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Strut proudly presents the first-ever reissue of a landmark 1974 Ghanaian highlife classic Sikyi Highlife by Dr K. Gyasi & His Noble Kings, originally released on Essiebons.

A defining recording of the era, Sikyi Highlife bridges tradition and innovation at a pivotal moment in Ghanaian music. Deeply rooted in the classic 1950s–’60s highlife sound, K. Gyasi drew inspiration from the ancient sikyi drum-dance of the Akan people of southern Ghana, shaping the album’s rhythms around its distinctive pulse.

The vocal arrangements echo the traditional Akan modal style, grounding the music firmly in Ghana’s cultural heritage. Yet Sikyi Highlife is equally forward-thinking. As electric guitars became standard in highlife during the 1960s, the 1970s ushered in further experimentation. The Noble Kings broke new ground as the first highlife guitar band to incorporate keyboards and a full horn section into their sound, expanding the genre’s sonic possibilities while retaining its rootsy spirit.

Gyasi’s approach was part of a broader indigenisation movement among Ghana’s electric highlife bands in the post-independence era. Inspired by the nation’s ‘African Personality’ ethos and reinforced by Afrocentric messages arriving from American soul and funk, artists began reclaiming traditional forms within modern arrangements. Contemporaries included Koo Nimo, who revived the older palmwine style, and drummer Nii Ashitey, whose Wulomei band pioneered a folklorised Ga highlife sound from 1973.

Like many musicians of his generation, Gyasi was a passionate supporter of Ghana’s independence movement. In 1963, he travelled as a musical ambassador alongside Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, performing across North Africa and the USSR and carrying Ghanaian culture onto the world stage.

The Noble Kings’ mid-’70s line-up featured some of the country’s finest musicians, including guitarist Eric Agyeman (who led the band at the time), Thomas Frimpong on drums and vocals, Ernest Honny on organ, and bassist Ralph Karikari - who was renowned for his innovative technique of translating the rhythms and tonal language of the traditional talking drum onto electric bass.

Upon its original release, Sikyi Highlife became one of the biggest-selling albums of the 1970s for Essiebons, earning Gyasi the affectionate honorary title of “Dr” from his devoted fans. Today, the album remains an evergreen classic, still cherished across Ghana and beyond.

Luke Wyatt created Sladazj as a place for beat-driven cinematic downshift. These were darker doorways than Torn Hawk could step through. Beyond the arches were Sladazj’s favorite landscapes. We’re talking hovercrafts buzzing over dark marshes as Zartan the bad guy from GI Joe changes faces and plays cards with the guy who swings the cinder block on the axe handle. Cinders and ashes, axes and unbelievers. “Second Device” is the second real long-form proving ground for these moves, the second ash pit. Sladazj is the prince of the pit.

Campbell Owens, Douglas MacIntyre and Mick Slaven worked on the album alongside founding members Robert 'Bobby Bluebell' Hodgens, David McCluskey and Ken McCluskey to create the new collection of tracks. The result is a stunning body of work; rich, melodic, thoughtful and infectious. First single No Pasaran! premiered on BBC Radio Scotland and in The Herald in September 2025. The Bluebells rose to fame in the 1980s as jangle-pop pioneers of the Sound of Young Scotland era with their three hits Young at Heart, Cath and I'm Falling.

Despite only releasing one readily-available album during their initial run (Sisters, 1984) the band have remained as one of Scotland's most beloved bands, currently boasting over 144,000 monthly Spotify listeners. The band enjoyed a post-breakup revival in 1993 after a Volkswagen advert featured Young at Heart, pushing the single to No.1 for 4 weeks. They have since reunited over the years, to play various festival slots and develop new material. In 2023, the band released The Bluebells In The 21st Century, their first LP in decades. In 2025, The Bluebells played Glastonbury.

New pressing on black vinyl (500 units). Following the recently released and highly praised Trees 50th Anniversary box set on Earth Recordings, Trees reissue their debut album ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’as a standalone release. It’s now over fifty years since Trees’ formation, a band who helped define ‘Acid Folk’, creating a sub-category in the lexicon of record dealers and music critics alike. “When we are talking about psych folk or acid folk, we are really talking about music like this by Trees” Stuart Maconie, BBC6 Music. Trees first album, ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’ (1970) snuggles nicely into contemporary nu-folkies’ idea of the genre, and shares some of the pastoral-whimsy that characterised The Incredible String Band or Donovan, offset by some stunning interpretations of traditional material and Bias’ own songs. The record includes readings of ‘Lady Margaret’, ‘Glasgerion’, the old standard ‘She Moved Thro’ The Fair’, and the extended fade of the group’s own ‘Road’, presage the explosive instrumental duelling that would come to characterise the follow up album, ‘On The Shore’. // “The music’s arcane power remains intact” Mojo. // “A fantastic band” Record Collector. // “Spectacular” Uncut. // “Sublime” Shindig. // Timeless” Prog. // “It’s these two original albums that stand as pinnacles of form” The Wire. // Track listing: A1. Nothing Special A2. The Great Silkie A3. The Garden of Jane Delawney A4. Lady Margaret B1. Glasgerion B2. She Moved Thro' The Fair B3. Road B4. Epitaph B5. Snail's Lament

180g Heavy double vinyl LP with liner notes by Tyran Grillo. Limited Japanese Obi for the first pressing. Original artwork by Russell Mills and photography by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

The third Time Capsule is a body of dub reinterpretations by celebrated producer Bill Laswell of Ethiopian singer Gigi. Curated by Tokyo record collector, music researcher and seasoned reissue supervisor Ken Hidaka, it is the first time Illuminated Audio is pressed to vinyl after its CD release in 2003.

Ejigayehu Shibabaw was born in 1974 in Chagni, northwestern Ethiopia and by pursuing a career as a singer, went against her father’s strict, traditional gender roles. As Gigi, she embraced the same musical freedom she had strived for in her personal life, incorporating the Ethiopian church, funk, hip-hop, West and South African music into her work. She first settled in Nairobi, then Addis Ababa, where she quickly established herself as one of the city’s leading singers. A move to San Francisco in 1998 led to a long and fruitful creative partnership with bassist and producer Bill Laswell.

Around the same time, Chris Blackwell had stepped away from Island Records to start the art house film company and label Palm Pictures. He took an interest in Gigi and together with Laswell, pulled together an all-star cast of musicians for her self-titled US debut album, including Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders and Wayne Shorter. It won international critical acclaim, not just for its musicianship but for making Gigi a “defining voice for the Ethiopian expatriate community”, as journalist Tyran Grillo praises in his Time Capsule liner notes. From the nation-defining 1896 victory over Italian invaders to the quiet revolutionaries who wear simple shemma garments, Grillo believes the themes in Gigi make it “a shower of sunlight on her homeland for those ignorant of its struggles.”

After its success, Blackwell encouraged them to go back into the studio to rethink the album and Illuminated Audio was born. “Anyone can make a voice sound worldly”, Grillo remarks, “but rare are those who can make one sound inner-worldly.” Gigi was clear with Laswell to give her vocals a minor role “because it’s already been done.” Instead her Amharic verse is fleeting, exhaling through the textures like ghostly fragments; soaring yet muted. Yet the album is still titled under her name, an assertion by Laswell of her central role in the album’s creation. Not only was it a fully endorsed project by Gigi, but she would be present throughout its development, giving feedback on half-finished ideas as Laswell played them back in the studio. “It works perfectly”, she reflected after the album’s release. “We wanted to capture the whole spirit of each track, and Bill’s remixes create a different music language that really puts you in a pleasant place”.

This new vocabulary takes its lead from a technical approach that Laswell had been perfecting during a furtive creative period at the turn of the millennium. Much like his ambient interpretations of Miles Davis (Panthalassa, 1998), Bob Marley (Dreams of Freedom, 1997), and Carlos Santana (Divine Light, 2001), Laswell approached Illuminated Audio by returning to the original multitrack masters. Gigi wasn’t just reworked, but recomposed into an expansive lattice of instruments, submerged in a watery ambience of dub and trance undercurrents.

Sonically, this new language that Gigi refers to, is manifested by the original album’s more understated parts being pushed to the fore. Explaining his contrasting methods, Laswell saw Gigi as being “put together in a way that fits”. Contrastingly, in Illuminated Audio, “a lot of things that I featured in the remix weren’t as audible in the original.” Instrumentation laying near-dormant, deep in the mix, are brought to the fore: the acid rock guitar and Wayne Shorter’s saxophone on ‘Tew Ante Sew’, Graham Haynes’ flugelhorn on ‘Nafekeñ’, Laswell’s bass on ‘Kahn’, the melodica in Mengedegna or the floating synths and talking drums in ‘Gud Fella’.

Brought to his attention by mentor DJ Nori, Hidaka describes Illuminated Audio as a “masterful sonic exploration into ethereal ambience and dub” and made sure this reissue also contained a full remaster to give its “deep musicality” much better dynamics and density in the overall sound. Hidaka admits that Laswell's music “is sometimes so out-there, it is often misunderstood” and, indeed, to dub album non-believers this might seem like a prolific producer imposing himself on another artist’s work; eternally developing rearrangements that never quite get to its destination. But that’s missing its true power and triumph. This is more than the reissue of a remix, but “a wholly unique musical entity”, as Hidaka describes. Illuminated Audio refers to the illuminated manuscripts that comprise the major part of Ethiopian art and its new compositions stand in proud solitude as a rare body of reworks that both informs and enhances their originals.

‘Call To Arms & Angels’ is the title of the twelfth studio album from South London collective Archive.

 A 17-track double CD / triple LP recorded at RAK studios in London and released on
Dangervisit/PIAS.

 Deluxe editions of the album also include a bonus ‘Super8’ album of new and
exclusive instrumentals, as featured in the band’s ‘Super8’ documentary that will
accompany the release of the album.

 Produced by Archive and long-time collaborator Jérome Devoise, ‘Call To Arms &
Angels’ is the band’s first studio set since 2016’s ‘The False Foundation’.

 Talking about the new album, Darius Keeler says, “Writing our twelfth studio album
was an extraordinary time for the band. The song writing became an unfolding
narrative as the world got stranger and more disturbing every day. With people’s
freedoms being pushed to the brink, the suffering Covid caused and the terrible
events in the US lead by Trump and the rise of the Right, anything seemed possible.

 “To reflect on these times as artists brought up a darkness and an anger, but also a
strange kind of inspiration that was at times unsettling. It really made us appreciate
the power of music and how lucky we are to be able to express our feelings in this
way.

 “It seems there is light at the end of the tunnel, but there are always shadows within
that light.”

 Deluxe 2CD album plus ‘Super8’ bonus CD in 40-page casebound Polaroid
bookpack.

 2CD album.

 Deluxe vinyl box set with white coloured vinyl 3LP (exclusive to this box set), ‘Super8’
bonus LP on white vinyl (exclusive to this box set), deluxe 3CD with Polaroid booklet
and 12” x 12” art print.

 Triple LP on gold vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on green vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on black vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.

Peach Discs continues into 2026 with a deeply jacking record from the king of the live house jam Demuja. If you've seen him on the 'gram you'll know just how incredibly prolific he is – the tracks that make up this EP were whittled down, tweaked and finessed from close to 100 demos, and we're thrilled with what we've put together, together. In his own words, the EP is "a little love letter to the dancefloor that lives within the idea of a long, sweaty night out. All the tracks were made at very different stages – some produced a while ago, others more recently – and I hope that’s part of what makes the EP interesting as well."

The "title.txt" EP embodies a pure distillation of Demuja's sound– rooted in classic house techniques with a dubbed-out sensibility and, the record's five tracks all stem from live-jams bashed out with focused intention in his Austrian studio on a plethora of drum machines, synths and effects units.

Things kick off with probably the wiggliest of the lot, as "Stop Asking Me" worms a long-range bassline around snappy, stripped-back drums before leaning towards techno (can you hear a snare on the 2 and the 4 cos i can't) on "Oldhead," as its dusty samples drag it back towards house, with a sprinkling of dubstep flavour tucked away in the breakdown. The A-side wraps up in a dubbed-out mode with "Say No More's" deep, modulating textures wrapping themselves around skippy, insistent percussion.

Those dub sounds carry over onto the B-side's "Tool 6," as classically filtered chords peek through the mix (though that bassline is definitely talking tech-house), and Pulse brings it home with strutting drums, disembodied vox and arcing synthlines.

We've also thrown in two bonus tracks you won't find on the 12" but will be available to those that pick up a copy of the record through the Peach Discs Bandcamp. Tasked with picking one fave each, Gramrcy went for "Almost Cherry," a barreling ride across an insistent Reese bassline reminiscent of Samuel L Sessions' best bombs, while Shanti chose the wiggling, diva-wailing "Art of Failing."

'The Endless Dance' is the first collaborative album from Northern Irish producer and composer Hannah Peel and Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang. The record is grounded in the strength of ancient concepts, but comes alive with the joy and freedom of play as together, Peel and Wang travel through the 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar with a cornucopia of sound in tow – synths and prepared piano alongside traditional and unconventional percussion.

The album is collaged together from recordings made over five days at legendary rural studio Real World, a setting which aligned with the duo’s inspiration from the natural world creating a permanent record of their shared musical landscape, informed by the flora and fauna that emerge and retreat through the seasons.

Both genre-defying, storied artists in their own right, Peel and Wang met while working on Manchester Collective’s 2023 album NEON and 'The Endless Dance' certainly represents a step-change from the duo’s shared classical backgrounds – but their knowledge and training is also the foundation of its freewheeling audacity, giving them the confidence to trust their instincts.

The album is produced by Mike Lindsay LUMP, Tunng, Guy Garvey, Jon Hopkins who, with free rein, brings added energy and creativity to the album, whilst Peel & Wang are also joined by Hyelim Kim on Daegeum, a Korean flute with “colourful overtones on every note”.

Track to track, 'The Endless Dance' is unpredictable and unexpected, which is in part due to the genuine curiosity and outside perspectives that each player brought to the sessions. “I am so familiar with Chinese heritage, but I don't see how it can present in electronics, for instance,” says Wang. “Hannah comes in with that direction, to imagine what the sounds could be together.” The characterful richness of the album stems from the commonalities they found in the sessions. “We both come from cultures where story is really important,” explains Peel. “The attention to detail comes from telling a story, and one note can set that off in a different direction.”

'The Endless Dance' is a major work from two accomplished, singular artists - but it’s also the sound of mutual curiosity and shared fun, or as Wang puts it: “Two women talking in totally different language that had a wonderful chat.”

Rock 'n Roll With The Modern Lovers is the second album released by The Modern Lovers.

