-in-simplicity of As If was Yui’s encounters with the Amazonian rainforest in Manaus, Brazil in 2018. Finding that the sounds in the rainforest both shadowed and echoed the music she had been making for two decades, she embraced the possibilities of modular synthesis, the sounds of which she discovered “have astonishing similarities to the sounds I experienced in the rainforest.” There is, indeed, something natural about the way these sounds bloom in real time; in their dedicated focus to the subtle development and mutation of several discrete parameters of sound, they grow slowly, gradually, their rhizomic structures suggesting that we are always situated within the middle of sound.

Sometimes, the material here has a kind of febrile energy, as on the ticking, clacking electronics of “Generativ”, a track that seems to rotate in the air in front of the listener, the light reflecting off its multiple surfaces as we catch the intricacies of its micro-patterns. Elsewhere, we slide into a cooled but welcoming environment, like the late-night fire-fly horizon of “Song 4”; there’s also the humid, dripping tropical sunset that’s documented on “Summernight”. It’s a music that’s hard to locate external coordinates for, though there are, perhaps, some parallels with the work of Laurie Spiegel, Eliane Radigue’s Vice Versa, and Pauline Oliveros’s “Roots of the Moment”. But As If is an extraordinary collection of naturally developing, rich studies for slowly mutating, enveloping, elemental electronics.

The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.

The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.

The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.

Causa Sui returns with a new live album, recorded at their home turf – the legendary Copenhagen venue Loppen, located at the famous, and notorious, freetown Christiania – a venue the band has played more often than any other throughout their 20 year career.
This set is the perfect companion to last year's career highlight ‘From The Source”, which saw the band condense the multiple stylistic aspects of their sound into an awe-inspiring 47 minutes. Represented here are key cuts from that album – including the sidelong 7-part epic ‘Visions of a New Horizon” - as well as a few fan favorites such as ‘Red Sun in June” from the band's Summer Sessions series, which has never previously been released in a live version. In this rendition the band let themselves get carried away, riding on the energy of the room, soaring into jammy Grateful Dead territory. Elsewhere the band explores jazzy, improvisatory group interplay (The Spot) and get as heavy as they can (Soledad, Boozehound). Getting carried away is what Causa Sui are all about when playing live, and that mentality is captured in entirety on this set. Mixed and mastered by Jonas Munk from a multitrack soundboard recording

Limited Indies “white split vinyl variant while supplies last. RIYL: Unwound, MBV, The Jesus Lizard, SUUNS, Preoccupations, METZ, Les Rallizes Denudes, The Dead C, Echo & The Bunnymen, Liars, This Heat, PIL. Sixth studio album from the Chicago trio. Features newly-rejoined original member Jonathan Van Herik. Recorded at Electrical Audio May 6 & 7, 2024 - final album recorded by Steve Albini. The duality of “man” is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your “true self” & what do they want? With their sixth studio album “Wish Defense” (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album “Negative Houses” was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band’s more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik’s original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group’s guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band’s dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio’s long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on “Wish Defense” revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles”, tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album’s title track; “Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance”. Case lays out the entire album’s theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that “other” person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is “...don’t let the bastards get you down, there’s something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good”. “Wish Defense”s artwork is also a subtle reference to “Negative Houses”’ art, returning to that album’s black & white starkness & minimalism. The album’s checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album’s lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; “Wish Defense” is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve’s untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio’s A room, off the tape, using Albini’s notes about the session.

Limited Indies “white split vinyl variant while supplies last. RIYL: Unwound, MBV, The Jesus Lizard, SUUNS, Preoccupations, METZ, Les Rallizes Denudes, The Dead C, Echo & The Bunnymen, Liars, This Heat, PIL. Sixth studio album from the Chicago trio. Features newly-rejoined original member Jonathan Van Herik. Recorded at Electrical Audio May 6 & 7, 2024 - final album recorded by Steve Albini. The duality of “man” is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your “true self” & what do they want? With their sixth studio album “Wish Defense” (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album “Negative Houses” was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band’s more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik’s original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group’s guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band’s dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio’s long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on “Wish Defense” revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles”, tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album’s title track; “Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance”. Case lays out the entire album’s theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that “other” person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is “...don’t let the bastards get you down, there’s something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good”. “Wish Defense”s artwork is also a subtle reference to “Negative Houses”’ art, returning to that album’s black & white starkness & minimalism. The album’s checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album’s lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; “Wish Defense” is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve’s untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio’s A room, off the tape, using Albini’s notes about the session.

