Suche:early james

Early James’ 2024 erschienenes Album „Medium Raw“, das von Dan Auerbach produziert und in Buddy
Jacksons Honky Château aufgenommen wurde, gilt als sein bisher überzeugendstes Werk. Die Zusammenarbeit mit Auerbach verleiht dem Album eine düstere Authentizität, die Early James’ gefühlvolles Erzählen
und seine kraftvolle Stimme einfängt. Die Produktion beinhaltet einen Field-Recording-Ansatz, der dem
Album ein organisches, lebendiges Gefühl verleiht, das seine emotionale Tiefe noch verstärkt. Medium
Raw“ taucht tief in das Herz der Americana ein und vermischt Blues-, Rock- und Folk-Einflüsse mit einer
ungefilterten Note. Als begnadeter Lyriker in der Tradition des Southern Gothic webt Early James dunkle
Geschichten, die von rohen Emotionen durchdrungen sind und gleichzeitig das Skurrile mit dem Tiefgründigen verbinden. Die zwölf Tracks des Albums sind ein Zeugnis seiner unnachgiebigen Leidenschaft für eine
musikalische Landschaft, die Grenzen überschreitet.

"Alabama's native son, Early James, will release his sophomore album, Strange Time To Be Alive, on 19th August, 2022. The lyrical wordsmith conjures the ghosts of great southern gothic writers from Eudora Welty to William Faulkner, while channeling the haunted spirits of Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt. The album evokes a timeless amalgam of forsaken blues, wistful folk, and Tin Pan Alley crooning, anchored by the singer’s unmistakable voice that sways from gravel-filled shouts to pained, forlorn whispers – and songs that tread in the waters of darkly themed broken hearts, with the wry humor of the sad clown.
On the road again since August 2021, Early James will continue touring consistently through 2022. Confirmed upcoming tour dates are with The Black Keys and The Ghost of Paul Revere. Previously, Early James has played Newport Folk and toured with The Lone Bellow, The Marcus King Band, Zachary Williams, and Shovels & Rope. "

Impressed is partnering with Burning Rope Records & Faction Records to bring you an exclusive Australian pressing of James Vincent McMorrow's debut album - Early in the Morning, celebrating it’s 15th anniversary and his forthcoming tour.

Originally released in 2010, and recorded in isolation at a house on the Irish coast, James Vincent McMorrow produced every sound on the album himself, including piano, guitar, and drums - resulted in an album that captivated the world.

The album quickly garnered critical acclaim for its warmth and intimacy. Critics highlighted McMorrow's soft falsetto and the Americana/Folk influences present in the tracks. The opening song, If I Had a Boat, begins with a cappella harmonies before developing into a reflective ballad, illustrating the album’s understated style.

DAYBREAKERS back diggin’ deeper for DBR007, shining light on one of house music’s most underrated, James N Tinsley aka The Nathaniel X Project. The Resurface EP brings together two lost moments from 1993 alongside two brand new recordings from 2025 — the same spirit, three decades apart, all previously unreleased.

Back in the early 90s, Nathaniel X was crafting stripped back, deep house with a real feeling. Raw drum machines, deep chords. The kind of records DJs held onto.

The 1993 cuts carry that untouched energy, made at the same time as his self titled EP. Direct & deep. Fast forward to 2025 and nothing’s really changed. The new tracks continue where he left off. That signature Nathaniel X sound.

House that was always deep.

Buy or cry.

Continuing Blueprint's 30th anniversary celebrations, James Ruskin welcomes the return of Oliver Ho, whose relationship with the label is deep-rooted.

Oliver Ho has spent the last 30 years devoting his life to creating some of the most intense and compelling electronic music out there. Debuting his signature raw sound in 1996 on Blueprint Records, he cemented himself in the underground of the '90s UK techno scene. With a plethora of aliases, he has navigated his way through many different genres. From the frenetic tribal sounds of his own Meta imprint, the off the wall house music made as Birdland and Raudive, the grinding industrial of Broken English Club and the heavily textured ambient of his Slow White Fall and Zov Zov projects. While pushing and pulling at the fringes of electronic music, at the very centre has always been the beating heart of hypnotic techno, an art form that is both brutal and bewitching; techno as ritual magic. Oliver's live shows and DJ sets showcase this expression of music as shamanic experience, metallic and relentless, pure and direct.

An integral figure in shaping Blueprint's early sound, Oliver Ho returned in 2016 for their 20th anniversary with the "Burning Heretics EP", which was followed by a remastered reissue of 1999's "Awakening The Sentient". So it's fitting that he's now back for this latest milestone with a new EP, "Our Secret Religion" dropping in May.

A few words for the album
Moment’s Aeternity:
a 12/8 composition celebrating the raw power of the “moment”, marked by whirling improvised moments between drums, bass clarinet and Harris P’s Armenian duduk.

Pajko, fire in the forest on the mountain:
in Sokratis own words: “I have a really vivid memory as a child. I was staring at the Djena mountain from my window in Archangellos which sits on the Pajko mountain. A little beam of light shone far in the horizon; it was a fire that in my little eyes looked as if the giants of Almopia were trying to communicate with each other using phryktoria (a way of contacting through fire in Ancient Greece).”

Footprints of some Giant Steps:
While the classic compositions of two true Jazz Giants- Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane- are certainly different, they do both connect in a mystical way. Rearranged in 5/8 combining half of each melody and half of each one’s chord progression, keeping the form of the piece for improvisation, still in 5.

Oson Zeis Fainou (Seikilo’s Epitaph):
found in a tomb stone in the Northeast of Greece, this is the only melody saved from the ancient times. It is accompanied by lyrics contemplating the meaning of life:
Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν τὸ τέλος ὁ xρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.
‘’While you live, shine
don’t feel blue for anything because our life is short and time demands an end.’’

Here is to Oghene K:
’’Hey man, where is the groove?’’, he would say, just to trigger another wave of inspiration for Sokratis. Oghene was a true force of nature, a well of kindness, a masterful artist that left this world too early. This one is for him.

Balkan Riff (for Milcho Leviev):
Milcho Leviev (1936-2019), was a long-time friend and collaborator and a true inspiration for expression, creativity and colorfulness. Expressing the deep sentiments evoked by the Balkan sound and history, this is a sorrowful dialogue between bass clarinet and contrabass.

Spirits of Djena:
one of the most esoteric and personal moments of the album. Composed and recorded during the challenging times of the COVID-era, you can hear the baritone and tenor saxophone firmly grounded on a crispy, hypnotizing contrabass groove.