The band was formed in 1970 by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jonathan Richman, with Jerry Harrison (keyboards - later went on to join Talking Heads), Ernie Brooks (bass), and David Robinson (drums). Richman's friend John Felice joined them occasionally. Their sound almost totally focuses on the sound from the Fifties. The lo-fi record breathes folky roots music and rock ‘n roll as it would sound ages ago. The albums features the popular tracks "Ice Cream Man", "Roller Coaster By The Sea", and "Egyptian Reggae". The latter was a cover version of Earl Zero "None Shall Escape The Judgement" and became a UK Top 5 hit.

Rock 'n Roll With The Modern Lovers is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on silver vinyl.

Neon pink vinyl. Their first new music since 2019, 'Killing The Buzz' sees The Black Wizards entering a new era, with their first release via Hassle Records. Signalling a bold step forward in sound, they shift towards a raw, garage-driven sound, built around direct arrangements, live energy and a strong sense of urgency. The Porto-based trio lay down a striking first impression on the single: Joana Brito's wiry, spitfire vocals volley off José Gomes' gravelly replies, over a chugging, serpentine groove propelled by Helena Peixoto's restless percussion. "Do you print yourself out pretty to look better in banners?" Brito questions archly, referencing the political signage that dots the streets of their home country, Portugal. Speaking on the track, Brito comments: "Killing the Buzz came out pretty funny & sarcastic, while talking about a real subject. The song is about being fed up with people in power positions, be it economical, political or social."

Split System, the Aussie group featuring Jackson Reid Briggs (Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters) on vocals and Arron Mawson (Stiff Richards) on guitar, took the punk world by storm with its debut EP this past spring. That was hardly surprising given the talent involved. But whatever my expectations were for Split System, the Melbourne-based outfit far exceeded them. Not just another "super group" (also on board are guitarist Ryan Webb Speed Week, bassist Deon Slaviero, and drummer Mitch McGregor [No Zu]), Split System is straight-up one of the most powerful and exciting punk rock and roll bands of recent memory. The band's EP was a smasher, and now debut album Vol. 1 emphatically follows suit. My god, this record is a monster! Essentially Split System's sound is classic Aussie punk. That may sound like nothing new, but this band executes the style with a force and fury rarely heard these days. It doesn't hurt that Jackson Reid Briggs is one of the best rock and roll screamers going. He's got a fire inside of him. Meanwhile, Mawson and Webb form one hell of a guitar tandem. And that rhythm section is insane. These are all brilliant players who come together to make an extraordinary band. Vol. 1 comes storming out of the gates with "The End" and never lets up. Of course we knew some of the previously-released tracks ("Hit Me," "Demolition," "Climbing") were going to rip. But the newer material is just as good and will just about melt your face off. Songs like "Ringing In My Head" and "Grip" are pure energy and ferocity, while closing track "Feelings" has a mellowed-out Saints feel. This band knows how to rock and roll, and there are literally no songs on this album that don't entirely kick ass. Sometimes we think of these all-star groups as "side projects," but such categorization would sell Split System woefully short. If we're talking about the top three or four punk bands in Australia right now, this has to be one of them! Josh Rutledge/ Faster and Louder

Farron is back on Shaw Cuts with his next EP called ãHuman LanternsÒ - a tale of social jealousy and long-standing rivalry transformed into 4 bass-heavy broken techno tracks.
The two wealthy kung-fu masters Lung and Tan are embroiled in a long lasting game of perpetual one-upmanship. Vowing to show Tan up, Lung enlists the aid of a man he defeated in a duel years ago in fashioning a masterful lantern for the upcoming festival in which both masters will compete. ãWe Are The WaveÒ and its noisy fragments and broken rhythmics led by a hefty stormy bassline, underline the tension and aversion between the two competing masters.
But the eccentric artisan is more interested in seeking revenge for his old defeat, in taking away everything Lung holds dear. The bass-driven ãSwitch OddÒ and its sharp percussions and phat kick underline the ulterior motives of the shady character.
The evil villainÕs plan of revenge contains kidnapping several beloved women of Lung, skinning them alive and using their flaps of skin to create the ordered lantern. ãGX100Ò and its fast-paced drum pattern carried by virulent synth fragments and raucous pads, epitomises the merciless act of violence.
Tan and Lung falsely accuse each other but feel constrained to eventually team up and hunt the criminal together. ãTalking To ThemÒ rings in furiously and chases the enemy with its rolling bass, chopped vocals and stomping drums, but the villain is sneaky and recalcitrant. Silence before the attackÉ

Gap Mangione's monumentally influential Diana In The Autumn Wind. AKA BEWITH200LP. And, without question, Be With's White Whale.

They said it could never be done. And with good reason.

We've spent the past 12 years trying to license this legendary 1968 recording from Gap and, after much work, it's finally here. Remarkably, this is the first ever vinyl reissue of Gap Mangione's Diana In The Autumn Wind, produced with the full and extensive participation of Gap. An exceedingly rare album, it's been coveted by funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop sample fiends for decades.

It's unarguably *the* most sought after album for J Dilla / Madlib sample collectors. It has also been brilliantly sampled by A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Ghostface Killah, Kendrick Lamar and Talib Kweli.

But this record is so much more than a sample-spotters curio. It's solid gold throughout. Bursting with killer funky-jazz grooves and tracks adorned with warm electric piano, the release is notable for featuring some extremely significant players at the very outset of their careers; Tony Levin, at 21, whose superb playing on both acoustic and electric bass was the harmonic mainstay of the trio and Steve Gadd, at 23, one of the greatest drummers of his generation.

With acceptable copies of this holy grail changing hands for $400, to call this reissue "much-needed" underplays just how vital it is. Gap's story is told in his words alongside rare photos across a sumptuously designed 2-page insert and, to augment this deluxe edition further, its all wrapped up in a beautiful, no-expense-spared luxury tip-on sleeve, as per the original hens-teeth release. And, while we're talking packaging, just take a look at that cover - a work of art in and of itself.

The tracks are short but complex, with that extraordinary rhythm section backing the beautiful piano, organ and electric piano work of Gap. It's like the best ever library funk breaks record you never heard - but all your favourite golden age rap producers were all over it, long ago. It's a stunning blend of the vibrant, driving music of the Gap Mangione Trio coupled with the sensitive composition and superb orchestration of Gap's legendary brother, Chuck Mangione, who helmed an amalgam of seemingly disparate elements – rock, big band jazz, solo improvisation and "classical" music - into a spectacularly cohesive whole that has aged wonderfully well. As Gap himself notes in the liners, "with this group I was able to explore and add new and exciting elements from rock, Brazilian and then-current pop music."

Opener "Boy With Toys" triumphantly swaggers out the gate, all big band horns, flutes and dextrous organ work. The synthesis of everything going on is nothing short of stunning. When one wise YouTube commentator called this tune "old school superhero music", Gap agreed. Rap luminaries did, too, amongst them Talib Kweli, who rapped over DJ Scratch's chopped up intro for "Shock Body" on his Quality album back in 2002.

You've barely recovered from that incredibly affecting opener when you get hit over the head with the exquisite title-track. And now you see how two of the greatest beats of all time emerged from one single track produced nearly 50 years earlier. Unforgettably utilised by Dilla for Slum Village's heartbreakingly good "Fall In Love" and then Madlib for his "Official" beat for Dilla to rap over, on the Jaylib record. Regardless of the records it went on to spawn, this is just a staggering tune in its own right. Be beguiled by the flutes and the flutter tonguing, the counter-melody from the trombones, the soprano sax solo. All of it. Simply beautiful.

The questing organ and horn workout "Long Hair Soulful" deserves a lot more attention, overshadowed somewhat by the opening two monsters but no less fantastic. It swings, it grooves and Gadd and Levin truly cook. Up next, Gap's wonderfully percussive, mellifluously piano-heavy cover of "Yesterday" by some fellas called The Beatles. It's a subtly arresting gem. "The XIth Commandment" is damn fine, with thick, gorgeous electric piano and snappy drum work underpinning chaotic soundtracky horns. To close out the side, "St. Thomas" showcases the "fourth" member of the Gap Mangione Trio, conga drummer Dhui Mandingo. Having performed with the Trio since 1965, Dhui‘s African-based and jazz-latin-influenced style amazed listeners and its way to hear why.

Opening the B-Side, standard "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" breezes along in the late-night jazz club fashion before things get super deep with the outstanding and - up to now - un-sampled "Pond With Swans". It's simply heavenly, and how its moody, melancholic intro has yet to be pilfered is anybody's guess. It oscillates between gentle, sombre movements and bombastic grooves, equally hypnotic and joyous. The rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" is yet another showcase for Gap's virtuoso playing and Gadd's mastery of the pocket. Indeed Gadd's drumming on "Free Again" is nothing short of neck-SNAPPING! Ghostface took it for not one but two "Iron's Theme" tracks across his seminal Supreme Clientele. It's got that Galt MacDermot "Coffee Cold" feel. Suuuuuper cool. The frantic "Dream On Little Dreamer" hurtles along and must've surely had the whole room absolutely swinging from the chandeliers back in Rochester in the late 60s. The album closes with the magnificent Graduate Medley, featuring memorable renditions of "Scarborough Fair", "The Sounds of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson". The warm electric piano lines of the former were sampled by The Ummah (Dilla again!) for Tribe's "Pad & Pen" from their reappraised final album, The Love Movement, as well as by Large Professor on his much-loved "The LP (For My People)".

Under the watchful eye - and extremely attentive ears - of Gap Mangione himself, the audio for Diana In The Autumn Wind has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, with a few much needed tweaks here and there, according to the artist's wishes. At the prestigious Abbey Road Studios, Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at the always stellar Record Industry in Holland. The artwork restoration has taken place here at Be With HQ and has that drop-dead gorgeous cover artwork popping like new. Buy on sight!

Sometimes the title of an album tells you everything you need to know. Laurence Pike’s Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is like that: The music within represents a search for freedom, potentiality—liberatory strategies that transcend the ego and the solitary, atomized figure.

But in this case, the album title is also a red herring, because there is no jazz quintet here—just Pike, his drums, and his machines, not so much an ersatz ensemble as a purely notional one, a thought experiment equipped with drumsticks, circuitry, and the desire to go beyond hardwired limits.

And the results, strictly speaking, aren’t really jazz, though they incorporate the vocabulary of jazz, along with that of ambient, electronica, and post-rock. They are some other thing, cognizant of genre but never beholden to it. Again, we’re talking about a search for freedom here.

The Sydney-based musician has a long history of coloring outside the lines, not just in his solo recordings—including four albums for the Leaf label between 2018 and 2024—but also in the trio Pivot (later PVT); Szun Waves (alongside saxophonist Jack Wyllie and Border Community’s Luke Abbott); Triosk, which recorded an album with Jan Jelinek in 2003; and even post-punk titans Liars, whom he joined in late 2018.

Of his first album for Balmat, Pike says, “My loose concept was: What does music sound like when the expectations of late capitalism are removed from it? How might a jazz musician from an idealised culture of the future, or even another world, utilise musical language when the conventions of style and marketing are no longer a factor in music making?”

That inquiry, he says, connects to his “guiding principle: that the purpose of music is to access something bigger than the individual, and reveal a sense of possibility and freedom in the world to the listener. To create an understanding that the future can be something other than what we imagined or expect, even unconsciously.”

Heady ideas, but plug into his stream-of-metaconsciousness flow and you may start to intuit what motivates him. There is a deeply lyrical expression in these pieces—in the ruminative piano of opener “Guardians of Memory,” for example—but also a sense of exploded perspective, of ideas approached from more angles than any one mind could dream up. Of a collectivized consciousness, of mycelial networks branching across tone and rhythm and timbre, of ideas articulated in distributed fashion, nodal points dancing across drum heads.

Pike’s imaginary quintet is hardly without precedent; it’s a continuation of concepts floated across Jan Jelinek’s Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, Burnt Friedman’s many guises, and much of the recombinant improv of the International Anthem roster, not to mention the far corners of ECM’s catalog in the late 1970s and 1980s, which Pike says have been integral to his development since he was a teenager. Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is a point in a continuum, a voice in a conversation, a question with no obvious answer: How can the search for otherness in music manifest something true about ourselves?

Welcome to the modern 'Spaghetti Western' revolution. Never before pressed to vinyl, Sydney-based indie band The Slims will release both their EP's on a special double EP vinyl record release. Off the back of touring with Jet, The Slims are looking to release their debut LP Nov 2026.

With Agenda EP, Tom Carruthers closes a landmark trilogy on Skylax Records, following Neutralise EP and Deepline. Three records. Fifteen tracks. One coherent vision of machine-driven house music stripped to its raw, functional core. This final chapter dives deeper into direct, club-focused energy, where groove, repetition and tension do the talking. Agenda is less reflective, more physical — built for movement, sweat, and long transitions in dark rooms. Opening track “Chrome” sets the tone: sharp drum programming, metallic pressure, and looping synth phrases that lock the body into motion. “Agenda (Raw Mix)” follows with a tougher, stripped-down approach — no excess, just pure rhythmic insistence rooted in early Chicago jack and warehouse discipline. “Beat Down” pushes further into machine funk territory, where relentless patterns and rugged textures meet in hypnotic repetition. On the flip, “Fade Away” brings a deeper, moodier tension — a late-night track where subtle emotion seeps through minimal structures. Closing cut “What You Want” is classic Carruthers: jacking drums, understated melody, and a groove that feels timeless rather than retro. As with the previous releases, the visual identity is handled by H5, whose modernist, reduced artwork mirrors the sonic philosophy: clarity, impact, and purpose. Agenda EP completes the Skylax trilogy as a statement of intent — not revivalism, not nostalgia, but dance music reduced to its essential elements.

Ein extrem seltenes und fantastisches Afro-Funk-Album, aufgenommen 1976, dessen Sound aber an die 1960er-Jahre erinnert: Wuchtige Drums, tiefer Bass, Wah-Wah-Gitarre und Orgel der Friimen Musik Company begleiten die gefühlvolle Stimme von Maxwell Elemuo. Erste Wiederauflage in limitierter Edition.

Nach ihrem Debütalbum ,I" im Jahr 2023, das ihnen nationale Radiopräsenz, Auftritte bei großen Festivals und Europatourneen einbrachte, erweitert das Montrealer Art-Pop-Trio Bye Parula mit seinem zweiten Album ,Something Out of Nothing" seinen ästhetischen Horizont und widmet sich einem eher introspektiven Songwriting. Wie sein Vorgänger wurde ,Something Out of Nothing" von Robbie Kuster von Patrick Watson produziert und von Warren Spicer von Plants and Animals gemischt, aber das neue Album präsentiert auch ein Team von Mitwirkenden - darunter die Inuk-Sängerin und Songwriterin Elisapie, Adèle Trottier-Rivard von Bibi Club, Morgan Moore und Karkwa-Keyboarder François Lafontaine -, das von der wachsenden Bedeutung von Bye Parula in der kanadischen Indie-Szene zeugt. Das Ergebnis ist eine vielseitige Mischung, die sich aus dem orchestralen Funk von Serge Gainsbourg, den melancholischen Melodien von Elliott Smith, den weltlichen Rhythmen von Talking Heads und dem bodenständigen R&B von Dijon speist, allesamt durchdrungen von einer cineastischen Sensibilität der 70er Jahre, die die Grenze zwischen sonnendurchfluteter, weichgezeichneter Fantasie und urbaner Raffinesse verwischt. Doch die vergnügungssüchtigen Klänge von ,Something Out of Nothing" können die unter der Oberfläche lauernde Not nicht verdecken - dies ist ein Album, das Ihre Schultern musikalisch massiert, während es Ihnen textlich in die Magengrube schlägt.