Limited Indies “white split vinyl variant while supplies last. RIYL: Unwound, MBV, The Jesus Lizard, SUUNS, Preoccupations, METZ, Les Rallizes Denudes, The Dead C, Echo & The Bunnymen, Liars, This Heat, PIL. Sixth studio album from the Chicago trio. Features newly-rejoined original member Jonathan Van Herik. Recorded at Electrical Audio May 6 & 7, 2024 - final album recorded by Steve Albini. The duality of “man” is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your “true self” & what do they want? With their sixth studio album “Wish Defense” (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album “Negative Houses” was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band’s more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik’s original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group’s guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band’s dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio’s long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on “Wish Defense” revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles”, tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album’s title track; “Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance”. Case lays out the entire album’s theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that “other” person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is “...don’t let the bastards get you down, there’s something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good”. “Wish Defense”s artwork is also a subtle reference to “Negative Houses”’ art, returning to that album’s black & white starkness & minimalism. The album’s checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album’s lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; “Wish Defense” is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve’s untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio’s A room, off the tape, using Albini’s notes about the session.

’之 / OF is a word that can be used as a preposition to express the relationship between a part and a whole. It is an unfinished tone, a broken sentence, a start and a whole. It is sustainable, full of potentials and longings.’’

London based performance and sound artist Li Yilei shared an experience familiar to many migrants during the past year of COVID-19 chaos. With their UK visa set to expire, and family back in China, Li made a last-minute dash to return to their nation of birth. Able to board one of the last few flights to China during the initial turmoil of the coronavirus outbreak, Li made it back to Shanghai for a two-week stint in a quarantine hotel.

Though Li had already begun creating OF, the reality of the pandemic began to seep into the recordings. Each of the 12 tracks is a study in horology, using metaphorical sound transcriptions and atmospheric extractions to focus on the temporal relationship between experience and surroundings. Li’s awareness of their own understanding of time became increasingly heightened during quarantine and the emotional involvement found within these new realities informed many of the sounds created.

‘’I tried to portray each song as a short, scattered poem - a moment that I captured to represent each hour.’’

Composed using analogue synthesisers, vocal samples, field recordings and string instruments such as the violin and guqin, Li indulges in moments of grief, panic, healing, cessation, melancholy, vastness, hope, joy and emptiness as they explore the acoustic relations between humans and the many forces of nature.

The art of the Song Dynasty, with its ancient traditions of poetry and timekeeping, were also great sources of inspiration for the album - whilst paintings from the period, specifically those of flowers and birds, are common themes throughout the tracks. Indeed, it is within the vastness of time that the album artwork comes to relevance. The eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty, Huizong, was a revered artist and a scene from his work ‘Finches and Bamboo’ adorns the album cover.

Today, chart-topping vocal powerhouse Teddy Swims releases four new surprise tracks on I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5). The project includes his chart-conquering smash hit ‘Lose Control,’ which recently claimed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and has surpassed 1 billion streams across all platforms.

Among the four new tracks on I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5) is ‘Hammer to the Heart,’ a moody anthem with a stirring, stadium-ready chorus, ‘Tell Me,’ an understated alt-leaning offering that explores loss and heartbreak, and ‘Apple Juice,’ the kind of soulful throwback that Swims does better than anyone. Another unforgettable highlight is ‘Growing Up Is Getting Old,’ an acoustic treasure that captures the Atlanta native’s magnetism like never before.

Kim Wilde is a captivating album released by Cherry Red Records. This collection of songs showcases Kim Wilde's distinctive vocals and engaging songwriting, making it a must-have for fans of pop music.

With tracks like "Kandy Krush" and "Pop Don't Stop," Closer delivers a blend of catchy melodies and infectious beats that will have listeners hitting the repeat button. Kim Wilde's powerful voice shines through each song, drawing in the audience with its emotive delivery.

The Digipak edition adds an extra layer of sophistication to the album, featuring a sleek design that complements the music within. It's not just about the sounds you'll be enjoying but also about the visual experience that comes with owning this special edition.

Listeners can expect a journey through different moods and styles as they explore the tracks on Closer. From upbeat anthems to heartfelt ballads, Kim Wilde takes her audience on a musical adventure that is both dynamic and memorable.