Sokratis Votskos Quartet
Kostas Anastasiadis / Giorgos Klountzos - Chrysidis: Drums
Leandros Pasias: Piano
Vaggelis Vrachnos: Contrabass
Sokratis Votskos: Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet and Compositions


Sokratis Votskos is a jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, educator, and bandleader from Greece. Deeply invested in unearthing the folk sounds and heritage music of Greece and Eastern Europe, he weaves these into modern jazz compositions though the use of melodies, polyrhythms, and his reedy, timeless tone. He leads the Sokratis Votskos Quartet, he is one half of Kolida Babo and member of the Reggetiko Project. A highly regarded sideman and ensemble player, he has worked extensively with renowned jazz musicians with several highly acclaimed releases (MiC, Jazzman, Walt Disney and now Fair Weather Friends Records).

He has performed his music in numerous venues and festivals worldwide from Vinterjazz in Copenhagen, to the EFG London Jazz Festival where he performed at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s alongside Greg Foat.

He is also an archaeoacoustics researcher and enthusiast, having completed his Master studies on the field of ancient ritualistic caves of Greece research.

Leandros Pasias was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. At age 10 was introduced to piano, continuing his studies at the Modern Conservatory of Thessaloniki and later at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the department of jazz piano.Ηe holds a classical harmony diploma and a BA at the Department of Music Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 2020 he received jazz improvisation lessons from Aaron Parks.

With a series of appearances in multiple international jazz festivals, Leandros has collaborated with a wide range of musicians from Nicolas Masson and James Wylie to Marina Osk, Ivo Papasov and Haris Lambrakis, among others.

A member of the Yako Trio, he released “OdesSea” on Fair Weather Friends Records (2021).

Vangelis Vrachnos was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1989. While he started playing the bass at the age of 12, alongside his brother, his studies would commence a few years later. Introduced to double bass at the age of 23, he undertook jazz double bass studies at the Codarts Αcademy of Rotterdam. He has participated in several festivals such as the Technopolis and Odessa international jazz festivals. Since returning to his hometown, in 2015, he has been a founding member of Mordana and Yako Trio and has collaborated with a series of musicians like James Wyllie, Sokrates Votskos and Dimitis Agelakis, among others.

Kostas Anastasiadis is a tireless researcher, that has been diligently studying Tradition and its evolution, creating a fresh amalgam of sound moods. His mature improvisational virtuosity highlights a uniquely individual artistic expression and was recognized with the ̈Unique Individual Stylist" award by the PIT (Percussion Institute of Technology) in Los Angeles, California. He has been associated with various ensembles that have garnered significant interest in the global music scene. As an educator, he is the founder of "The Harmony of Rhythm" musical method, which aims to explore and establish the elements that constitute the concept of rhythm.

Giorgos Klountzos-Chrysidis was born in Thessaloniki in 1991. Following studies at the Modern Conservatory of Thessaloniki, he moved to France and the Conservatoire de Nice. With performances at well-known festivals like Nice Jazz Festival, Nuits du Sud and Jazz à Vienne, he had the opportunity to meet the American drummer Leon Parker, who encouraged him to move to Paris, where he spent the next two years under his tutoring and guidance.

In 2016, came a defining moment in his career as he traveled to New York for the first time. He participated in the quartet of saxophonist Diego Rivera for a series of performances and attended lessons by Rodney Whitaker and Randy "Uncle G" Gelispie at Michigan's State University.

Collaborations include Xavier Davis, Ricky Ford, Nicolas Masson, Diego Rivera, Craig Bailey, Baptiste Herbin, Marc Abrams, Pantelis Stoikos, Antonis Anissegos, David Lynch, Ziad Rajab and Ivo Papasov, among others.

Making his first appearance on Flat White Records, NYC’s Malik Hendricks arrives with Stretching, a four-track EP that leans comfortably into the grey space between Deep House and Techno. Across three original cuts, Hendricks delivers warm, hypnotic, and quietly confident sounds that are unmistakably his own.

Rounding out the release is a remix from London-based, Spain-born producer Beringei. Known for his broken-beat excursions, Beringei with a 4x4 workout that still carries his unmistakable percussive touch, proving that even when stepping outside his usual lane, his identity remains firmly intact.

With previous releases on respected imprints like Eglo, Darker Than Wax, and Phuture Shock Muzik, Hendricks arrives in trusted company, thus making it an easy call to hand him the reins for our 15th release.

Born in the ’80s and raised in the ’90s, Malik Hendricks is a product of transatlantic club culture, drawing inspiration from Detroit’s futurism, New York’s grit, and the UK’s rhythmic experimentation. A DJ for over a decade, he approaches music with an almost academic curiosity, seeing the dancefloor as a shared space for cultural exchange.

Recently, his work has caught the attention of heavyweights like Eli Escobar, Byron the Aquarius, James Bangura, and Roy Vision, all stepping in to remix his material. With Stretching, Hendricks continues to prove that subtlety, craft, and groove still go a very long way.

Early DJ Support from: Shy One, LDLDN, Louise Chen, Dam Swindle, LTJ Bukem, Christophe Salin, Franck Roger, Jazzanova, Mr Redley, Last Nubian, Glenn Davis, Seven Davis Jr, Stonie Blue, Stu Clark (WOLF), Adriatique, Marco Weibel, Mr Ties, Tereza, Cottam, Joyce Muniz + MORE

The world of discovering Soul music and artists can lead to sheer moments of jubilation. The thought of igniting a long lost sound, reviving the energy of a once exuberant individual . But not every story that's told is filled with joy. Some are peppered along the way with struggles and heartache. Over time artists have battled with over powering label owners, record executives who just don't back what you do. The story of Tommy Hill is one such story. Tommy along with friend and longtime collaborator Ricky Tarbo had a deal with Motown records back in the early 1980's which turned sour very quickly. His release "Flame"/"Super Star Of Love' was dropped pretty quickly with no promotion and record boss Sylvia Rhône calling the shots within the duo questioning skin colour within the group and even trying to get vocals wiped off the release to sabotage it.

This said the single didn't amount to much and nothing else was recorded for Motown records. The duo did record some 4 demo's in LA before Tommy headed to re-record them again in New York circa 1982.