Actor, comedian, friend of the label, Aziz Ansari (of Parks and Rec fame) has visited Third Man a handful of times, even gracing us with a surprise live set back in 2013. For years we've been working hard to find something to release together and his second Comedy Central stand-up special, Dangerously Delicious, which was originally released in 2012, contains so many great moments (50 Cent's 1st grapefruit experience, anyone?), it just needs to be pressed into wax. So, here we've done it! Put the needle in the groove and let the good times roll, friends. Co-released with Comedy Central

Growing together both personally and musically… That is indeed the good fortune of the musicians in the Marseille-based trio ubaq. We’re talking about bassist Antoine Carletto, guitarist Lucas Schemidt, and drummer Antoine Saussol, winners of the Rezzo springboard competition at Jazz à Vienne 2025. In their early twenties, they met in their late teens while still honing their musical skills. Nearly ten years later, they burst onto the scene, in perfect harmony, with their very first album, “Night WIP,” a follow-up to their EP, “20bis,” released in 2024. They owe their stylized stage name—written in lowercase with a “q”—to the ubac, that side of a mountain with very little sun exposure, where twilight reigns. “We liked that idea because we’re night owls,” says bassist Antoine Carletto. Hence the “night” for “nuit” and the “WIP” for “Work In Progress,” explains guitarist Lucas Shemidt. ubaq’s music is characterized by a nocturnal, melancholic heaviness, pierced by beams of light. “We love creating music that soothes us and highlights the precious nature of composing and playing in complete harmony,” says Antoine Carletto. “We cultivate complex tones, sometimes difficult to bear, whether they’re nostalgic or even verging on depression. But we manage to convey emotions without falling into clichés,” adds Antoine Saussol. Night and twilight serve as the perfect catalysts for this trio, which moves forward with perfect chemistry and harmony.

On this album, they feature the German-Armenian rapper and singer Talin, who is also based in Marseille. She appears on the track “Regarding Others,” where she chants that even though the year 2026 may see mothers weeping in every corner of the world, she still manages to smile. Thus, this track explores the three musicians’ relationship with the world and the necessity of looking at others. The unsettling “Sciatiq,” the haunting “Sakakinik,” and the ambivalence of “Flayosc”—the final track, on which the trio features trombonist Jules Regard—owe their titles to the musicians’ own observations and experiences. The multi-faceted track “Proud,” in two parts, is a tribute to Lucas Schemidt’s mother, who has since passed away. The presence of wind instruments—whether Jules Regard’s trombone or Mathieu Fabre’s saxophone on the intense track “From The Ending”—adds textures missing from the natural landscape depicted in “Night WIP.” This debut album captures the obsessions and introspective wanderings—sometimes anxious, sometimes enchanted—of a trio that cultivates melody as a pledge of warm fulfillment.

Constant Black is one of the many, many labels that Burnski heads up. It's where he focuses on stripped-back minimal and tech house with a moody undercurrent. Kerouac is a mainstay in his orbit and here takes one side of a new 12" that opens with 'This Method,' a rigid thumper with an eerie edge. 'Produce To The Max' has a dark bassline and ghoulish vocal sounds, while 'Talking About' is a more light and bumpy percussive number. Mees Mattern takes care of the flip with the dusty, garage-y loops of 'Sloppy Tekniic,' rubbery bass minimalism of 'Reeses Pieces' and grittier '404 Not Found. Six fresh tools for rewiring a dancefloor.

Following Parnell March’s Back Bar Grooves EP in February and November’s release of the Dust Tears (lead song from Sarah/Shaun’s debut) remixes, Edinburgh’s Hobbes Music label returns with a second EP of dream pop from husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), alias Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced McLochlun), who wooed hearts and wowed critics with debut EP ‘It’s True What They Say?’ last year.

‘It’s True What They Say?’ attracted fans across the board: Artist Of The Week in The Scotsman, rapturous reviews from The Skinny and Tokyo's Ban Ban Ton Ton blog, BBC 6Music airplay courtesy of Nemone (Mary Anne Hobbs' Morning Show), more radio play from Radio Scotland's Roddy Hart & Vic Galloway, plus Simone Butler (Primal Scream) and Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds) via their respective Soho Radio shows, not forgetting ringing endorsements from the likes of David Holmes, Youth, Kevin Bales (Spiritualized), Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks) and Julian Corrie (Franz Ferdinand).

They played gigs supporting Glasgow's huge Glasvegas, at festivals (Kendall Calling, Dunbar Music, Hidden Door), plus a slew of venues across the Scottish capital, ending the year with a trio of shows supporting Glaswegian 80s pop legends The Bluebells at Aberdeen’s Tunnels, Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys and Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms, while The List magazine tipped them among their Ones To Watch For 2025, with journalist Fiona Shepherd suggesting they were “blending the starry-eyed pop of Sonny & Cher with the electronic experimentation of Chris & Cosey.”

Very much the companion piece to the debut EP but arriving a full twelve months later, Someone’s Ghost is emblematic of the duo’s desire not to rush things or release anything half-baked.

“I’ve always wanted to create the perfect pop record and I do really feel that we’ve achieved that with this one,” says Shaun. And he’s clearly not the only person who thinks so.

REVIEWS, FEEDBACK ETC:

"I LOVE that! Dreamy dreamy pop." ROY MOLLOY (Marvellous Crane/Alex Cameron) on BLAST RADIO, Sydney
“the Scottish music scene’s cream of the cool... buzzy drum beats, high, distant chimes, and heavenly electronics…. very ethereal.” THE SKINNY

"Listening to Sarah/Shaun is like eavesdropping on a noir dreampop, long-distance phone call between them both, across two separate sonic locations. On this stunning 4-song EP, Sarah’s voice, effortlessly mesmerising, draws you into these big beautiful and haunting passages of perfect dream-pop. All beautifully produced in a multi-layered-scape of low-fi analogue textures, epic cinematic crescendos, intense electro-pulse grooves and warped psycho-pop guitar riffs. Within the songs lurk a sense of unresolved emotions, longing and pathos. There are shades of classic Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra but also Post-Punk Electronica and Beach House. But what a unique sound they’ve created of their own. I love it" DAVID MCCLUSKEY (The Bluebells)
"Absolutely beautiful" SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"Lovely stuff here! Total quality." MARTYN 'MASH' HENDERSON
"Ooooh. Everything the last record promised is here. Well done" GEORGE T aka George Demure (Accident Machine)
"Vince clark Era Depeche Mode in places" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized)
"Sounds cool. Well done" PETE KEMBER (Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3)
"Glorious, it (Debbie Harry) grabs hold of you and doesn't let go." IAIN DAWSON aka RAVECHILD (Everyone Wants To Play The Hits Podcast)

SOMEONE’S GHOST

Born out of an incredibly anxious, stressful time, the songwriting process for these recordings has been something of a personal tonic for Shaun…

“There was a period when I was having nightmares,” he reveals. “Apparently I was saying there was someone in the room, I was talking to that person and Sarah was seeing all this while I was still asleep.

So, I was thinking that this was my ghost. I started writing songs because I was going through something and I was dealing with something and writing songs was a comfort. My ghost was a comfort, whether it was real or not. The idea of it was a comfort.”

“I firmly believe that everyone has someone who watches over them but all of the songs are essentially about being there for someone,” he says. “Everybody needs someone but also everyone needs to stay real and keep what you have, keep it close, never let it go. If you don’t have it, continue to tell people you’re there for them. It’s about loving and hoping people will be good to you in return.”

While Shaun took the songwriting lead on Filter Of Love and EP closer The Sound Which Stresses The Sound Of My Ears, Debbie Harry was originally instrumentally conceived by producer Jaguar Eyes, alias Ali Chisholm, later lyrically completed by Shaun, and the EP’s lead track, Anhedonia, and one of its stand-outs (much like Starbed on the debut) was conceived by Sarah, as a result of experiencing a bit of a spiritual epiphany of her own.

“When I first heard the word Anhedonia, I didn't know what it meant but when I found out I thought about it quite a bit. How sad it would be to have no enjoyment in anything,” she explains. “This song is really about my own personal beliefs. When I have been down, that's one of the things that helps me the most. It talks about trying to make amends but realising, for some things, you can't. But I think with any kind of faith comes hope… which is always a good thing.”

A record about hope, truth, honesty, a belief in something bigger than oneself… and all set to a soundtrack that wouldn’t feel out of place in a David Lynch or Eighties feature film. What more could anyone ask for, really?

There’s equally a desire to offer something universal and positive to anyone who tunes in. The labels for the 12” edition reveal the dual mantras “Who just wants to survive?” and “It’s about time to live a little”, with both messages also engraved in each record’s run-out grooves. T-shirts accompanying debut EP It’s True What They Say? bore the slogan “Kill Them With Kindness” - leading caps intentional. Shaun carries the acronym KTWK everywhere he plays, as a reminder: it’s stitched into his guitar strap. And this particular wee pebble has already caused a few ripples: people have been approaching him at gigs to acknowledge their appreciation and respect for it.

"We feel we have made an honest, open, colourful, body of work,” say the duo. “We hope to go out and play the songs with the guys (our band) and then potentially make more records. We are taking things as they come. Everything has been organic so far, after all. We are looking forward to whatever this brings."

A Lisbon classic by now, Paraiso (a label, a radio show, a party and now also a documentary) is back for its 19th release with a pairing who's no stranger to the label or the portuguese techno underground: lucky for us, head honcho Shcuro got back in the studio with techno legend in the making Vil to make Repercussions part 2 - and they invited iconic Spanish producer Annie Hall (Delsin, CPU) as a remixer. The record opens with a tour de force, the relentless yet perfectly in control, mutanting and experimental yet elegant and timeless 'Motorik'. In it, you can hear echoes of Detroit groove sense, but also a generous splash of dub sonics seamlessly merging into pure peak time, closed eyes, layers of ear-candy hypnotizing you type of stuff. Things strip back a little in 'Emergence Dub' - still immersive fast techno ammunition, but there is a playful, experimental and sometimes ravey spirit to it, with a wonky mutating key, vocal pads and cheeky percussion working together to create a stunning modern dance piece. Side B is inaugurated by 'Origins', a deep bow to dub traditions with delay-drenched stabs and a bouncy bassline for days. An energetic yet dreamy piece with spoken word samples that will have your heart melt, it perfectly mirrors the duo's influences in a beautiful closing original. Annie Hall steps in for the remix, taking A2 'Emergence Dub' into Breaks geographies, with a talking bassline fit for an electro banger, and the ever-present pads sending us off in zen mode after a delightful ride.

Yes here we are 50 years on from year zero 1976 (where did that go!!!). To celebrate this and the fact we are all still here and talking about the importance of the Punk Rock movement i put together an album under the banner Punk Rock Daze. The title reflects it was all such a daze, as it ran by so fast and also as a reminder of an old Malcolm McLaren remark that came to mind. That when the band and management were discussing the look and name of the Sex Pistols forthcoming album ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’. Malcolm remarked, lets sell it as you would sell washing powder, bright, simple and with fluorescence colours. Great idea so here is my homage to that thought.

So I hope you enjoy the gesture and here’s to another 50 years of Alchemy, Joyousness and
instruction (Anarchy, Chaos and Destruction).

Peace and Punk Mal-One

Daybreakers keep it rolling in 2026 after two essential Vick Lavender samplers, this time back east with some DATs from the Jersey boys “Raw Tunes” Little to nothing is known about those two. We will keep it that way and let the music do the talking.

Medlar sends us a less anonymous remix straight from the Cayman Islands too... Hard hitting deep house perfect for the peak time, What more do you expect from us at DAYBREAKERS?

Buy or cry.

Rising star Storm Mollison lands her debut on Heist with an ep blending House & R 'n B and we're completely hooked.

The future is looking bright for Storm Mollison - Heist's newest. Marked as artist to look out for by Shazam on their fast forward 2026 list, Storm's got a bright and busy year ahead, after an already big 2025. Last year alone, she featured on Kiki's hit 'Getting ready for the party', featured on a Mixmag London event and a Raw Cuts X Heist ADE party, had her first cover feature on Spotify, multiple radio 1 appearances, released several singles, a full EP on Noir Fever and a Luuk van Dijk remix.

If that's not enough to get you excited, we suggest you just listen to her 'Act like that' EP on Heist. In Storm's own words: "it's the most exciting music I've made so far" and we couldn't agree more. Her EP is a perfect blend of her love for house music and soulful R 'n B with its 4 tracks smothered in deep chords, smooth vocals and crunchy textures.

EP opener 'Doing Sumthin'' has been a staple in Dam Swindle's sets ever since receiving Storm's first demo and has never failed to make the crowd bounce from left to right with its quirky and equally cool vocal courtesy of Aaron Pfeiffer. Sometimes, you just need someone to tell you which way to move and before you know it, the whole club is doing it. The beat is chunky, and the sax lick is a nice wink to the old school house that has influences Storm's sound so much.

Act Like That - the EP's title track -, is a modern R' n B song that could have easily been on Rochelle Jordan's latest album. The lyrics are perfectly delivered by Storm herself and celebrate women who stand up to unreliable men. It could well be the badass soundtrack of womanhood for 2026 delivered in a silky-smooth package that'll live rent-free in your head for the foreseeable future.

On the flipside is "Gotta Go', an undercover dancefloor burner with lush keys and a lean-back groove. The track relies on crisp textures and little frizzles all throughout the track, with a big breakdown for ultimate release.

Ep closer 'Workin' takes us back into R 'n B territory, this time in a very danceable form. Storm's soft vocals lie on top of a steady beat with deep chords and a bassline so sexy It'll make you get down no matter where you're hearing this.

It's hard to speak about a breakthrough for an artist that has already seen such a rise in the scene, but if we're talking about her music, this will be the record that people come back to after years and say, "remember when she releases ALT!?"

As always, enjoy the music and play it loud!

Yours, Maarten & Lars

The arrival of REAL, Vol. 1 marks a seismic shift in the global music landscape, uniting two of Nigeria’s most formidable forces for a project that defines the current zenith of Afrobeats. This collaborative effort sees Wizkid, the smooth-talking pioneer of the genre’s international expansion, and Asake, the "Mr. Money" whose neo-Fuji sound redefined the street-pop aesthetic, finding a middle ground between luxury and grit. The project serves as a sonic bridge between eras, blending the minimalist, high-fashion sensibilities of Wizkid’s recent output with the high-octane, choir-backed energy that has made Asake a household name. It is less of a competition and more of a conversation between two masters of their craft, exploring themes of spiritual gratitude, the weight of superstardom, and the unyielding pulse of Lagos.