Whether you're a long-time fan of Kim Wilde or discovering her music for the first time, Closer (Digipak) offers a listening experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Get your hands on this gem from Cherry Red Records and immerse yourself in the world of Kim Wilde's music.

Kim Wilde is a captivating album released by Cherry Red Records. This collection of songs showcases Kim Wilde's distinctive vocals and engaging songwriting, making it a must-have for fans of pop music.

With tracks like "Kandy Krush" and "Pop Don't Stop," Closer delivers a blend of catchy melodies and infectious beats that will have listeners hitting the repeat button. Kim Wilde's powerful voice shines through each song, drawing in the audience with its emotive delivery.

The Digipak edition adds an extra layer of sophistication to the album, featuring a sleek design that complements the music within. It's not just about the sounds you'll be enjoying but also about the visual experience that comes with owning this special edition.

Listeners can expect a journey through different moods and styles as they explore the tracks on Closer. From upbeat anthems to heartfelt ballads, Kim Wilde takes her audience on a musical adventure that is both dynamic and memorable.

Whether you're a long-time fan of Kim Wilde or discovering her music for the first time, Closer (Digipak) offers a listening experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Get your hands on this gem from Cherry Red Records and immerse yourself in the world of Kim Wilde's music.

After the success of their first single the super hit 'Hondebrok' (You can trust a man with a Moustache vol. 5), Amsterdam-based trio Tending Tropic return to Moustache Records with their debut EP featuring 3 original tracks and a remix from Machinegewehr that further explore the modern Italo Disco Rave genre. A1. Terpentine. A track that has been the secret weapon and the NEW DJ hit for label boss David Vunk, debuting with strong dancefloor response playing this out for a year non stop at many national and international festivals and venues.

Expect crazy chatchy bassline and hypnotic trippy energizing melody. The new hit where everybody was waiting for! A2. Terpentine (Machinegewehr remix). Rotterdam-based Machinegewehr delivers a remix that takes the title track deeper into Italo territory, adding a distinctive, nostalgic twist. B1. Our Adventure Begins. Modulating Yamaha synths and an adventurous Italo-inspired lead, a track that symbolises the beginning of the next chapter for Tending Tropic. Described by DJ Cormac as absolutely beautiful! B2. Mowing the Lawn.

Final track of the EP drives the listener to the darker side of Italo, complete with signature synth hooks and a deep, clean drop. C1. Kilimanjaro (digital bonus track). Named after the dormant volcano and highest mountain in Africa, this track wreaks havoc using a combination of acid basslines and Italo strings. Dont sleep it this gone is gone.

Schrödinger’s Box welcome Catalonia’s Adrian Marth into the fold. The Iberian artist has been drawing crowds and turning heads with his analogue inspired productions and dancefloor inhibitions.

This five tracker sees the Italo Moderni founder explore the glittering angles and brooding shadows of his machines. The punishing percussion and beaming laser lights of “Labyrinth Mind” give way to the tumbling drums and racing synthlines of the addictive “Sex Tonight.” The flip opens with the sleazy grandeur of “Beverly Hills”, looming melodies and retro flourishes combine in this operatic ode to the 1980s. Speaking of the 80s, the inspiration for the penultimate comes from a figure who symbolised the bombastic bravado of the era. “Divine on the Late Show 88” is a tribute to the Pink Flamingos legend, beats sparkle as her sequenced dresses and larger-than-life attitude screams into the present. Danny Wolfers takes the helm to close. Donning his familiar Legowelt moniker, the behemoth of all thing electronics delivers a saturated and spiralling rework of “Divine on the Late Show 88” to the close.

'When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them’’ heres the children of the pope

We wanted to discard the unimportant.

Songs about life and the living and songs about death and the dead.

Songs about God and the heavenly, songs about hell and the unholy.

Sounds of youthful wonder and the melancholy of time.

Love and hate and the opposites of the the great untold, in extreme, melted together in a boundless pot of sweet surrealist molasses.

The all, through the unmodified eye.

Recording the album was an against the clock under pressure process that turned out very fruitful.

We tracked 12 tracks in 5 days in the dead of witner 2022Snow and ice and trying to explore the depths of our minds in a dim lit room, trying to put surrealism to tape.