The A side has never been released until now, which is such a crying shame as the quality is so damn good. It's an uptempo boogie cut called "All My Love" which we gave a sexy 45 mix so you get some slamming synth work half way in. Tommy Hill's vocal range is nothing but astonishing. Just check out the 2 step ballad of "Can't Get Over You", which was recorded and released back in 1980 by The James Simpson penetration Band written by Tommy Hill, who went back into the studio 2 years later to give the song much more depth not only within the production but also to his vocal range. Tommy Hill headed back to LA after not securing a record deal and a few years later tried to get this singing career back on track. Like many of the artists who have moved on to a higher place Tommy succumbed to his own mental health issues and took his life. We hope this record does you proud Tommy Hill

Forged from the fire of internal struggles, Loraine James was wrestling with confidence and a desire for change when she embarked on “Detached From The Rest Of You”. A guiding hand came through producing 2025's “Clandestine” EP with singer Anysia Kym, which gave her the experience of a more 'pop' setting and the tools and insight to work her instrumentals into more conventional shapes; a shift from club driven sounds and winding instrumentals into more precise song forms.


Loraine’s production is stripped to the bone, soundscapes of clicks and glitches inspired by Aoki Takamasa, Ryoji Ikeda, and the early-00s Clicks & Cuts school. Here, often with not much more than sparse keyboard chords to fill in with subtle colouring, she uses the space around the sounds and vocals to draw the listener in to a succinct and direct album, her most confident yet.


Guest contributors include vocalist Sydney Spann on “In a Rut”, Alan Sparkhawk (Low) on downcast anthem “Peak Again”, Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto) on “Flatline”, Anysia Kim on “Score”, and Tirzah on “Habits and Patterns”. Finally her old spar, the rapper Le3 bLACK returns to spit fire with the jazz-indebted track “Ending Us All” with Fyn Dobson backing on tumbling drums.

Time To Get On Board A New Black Universal Express.

With each new recording Anthony Joseph presents an imaginative, personal vision of contemporary black culture, and The Ark is yet another compelling album by the award-winning Trinidadian poet and musician. This second part of a sequence of two albums launched with last year’s Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back, finds Joseph giving full vent to his desire to explore many thought-provoking themes. However, there is a specific thread running through the glorious offering of sounds.

”I was especially interested in the idea of using Afrofuturism as a means of using the future in order to correct the wrongs of the past,” explains Joseph. “And so a lot of lyrics reimage or imagine an alternate black history. At the same time there are elements of autobiography.” The aforesaid cultural phenomenon, a view of the black experience through the prism of science fiction and ancient Egypt and Africa, as mapped out by visionaries from music and literature such as Sun Ra, Parliament-Funkadelic and Octavia E. Butler, has previously inspired Joseph. His 2006 novel The African Origins Of UFOs was a multi-hued work, and the new music shows how Joseph

has, much like all significant artists, gone on to broaden his conceptual palette, creating beguiling new stories and images set to startling rhythms and tones. Tracks such as ‘James’, with its taut, crisp bass and dubbed-up brass, and ‘Transposition Of Space (Glissant)’, a potent evocation of the influential Martiniquan theorist set in a haze of jazz guitar and ambient synthesizers, are marvels of text-sound painting.

As for ‘Baron Samedi’, shaped by a languid, almost wounded guitar line and slow rise of horns that frame Joseph’s journey to the ‘mountain of fire, almost touching the sky’ it is an epic blend of commanding vocal delivery and dramatic sonic tapestry.

Joseph led the Spasm band in the early 2000s and recorded well-received albums such as Bird Head Son and Time, in which songs were largely based on spirituals or chants enhanced by improvisation. But his musical curiosity has naturally led to collaborations, and the new work is produced by Dave Okumu, the prodigiously talented guitarist-vocalist-composer known as the leader of Mercury Music Prize-nominated The Invisible, and who was also a member of the seminal band Jade Fox.

Having first performed together at a show curated by influential saxophonist-flautist Shabaka Hutchings at the storied Total Refreshment Centre In London during lockdown, Joseph and Okumu struck up a rapport that further developed when the former guested on he latter’s album. With the connection made Joseph knew Okumu was the ideal producer for this latest project, which has a freewheeling, almost black psychedelic thing. After sifting through demos and loops the guitarist made on pro-tools the poet started to live with the music. Many months later words began to take shape. Joseph then went into the studio with Okumu’s band and set about creating a magnum opus. Boasting a stellar cast such as vocalist Eska Mtungwazi, trumpeter Byron Wallen and keyboardist Nick Ramm, The Ark is a highly intricate musical mosaic framed by simmering funk grooves, wily jazz improvisation and haunting dub effects. Through the use of many genres the music has simply become its own genre.

The Ark can be perceived as a vessel or means of transport to new worlds, along the lines of Sun Ra’s Ark or Funkadelic’s Mothership, and the material it contains is a unique blend of who Anthony Joseph is and how he sees the world and society in these stimulating, challenging times. “It balances the personal with the universal in a much more vulnerable, accessible way than on previous albums,” Joseph explains.

“It has become less about a personal experience and more about a collective, communal experience in which the artist is conduit, messenger, urban griot.”

Australian composer-performers Judith Hamann and James Rushford have worked together in countless projects for two decades, perhaps most notably in Golden Fur, their trio with Sam Dunscombe. Black Truffle is pleased to announce Midmeste, their first work as a duo. Its title is Middle English for ‘the middlemost point’, alluding to how the piece builds on the points of overlap between the highly personalised musical languages Hamann and Rushford have developed in recent years. Performed on cello and a variety of pipe organs, Midmeste is a spacious, sometimes unsettling exploration of their shared interest in alternative tunings, psychoacoustic phenomena, the physical properties of their instruments, and the usually peripheral sounds generated by the performing body.

Beginning with a sequence of austerely vibrato-less harmonics from Hamann's cello, trailed by Rushford's whistling portative organ tones, the music soon expands into a slow-moving melodic wander, pausing at times to linger over an uncomfortable harmony or particularly resonant cello tone. Hamann and Rushford have long histories of engagement with pre-Classical European musical traditions, having in past projects performed and radically extended the work of Solage, Louis Couperin, Johann Conrad Beissell and other composers. Here they use a 15th century song by John Dunstaple, ‘O rosa bella’, which returns throughout the piece, distorted, aerated and splayed into new forms.

Developed while the two shared residencies at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart in 2020 and La Becque on Lake Geneva in 2023, Midmeste integrates recordings made (at at the invitation of the Biennale Son) on the organ of the Basilica St Valere in Sion, Switzerland—the world’s oldest playable organ, built in the early 15th century. Played by both Rushford and Hamann, the instrument’s idiosyncratic features, including bellows pumped manually using massive wooden beams, are integrated into the music through amplification. Creaks and thumps locate the music physically both in the performers’ bodies and the specific site of its making. Moving through a series of distinct episodes across its forty-minute span, Midmeste makes space for near-silent duets of high harmonics and hissing air, moments where twittering high tones and rumbling sub-bass could be electronic, and static fields that unexpectedly blossom into almost Romantic harmonies.