With soundscapes both cinematic and deeply rhythmic, the production moves beyond standard club formulas, opting instead for a sophisticated fusion of traditional Yoruba percussion, shimmering synths, and the heavy, resonant log drums of Amapiano. Wizkid provides the effortless, melodic swagger that acts as the project's anchor, while Asake injects a spiritual intensity through his signature layered chanting and rapid-fire flows.

Ultimately, REAL, Vol. 1 is a celebration of authenticity in an era of global crossover. By stripping away the pressure of conforming to Western pop standards, Wizkid and Asake have created a body of work that is unapologetically Nigerian yet universally resonant. It captures the spirit of a city that never sleeps and the ambition of two artists who have conquered the world without losing their souls. This is more than just a collection of hits; it is a blueprint for the future of African music, proving that when Wizkid and Asake occupy the same frequency, the result is nothing short of legendary.

A joke that doesn’t make you laugh is just a sentence. Music that doesn’t make you dance and feel is just noise aimed in your direction. To make a circuit where energy flows freely, you must have feedback. Without feedback, connection is absent. As Limousine Dream enters the Age of Aquarius, we open up. Instead of trying to grow, we let it grow. Instead of building a pyramid, we see a constellation where we are all stars, and every star can equally stand out and fit in. We invite you to join us, just like we want to join you. This is where we begin our Life Spiral.

“My auntie asked me what’s my path?” spits Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon on his de but from the celebrated Lex Records. The lyric relatably references the cross roads he’s at in his current life, especially as someone right on the cusp of rap stardom. “Recently I’ve been thinking more and more about what comes next in my life,” the artist reveals.


It’s fair to say Ogbon’s Lex LP features less of the sh*t-talking court jester of old. Instead, there’s more of an imperfect man re-examining past mistakes so he can avoid any future forks in the road. There’s a particular focus on over coming heartbreak, inspiring Ogbon to admit he’s haunted by an ex so badly he now needs to call up the Ghostbusters for assistance.


Since emerging in the late 2010s, Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon has consistently lit up America’s underground rap scene and this is thanks to a refreshingly honest writing style. Amid the exquisitely wavy strings of 2021’s The Missing Link / The Sneaky Link, for example, he rapped: “Everyone thinks they’re play er, until their bitch doesn’t come home.” Biting and snappy, the nasally vocals carry the playful verve of comedian Richard Pryor bravely excavating personal Demons to solicit giggles.


All this brash, wry Redman-inspired storytelling continues on the new pro ject. Its first single is titled I’m Signed to Lex, Now I’m Up – a name that mirrors what a big moment releasing a project on the label that once housed MF DOOM represents for Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon’s legacy. “I’m really driven by being able to level up and give my family more financial freedom,” he hopes.
And, if auntie asked what his path was right now, what exactly would the rap per say? Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon concludes: “Auntie: this rapping thing feels like it’s finally about to pay off!”

‘In Virus Times’ is an acoustic instrumental piece by Lee Ranaldo.
Composed during the pandemic, ‘In Virus Times’ is released as a onesided LP with an etching on Side B. The cover is a beautiful photo by
Lee’s friend, the great Brazilian photographer Anna Paula Bogaciovas.
 Originally released as one track as part of a collaboration with Lucien
Jean for Le Presses du Reel, the music was featured on a mini CD that
accompanied a book that featured two short stories.
 ‘In Virus Times’, released by Mute, sees the track transformed into 4
pieces and is available on transparent turquoise vinyl with digital
download and an exclusive poster, designed, signed and individually
numbered by Lee Ranaldo. The poster design is based on an electron
microscope photo of the COVID-19 molecule.
 Lee has written some of his own ‘loner notes’ for the release:
 “This recording began on an evening in September 2020, stuck at home
in lower Manhattan during the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic as
we came out of a deadly summer. A heightened sense of anxiety
stemming from the then-upcoming US Presidential elections as well as
the virus seemed to pervade all aspects of life, for myself and everyone I
knew. Its minimal quality reflects the sense of ‘motionless time’ that
many of us felt. I set up some microphones in our darkened living room
(studios being closed due to Covid restrictions), coaxing out one simple,
repetitive phrase, and then another, sounding them out into the air. The
casual home ambience - a siren or truck rumbling down the street out
the window; someone talking around the table in another part of the loft;
water running - intrudes at points. I worked to develop a few simple
thematic elements, but mostly I wanted to hear the notes and chords
ringing out, hanging in the air for a long time on that evening when the
world seemed close to stopped on its axis.
 “I’d been listening closely to Morton Feldman’s catalog throughout the
pandemic. His sparse, long-duration music could often be heard playing
on repeat as we spent endless days locked inside. His willingness to do
very little, with very simple elements, and to such profound effect, has
been inspirational. I found the vast open spaces in his works thrilling,
miraculous, and comforting in those empty times. Additionally, the Drop
D guitar tuning used here has prompted my own variations on Bach’s
works for solo cello, open strings droning against melodic lines, so
simple and perfect…” - Lee Ranaldo, New York City, August 2021

That’s a project led by a flamenco guitarist who turns out to be a talented lyricist and singer.
Billy Sharp received early support from Billie Eilish on SoundCloud and later from Nils Hoffman, who fell in love with his toplines. This first glimpse into his musical landscape reveals an intriguing personality, touching contradictions, but beyond that and more simply: a voice, a guitar, and mesmerizing melodies.

We're talking about music that moves, transcends, and resonates with the listener's emotions. All the tracks are elegantly carrying the project's message: introspective and passionately intense.

Billy Sharp unveils "Rose Tint," an EP with a strong identity, destined to be one of those timeless pieces. Billy worked meticulously on each of the 4 tracks composing this debut EP, resulting in an impressive outcome. The first notes of the opening track are sure to captivate anyone with their touching vocals and top lines. The EP builds in intensity with each performance, culminating in "2013," a danceable and nostalgic track.

2025 Repress

140g vinyl, remastered, double LP with the original LP along with a second record of 14 rare tracks

Sweet And Nice is the vital debut album from Jamaica’s undisputed first lady of song Marica Griffiths. It’s reggae at its most soulful. Slinking through a tight ten tracks of R&B and pop-sourced material, it became an instant best seller. 45 years after its initial release the LP is available again on vinyl, now as a double LP, with an extra record collecting 14 rare tracks.

Sweet And Nice has appeared over the years with a revised running order and under different titles. But the original’s opening sequence of loping soul is legendary, even beyond reggae circles. These songs are now returned to how they were presented on that first Jamaican release, and under their intended album title. Be With doesn’t mess with magic.

Marcia’s version of “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” has long been lusted after, played by genre-hopping selectors to snapping necks for decades now. It’s followed by the sophisticated, rollicking wah-wah funk of “Everything I Own” and the slice of smooth lovers soul par excellence that is “Green Grasshopper” and her ace, lilting Neil Diamond cover “Play Me”.

The thundering, humid funk of “Children At Play” “sounds uncannily like a precursor of Massive Attack”, as FACT Mag astutely noted when they put Sweet And Nice at number 16 in their list of the 100 best albums of the 1970s. Otherworldly, moody and essential.

Side two keeps the fire burning. “Sweet, Bitter Love” should leave you swooning, and is also one of the album’s alternate titles. Curtis Mayfield’s already-eternal “Gypsy Man” is up next, recast as proto-lovers rock.

“There’s No Me Without You” is elevated to canonical status by the majestic, forlorn horns of the Federal Soul Givers and Marcia’s heartbreaking delivery. And if this doesn’t get you then surely the next track will: arguably the definitive version of Ewan MacColl’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. Yes, seriously.

“I Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely” re-takes its rightful place at the end of the LP’s second side… but we couldn’t leave it at that. So we added an entire second record of rare material recorded around the same time as Sweet And Nice, much of it unavailable since it was originally released. Some of these songs have only ever been found on now unattainable 7" singles and no, rarity doesn’t always correspond with quality, but in this case we’re talking about some seriously jaw-dropping music.

Amongst 14 extra tracks you’ll find the exquisite late-60s singles “Melody Life” and “Mark My Word” which, along with the sumptuous reading of “Band Of Gold”, are now £100 records, if you can find them! Just sayin’. There‘s also a fantastic version of “The First Cut Is the Deepest” and an alternate take of “Play Me” with producer Lloyd Charmers adding his own vocals.

Everything’s been remastered of course, including the original LP, so Sweet And Nice now sounds even sweeter, and even nicer.

2026 Repress

since his first ep tips' on luciano's label cadenza in 2007 producer and dj petre inspirescu emerged into one of the key figures of the romanian electronic music scene.

so far he released music on labels such as vinyl club, lick my deck or amphia. together with his buddies rhadoo and raresh he also launched in 2007 the label (a:rpia:r) -  a platform where he, his two friends and many producers from romania and abroad released detailed grooving house and techno, that stands out with delicate structures and one-of-a-kind grooves.

both of his more dance floor oriented solo albums intr-o seara organica...' and gradina onirica for (a:rpia:r) are enlarged with melodies, sounds and harmonies that go beyond the usual characteristics of a dance album.

furthermore his love for classic musicians like mily alexejewitsch balakirev, alexander porfiryevich borodin or or nicolai andrejewitsch rimsky-korsakow can be felt in the album padurea de aur (opus 2 in re major) and two more eps that he released under the alias pensemble on the romanian label yojik concon in order to unite classical spheres with analogue electronic music production.

in february 2013 he also released his highly acclaimed fabric mix cd that only features dance floor leaning music produced by himself. with talking waters' he published in late 2014 his first 12inch on mule musiq that is now followed by the full-length album vin ploile' which he produced without the intention to entertain with easy to hook up rhythms, melodies and harmonies.

even tough he established himself as a internationally playing house dj that regularly performs at all major clubs, festivals and other party destinations around the globe: as a musician petre inspirescu always tries to enter new territories to explore with a heartfelt human touch the infinite space of sound.

for his latest album the man that originally comes from the eastern romanian town braila stepped away from his former experiments of melting classical spheres with electronic music. instead the 36-years old man from bucharest only used some piano, string and wind instrument elements and analogue electronics to arrange a gracefully deep ocean of sound.

all slow grooving tracks spread the atmosphere of live improvised sessions that are edited, tweaked and mixed to perfection. in-the-moment moods of strange and unusual analogue synth sounds groove in a fluid quality with subliminal bass shapes, latinate percussions, jazz rhythms and acoustic melodies.

together they create a gaseous kinetic atmosphere full of tangible rhythm patterns, delicate chords and ghostly modular synth pads - all mixed subtle to create space for the tones between the tones.

you can call it a hypnotic after hour album for after hours that are dedicated to a deep listening experience. you can tag his arrangements as brilliantly textured and musically super-charged ambient, which goes beyond the usual definition of the genre.

all nine suspenseful compositions seduce with a deep melodic sensibility, harmonic adventures and an overall rhythmic ambiance of freshness and laidback enthusiasm. together they represent a challenging auditory experience that will resonate in your mind long after the music has finished. 

2026 Repress

After the promo version flew off the sleeves, now comes the full picture sleeve, yellow vinyl version of French live trio, Oden & Fatzo’s chart topping, house smash hit, ‘Lauren’ limited to 1000 copies. A bootleg experiment that got out of hand, Oden & Fatzo’s Radio 1 A-listed single is the accidental hit that everyone is talking about.

So how do you go about making an ‘accidental hit’, by accident of course... The track came about when French DJ Fatzo tried to demonstrate the difference between an edit and a remix to his dad, “... I took a song from the band Men I Trust, sped it up and added a drum beat and violin. After playing it to Oden, they loved it, and in turn, added their secret ingredients.”

Unlike the name might suggest, Oden & Fatzo consists of three people: The Parisian underground collective are a powerful fusion of the electronic live duo Oden, and house DJ Fatzo. Back in 2020 a bootleg version of ‘Lauren’ was uploaded to the YouTube channel of the electronic label Novaj, kicking off an unforeseeable wave of enthusiasm. That video is now approaching 3 million views. Enthralled listeners begged for a commercial release, a year later Ministry of Sound/B1 cleared the sample and the track started its march across the airwaves and up the charts.

With its captivating beat and nostalgic catchiness, ‘Lauren’ makes up for the party nights lost to the pandemic lockdowns, and sees people dancing in their homes and on the streets, as concerts, parties, and live sets are finally making a return. As the trio put it: “This song was all about hope, freedom and a party atmosphere at a time when you couldn't go anywhere. We think it gave everyone who heard it a little bit of an escape, including us.”

Meanwhile in the UK, the track has seen early support, not only by names like Franky Wah, Danny Howard, Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Jax Jones, Jodie Harsh, HUGEL, Bakermat, Cut Snake, Salomé Le Chat, Piem, David Gausa and many more, but also by the incredibly ecstatic party crowds.


Press:

6th week A List at Radio 1
Plays from Radio 2 and added to Hits Radio Pride playlist
Airplay up +3% week on week
#1 Cool Cuts Chart
#1 Upfront Club Chart
#1 Pop Club Chart
#5 UK Shazam Chart
Holding at #12 on Shazam – over 200k tags for the track in the UK to date
Over 8.6m+ streams WW now across all platforms
Over 200k+ views for the music video
Averaging 50k daily streams in the UK
47k+ sales across UK OCC to date
#1 on Beatports Deep House for 16 consecutive weeks

With Morocco Palace, Cybercafé aka Adam Dirk’heim delivers his very first full EP on Sequence Records - a record that balances raw energy and melancholy, blending emotional depth with a strong, forward-thinking dancefloor edge.

The EP opens with Electroskit, driven by an electric, almost extraterrestrial voice, before diving into raw electronic textures that set the tone. Dance & Control marks a first shift with its slow tempo, massive modulated synths and stretched tension. Then comes Nightshade, where the energy rises further through a rhythmic and emotional build-up carried by deep, melancholic, yet dancefloor-oriented synth lines.

On the B-side, Don Dolor flirts with instrumental EBM influence, while What Am I Talking About? closes the record with a hypnotic groove that stays with you long after the last note.

Morocco Palace lays the foundations of Cybercafé’s universe: a subtle balance between introspection, intensity, and dancefloor energy.

Sydney based collective Goo, proudly presents their first vinyl release ‘Tangled Systems’ with Italian producer Deiv.