Everyhting was was recorded on 2 inch reel to reel in live takes (appart from few overdubs also recorded onto tape)

We did not turn any computer on until the mixing process

The eighth album by American saxophonist and composer Pharoah Sanders, Village of the Pharoahs was released in 1973 on the Impulse! label. Sanders plays both tenor and soprano sax and takes some spirited vocals. One of the highlights is "Memories of Lee Morgan," Sanders' heartfelt homage to trumpeter Lee Morgan, who had died the previous year. According to PopMatters writer Sean Murphy, "The results of this album are impressive. This is the work of a contident explorer willing to go anywhere and do anything, a time machine that involves neither physics nor hot tubs, a more than solid outing from Sanders in his prime is nothing to shake a sax at."

In 2016, the Norwegian pianist and composer Espen Berg was commissioned to write for the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. With the opportunity to hand-pick a line-up consisting of 14 of Scandinavia’s most creative and prolific jazz artists, Espen grasped this opportunity with both hands and a mind bursting with ideas. MAETRIX premiered at Molde Int’l Jazz Festival in 2017 to a standing ovation, making the audience shake their head in awe. However, MAETRIX isn’t just an impressive feat, it’s also incredibly beautiful music.

With MAETRIX, Espen has solidified his call to explore a kind of music where complex rhythms are paired with strong, heartfelt melodies. The name itself combines the 1999 blockbuster movie title The Matrix, with metrics. Similar to the movie, the listener can choose which reality to listen to, either intellectually by diving into the mechanical and the conceptual, or emotionally by getting carried away by the melodies and the music as a whole.

The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra demonstrates yet again to inherit a flexibility and agility more commonly associated with smaller bands. Every musician add their personal rendition to the scores, transcending the music and make it come alive. MAETRIX has been performed at seven festivals and venues in Norway and Sweden, and it was recorded in Rainbow Studio, Oslo in May 2021 by Martin Abrahamsen. For Espen it has been a defining project, and many of the songs have lived on in his trio. It also laid the groundwork for Water Fabric, which was released in November 2023. As an «about time»-moment, MAETRIX will finally be available on Odin Records on Aug 30.

BASta! is the solo project of double bass player and composer Joris Vanvinckenroye, in which he explores and pushes the limits of the double bass. In this project, using looping and effect pedals, Joris creates an almost orchestral sound, using the full range of his instrument-from the deepest basses to the highest notes. These layered compositions weave complex rhythms and melodies into a rich and compelling soundscape.

The debut album of BASta!, Cycles, was released in 2009 on the label Homerecords.be and marked the beginning of an adventurous journey that brought BASta! to numerous stages, both solo and in collaboration with multidisciplinary productions by Rode Boom and Retina Dance Company, among others. Besides BASta!, Joris has been active for decades in bands such as Aranis, Troissoeur and MOTYK (formerly Flairck), with which he performs internationally, from Mexico to China and from Oman to the United States. He also composes music for dance, theatre and multidisciplinary productions, including Rode Boom's successful production Unknown Evidences, which has been performed over 600 times in France, Morocco and Denmark, among others.

Joris Vanvinckenroye:double bass, Viola da Gamba
Composed and recorded by Joris Vanvinckenroye,
Mixed at Studio Cucurucu by Jesse De Roo
Mastered at Elektropolis by Uwe Teichert
Album produced by Nik Bartsch

»Italia Synthetica 2025« features a Fred Ventura curated selection of unreleased tracks from a collective of Italian artists and producers who have long been influential in the electronic underground scene. These musicians continue to push boundaries and explore new frontiers within electro, synth-pop, and new wave. read on / listen

With Human Drift, TUKAN continues to explore human connections through music. This album marks a new phase in their journey, after years of performing on international stages and resonating with an ever more diverse audience. Human Drift embodies this collective movement, this human drift where the individual is swept away by a force larger than themselves.

In a world leaning towards isolation and individualism, Human Drift is a celebration of connection. Each track blends electronic grooves with instrumental melodies to highlight how music can transcend language and create authentic bonds between people. They want their audience to feel, through every note, the raw and organic energy they experience on stage.

Echoing their music, the visual universe of this album also focuses on the human element. It's all about bodies in motion, imperfections that reveal the authenticity of the moment. Just like on stage, they aim to capture sweat, emotions, and communion. Every detail matters: wrinkles, smiles, flashes of light in the dark. They seek to show the beauty of disorder and the unexpected.

Human Drift was composed with the idea of what music can provoke in a collective space: transformation. It's an album that encourages letting go, immediate connection, where each sound is an invitation to surrender and drift together towards unforeseen horizons.