Listeners familiar with Hamann and Rushford’s work will find many familiar features here: the stunningly rich cello tones, their patient sustain allowing heightened awareness of the inner life of sound and its interactions with the environment; the care with which acoustic space is activated, becoming at times a third instrumental voice; the attention to fragile, unstable sonorities that sometimes have a comic edge. A major work from two key figures in contemporary experimental music, Midmeste synthesises rigorous exploration of fundamental questions of sound and performance with an unapologetic embrace of beauty.

- 2026 repress -

SHDW & Obscure Shape launch new label Mutual Rytm with powerful eight-track V/A "Federation Of Rytm I", featuring VIL & Cravo, Lars Huismann, Grindvik and more.

Favourites for many within today's modern techno landscape, Stuttgart-based pairing Marco Blasi and Luigi Urban, aka SHDW & Obscure Shape, continue to grow their profile and position as artists leading the current new wave of techno. Having launched their first label From Another Mind in 2014, releasing material from themselves alongside remixes from the likes of Rodhad, James Ruskin and Dax J, early December welcomes the arrival of a new project and a second imprint to the fold, Mutual Rytm.

Showcasing a new dimension of techno and electronic music, celebrating originality and innovation by combining timeless cuts from the past with cutting edge sounds of the present and the future, the label will serve as a breeding ground for new artists alongside established talent and legends from the scene. Opening the imprint in style, the label bosses head up the first-ever release and the first V/A "Federation Of Rytm I" as they welcome a selection of new and established talent.

"Since the beginning of the global pandemic, we have been diving deep into the roots of our music and working on the aesthetics of our sound. That's when we realized that now is the right time to start a new project which differs from FAM, in both musical and artistic direction. The project will showcase a new dimension that aims to channel the authentic perspectives of both established and up-and-coming talents. With our new label, we want to give all artists the opportunity of musical freedom and expression of their versatility as producers. It is an honour to accompany the young artists on their careers, to see them grow and to help them in their development as musicians." - SHDW & Obscure Shape

The duos rolling opener "Conquest Of Paradise" quickly sets the tone and builds to reveal a classy and slick offering, combining rich stabs with tough drums and sharp hats, while Invexis keeps the tempo high as he weaves escalating synths and pacy kicks across "Elektronenwind". VIL & Cravo combine on the jacking and lively "Apolonia Loop", as eerie synths work amongst warped vocals across a tweaked out peak-time effort, before Alarico keeps the energy levels up throughout the relentless funk of "I'm Into You".

The second half of the package sees Lars Huismann enter the fray with the no-nonsense, snaking grooves of "Hyper Dub", with Nicolas Vogler's "Sauva Bite" fusing hypnotic tones with straight regimented claps for an intense yet playful ride through sounds and sonics. "Your Dry Lips" switches up the aesthetic as Grindvik journeys down a wormhole of metallic percussion and warping low-ends, before closing the show with authority via Stigmata's grinding and menacing offering "Gestas".

WRWTFWW Records is proud to present THE GENTLE PEOPLE - Soundtracks for Living (Expanded Edition), ?the ultimate Lounge/Chill Out classic from 1997, reborn! Available as a limited edition white vinyl 3LP in heavyweight 3-panel gatefold sleeve.

When The Gentle People first glided into the mid-90s on clouds of strings, sugar and sine waves, they sounded like visitors from another, more glamorous planet. Signed to Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge's cult label Rephlex, this multinational "E-Z-Core" lounge unit took the aesthetics of 50s/60s easy listening and exotica and gently smuggled them into 1990s club culture.

Soundtracks for Living was their defining statement: an album that "takes the lounge scene and runs away with it entirely… blissful and heavenly," as one contemporary review put it. Imagine KLF's Chill Out or Space growing up on French 60/70s pop, bossa nova, soundtracks, vocal harmony groups, library music and easy listening then slipping out for a late-night date with dub, ambient techno and bubble-bath pop. That's Soundtracks for Living: a record that can score cocktail hour, 4am taxi rides, and daydreams in headphones with the same effortless grace.

The Gentle People - Dougee Dimensional, Laurie LeMans, Valentine Carnelian and Honeymink - began in early-90s Brixton, throwing dress-up theme parties before taking their audio-visual universe into the studio. For them, music was "a way of life": soothing to the ear, rich in pop hooks, and pitched somewhere between the playfully idiotic and the hyper-intelligent. Their debut on Rephlex was the single "Journey", later blessed with a shimmering Aphex Twin remix that pushed their sugar-coated sound even further into outer space.

This Expanded Edition of Soundtracks for Living finally gives this glambient lounge-pop milestone the treatment it has always deserved. Spread lovingly across 3LP, it features new mastering from the original sources, allowing every harp glissando, string swell and analog squiggle to float in high-fidelity widescreen. The core album is complemented by a bonus 12" of unreleased and rare material, offering a deeper dive into the Gentle world: alternate takes, lost interludes, and secret soundtrack cues for lives not yet lived.

Crucially, "Journey" appears here in its original version, Gentle Instrumental and the cult Aphex Twin remix, reuniting band and labelmate in one place and underlining the quietly radical nature of the project: this was lounge music that could sit next to braindance, acid and IDM and still steal the scene.

Pressed on limited edition white vinyl, Soundtrack for Living (Expanded Edition) invites long-time fans and new listeners alike to step back into The Gentle People's universe - a place of fondue parties, bubble chairs, star-lit elevators and endlessly rewinding sunsets, where "the pathway to the stars" is never quite out of reach.

In an era that often reduces the 90s to big-room bangers and grunge guitars, Soundtracks for Living remains a quietly subversive reminder that the decade was also about imagination, camp, softness and utopian possibility. As later writers have noted, The Gentle People weren't just a curiosity on a weird label; they became unlikely icons of a whole loungecore moment, gracing TV, compilations and magazine spreads, and proving that tenderness could be as futuristic as any drum machine.
In conjunction with this release, WRWTFWW has also unearthed The Gentle People's Peel Sessions, a 4-track EP from their 1997 BBC on-air performance, available on vinyl for the first time ever !

2026 Repress!

Tresor Records is proud to announce forthcoming special editions of its entire catalogue of Drexciya and related projects. 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of James Stinson and the releases of the Transllusion and Shifted Phases albums. In recognition, the rightsholders, their families, and the label have commissioned Detroit-based contemporary artist Matthew Angelo Harrison to re-conceptualize the covers of Tresor's Drexciya-related catalogue. These editions will be released sequentially, bimonthly, starting early-September 2022.