This fluid 4 track ep weaves together energetic & driving rhythms with entrancing hypnotic soundscapes

Repress

Blue Vinyl

Two decades into his winding voyage through music, culture and creativity, Tom Trago has become part of the densely woven fabric of the Dutch electronic scene - a producer, DJ, label owner, collaborator, remixer, radio host and DJ's DJ who is renowned not only for his impressive productivity, but also the genuine depth and variety of his work. While it was Trago's distinctive DJ sets that once grabbed headlines - he famously held residencies at renowned Amsterdam institutions Trouw and De School, and for a decade spent much of his time jetting between some of the most renowned clubs in Europe - in recent years Tom has cut down on appearances. Today, he chooses to be far more selective about where (and when) he DJs or performs live, often working with a handful of cherished venues and festivals while ensuring that his travels are sustainable and inspiring. Instead of the grind of touring and hedonistic night-time activity, Trago has chosen to focus on music-making, alongside semi-regular forays into radio broadcasting (NTS, Radio Radio, BBC Radio and EchoBox). He now spends most of his days producing and remixing at his new SR-3 studio in Alkmaar and his seaside home-come-studio in Bergen aan Zee. As part of these lifestyle and career changes, Trago took time to look deeper, not only inside himself, but also for musical inspiration. Tom has always loved, and devoted time to, digging into a wide variety of production styles, using this inspiration to develop a trademark personal production style, but in recent years he has taken it even further. Fuelled by a desire to challenge himself, Tom consistently tries new things in the studio while channeling all he's learned during a career that has moved forwards at breakneck speed. Since making his debut in 2006, Trago has released six critically acclaimed albums (two of which, the eclectic, beat-focused, career-spanning, Patta-released archive dive, 18, and the dancefloor excursion, Trembala, appeared in 2022); extensively worked with Dutch electronic music institutions Rush Hour and Dekmantel; collaborated with countless friends and contemporaries (Charlie Soul Clap, Awanto 3, Maxi Mill, Steffi, San Proper, Seth Troxler, and BokBok included); remixed artists including New Order, Carl Craig, Cassius, Tiga and Erol Alkan, and championed a swathe of fellow Dutch producers via the Voyage Direct label he founded in 2009. In 2025 Tom returns to legendary Dutch label Magnetron Music, home to Fatima Yamaha, DMX Krew, Legowelt, Staygold and many other, to release his Magnus Opus; Ignorance.

On Xiu Xiu’s new covers album, Xiu Mutha Fuckin’ Xiu Vol. 1 , Jamie Stewart and Angela Seo pay homage to songs that have profoundly influenced them as music lovers and songwriters. This collection taken from the band’s ongoing Bandcamp subscription series, Xiu Mutha Fuckin’ Xiu, features tracks previously exclusive to Bandcamp, now available on vinyl and streaming for the first time. The album showcases Xiu Xiu's unique interpretations of iconic songs such as "Psycho Killer” (Talking Heads), “In Dreams” (Roy Orbison), “Some Things Last A Long Time” (Daniel Johnston), “I Put a Spell on You” (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) and many more. These renditions are a heartfelt "thank you" to the original compositions, while simultaneously serving as a deep dive into the musicality and greatness of these influential works.

TO COMMEMORATE THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASSING

DEFECTED HONOURS FRANKIE KNUCKLES WITH SPECIAL EDITION ‘HOUSE MASTERS’ VINYL

Defected celebrates the life and legacy of house music pioneer Frankie Knuckles with a limited-edition vinyl offering of his notable ‘House Masters’ release.

Marking ten years since his passing, join Defected in honouring the enduring legacy of house music pioneer. All proceeds of ‘House Masters: Frankie Knuckles’ will be donated to Frankie Knuckles Foundation as it was when the compilation was originally released back in April 2015.

“Frankie Knuckles, whom many consider to be one of the architects of house music is still highly influential to a new generation. Since his untimely passing ten years ago it has been incredible to see the continued outpouring of love and respect that he has received. His legacy is why the Frankie Knuckles Foundation exists. Through our work we honour him by supporting initiatives that he was passionate about: music education, AIDS and diabetes research, prevention and LGBTQIA+ youth homelessness. This commemorative vinyl release of ‘House Masters’ in association with Defected will allow us to do just that!”

Frederick Dunson, Founder, President & Executive Director, Frankie Knuckles Foundation

The forthcoming vinyl releases will feature a selection of his finest productions and remixes including the seminal ‘Your Love’, ‘The Whistle Song’ and remixes for Chaka Khan and Sounds Of Blackness.

Find out more about Frankie Knuckles Foundation and its commitment to educating and supporting initiatives across LGBTQIA+ communities and AIDs prevention

“The group has no niche, it doesn’t fit in anywhere,” explains Necessaries drummer Jesse Chamberlain in a 1980 Melody Maker interview. “We just state the facts about life in America, like The Clash did about England, but we’re not so heavy about it.” The Necessaries rose from the ashes of Harry Toledo & The Rockets, a little-known New York art-rock band playing gigs at Max’s Kansas City during glam’s metamorphosis into punk. —From the liner notes by Michael IQ Jones The Necessaries came together in 1978 and in the too-brief lifespan of the band counted among their members, Ed Tomney (Rage To Live, Luka Bloom), Jesse Chamberlain (Red Crayola), Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers), Arthur Russell (The Flying Hearts), Randy Gun (Love Of Life Orchestra). First championed by John Cale on the strength of Tomney’s songs, Cale produced their first single for Spy Records (under the I.R.S. umbrella) which was released in 1979. With the forward momentum brought about by the single, the band set about tracking demos intended for Warner Bros., but The Necessaries ultimately would sign to Seymour Stein’s Sire Records. These rough demo basic tracks lacked overdubs, mixes and any finishing touches that would have made them viable for commercial release, but due to tour commitments, the band had to put the sessions on hold to hit the road. While on tour, the band was shocked to discover that Sire had issued the unfinished tracks as their debut album Big Sky (issued in 1981). The band had Big Sky withdrawn and replaced with Event Horizon (issued in 1982) which included half the original tracks from Big Sky and continued to record throughout 1982 aiming for a follow-up. It was not to be and their final studio sessions remained unissued until now. Completely Necessary (Anthology 1978–1982) is the first authorized collection of recordings by The Necessaries and includes 37 tracks, 28 of which are previously unissued. Completely Necessary represents the most accurate musical history of the band laid out across three albums. Disc one is the band-approved first album Event Horizon, followed by Pilots Facing North, a disc collecting studio recordings spanning 1978–1981 and disc three finally sees the release of their final sessions, Songs From The Blue Colony. Album notes by Michael IQ Jones trace the history of the band for this compilation produced by The Necessaries’ Ed Tomney and Cheryl Pawelski (Omnivore Recordings). The audio has been restored and mastered by Michael Graves at Osiris Studio, and both the 3-LP and 2-CD sets feature previously unseen photos across the package. Finally, an essential missing piece of the late ’70s/early ’80s New York scene that was just slightly ahead of the college alt-rock soon to come, is finally available to rediscover—this time it’s authorized and absolutely necessary. BUY! HERE’S WHY! • The first authorized and comprehensive anthology by The Necessaries. • Mid-’70s/early ’80s New York rock/punk/art scene band included members: Ed Tomney, Ernier Brooks, Arthur Russell, Jesse Chamberlain, and Randy Gun. • 37 tracks, 28 previously unissued. • Liner notes by Michael IQ Jones, plus unseen photos.

Secrets ist das zweite Studioalbum der US-amerikanischen Sängerin Toni Braxton und wurde ursprünglich 1996 veröffentlicht. Das Album markierte einen entscheidenden Moment in Braxtons Karriere, indem es R&B-, Soul- und Pop-Einflüsse miteinander verband und einen Sound schuf, der sowohl zeitlos als auch modern ist. Mit kraftvollen Tracks wie dem Grammy-prämierten "Un-Break My Heart" und dem sinnlichen "You're Makin' Me High" präsentiert Secrets Braxtons unvergleichliche stimmliche Stärke und ihre charakteristische emotionale Erzählkunst.

File in Ambient / Electronic / Mood Hut sections

Listen if You Like = Jon Hassell, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Terry Riley, Rhythm & Sound, Laurie Spiegel, Ariel Kalma, Laraaji, Steve Roach, Kerry Leimer, Suzanne Ciani, Yu Su, Hotspring, La Monte Young, Erik Satie, Music From Memory, Brian Eno, O Yuki Conjugate, Harold Budd, Robert Guthrie, Leif, Gigi Mason, Gaussian Curve, Patricia Wolf, Muslim Gauze, Manuel Göttsching,






f B1. Simulacra f. Alex Ho

"Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus (Music From The Motion Picture)". Purple + Black & White Splatter Vinyl. Der Einstieg in die Musik von Q Lazzarus erfolgte für fast alle über "Goodbye Horses". Der Song tauchte erstmals 1988 in Jonathan Demmes "Married to the Mob" auf, aber er sollte sich erst dann vollständig im Bewusstsein der Menschen verankern, als er 1991 in Demmes "The Silence of the Lambs" wieder auftauchte. "Goodbye Horses" fühlte sich an wie ein in sich geschlossenes Universum - traumhaft und völlig ungewöhnlich, ein sofortiger Klassiker, der die Zuhörer fesselte und neugierig auf die geheimnisvolle Stimme dahinter machte. Diese Stimme gehörte Diane Luckey, einer einzigartig talentierten Künstlerin, deren Musik ihrer Zeit voraus war und die letztlich zu Lebzeiten weitgehend unerkannt bleiben sollte. In Verbindung mit der Veröffentlichung des Dokumentarfilms "Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus" von Aridjis Fuentes veröffentlicht Sacred Bones eine Sammlung von Songs, die die gesamte Karriere von Q abdecken und die verschiedenen Epochen ihres Schaffens und die ganze Bandbreite ihrer Persönlichkeit zeigen. "Goodbye Horses" ist die erste Musiksammlung, die den Segen von Qs verbliebener Familie erhalten hat, und hat die Besonderheit, ihre erste und einzige Albumveröffentlichung in voller Länge zu sein. Aufgenommen zwischen 1985 und 1995, spiegelt diese Fundgrube bisher unveröffentlichter Musik einige der interessantesten Facetten der Popmusik der letzten vier Jahrzehnte auf eine Weise wider, die sowohl versiert als auch wild eklektisch wirkt. Das titelgebende "Goodbye Horses" bleibt ein einzigartiges Stück gespenstischer New-Wave-Perfektion, und man könnte sich ein ganzes Q-Lazzarus-Album vorstellen, das sich um diese Ästhetik dreht, aber ähnlich den Gesangsikonen Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox oder Lisa Gerrard eignet sich Qs chamäleonhafte Stimme perfekt für eine Vielzahl von Stilen und Settings. Ihre Coverversion von Talking aHeads' "Heaven" verwandelt den Song in eine aus voller Kehle gesungene Power-Ballade mit klimpernden Klavierverzierungen, während ihre Interpretation von Gershwins "Summertime" wie eine dubbige Club-Reduktion klingt, die zu einem Grace Jones Stück der Nightclubbing-Ära hätte passen können. Tracks wie "My Mistake" und "Hellfire" flirten mit House-Musik und zeigen, wie frech und glockig Qs Stimme sein kann, wenn sie sich richtig austobt, während "Don't Let Go" wie eine bombastische Radiosingle klingt, die Cher vor einigen Jahrzehnten hätte veröffentlichen können. Andere Songs wie "Bang Bang" und "I See Your Eyes" sind von einer gitarrenbetonten Alt-Rock-Sensibilität, die in einem Paralleluniversum auch auf MTVs 120 Minutes Show hätte laufen können. "Goodbye Horses" verkörpert das Potenzial für so viele verschiedene Arten von Karrieren, die, aus welchen Gründen auch immer, nie vollständig verwirklicht wurden. Dass wir jetzt diese Songs in der Welt haben und ein klareres Bild von der Person dahinter, ist nichts weniger als ein Segen.

2025 Repress

Chris Stussy makes his long-awaited FUSE debut as he drops the heavily-requested ‘Midtown Playground’, with Huerta joining on remix duties.

It’s rare for an artist to command such intrigue and interest across every single release they line up. Yet, the captivating global gaze around Chris Stussy seems to be snowballing with every unreleased production teased in his ever-impressing sets. Now undeniably one of the scene’s most in-demand names, the humble and hardworking Dutchman has been letting the music do the talking over recent years, with his Up The Stuss project welcoming a new musical focus and providing a platform for him to grow and evolve into an artist at the very top of his game. Not letting up, the surging DJ/producer and label boss now adds another label debut to his catalogue as Enzo Siragusa invites him to his iconic FUSE imprint for the very first time, bringing the release of one of his most requested tracks to date, ‘Midtown Playground’ - with LA-born, Berlin-based DJ, producer and Leisure boss Huerta also making his first appearance on the remix.

From the instantly recognisable synths and lead melody to the skipping percussion and rumbling core bassline, ‘Midtown Playground’ perfectly showcases the sound that Stussy is quickly making his own. The same can be said for ‘From The Delicate Mist Of Morning’, a more subtle but hypnotic offering, while ‘Blueprint’, another unreleased stand-out, offers that commanding yet playful groove he’s become so known and loved for. Delivering his flip of ‘From The Delicate Mist Of Morning’, Huerta dives into a deep, colourful and breezy journey through cosmic spheres, while digital purchasers can enjoy a bonus cut in ‘Mythical Power’ - a warping, jacking and menacing effort built for bustling late hours dancefloors.

No stranger to the music world, but making his first appearance on Riotvan and what a debut it is. We talking about Man Power. Deep, Detroit-tinged, and playfully intricate, this EP delivers anything but a repetition of his previous work Iteration. Adding even more dimension, two outstanding artists also make their Riotvan debut, elevating the release with their remixes. Jordan Nocturne shows what true club music can be — no bigroom theatrics, but perfectly tuned for the warehouse. Meanwhile, Inigo Vontier takes things into a trippy orbit of his own, sending dancers spinning off to another planet.

From start to finish: serious entertainment with that touch of playfulness we love!

On April 13th, 2019 Record Day, Vega Records celebrates with the new release 'My Body' performed by none other than the Legend and King Luther Vandross. This is a song that was never released and was recorded back in 1979 by Luther Vandross when he was working on the colossal album 'Never Too Much'. Brought to Louie Vega by artist and renowned background singer to the greats Mr. Fonzi Thornton, Vega was able to work on the immaculate sounds of Vandross. As Vega recalls 'When I put up the tracks in my studio it sounded as if Luther were singing today, it made it so easy to come with the house grooves having such a perfect vocal performance and one of kind tone. Once I came with the music, I felt I needed to call his original background singer team, which Fonzi organized in a flash. He called upon the genius background singers Brenda White, Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Tawatha Agee and Fonzi himself. We are talking the A-Team of background singers, a dream come true in my studio', Vega recalls.
The Result is a stunning art piece by Richard Wilson on the cover of the vinyl double pack 12'. There are seven versions to choose from ready to work back to back.
So not only is it record day, it's also the birthday of Luther Vandross which is on April 20,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUTHER VANDROSS!!!
LOUIE VEGA SENDS A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LUTHER VANDROSS & THANK YOU TO FONZI THORNTON, SEVETA WILLIAMS, AND VANDROSS MUSIC, LLC.