Human Drift is a human experience, an album that embodies the spirit of community, celebration, and sharing. They hope that, like them, you'll let yourself be carried away by the drift.

“Gallows” is our third solo EP for Artikal Music, and was written over mid-2020 as an intended collection of 140bpm tracks with varied styles, themes and sound palettes, which would still gel together in EP form. The track that got the ball rolling was the title track, “Gallows” a link-up with PAV4N, in which we explored some of the more melodic, experimental corner of our sound for the instrumental, which is beautifully contrasted by Pav’s aggressive and intense delivery, and his lyrics which serve as an observation on political and government hierarchies. The second track, “Understand”, is a more dark, dub-focused outing, with chunky elements and bass that are built for sound system playback. Building this one was really fun, allowing us to dig for drums and elements that we don’t typically use to create a more grungy experience. Track three, “Blinded”, goes darker still, enlisting regular collaborator Jack Flynn-Oakley, who we love working with, to write something with pure, crushing impact and a level of anxiety that increases steadily throughout the track. There’s no dance that this one hasn’t shelled down yet. The final track, “Inner Sanctum”, was the last track to be finished for the release and is a track we’ve been keeping locked down for a while now. It’s an off-kilter mix of wailing vocal cuts, cold bass movement, and percussion that’s bursting with character.

We’re stoked to be back on Artikal, and we hope you guys enjoy the sounds this time around.

Will & Mike
Mystic State

Brazilian artist Acid Asian steps up to Charlotte de Witte's KNTXT imprint with his Deep Soul EP, which explores the many different facets of his sound from rap and trap to techno and psytrance.

Fábio Seiki is São Paulo-based and started this project in 2020 during the pandemic. Since then he has made an impact with his fresh blend of influences and love of his 303. In 2022 he was the first artist to release on Charlotte de Witte's sub label, RPM, with his Break Into Acid EP and followed it up last year with The Night EP.

On Deep Soul EP, he says: "The title track is one of my favourites because it represents me 100%. Focusing on the acid line with this mantra vocal, I wanted to express something more deep to this track. 'Space Colors' is a track with which I wanted to express this new hard techno era using the hardstyle's kick but keeping my style. 'Ain't Nobody Like Us' is my background from rap/trap and 'Humans' is my psytrance background, it's an off-beat track.”

Charlotte de Witte adds: “Acid Asian is back! From his first release with us in 2022, it's been such a pleasure to see him grow and gain respect in the techno scene. We've played many shows together and he's one of the most talented, most instinctive producers out there. Playing Space Colors as the closing track at the main stage of Tomorrowland Brazil where Fábio was dancing in the crowd, was a very wholesome moment. These four tracks are absolute bombs and also show the variety he has to offer as a producer. I'm very excited about this release and I hope you are too!”

Opener 'Deep Soul' is hard and fast with a hypnotic vocal and gurgling acid lines that shoot through the mix to electrifying effect. 'Space Colors' has slamming drums that are lit up with bright, shiny trance chords and underpinned by a rugged bassline that is sure to raise the roof. There is a fantastic rhythm to 'Ain't Nobody Like Us' with its fresh drum patterns and funky edge, narcotic trap vocals and trippy synths. 'Humans' shuts down with ghoulish vocal sounds and squelchy synths all stuffed into a driving, unrelenting hard techno groove.

This is a wonderfully expressive new EP from Acid Asian.

GC'mon Tigre announces their new instrumental project, Instrumental Ensemble - Soundtrack for Imaginary Movie Vol 1. This album offers an alternate view of cinematic music: a soundtrack composed for a fictional film using a challenging and inventive method. This project investigates an alternative approach in which music shapes and guides visual storytelling. It's the first in a series of albums dedicated to as-yet-unmade films, enabling listeners to explore music as a key component in cinematic narrative. The original story that inspired this music was created in partnership with a large language model, which was taught and instructed in substance and style to best fit the project's artistic concept. C'mon Tigre works with AI to achieve collaborative harmony while contemplating on the unavoidable future ahead. Each track on the album depicts a scene, delivering stories about humans juggling personal issues and contacts with advanced technology. The end result is a story told by sound and text, designed to immerse listeners in a multisensory universe.