The series starts with Neptune's Lair, first released in 1999, with the Hydro Doorways single arriving shortly after. In November, Harnessed The Storm and Digital Tsunami are coming. In 2023 comes the release of Transllusion in February. The series is completed by the long-awaited re-release of Shifted Phases - The Cosmic Memoirs Of The Late Great Rupert J. Rosinthrope - at the end of March.

These records, individually and as a catalogue, represent some of the most crucial moments in the Tresor label history, with the sound and mythic world of Drexciya undoubtedly inspiring generations.

Mood II Swing are bona fide legends of early house who fomented their own uniquely raw, dark, but soulful and swinging sound. They have got a ton of classics to their name, one of which is 1996's 'Do It My Way', which now gets reworked by a selection of talented house peers on Ira James' Vessel Recordings. The opening Andrew Macari mix keeps it deep and loopy with many original motifs left in place. The Do It Sneaks Way mix leans into the trackiness of the drums, then Joshua Iz turns up the dubby low end for a gliding groove with garage-y percussion. Nonfiction strips away some of the swing and goes for a big, driving wall of drums and Natural Rhythm offers the most playful take with wobbly synths and plenty of air in the drums.

Michigan Band EJ & the Echoes: Rediscovering a Soul Legacy

The story of EJ & the Echoes represents a remarkable chapter in Michigan's music history and the early American soul scene. Its origins date back to the late 1950s, when Everett J. "EJ" Gronda was already active as a young musician. While studying at Central Michigan University in the early 1960s, he met the talented vocalist Manuel "Manny" Holcolm. Together with other musicians, they formed vocal groups that soon performed throughout the state and even recorded near Detroit's legendary Motown studios.

In 1963, Gronda founded EJ & the Echoes, a band that quickly gained popularity at dances, clubs, and weddings across Michigan. With Manny Holcolm as lead singer, the group developed a distinctive harmony-driven sound, blending influences ranging from the Beatles to James Brown. The band served as a house band in Traverse City, opened for national acts, and performed regularly at well-known Detroit venues.

Between 1964 and 1967, EJ & the Echoes released several singles on the Diamond Jim Records label. Although major commercial success eluded them at the time, their recordings later found international recognition. Today, their songs remain staples of the British Northern Soul scene.

After the band dissolved, the members pursued different paths. EJ Gronda became a schoolteacher but remained devoted to music throughout his life. In 2006, the musicians reunited for an emotional jam session. EJ Gronda passed away in 2022, followed by Manuel Holcolm in 2024. Their musical legacy endures-on this vinyl release, dance floors, and in the memory of a remarkable era.

Our sincere thanks go to author and blues historian Fred Reif. He wrote the accompanying text and provided all the pictures of the band printed in the gatefold cover. Without him, this project would not have been possible.

Soul Jazz Records’ long out of print classic ‘Studio One Funk’ collection is being re-released in three new one-off limited-edition coloured pressing 18th anniversary format editions!
Firstly, a heavyweight special limited edition one-pressing only red 2xLP vinyl + download. Secondly, there is also a new special limited-edition one-off pressing edition red-pressed CD enclosed in jewel case and slipcase. And thirdly there is a very limited unique new one-off pressing red-cased cassette format (200 copies only)! 18 years on from its original release Studio One Funk remains one of our Studio One releases most in-demand titles and like all our earlier special coloured editions is sure to sell out fast!
Studio One Funk is made up of rare and unreleased Reggae Funk from the vaults of Studio One. Ever since the birth of Funk in America, the sound has been an ever-present ingredient in the melting pot of Studio One’s musical output.
The music on this release is a combination of originals, US covers and versions of existing Studio One cuts. Jackie Mittoo shows his appreciation for Booker T and The MGs, the studio group at Memphis’ famous Stax Records with ‘Hang Em High’, itself a cover of a film soundtrack by Dominic Frontiere. Incredibly this version has never before been released. Booker T’s super-funky ‘Melting Pot’ is also covered by the little-known Underground Vegetables.
Other versions include Isaac Hayes’ classic Blaxploitation soundtrack ‘Shaft’ again by Cedric Im Brooks track - another unreleased gem, straight from the tape master. Motown gets a look in with Alton’s stripped-down version of the Spinners classic ‘It’s A Shame’, written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta.
James Brown is apparent in spirit with the JBs-inspired groove on the super rare cut “Now” by Lee Arab. Lloyd Williams similarly does a fine Kingston-style version of the hardest-working man in showbusiness on ‘Reggae Feet’.
Version-wise, we have ‘Idleberg’, Cedric Im Brooks tough instrumental cut on Horace Andy’s seminal ‘Skylarking’. The little-known Prince Moonie gives us a rare DJ cut of another Horace Andy classic, ‘See A Man’s Face’.
Pablove Black’s cut of Sidewalk Doctor (A/K/A Poco Tempo) is one of a handful of Studio One releases featuring Augustus Pablo’s trademark instrument, the melodica, played by Black himself.
Add to these original cuts from Studio One’s heavyweight session players including Leroy Sibbles, Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles, Eric Frater, Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace, Richard Ace, Vin Gordon and more and you have one of the finest selections of reggae and funk you will ever hear.







"This collection goes deep into the Brentford Road vaults and unearths a rake of previously unreleased gems alongside hard to find classics. Heavy and inspirational, totally unique and essentially timeless." Straight No Chaser
"An absolute treasure trove for the collector as well as being great for the ears and feet. Jackie Mittoo's 'Hang Em High' is worth the price of the album on its own." Echoes
"A superb collection that shows how much many Jamaican musicians were influenced by the heavy funk belting out of American studios from the early seventies onwards.” Touch
"The most satisfying listening experience so far in the Studio One series." The Wire
"Rare and unreleased grooves from Jamaica's house of excellence." Mojo

n a career spanning over 50 years James Brown became known as a progenitor of funk music and influencing the development of many other genres. All his hit songs, hidden gems and collaborations are now bundled on Collected. It contains 29 songs, including music from his early days with the Famous Flames, the J.B.’s and a wide collection of tracks from his solo career.

Brown began his career as a gospel singer and joined a rhythm and blues vocal group, the Famous Flames, as the lead singer in the 1950s. Later on he formed his own band and released successful singles as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". While developing the funk to a new level he created the J.B.’s, with which he scored hits like "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". Brown was inducted into 1st class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. During the years he gained different honorific nicknames including "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business" and "Soul Brother No. 1".

Music On Vinyl proudly presents a special coloured edition of the James Brown Collected compilation, which is available as a limited edition of 7.500 individually numbered copies on gold vinyl, and includes an insert with liner notes.