“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone

“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt

“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy

“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood

“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson

Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.

In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.

The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”

His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.

"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."

Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!

The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!

The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.

The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.

The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."

With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.

The 12th release on ALIM Music, Brazilian singer-songwriter Rogê delivers a radiant and rhythmically rich reinterpretation of Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere,” setting the tone for BBE's Naive Melodies - a bold and visionary tribute to the music of Talking Heads, reinterpreted through the lens of Black musical innovation. Curated by Drew McFadden - the creative mind behind BBE’s acclaimed Modern Love (David Bowie tribute album) releasing this October via BBE Music. Now based in Los Angeles, Rogê, a Latin Grammy nominee and longtime torchbearer of Rio’s samba-soul vanguard - reimagines the Talking Heads classic as a soulful samba jam, infused with earthy guitar, syncopated percussion, and his signature smoky, magnetic vocals. Where the original rides on quirky tension, Rogê’s version flows with saudade and sway, steeped in the Afro-Brazilian traditions that have defined his sound for over a decade.

Produced by Tommy Brenneck (Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Cuco, Charles Bradley, The Budos Band), the track carries a raw, analog warmth that nods to classic MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) and the golden age of 1970s samba-rock, while subtly weaving in the existential overtones of the song’s lyrics. Rogê's “Road to Nowhere” captures the essence of Naive Melodies: a reimagining of Talking Heads’ catalog through the rhythmic and cultural lens of the global Black music traditions that helped shape it. From samba and funk to soul, dub and jazz, the album brings together forward-thinking artists from across the diaspora to revisit, reinterpret, and revive the sounds that have always lived in the band’s DNA.

Looking back more than four years later at Haram, it is easier to see the forest for the trees. At the time, much of the attention fell on how this outsider duo would fare under the bright lights- which was fair, Armand Hammer had never done a single producer record before- and here they were working with a living legend. Now, with a little distance, it’s easier to see how Alchemist stepped out of his comfort zone to meet them where they were, and how all three artists then absconded for parts unknown. The flashbulb energy of “Bring The Stars Out”, asymmetric drone of “Chicharrones”, fugue-bounce of “God’s Feet”, and good luck finding analogues for “Peppertree” or “Stonefruit”. Haram doesn’t sound like anything else in the ALC discography, nor in Armand Hammer’s, for that matter. Haram was a one-shot kill that somehow contained some of the most accessible work ELUCID and billy woods had ever done, as well as some of their most experimental, and it all sounded cohesive.
Needless to say, they didn’t do this alone; KAYANA’s golden voice upps the wattage on “Black Sunlight,” while Fielded’s sultry alto gets chopped and screwed on “Aubergine”. Earl Sweatshirt’s cameo on the sun-soaked “Falling Out the Sky” is already a classic. Curly Castro, Amani, and Quelle Chris all turn up the heat when called upon.
But since we are talking about retrospect here, the thing about Haram isn’t that it still sounds as good as it did when it came out. The amazing thing is that it actually sounds even better than it did then. You don’t have to take our word for it either, run it up one time, with the lights low and something on ice, see if it doesn’t take you somewhere new, again.

Detroit is where it’s at for this 8th release in the WPH U.S. Series. If we may say so we are talking Detroit royalty here, with three tracks unearthed from the 313 vaults dating back to a studio session with Moods & Grooves main man Mike Grant and the one and only Trackmaster Lou aka Lou Robinson of Scan 7 fame.

Pure, raw and dusty Detroit house grooves spread out over the three tracks ‘Music Is’, ‘Manifest’ and ‘Remember’ with a killer Reggie Dokes remix of the latter thrown in for more deepness for your buck.

It does not get more authentic than this.

East Kilbride’s Scott Fraser finally comes good on a 25 year promise to his younger self with his debut solo album on his own label DX Recordings out of London. This record represents the closing of this chapter and the opening of a new one.

A truly international and collaborative project pulling together the help and talent of friends around the world with mastering by Radioactive man Keith Tenniswood, cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery and world class US visual art and design legends, Tim Saccenti and Nick Martin on photography, artwork and design.

Limited to 300 solid red heavyweight vinyl copies, brown kraft sleeves; individually hand stencilled and numbered by the artist, printed inserts feature a collection of moments and images from the last 25 years - the studio, the equipment, the people and the places that came together to make this release. Japanese rice paper inner sleeves.

Limited edition hand printed screen print by Niall Greaves at Newbridge Print Studios in Newcastle on the first 30 copies exclusively available via the DX Recordings Bandcamp page.

Musically diverse, crossing styles, flavours and moods, threaded meticulously with razor sharp Roland TR606 programming and glued together with a Space Echo, Expanded opens with the sub aquatic funk of ‘Eden And After’. Side one takes you through banging electro on ‘Energy In Constitution’, the dark dub techno of ‘To The Letter Of My Oath’, leaves you disappearing through a black hole on ‘The Path Of Helium Rain’ and the sound of aliens talking through FM synthesis on ‘Collected Stills’. On side two: a slice of dark, heavy instrumental hip hop gets things started with ‘Where Is That Perception? ‘. Next we get into some straight 4/4 club techno with cut up drums and bumping baseline in ‘Mi Dominante’ before moving through some blissed out Detroit vibes on ‘Earth Looking Inwards’, a rough as you like TR606 driven experimental electro groover ‘Object of Life’ and finally closing out with the Ectomorph inspired stark electro of ‘Steel (NB_BLOOD cut)’.

Mastered by: Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher, Hastings

Cut By: Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London

Distributed by: Rubadub, Glasgow

Artwork by: Timothy Saccenti, Nicholas Martin, Scott Fraser

Photography by: Kate Green, Javier Gonzalez, Scott Fraser, Timothy Saccenti

Solid red vinyl (300 copies), 30 coming with a limited edition screen print designed by Timothy Saccenti, Nicholas Martin and Scott Fraser, hand screen printed by Niall Greaves at Newbridge Print studios in Newcastle.

Wally Badarou is a synth pioneer and musical polymath. But rarely does he sing over his sumptuous tracks. The 6 songs that comprise new record Simple Things finally realise Wally's vision for select backing tracks from his beloved Colors Of Silence.

The tracks were originally developed back in 2001 for the release of the original CD; here, Wally has “simply" added overdubs and vocals to their mastered mixes with some discerning edits. Simply put, Simple Things is another slice of simply stunning Wally Badarou genius.

Simple Things has been decades in the making. Indeed, Wally struggled not only with the idea of singing these wonderful songs himself but singing them in English and writing his own lyrics, while wrestling with the sensational backing tracks, which themselves seemed to have taken on a life of their own.

As Wally explained to us: "In addition to the instrumental artist I have been known as, so far, there has always been a singer who simply was not sure he was, up until now. Even though “Back To Scales Tonight”, my very first album, was, indeed, a song album."

Opener "It Couldn't Be You" embellishes the uptempo groove of soca-funk gem "The Lights Of Kinshasa". As Wally explained to us, it's about “a simple love story somewhere, one rainy night, under the lights of Kinshasa. A woman, a man, online dating, quite usual in our times. Then they meet, almost missing each other." The guide vocal Wally had laid for Colors Of Silence - with an organ sound - seemed striving for words in Linguala, a Congolese language he could not speak. Therefore the decision to do it himself was not an easy one, for it had to be in English to fit his singing. We think it turned out pretty good!

"You Can't Hide Always" vocalises Wally's deep concerns set to the propulsive "Smiles By The Millions": "Populism, ostracism, radicalism, ethics and values all turned upside down worldwide, are they all inevitably exacerbated by our social networks? It could all melt down one day, like a house of cards in the ocean of fake news and false prophecies”. Wally wanted to keep the track as bare as possible but, inevitably, the backing vocals and the synth-brass arrive ultimately to present a welcome 70s flavour, with no snare-drum added.

The bright and breezy "We'll Make It Again" adds vocals to "Where Were We", a tropical, reggae-tinged bounce through the islands. Here's Waly: "Where were we when we last said: "I love you"? Simple words to express something quite common, but never quite simple to deal with. A simple song about the resilience of the broken hearts.” The reggae came from it being conceived when Wally was scoring for “Third World Cop”, a 1999 Jamaican action movie.

"Walk Straight Ahead" provides Wally's gorgeous, contemplative and idiosyncratic vocals to the deep serenity of Colors Of Silence highlight, "Amber Whispers". It's a gliding, divine, mini melodic masterpiece. It'll make you swoon in its extreme beauty. As Wally describes, "it started as just whispers, sweet amber whispers. Then the colour turned darker, as darker skies seemed to fall upon us while the whole world keeps on walking ahead, straight ahead, regardless of the blatant warnings, feeling much too comfortable in conformity. Initially, the verses were to be spoken only. I realised they could be sung all the while, without overshadowing the ethereal atmosphere." Amen.

The serene, celestial "Painting My Life Blue" presents the vocal version of "Days To Wonder". Says Wally, "how does it feel when your second half is gone after decades of riding life together? Past the temporary loss of your bearings, you come to realise you've been blind to the essential, and suddenly you can see...For this most intimate song of mine, I had tried to come up with a melody on top of the existing backing track, long before realising the melody was in the keyboard part already. It just needed to be properly mixed with it."

The profoundly emotional "Just Two Lovers" works up the formerly-too-brief and glorious "Crystal Falls" into a much fuller masterpiece and features acoustic guitar sparkle before fully glistening with some gentle head-nod percussion. Waly explains further: "Dear little green men, please tell me, what is it about us that makes you want to come and visit us so often (contrary to Fermi's assertion)? And here is the reply I believe I heard them sing: "You've got the key you've been searching for: Love”. I reverted to the initial backing track I had made around 1985, which already bore the melody, and which I added acoustic guitars to, before singing it." An astounding closer.

A synth specialist, there can be few artists more under-appreciated given their vast influence than Wally Badarou. His solo work practically defined the sound of the Balearic DJs of the 1980s, and thus the more sophisticated sound of dance culture thereafter. He was one of the Compass Point All Stars (with Sly and Robbie, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson), the in-house recording team of Compass Point Studios responsible for a series of albums in the 1980s recorded by Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Mick Jagger, Black Uhuru, Gwen Guthrie, Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs. Badarou's keyboard playing could also be heard on albums by Robert Palmer, Marianne Faithfull, Herbie Hancock, M (Pop Muzik), Talking Heads, Manu Dibango and Miriam Makeba. He also produced Fela Kuti. Phew!

When we asked Wally about the significance of this collection's title, he explained: "These are "Simple things” that everyday’s life seems to build upon. The simplest are the harder to describe, but when satisfactorily described i.e. with simple words, they are the more genuine and authentic to express and share. I’ve immersed myself in other classic song lyrics, something I hardly did before, just to appreciate the genius behind the simple words they were made of, and had a great time studying how powerful they were in expressing complex ideas such as love."

Recording was twofold: first, most of the backing tracks were recorded in 2001, in Wally's studio in Normandy, mostly using hardware synths and Yamaha digital consoles. Then, he fine-tuned the melodies and wrote the lyrics in late 2023, then added some overdubs and sang them all during summer 2024. States Wally, "Digital Performer was and remains the DAW I’ve been using throughout, ever since the 80s."

Wally's sophisticated synth textures and expressive keyboard runs are so full of character, so full of life, that this work of art transcends any easy genre categorisation. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland. Sometimes, the simple things are the most extraordinary.

Body Clinic joins us for our next 12” release with four tribal tech-house cuts, recalling the sound of early-2000s Pacha. With E-Talking on Papa Nugs’ label running the festival circuit this summer, he’s already become the talk of the scene—and this EP makes clear why.

Each track is driven by drums at the highest grade—rugged, weighty basslines locking in with sci-fi warped FX, keeping the floor in constant motion. Trippy vocal cuts thread through the grooves, getting deep into our heads and sending minds off into nearby dimensions. And that’s just the a-side.

Flip it over and Bongo Loco comes rolling in—a true cruiser. Built around a huge breakdown of layered bongos, it kicks back in with the kind of chest-rattling low end that have become Body Clinic’s signature. It’s the moment where hands shoot in the air, the rhythm carrying you further into the night. On b2, My Mate Dave shifts gears again—jumping off the old-school tech foundations and landing closer to the progressive sound we know BC for. It’s a peak-time anthem through and through.

Promo downloads have quickly come in from Chris Stussy, Josh Baker, Christopher Ledger, Roza Terenzi, and East End Dubs, marking it as one of the most anticipated releases of 2025.

People of Earth,

They assigned me your heavy, brooding planet. I don’t complain. Because what lies ahead is Contact.

You are still primitive. That’s not an insult — just an observation. You’re tangled in your inner workings. Fascinated by your metaphysical genitals, if we’re being precise. And yet — your spirit scored pretty high on the Interplanetary Index. Which is rare, and promising.

Your Enlightenment is near. And Enlightenment is essential — for Contact.

Many of you have already tasted the Synthetic Harmonies.
They’re signals. Invitations. Crafted by Artists who, knowingly or not, have already opened the gate.

You look up. You name stars.
You build flying machines.
You surf the sky in metal tubes, sipping juice.
You make big sounds with small boxes.
You fly above the clouds — and play with fire, hoping it counts as progress.
It does.
You’re getting closer.

But first, you need to fix one thing.

Learn to float.
In sound.
In light.
In pulse.
Float in the silence between the kicks.
And stop talking on the dancefloor!

Soon, we’ll drift together through the Great Cosmic Pattern.
Soon, your voices will be heard beyond atmosphere —
not shouting, just resonating.
Believe — Contact is closer than you think.

Truly yours,
The Upgrade Cube

The Danish/Norwegian duo of Ida Urd and Ingri Høyland believe that music is an extension of one’s immediate sensory environment. Duvet, their collaborative full-length debut, explores the way that creating sounds together is intertwined with various quotidian actions: establishing surroundings, rearranging furniture, moving towards the light, collecting flowers or other objects for aesthetic and sensuous impulses. Through a quiet and attentive process, music becomes a way of nurturing space: a soft architecture for play, writing, care, or simply rest.

Sonically, Duvet feels like an extension of Høyland’s last album, 2023’s Ode to Stone, which also featured Urd along with ambient musician Sofie Birch and visual artist Lea Guldditte Hestelund. But where that album, created in response to an open call for work themed around Denmark’s national parks, suggested rolling landscapes and endless horizons, Duvet turns inward, countering chill winds with glowing warmth. Its eight tracks seek a balance between abstraction and melody, intention and happenstance.

“We had a truly inspiring and rewarding process working with Birk Gjerlufsen Nielsen from Vanessa Amara, who co-produced and mixed the album with us,” Ingri adds. “He approached the material with great care and sensitivity, while also bringing his own distinct presence and creativity into the sound.”