Soolmaan is a sextet led by Belgian oud player and composer Tristan Driessens, accompanied by Nathan Daems, Christos Barbas, Annemie Osborne, Andrea Piccioni, and Levent Yildirim. Together, they create sound tableaus that float freely between the Bosphorus and India, with flute, sax, ney, cello, piano and tamburello igniting an imaginary folklore infected by jazz. Releasing their second album ‘Kashgul’ on the 24th of January with Zephyrus Records. (Vinyl / CD)

Driessens began his career immersed in the classical music of the Ottoman court, founding the Lâmekân Ensemble in 2011. After training under oud virtuoso Necati Çelik in Istanbul, he returned to Belgium in 2016 to form Soolmaan, an ensemble that reflects his multi-faceted identity. Rooted in Eastern modal traditions, Soolmaan’s music bridges jazz, folk, and classical influences, creating a unique and contemporary sound.

Their 2017 debut album, ‘Letters to Handenberg’, was described as "oriental chamber jazz," with Istanbul serving as a common thread. With Kashgul, their latest release, Soolmaan explores Ottoman makam, Indian raga and Anatolian halk muzigi, blending these traditions with a contemporary modal language. Created during Driessens' artist residency at the Concertgebouw of Bruges, the album features original compositions alongside reimagined works by Ravi Shankar, Amjad Ali Khan, and Art Pepper.
With improvisation as a connecting factor, Soolmaan’s music invites listeners into rich, boundary-crossing soundscapes where tradition and innovation meet. Kashgul exemplifies the ensemble’s ability to craft an immersive musical experience that resonates deeply with diverse audiences.

Upcoming concerts

December 8, 2024
Begijnhofkerk, Sint Truiden, BE

December 12, 2024
De Bijloke, Ghent, BE

December 14, 2024
De Bijloke, Ghent, BE

Drawing inspiration from film, literature, art, and music, “Zdenka 2080” was heavily influenced in particular by a series of apocalyptic sci-fi novels by Octavia Butler and Gene Wolf. “They inspired me to explore the realms of fantasy as a means of illuminating concepts and truths about our own society and humanity,” she says. “I also was very inspired by the movies Tekkonkinkreet and Embrace of the Serpent - a beautiful exploration of capitalism, colonialism and greed.” Olsen’s music is highly conceptual and “Zdenka 2080” describes a future dystopian Earth in the year 2080 that has been mis-managed by unethical governments and corporations.

"From the remote reaches of Haparanda, Sweden, Häxkapell presents a black metal masterpiece that resonates with the eternal rhythms of nature and the cyclical dance of life and death.

“Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp” (‘Of earth’s blood and the grave’s grasp’) is a powerful blend of black metal, folk, and atmospheric darkness, interwoven with classical and progressive influences. Traditional instruments such as the violin, viola, willow flute, and hand drum infuse the music with ancient, primal energy. The lyrics, crafted through subconscious writing, serve as a conduit to the mystical and otherworldly.

The album was engineered, produced, and mixed by Oraklet. Drums were recorded at Nordvis Ljudstudio, with the remaining tracks laid down at Studio HMH. Mastering was handled by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus Studio.

Founded in 2015 in the northernmost part of Scandinavia, Häxkapell is the creation of Oraklet, who embarked on an inward journey to explore the philosophical, spiritual, and mystical aspects of existence. Following the 2016 demo “Om sanningen,” Häxkapell released their debut album, “Eldhymner”, in 2021.

On “Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp”, Häxkapell’s music evolves much like the earth itself: slowly, imperceptibly, yet ever-changing. It reflects the cycle of birth and bereavement, with death and life beginning anew as earthen folk melodies murmur ancient slumbers into dawn. Oraklet channels these profound truths into lyrics and music."

A familiar face to the art circles of NYC and Detroit, Scott Avery is the tabbed alias for Philly-born, Detroit-based producer, Amani Olu — an ambitious creative who makes his music debut via Child Self. The EP includes four disparate tracks that explore wanderlust, play, experimentation, and unencumbered curiosity. An homage to innocence and the source of his creative expression, Child Self represents a juncture in Avery’s personal history, a moment of reflection as the artist considers the roads which have led him to the present.

Throughout the EP, memory—both personal and historical—resurfaces in roundabout ways, unlocked in ecstatic sonic transmissions, expressing the depths and sentiments that language can’t express. Coupled with Detroit’s legendary history and an aching devotion to the early years of Avery’s life, Child Self richly entwines sounds with spiritual expression. With subtle reference points and underlying samples seamlessly flowing between disco and rap, house and Motown, Child Self is a composition of gradual histories tactically woven back together into proof of concept for an ambitious and varied career to come.