Newly signed to Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s, Nature TV), Georgian's forthcoming debut EP 'Crackled Grounds' reads like an anthology in the vein of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. These aren’t just songs, but scenes, self-contained worlds that glimmer with strange detail before dissolving into mirage. “We recorded on a farm just north of Amsterdam” states James. “It gave us space and focus and helped us channel the Western feel we wanted to impress upon the tracks. Arno gave us lots of pedal board options and guitar choices. Those things in particular helped us fine-tune the sound we were chasing.” The resulting collection chronicles the ups and downs of existence and blooms with natural imagery. ‘Strike a Wound’ seethes with revenge. The slow attack on the guitars has the onomatopoeic effect of enacting each blow. ‘Crackled Grounds’ conjures an apocalyptic wilderness that wouldn’t be out of place on the ‘Kill Bill’ soundtrack. ‘Medusa’ is a parable of strong women overcoming obstacles and jolts with the energy of those early Johnny Cash Sun recordings. ‘Gardens’ lingers on the awkward tenderness of running into a long-lost lover; while ‘Californian Jeans’ pays homage to denim as talisman, armour, and second skin.

Early support by Gerd Janson, Moxie, Tim Sweeney, James Zabiela, Prins Thomas

Berghain’s Panorama Bar resident and Love On Rocks founder, Paramida delivers her take on Deep Dish’s classic ‘Say Hello’.

For the Lisbon based, international superstar DJ and producer, it’s a full-circle moment. As a teenager living in Tehran, she listened to “Say Hello” on her daily car rides to and from an internship at an Iranian newspaper while attending a German school.

Paramida explained the remix idea came together very quickly, in a single take, with everything falling perfectly into place.

An essential remix that is sure to be played everywhere from sweaty basements to festival throughout the Summer.

Early DJ Support: Massimiliano Pagliara, Paranoid London, Logan Fisher, Terry Farley, James Holroyd, Rocky (X Press 2), Francois K, Marcel Vogel, Sean Johnston, Austin Ato, Ron Basejam, Richard Rogers, Oliver Dollar, Crazy P and many more

Creating an international name for itself over the past decade as a sample pack label, Samples From Mars made its inevitable venture into the music world originally as a home for founder Teddy Stuart’s work. Long before making samples, Stuart garnered credits working as a grammy-nominated recording engineer in the hip hop world, and DJing / producing with Justin Strauss as A/JUS/TED, for labels such as DFA, Domino Records and Southern Fried Records. Now the label is set to release a variety of genres - house, disco, techno, ambient, all with a vintage tinge and a focus on high quality, analog production.

Enter Salt Queen. Visual artist and musician Magali van Caloen together with Samples From Mars founder, Teddy Stuart. Based in New York, the duo combine hardware dance aesthetics with dry, salty takes on familiar club moments into music that sits somewhere between funny, raw and unpredictable.

Salt Queen’s debut ‘ARE U OK’ is an acid-laced, deadpan spoken word track with an opening line that snaps any room to attention. A disorienting club encounter unfolds over Italo-inflected 808s and a relentless 303 bassline. There are no chords and no melodies - just a skeletal groove and an intimate voice circling the dancefloor. Drifting between concern and provocation, the vocal runs through cliché club conversations before destabilizing completely into a siren-laden crash out. The ‘Freak Nasty Club Mix’ ditches the plot and lets the hardware breathe, with a thick SH-101 bassline anchoring the first half before a sudden switch into an unrelenting acid pattern that refuses to settle. Two versions of the same wild night out.

Spider Taylor crawls over to Dark Entries with Surge Studio Music, an album of archival gay pornographic soundtracks. James Allan Taylor was born into a working-class family in Los Angeles in 1951. Nicknamed “Spider” by his father due to his frantic energy, Taylor was a natural-born guitarist, gifted with perfect pitch and a voracious musical appetite.

Throughout the 70s, he expanded his musical repertoire, playing in bands ranging from country to post-punk, like his outfit Red Wedding, while always looking for new sounds and styles to explore. During this period, Taylor also partnered with his soulmate and musical collaborator, Michael Ely. They were part of a wave of bold, young, gay couples living openly together in the years immediately following the Stonewall Riots. In the early 80s, while working at the West Hollywood gay sex club Basic Plumbing, Taylor met Al Parker, the legendary pornographic actor and director, who recruited Taylor to produce the soundtrack for a film he was working on. Parker’s partnership with Steve Scott running Surge Studios produced some of the most popular all-male films of the era. Spider’s music was a natural fit for Surge, and throughout 1985 and 1986, he composed the soundtracks for five films produced by the iconic studio. Assisted by engineer Steve Conrad and armed with a drum machine and some synths, Spider’s compositions for film veer from the expansive, reverb-drenched “Rainforest” to the Miami Vice-esque chugger “Tech.”

While Spider thought of this work as little more than a gig, tangential to his real craft, enthusiasts of VHS-era nostalgia and vintage erotica will be brought to bliss. Surge Studio Music will be available on both LP and CD, the latter of which includes a 20-minute version of “Strange Places…Strange Things!” as a bonus track. The album’s cover art was designed by Gwenael Rattke, and features stylish images from Surge Studios releases. Also included is an insert featuring liner notes by Will Lewis, a longtime friend of Spider. The music is released from Spider’s estate by Michael Ely, Spider’s partner of 43 years. The shadow of AIDS lingered over Surge; Steve Scott passed from AIDS-related illness in 1987, and Al Parker succumbed in 1992. In 2014, when it became legal for same-sex couples to marry in Arizona, Spider and Michael finally became wedded. Spider would pass away from liver cancer six months later.

Crate digger and music enthusiast James Endeacott compiles ‘Unlock Your Mind With Morning Glory’ for Two-Piers Records – A glorious heady mix of the weird and wonderful eclectic music from his radio show ‘Morning Glory’

“One weekday afternoon towards the end of 2017 I sat in The Lyric pub on Great Windmill Street, Soho with my dear friend Raf. I’d just finished another of my weekly Soho Radio shows and was starting to think about the next one. Raf had been on as a guest playing some of his favourite tunes of the day. We had a few drinks, told a few stories and started to plot and scheme. It was always a dream of mine to have a daily radio show. Radio had always informed and excited me from my early teens listening to John Peel under the blanket when I should’ve been either sleeping or revising right up to the present-day musical excursions of NTS, WFMU and numerous internet based stations.

We decided to speak to Adrian and Dan who ran Soho Radio to see if they’d be up for us doing a daily morning show. To our surprise they were into the idea and within 5 minutes Adrain came up with the name Morning Glory. We all liked it. We were all excited. It was all systems go. In December 2017 Raf and myself started a daily 2 hour show. We did the show together, got guests in and the musical policy was whatever we felt like that day. After several months Raf found the mornings too much. Off he went into the distance occasionally coming back with a smile, and a bag of new music. I carried on alone and then suddenly in March 2020 the world stopped, and we went into lockdown.