Høyland and Urd both studied at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, which has turned out many acclaimed artists over the past few years, including Erica de Casier, Astrid Sonne, and Smerz. Over many years, the two composers have developed a collaborative method based on connection and trust. A practice, they write, “where composing, or rather suggesting, sounds and melodies for one another is a way of carefully talking, mending emotions and obstacles. Saying yes to one another. The compositional space becomes a nest for entangling whatever emotions, thoughts, or barriers one of the composers brings to the given day or moment.”

Quiet and contemplative, Duvet is simple on the surface but rich in timbral, textural, and emotional complexity. Høyland and Urd sourced their sounds from an array of instruments and techniques—electronic devices, modules, pedals, and also electroacoustic treatments of various wind instruments.

Mixing primarily through analog tape units added further mystery and depth, weaving together wordless voices and unknown sounds—breathing, rustling, perhaps the coppery gleam of Urd’s electric bass—into a dynamic matrix. Like a nest, pull one twig and the whole thing unravels.

In the winter of 2023, Ingri Høyland and Ida Urd retreated to a summer house along the coast to create the album. Picture the scene: an abiding quiet all around. Gardens carpeted by snow; beach grass silvery against the silvery sky; a tendril of smoke rising from the chimney. Not another soul in earshot. This sanctuary was the perfect setting to yield this meditation on shelter, trust, and communication. The two composers hope the album can be a similar space for others—a temporary space of residence, it can represent a summerhouse, a cabin in the woods, your favorite bench or wherever you need to go. “The album also works really well when picking out apples in the supermarket” Urd laughs.

‘When The 2000s Clashed: Machine Music For A New Millenium’ is the story of how, 25 years ago, a new form of electronic music – known as electroclash - reignited a tired clubland and gave the indie scene and mainstream pop a shot in the arm in the process. Over this 3LP highlights set, carefully curated from the 5CD box of the same name (also released, 3rd October) the collection showcases the back-to-basics electronic beats that heralded in a new generation of exciting and innovative new artists - Hot Chip, Peaches, LCD Soundystem, and Ladytron, to name a handful. It also shows how the sound and attitude of electroclash plugged into the decade’s cutting-edge indie bands, (Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party), and became intrinsic to the way chart pop would sound in the first decade of the 2000s (Kylie, Goldfrapp).

The collection also shows how the scene’s underground DIY ethos evolved and inspired the next generation of electronic buccaneers (Simian Mobile Disco, Justice Vs. Simian). ‘When The 2000s Clashed’ brings together a dazzling, diverse selection of artists, producers and remixers from right across the 2000s zeitgeist – from The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk, from M.I.A. to Soulwax and many points in-between. For good measure, there’s also one side of LP3 given over to the original post punk and electronic sounds (including Kraftwerk, The Human League and Cabaret Voltaire) who’d played such a big influence on the electroclash sound. ‘

When The 2000s Clashed’ was compiled and sequenced for Demon / Edsel by Jonny Slut, founder of London’s electroclash citadel Nag Nag Nag. Established in 2002, in a small Soho venue called Ghetto, ‘Nag’ quickly became THE hottest club, first in London and then in the whole world. A glorious mess and hedonists’ hotspot, a night at ‘Nag Nag Nag’ (if you could get in!) saw the capital’s club kids, students and creatives rub up alongside names from the fashion and music worlds - Björk, Pet Shop Boys, Kate Moss, Boy George, Alexander McQueen, and Pam Hogg were among the regulars. Madonna visited, so did John Peel, Yoko Ono asked to perform and did, Throbbing Gristle’s Chris and Cosey DJ’d, so did Marc Almond, and Too Many DJ’s.

Justin Timberlake was refused entry (too many bodyguards)… even Cilla Black was spotted getting down! Jonny shares these reminisces – and many more - in the collection’s sleevenotes. Named after the 1979 Cabaret Voltaire classic, ‘Nag, Nag, Nag’ became the first place to hear the seemingly endless flow of thrilling new tunes coming from every direction during that decade of dance. Many of them are included on this collection.

Summer is around the corner and what a perfect timing to introduce you to Admo’s latest musical project - Charlottenzbeul Science Club. After three years since his last solo EP, many live acts around the globe and releases on Limousine Dream, Haws and Ordinateuf, the mad bassist is back at it again with his first release on his new label - Two-Headed Fish Records - which he co-runs with his wife. Definitely an EP that stays in the family.

It’s another four-tracker - you know the kind of vinyl that keeps on giving. A celebration of his time in the vibrant German capital, Berlin (West is the best). A1 opens the ball : bassy, catchy and this infectious chromatic melodic line. The recipe for a summer hit. Now onto A2 (and we’re not talking about his German language skills here): a regular laidback approach where acid sounds mesh together with this high-energy baseline. A classic in the making. If you’ve seen him live, you must’ve recognised B1 as it used to be his closing. A dreamy touch, where storytelling is the key word. You will have your head bopping from the first minute - mellow moment guaranteed. And B2 wraps it up - it takes you by the hand, you hop onto the next U-bahn and straight to the dance floor. The analogic bass keeps on bringing the track higher, progressively transforming into this groover that gets your feet stomping. It’s a proper farewell and a perfect conclusion to this beautifully crafted record.

‘Man's Best Friend’ is the latest album from multi-hyphenate global popstar Sabrina Carpenter. Coming off her GRAMMY winning project Short n' Sweet & numerous multi-platinum singles added to her resume, the latest from Carpenter features her new single "Manchild,” available now

Die legendäre Vinyl-Serie für alle Italo Disco-Fans geht in die nächste Runde!

Mit The Italo Disco Collection Vol. 3 erwartet dich eine exklusive 4LP-Box, randvoll mit den größten Klassikern der Italo Disco-Ära der 80er Jahre – ein Muss für Sammler, Nostalgiker und Liebhaber des typischen Synthie-Sounds.

Diese Box bringt den Sound der Tanzflächen der 80er Jahre zurück – authentisch, analog und mit jeder Menge RetroFeeling. Ideal für DJs, Fans der Italo Disco-Szene oder als stilvolles Geschenk.

2025 Repress
Those buried in the soil of the red planet dance forever in the afterlife. You can hear their rhythm in the dust storms at night

Leng Records proudly presents Everything You’re About to Hear Is True: Volume 1, a compilation carefully curated by Rotation Soundsystem. Brought together by Rotation founders Dean Meredith and Ben Shenton, alongside the Wrekin Havoc trio of Rob J, Stuart Robinson, and Rich Hall, this debut volume captures the collective’s shared vision – shaped by decades of crate-digging.

Founded in 2013, Rotation has grown from a modest gathering in Staffordshire into a thriving community of like-minded music lovers, attracting heads and partygoers from across the UK – and well beyond. What began as an intimate affair has evolved into a full-scale, three-day celebration, now held in a grand yurt and powered by a bespoke six-way sound system. The rig features four Klipschorns, two JBLs with twin 18” and 15” sub reinforcements, compression horns, and an Isonoe 420 mixer.

Meredith explains: “With the help of my brother, Martin, I’m constantly looking at ways to improve the setup. I love the way Larry Levan did that at The Paradise Garage. We have a few things that are custom-made. I want our system to be unique to us.”

According to regular attendee, DJ and writer Steve KIW: “In the right hands, the sound system at Rotation – very much Dean’s labour of love – is untouchable. The comparisons with Mancuso’s Loft come easily because they are deserved. There isn’t a bad spot in the yurt. Wherever you are, it sounds incredible.”

As the dancing continues through the weekend, the DJ line-up has grown to match the occasion. Guests and headliners have included a roll call of legendary selectors: Bill Brewster, Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, Phil Mison, Nick The Record, Ruf Dug, Mark Seven, and The Idjut Boys — the latter playing a marathon 10-hour set in 2024. The parties have also featured live performances from Emperor Machine, Quinn Lamont Luke, Reuben Vaun Smith, and Orbs of Light.

Presented on gatefold double vinyl, this lovingly assembled collection is the result of decades spent digging through dusty crates, reflecting the selectors’ deep-rooted passion for uncovering rare gems and overlooked treasures. Decidedly European in spirit, the album brings together 14 rarities with standout selections from Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and France. The vast majority of tracks are true obscurities, and nearly every one is a mid-tempo bumper.

“This has been a long time coming – something we’ve always dreamed of doing. We’re incredibly thankful to Leng Records, who understand our vision and what we’re trying to build. This compilation pulls together some of our favourite tracks from over the years. It’s not just a playlist – it’s a journey, a window into the sound of Rotation,” says Meredith.

Aussie techno innovator Alpharisc returns to Mutual Rytm for a second standout EP.

Shane Yates, aka Alpharisc, has been living and breathing techno for over 30 years. He first began producing in the mid-90s and has amassed a fine hardware collection that lends his sounds a raw, rugged feel. After breaking through with the Wetmusik party and label collective, he has let his music do the talking and isn't afraid of colouring it with a hint of nostalgia. Previous material has come via several notable labels over the years, but his most recent outings have been on SHDW's Mutual Rytm imprint, with his solo EP 'Ram Face' from 2023 becoming an underground favourite alongside a fine outing as part of the label's 'Federation Of Rytm II' and 'Federation Of Rytm III' compilations. Once again, he returns in style, uncovering an impactful selection of gems across his new 'Remain Seated' EP.

The opener 'Peace Be With You' is a straight-up techno weapon with urgent synth flashes peeling off the groove like a police siren. The drums hit hard in true Alpharisc style before 'Hail' builds on that with a more hard-edge groove topped with frosty waves of white noise that electrify the dance floor. 'Remain Seated' brings a hint of trance-leaning energy with its bright sheets of synth lighting up the driving drums and saw-tooth bass loops. Next, 'Look At This' is another brilliantly forceful techno sound with slamming drums and rusty synth loops, layering melancholic pads up top and adding a cerebral edge, while closer 'In Your Mind' is from the Jeff Mills school of synth-laced and serene deep techno with lush pads radiating cosmic light. As a bonus, digital-only cut 'Expedition' brings some backlit celestial synth work to a rubbery and pummelling drum pattern for pure techno escapism.

We are very pleased to present you the new cmdrpx project.

CMDRPX INDUSTRY 001 Gianluca Pellerano owner and founder of the label presents his EP.

Rapax Planet EP fully reflects the techno/electro style with dark sounds.

All the tracks were recorded live with MPC One and Alesis SR 18, with the addition of spacey voices.

In the track B3 in collaboration with Equinox with the addition of vocal and dark synth.

Imagine having a song go viral for 17 years - without even knowing it. That's exactly what happened to the German 1980s band FEX. And this isn't just any song - it's The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet, a track that puzzled music detectives for decades before finally being identified in November 2024. Now, it has been officially released - twice.

The Story in Brief:
Sometime around 1984, a song was broadcasted on NDR Radio. The name of the song was Subways Of Your Mind - only found out 40 years later in November 2024. Back then, a listener recorded the NDR show on cassette, a common practice at the time. Decades later, the tape resurfaced, but while most songs from the recording were identified, one remained an enigma. On March 18, 2007, the track was uploaded to the internet in an attempt to uncover its origins. Due to its now-iconic opening lyric, it was tentatively titled Like The Wind. Over time, the mystery deepened, and the song was given a nickname: The Most Mysterious Song - or simply TMMS.

Starting in 2019, a dedicated Reddit group, TheMysteriousSong, now boasting over 63,000 members, took up the search. They meticulously documented every lead, hoping to solve the riddle of the song's origins. Then, in 2024, the breakthrough: Reddit user marjin1412 reached out to musician Michael Hädrich after discovering a reference to his band FEX in an old newspaper article. Hädrich, FEX's keyboardist, provided a recording from an old demo cassette which included an alternative version of the song. On November 4, 2024, the mystery was officially solved: FEX was the band, Subways Of Your Mind was the title.

What Happened Next:
Since then, FEX has released two singles - both featuring Subways Of Your Mind - through the Berlin-based independent label The Outer Edge. First, the demo cassette version was pressed onto vinyl, as the original NDR radio recording remained lost (see EDGE-028). The Remastered Demo Mix single instantly topped Bandcamp's global charts, holding the #1 spot for several days. By then, it was clear: this was more than just an internet curiosity. A real fanbase had formed. Enthusiastic comments on the sales page ranged from "best post-punk song to ever exist" to "FEX themselves (are) perhaps the most underrated musicians of all time."

But the story didn't end there. A higher-quality version of the NDR radio recording was rediscovered in late december, remastered, and now sent for a second vinyl pressing: the TMMS Version. This new vinyl 7" is backed with Talking Hands another great and unissued song that was found on the demo cassette.

Fame Comes with a Price
Suddenly, time isn't standing still for FEX. The band had to come to terms with the fact that they had become Lostwave super stars. A FEX fan club quickly formed on Reddit, fan-hosted FEX parties are popping up, and the internet is demanding more - an album, merchandise, live performances. But how does a band prepare for a comeback after a 40-year hiatus?

For now, FEX is carefully considering their next steps. Their demo cassette contains six songs - and a few other recordings have resurfaced which probably could be restored and compiled. But foremost, a brand new re-recording of Subways Of Your Mind is in progress.

One thing is certain: The Most Mysterious Song will continue its unstoppable journey around the world. Don't miss this (second) chance to own a piece of music history!

Trip-hop royalty Morcheeba make a blistering return with a stunning 11th studio album Escape The Chaos.

“This whole record is a process of trying to reconnect with what really matters. whether it’s what in your heart or with the world, putting your feet on grass and feeling the earth beneath you” says Ross Godfrey.

“For me, ‘We Live and Die’ is about my duration in the band and the music world and life in general,” Skye says of the lead single. “The lines become blurred after all this time. In a way, it’s a homage to the thirty years of being in Morcheeba which is 60% of my existence.”

Formed in London in 1995 the legendary band have extensively toured the globe, sold over 10 million albums worldwide and left their mark as one of the most influential acts of recent times. Releasing their acclaimed debut album Who Can You Trust? in 1996, the band have gone on to release a string of successful studio albums, including 1998’s platinum selling Big Calm, produced an album for Talking Heads’ David Byrne and produced soundtracks for Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.

In their 30th year Morcheeba are as relevant as ever and are set to mark the celebration in style.

No Holds Barred holds the honour of being the first ever tune I signed after hearing it at a Future Retro London event. When I booked FFF to play at the 3rd event at Peckham Audio in July 2022, I had recently released his tracks "Bad Vibes" & "Bookworms" on FR004 (a split EP with Dwarde) & on the night, when he played No Holds Barred, I distinctly remember walking off from whoever I was talking to, through the crowd & straight to the DJ booth to see what the tune was and then reload it because I needed to hear it again from the top.

I was emailing him afterwards to try & get an update on what was happening with the tune, he told me it was unsigned & here we are with FR028, with a quality remix from FX of Demonic Possession (one of my favourite darkside hardcore producers) on the b-side.

Big up to both FFF & FX for their co-operation in making this release happen, look out for more darkside hardcore on Future Retro London in the future. ????