We set up in my house in Catford, Southeast London and carried on. The show became 3 hours a day and I started to invite friends, record labels, record shops, bands etc.. to supply me with hour long mixes that I played every day. The show took off during this time. My musical tastes expanded as I spent all day long searching for new sounds from around the globe. People started to send me more and more music. I became obsessed with the show. The audience started to take to social media and ask for certain tracks or artists to be played. I got listeners to make me mixes to play on the show and I did several phone interviews with musicians while playing some of their favourite tunes.

I was grateful that Soho Radio left me to my own devices. They never told me what to do or what to play – they trusted ma and I trusted my instincts.

The music on this compilation is not a ‘best of’ it’s just how I felt when I compiled it at the start of 2025. Apart from a couple of tracks they are all things I’ve come across since the show started in December 2017. If I did a list of tracks now I’m sure it would be completely different. Surely that’s the point. We never stick in one place. We are always moving and searching. Always trying to unlock our minds. Put it on. Take your time and let it take you somewhere” James Endeacott 2025

Cindytalk has remained a majestic proposition over the decades, one marked by a continued process of disintegration and regeneration. Change has been a constant for Cindytalk, as has been the presence of the Scottish musician Cinder, who has fronted the project since the early '80s. The first Cindytalk albums embraced a dark theatricality of post-punk dissonance and abject rock deconstruction that coupled industrial dirges with Cinder's beatific vocals, these same vocals that were once plied to the earliest This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins recordings,forever binding Cinder to the 4AD lore. But even on those albums, Camouflage Heart and In This World, Cinder was pushing the band to embrace the studio as a tool for further abstraction of sodden drones, cobwebbed dark elegance, and decayed textures.

By the early aughts, Cinder had reimagined Cindytalk through the granular processes of digitalia with a handful of equally celebrated works of glitch-born expressionism for Editions Mego. Cinder explains that "those elements were growing roots under our sound and had started to organically change the shape of what we were doing. The fucked-up rock music was in retreat and the electro-acoustic abstractions were becoming apparent. Fast forward to the early part of the 21st Century and my first laptop. It seemed natural where I needed to begin that part of my new sonic journey. To further explore those and new territories. Sunset and Forever is intrinsically connected to what came before."

Sunset and Forever is a labyrinthine opus, one that returns to the themes of the sacred and profane that have rippled through all of Cindytalk's recordings, albeit in various guises. The opening track "Embers of Last Leaves" is a haunted piece of undulated, cyclical tones that entwine into a sorrowful chorale with Cinder's own voice. Thumps of electronic drum kicks and bass drops dot the apocalyptic menace of "Tower of the Sun" but serve not as a rhythmic grid, but as painterly noises that further disrupt and disturb the machined dissonance. A cinematic radioluminescence blooms from the tempered electronics within "For Those Eyes, Shadows Of Flowers." The finale "I See Her in Everywhere" bookends the opening number with a seemingly human chorus build from electronic tones cast in cathedral reverence. Sounds throughout may appear adjacent to those of Fennesz, Holly Herndon, or even Lovesliescrushing from time to time, but Sunset and Forever remains purely Cindytalk.

Cover designed by Chris Bigg, known for his iconic design work for 4AD. Mastered by James Plotkin.

Scott Pilgrim EX, the newest video game from the Scott Pilgrim franchise developed by Tribute Games, is out now with an all new original soundtrack from Anamanaguchi. The sprawling soundtrack, which accompanies a brand-new storyline co-written by series creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, perfectly connects the band's legendary electronic past with their fuzzed out garage rock present while maintaining their unmistakable punchy style. Known for resonant world building across past projects, the depth of emotion and the range of styles displayed on Scott Pilgrim EX are uniquely Anamanaguchi while delivering a host of melodically anthemic and new energetic hooks that are sure to pack a punch for both newcomers and old school fans of the band alike.

Anamanaguchi's collaborative relationship with the Scott Pilgrim universe goes back to the early days of the band. After cutting their teeth programming music with playable Nintendo cartridges and helping to bring a wider audience to a largely internet based 8-bit chiptune scene, the band was brought in to score the fan-favorite soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. The success of this game soundtrack would help them to launch an early crowdfunding success story with their campaign for their debut album, 2013's Endless Fantasy. From there the band would go on to collaborate with virtual pop star Hatsune Miku (resulting in the perpetually viral, Fortnite featured hit, “Miku”), and later develop the intricately soundscaped compositions displayed across their second album, USA, but throughout it all the connection between the band and the Scott Pilgrim universe would remain a pivotal source of inspiration.

After being brought in to score the animated Netflix series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, in 2023, band members Peter Berkman and Luke Silas would credit the live kinetic energy they channeled when writing songs for the in-universe garage band Sex Bob-Omb with helping them get back in touch with the roots of how they learned to play music even before Anamanaguchi's earliest releases.  This process would eventually lead to Peter and Luke alongside the remaining two band members — Ary Warnaar and James DeVito — flipping their typically meticulous digital writing process for the more collaborative, straight to tape, distorted angst that can be found on 2025's Anyway, marking another significant evolutionary turn for the band to come out of their relationship with Scott Pilgrim.  

Now fresh off the heels of a nationwide tour in support of Anyway, Anamanaguchi have returned to the 8-bit beat em up world of Scott Pilgrim with a relentlessly high energy and genre defying original soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim EX.  A return to form that comes with a depth of knowledge and innovative skills that have allowed the band to continue to evolve and grow alongside the characters in the Scott Pilgrim universe and the multi-generational fanbase that continues to follow along with them.

The new soundtrack for the latest installment in the Scott Pilgrim franchise, Scott Pilgrim EX

In early 2025 Oakland-based Jerod S. Rivera released his second full length Dot-Dash, featuring a collaboration with CST co-founder Cat Lauigan and Jonathan James Carr. From the beginning we were mesmerized with the result, a perfect melding of Cat's processed spoken-word and Jerod's Buchla experimentations.

The thought of remixes presented immediately, the material extra ripe for interpolation. Enlisting friends from geographically and sonically disparate locations to present an ideal remix 12". Something for everyone, something for every setting, a tool with multiple functions...