DJ Rocca and Chris Coco spent some time hanging out together by the pool at an intimate festival called La Casella in Umbria in the
late summer of 2019.
They spent a lot of time talking about Italo Disco, the Rimini / Riccione riviera in it’s heyday in the 90s and classic clubs from the early
days of the Italian scene.
By the end of that beautiful weekend they had decided to make some music together that would somehow capture and reflect their own
hazy memories of places they visited or played and nostalgic dreams of earlier scenes they were too young to participate in.
Over the ensuing months the idea developed into an imaginary retro-futuristic club called CocoRocca DiscoTeca, a fantasy version of
a past club that never existed and at the same time a future club that was really possible to create one day.
If there was such a club, what would the music sound like?
Surely, a fusion of various sounds of dub/house/disco that the pair of DJs had been collecting and playing out for years. So inspiration
lists were made and ,slowly, a soundtrack for a night at that imaginary club began to take shape, beginning slow and dreamy, for the
moment of arrival; lifting up to a peak; and finally drifting down to the final tune of the night.
The result goes something like this…

Man-of-the-minute Jorg Kuning returns to Facta & K-LONE’s Wisdom Teeth imprint with ‘Elvers Pass’: a new 6-track exposition of his singular sound, and his most accomplished and comprehensive work to date. By now, the Jorg Kuning trademark is well established. Cherrypicking influences from the wiggiest ends of tech house, electro and bass music, his music is instantly set apart by his totally unique sound palette.

In fact, it’s hard to think of another club artist who has emerged with such a distinct and recognisable voice in recent years. Bubbling and funky with that unmistakable dose of wonk, you can tell a Jorg Kuning tune the minute it enters the mix. Since last appearing on Wisdom Teeth with 2022’s ‘Chosta-del-sol’ EP, the Welshpool-based artist has become a cult name on the global club and festival circuit - his must-see live set turning heads wherever he pitches up. Anybody who frequents the summer circuits around Freerotation, Love International, Gottwood and Dimensions will know exactly what we’re talking about. Along the way he has picked up a number of ardent and outspoken fans, including Lukas Wigflex and Koreless - the latter of whom tapped Jorg for a stellar remix on last year’s ‘Deceltica’ EP on Young. On ‘Elvers Pass’, Jorg manages to ring an exceptionally rich diversity of life from the circuitry of his modular machines.

The record’s melodies flutter and swirl like deep-sea creatures, and his synths ooze as if dredged from some primordial swamp. More so than ever, a host of otherworldly voices have begun to creep into his music: ‘Mercedes’ centres around a fluttering chorus of disembodied vocal chops, while ‘Synthetic Squashies’ rocks back and forth on a looping dialog between two AI chatbots. Across the record, synths mimic animal vocal tones, from the belching bass licks on ‘Skudde’ to the amphibious synth groans on ‘Teen Frogue’. Playful, oddball and in a class of its own, ‘Elvers Pass’ is a welcome New Year offering for ravers and club adventurers worldwide.

The third internatonal release by the legendary Malian singer and guitarist is many fan's favourite. 'The Source' established Ali Farka Touré on the internatonal stage and paved the way for his legendary collaboraton with Ry Cooder on the GRAMMY award winning album 'Talking Timbuktu'.
Available for the frst tme on vinyl, the album has been re-mixed from the original master tapes and includes a previously unreleased track from the same sessions.
The album is presented in a gatefold sleeve containing double 180g vinyl and large format 28 page booklet with lyrics.
'The Source' features Farka Touré's frst recordings with his home town band Group Asco, with vocalist Afel Bocoum and percussionists Hamma Sankare (calabash) and Oumar Touré (congas). Touré's trademark acoustc and electric guitar (as well his njarka violin) playing are highlighted on some of his best loved and most sophistcated compositons.
The father of the desert blues unleashes a set of driving small group performances, intmate love songs, mesmerising guitar solos and two unique duets with the great American bluesman Taj Mahal.

Probably the most astonishing hard rock LP out of 1970s Spain, repressed by popular demand and this time offering a very limited transparent blue colour run.



THE STORM hailed from Sevilla and were acclaimed by both audience and press reviewers as one of the best rock bands from Spain. The combo was formed by the Ruiz Geniz brothers (Angel and Diego), on guitar and drums respectively, plus Luis Genil (organ) and José Torres (bass).



Their debut album, originally released on Basf in 1974, is one of the Crown jewells of Spanish hard rock, and changes hands for a small fortune among collectors all over the world, especially since its inclusion in Hans Pokora's 'Record Dreams' books.



This LP really rocks. It's high energy hard rock that follows the line marked by the big organ outfits of the era such as DEEP PURPLE, ATOMIC ROOSTER, BRAM STOKER, MEGATÓN...



It has also a deep classic prog sound root, which reaches the top on 'Un Señor Llamado Fernández De Córdoba'.



We are talking of one of the seminal Spanish hard rock LPs.

The story of So-Do is both familiar and completely unique. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist with a poet’s sensibility and a passion for folk music meets a worldly bar owner with a love for psychedelia, post-punk and dub in the small town neither could bring themselves to leave. Over two years, they play dozens of shows in independent live houses across Japan, cut and self-release three singles – two 7”s and a 12” – and leave behind just eight tracks, all of which are set to be reissued for the first time forty years on.

So-Do’s Studio Works ’83-’85 collects the full output of this iconoclastic post-punk phenomenon, whose sparse, syncopated arrangements were infused with a dubbed-out flair that owed more to Dennis Bovell’s productions of Orange Juice, the Jah Wobble basslines of Public Image Limited or Adrian Sherwood’s live dubs of Mark Stewart than even they knew at the time.

Because for lead songwriter Hideshi Akuta, music offered an escape from the existential malaise of small-town life, folding a melancholy nihilism into tracks like ‘Kakashi’ and ‘Hashiru’ (which translates as ‘run’), or taking aim at the inequalities and creeping apathies of the middle classes, as he does on ‘Get Away’ and ‘Nothing’.

And if Talking Heads had CBGBs, Sex Pistols had the Roxy, then So-Do had Buddha. Influenced by Buddha venue owner and amateur producer Atsuo Takeuchi, Akuta turned So-Do’s sound towards dub, crafting playful, ironic and funky compositions that crackle with live energy at the vanguard of Japan’s nascent independent music scene.“So-Do is hard to explain,” Takeuchi says. “It’s been a struggle for years to try to find the words for our music.” The answer perhaps, is just to listen.

Both familiar and completely unique, So-Do extend Time Capsule’s genre-defining exposition of Japan’s reggae-inspired music of the ‘70s and ‘80s, as collected on the label’s two critically acclaimed Tokyo Riddim compilations, and London-based live outfit Tokyo Riddim Band.

Embracing the rip-it-up-and-start-again ethos of the early ‘80s, So-Do burned bright for a short time and then burned out. Their legacy is about to be reignited. Expect it to catch alight once more.


All songs are written & composed by Hideshi Akuta

Produced by Atsuo Takeuchi

Artwork by Ben Arfur
Liner Notes by Anton Spice, Ayana Honma, Kay Suzuki

Curated by Kay Suzuki

Licensed from Atsuo Takeuchi (Oregano Cafe)

Tape Restoration and Mastered by Mike Hillier at Metropolis Studios, London, UK

Time Capsule | TIME023 | 1983-1985 → 2025

Der Einstieg in die Musik von Q Lazzarus erfolgte für fast alle über „Goodbye Horses“. Der Song tauchte erstmals 1988 in Jonathan Demmes „Married to the Mob“ auf, aber er sollte sich erst dann vollständig im Bewusstsein der Menschen verankern, als er 1991 in Demmes „The Silence of the Lambs“ wieder auftauchte. „Goodbye Horses“ fühlte sich an wie ein in sich geschlossenes Universum - traumhaft und völlig ungewöhnlich, ein sofortiger Klassiker, der die Zuhörer fesselte und neugierig auf die geheimnisvolle Stimme dahinter machte. Diese Stimme gehörte Diane Luckey, einer einzigartig talentierten Künstlerin, deren Musik ihrer Zeit voraus war und die letztlich zu Lebzeiten weitgehend unerkannt bleiben sollte. In Verbindung mit der Veröffentlichung des Dokumentarfilms „Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus“ von Aridjis Fuentes veröffentlicht Sacred Bones eine Sammlung von Songs, die die gesamte Karriere von Q abdecken und die verschiedenen Epochen ihres Schaffens und die ganze Bandbreite ihrer Persönlichkeit zeigen. „Goodbye Horses“ ist die erste Musiksammlung, die den Segen von Qs verbliebener Familie erhalten hat, und hat die Besonderheit, ihre erste und einzige Albumveröffentlichung in voller Länge zu sein. Aufgenommen zwischen 1985 und 1995, spiegelt diese Fundgrube bisher unveröffentlichter Musik einige der interessantesten Facetten der Popmusik der letzten vier Jahrzehnte auf eine Weise wider, die sowohl versiert als auch wild eklektisch wirkt Das titelgebende „Goodbye Horses“ bleibt ein einzigartiges Stück gespenstischer New-Wave-Perfektion, und man könnte sich ein ganzes Q-Lazzarus-Album vorstellen, das sich um diese Ästhetik dreht, aber ähnlich den Gesangsikonen Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox oder Lisa Gerrard eignet sich Qs chamäleonhafte Stimme perfekt für eine Vielzahl von Stilen und Settings. Ihre Coverversion von Talking aHeads' „Heaven“ verwandelt den Song in eine aus voller Kehle gesungene Power-Ballade mit klimpernden Klavierverzierungen, während ihre Interpretation von Gershwins „Summertime“ wie eine dubbige Club-Reduktion klingt, die zu einem Grace Jones Stück der Nightclubbing-Ära hätte passen können. Tracks wie „My Mistake“ und „Hellfire“ flirten mit House-Musik und zeigen, wie frech und glockig Qs Stimme sein kann, wenn sie sich richtig austobt, während „Don't Let Go“ wie eine bombastische Radiosingle klingt, die Cher vor einigen Jahrzehnten hätte veröffentlichen können. Andere Songs wie „Bang Bang“ und „I See Your Eyes“ sind von einer gitarrenbetonten Alt-Rock-Sensibilität, die in einem Paralleluniversum auch auf MTVs 120 Minutes Show hätte laufen können. „Goodbye Horses“ verkörpert das Potenzial für so viele verschiedene Arten von Karrieren, die, aus welchen Gründen auch immer, nie vollständig verwirklicht wurden. Dass wir jetzt diese Songs in der Welt haben und ein klareres Bild von der Person dahinter, ist nichts weniger als ein Segen.

Semi Delicious kick start 2025 with a very special EP from Amsterdam based producer D Stone. Following a slew of releases on labels like 803 Crystal Grooves and Cecille he delivers a killer 4-tracker that epitomises his deep, percussive house productions. Teeming with superb sampling, rolling drum grooves and basslines that’ll keep the dance flowing!

Last May, Hard Times captivated us with The Lost D.A.T.S (Part One)—a remarkable collection of unreleased and freshly unearthed gems from the vaults of NYC legend DJ Romain. But the story didn’t end there. To our surprise and delight, Romain had delivered an even larger treasure trove of beats—too many to reveal all at once.

Now, Hard Times is proud to present the next chapter: DJ Romain – The Lost D.A.T.S (Part Two).

"1996-97? Yeah, that’s when New York was still NEW YORK!

That was around the time we really started to get hold of exotic herbs. Copper Haze, hydroponic! The vibes in the studio were always lovely. I had hair at the time! Dread-Locs down to my shoulders... I was still rockin’ the Wallabees, or British Walkers as we called them - representing for Brooklyn and my West Indian roots!

There was no social media, no supervision, nobody all up in our business… It was classic "mind your own business" NYC Vibes! I was DJing at a lot of the hot clubs and THE hottest afterhours in the city. There were nights when I saw Micheal Douglas roll into the afters with Grace Jones - they were there to party and unwind and I was there dropping the dope tracks for the people.

When it was studio time, with my homie Matt Echols...I was probably setting things off with some quality herbage, a big ass bag of Funyuns and my trusty SP-1200, lol. I had picked up some tips and tricks from Todd Terry and by '96-'97 I was a Shaolin with it myself! This was around the time tracks like "Flowers" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Dub)" were tearing up the clubs. I wanted to be able to get my ideas out with no problem, and by then I had a lot of confidence...

Being able to Dj in some of the hottest NY hot spots at the time, I was able to really see what worked and what didn't on the dancefloor. The best House Dancers from around the world and around the Tri-State area would be at my jams. I'm talking Ejoe, Voodoo Ray, maybe kids from the Mop-Top Crew... I was definitely taking note of the kind of rhythms and sounds that would make them go crazy on the dancefloor!

And that's how we went about it - I laid down the rhythms that made it happen in my sets and translated the vibes I was picking up from NYC itself. Matt threw down musically and we were just being as creative and inventive as possible! But we always kept in mind that our job was to make the people on the dancefloor jump!

A lot of the jams from those days got signed to various record labels, we dropped a lot of them on our own label...and some of them ended up in the archives - until now!"

Oslo’s Sex Judas feat. Ricky announces 2 x LP for Norway’s Snick Snack Music
The band’s varied concept album portrays a break-up of epic proportions and releases Jabnuary 2025
Digital Release Date: 3rd May 2024
Vinyl Release Date: Jan 2025

“Are you ready for the big disaster? The moment when everything unravels?

On their third album, Sex Judas feat. Ricky portrays a break-up of astronomical proportions. The band's mascots, Sex Judas and Ricky, embodied by artist Sindre Goksøyr, find themselves in the midst of a separation, and their feelings are sprayed all over the big screen.

But what is actually going on? Sex Judas feat. Ricky consists of the musicians Tore Gjedrem (Ost & Kjex), Sidiki Camara, Ivar Winther, Tracee Meyn, Tore Brevik, Kristian Edvardsen and Linn Nystadnes, a stellar team part of Oslo's musical underground. Together, they play a mixture of funk, disco, post-punk, traditional music from Mali and electronica that always moves the dance floor, with two previous critically acclaimed albums on the Scottish Optimo Music and a Norwegian Grammy to show.

Sex Judas’ third album, ‘The Book Of Dreams / After Sex’, is a double disc and a two-part musical affair. In the first part, Sex Judas' version of the breakup is depicted in a band format, with music inspired by the alternative 80s. Think Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, DAF, No Wave, and the Compass Point Studio backing band in a blissful cocktail.

In part two, depicting Ricky’s breakdown, the band has created their most experimental music to date in close collaboration with contemporary composer Ole-Henrik Moe. The songs influenced by Ole-Henrik's tones are fluid and beautifully ambient, with inspiration ranging from 30s and 40s film music, Norwegian folk, contemporary electronica and IDM topped with Moe’s modern string arrangements.” - Snick Snack Music