The mysterious dub/techno/leftfield mastermind behind False Aralia dives further into territory explored on iri.gram, uptempo and dancefloor-ready in a more maximal Perlon-ish way while still embracing a half-time dub feel. Philipp Otterbach (Music from Memory, Offen, RIO) goes deeper into the guitar zone he’s been exploring, channeling Earth 2, Boris, and the like for some heavy drone. Oakland duo DJ ML and Wonja adopt their Motoko & Myers moniker (Future Times, Soda Gong), zeroing in on some choice vocal snippets that mesh perfectly with a live drum break and bassline for a Seefeel-esque version that could have come from a 90’s UK studio. Finally, Slowfoam embraces the more experimental elements of the original with a remix that starts sparse and minimal but builds into a glitchy rhythmic climax.

The 12” includes a 2-sided riso insert and a download code with access to an additional remix by close collaborator Jon Carr that twists the vocals into a throbbing industrial caucaphony.

Cat Power marks 20 years since her Memphis-shaped 2006 album The Greatest with 'Redux', a three-track EP cut in Austin with Stuart Sikes and the Dirty Delta Blues band, the same crew who toured that record. Marshall salvages material linked to The Greatest's early sessions, opening with a fresh take on James Brown's 'Try Me', attempted during the original run but never finalised. She then revisits her own 'Could We' in the looser, road-worn arrangement aired on tour. The flip holds her reading of Prince's 'Nothing Compares 2 U', recorded as a nod to Teenie Hodges, the Memphis guitarist whose playing underpinned The Greatest and whose influence threaded her writing.

On “Cold Sweat,” James Brown famously called to “give the drummer some.” In 1974, Philadelphia vibraphonist Khan Jamal called to Give the Vibes Some, with superb results. Pianist and composer Jef Gilson’s PALM label gave Jamal the platform he needed to deliver a thorough exploration of contemporary vibraphone. After launching PALM in 1973, Gilson quickly demonstrated that he would only produce records not found anywhere else. Give the Vibes Some, PALM number 10, was another confirmation of this guiding principle.

Raised and based in Philadelphia, Khan Jamal took up the vibes in 1968, after two years in the army during which he was stationed in France and Germany. Decisively drawn to the instrument by the work of the Modern Jazz Quartet’s Milt Jackson, Jamal studied under Philadelphia vibraphone legend Bill Lewis and soon made his debuts in the local underground.

Early in 1972, Jamal made his first recording, with the Sounds of Liberation. The band attempted an original fusion of conga-heavy grooves with avant-garde jazz soloing. Saxophonist Byard Lancaster, an important figure in Jamal’s development, contributed much of the solo work. Later in 1972, Jamal made his leader debut with Drum Dance to the Motherland, a reverb-drenched, never-to-be-replicated experiment with live sound processing. Both albums appeared on the tiny musician-run Dogtown label.

“We couldn’t get no play from nowhere. No gigs or recording sessions or anything. So I took off for Paris,” Jamal recalled in a Cadence interview with Ken Weiss. “Within a few weeks, I had a few articles and I did a record date. It didn’t make me feel good about America.” That was in 1974, while Byard Lancaster was recording the music gathered on Souffle Continu’s recent The Complete PALM Recordings, 1973-1974.

Jamal’s record date delivered Give the Vibes Some. At its core, it was an exploratory solo vibraphone album, even if two tracks added (through technological resourcefulness?) a très célèbre French drummer very much into Elvin Jones appearing under pseudonym for contractual reasons. Another track, for which Jamal switched to the vibes’s wooden ancestor, the marimba, added young Texan trumpeter Clint Jackson III. The most notable article published on Jamal during this stay in France was a Jazz Magazine interview. Jamal’s last word there were “The Creator has a master plan/drum dance to the motherland.” “Give the vibes some” could be added to this programmatic statement.

When people think of Yacht Rock-those smooth, sun-drenched sounds that once drifted from Californian radio stations in the late '70s and early '80s-they rarely imagine it echoing through rehearsal rooms in Hamburg or Linz. Yet even far from the Pacific coastline, the appeal of shimmering chords, laid-back grooves, and polished production found fertile ground.
This compilation gathers rare and overlooked tracks from Germany and Austria. These artists embraced West Coast aesthetics with sincerity and subtle twists, resulting in music that feels both familiar and refreshingly new-smooth sounds for cloudy skies. So drop anchor, pour something cool, and enjoy this unexpected cruise through the lesser-charted waters of Euro Yacht Rock.

Our journey begins in Austria, where Reflection's Because (1981) set the tone with blue-eyed soul and analogue warmth-a sunlit blend of Doobie Brothers polish and local charm. Its creator, Dieter Heyduk, reappears with Austrian Sky, a heartfelt nod to his homeland that fuses mountain calm with oceanic longing.
From the North Sea island of Föhr, Ara Pacis dreamed of California on their 1979 self-release To the Westcoast. Inspired by Steely Dan and Lake, they turned German rock precision into breezy, melodic sophistication. Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, Mainpoint fused funk and jazz-rock on Frisbee, their 1980 single bursting with rhythmic drive and optimism before the tide of the Neue Deutsche Welle swept such grooves aside.
Bremerhaven's Nuages offered the compilation's only instrumental gem, Strange Weekend (1985)-a gentle blend of jazz-funk and rock and largely lost to time. Its cool restraint captures the European interpretation of Californian ease.
Around the same period, British traveler Gavin James recorded River of Laughter in southern Germany, backed by the blues-rock band Black Cat Bone. His acoustic reflections on water and flow mirrored the soft, meditative pulse at Yacht Rock's core.
Berlin's Top Spin kept things playful with Bikin (1985), a funk-fusion snapshot of urban joy that showcased the city's finest session players. From the Ruhr area, the Jan Pack Band is up next. While not a typical Yacht Rock track, Cable Dance is driven by an effortless, groovy '80s vibe.
Peter Seiler's Goldfinger project reimagined Walkin' in the Sand as a relaxed reggae-tinged track, while Munich's Major Seven closed the voyage with Silverboat, a wistful soft rock ballad gliding between melancholy and light.

Across these hidden harbors of German and Austrian pop, the West Coast dream took on new forms-reflected in rivers, skies, and studio lights half a world away from L.A. Under and Above the Clouds celebrates that spirit: the enduring pull of smooth music, wherever it's made.

Dark Entries release 'A Boy Alone', a double LP set from Manchester electronic music pioneer Eric Random. Best known for his early recordings for New Hormones and Les Disques du Crépuscule and collaborations with Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks), Cabaret Voltaire and Nico.

As an original member of The Tiller Boys with Shelley, Random injected a healthy dose of Krautrock into the dour Manchester post-punk scene in 1978/79 before going solo the following year. Random's first 7' 'Subliminal'/'23 Skidoo' was released in 1981 via Les Disques du Crépuscule and explored ominous sonic surrounds. That same year also saw the release of a second 7" single on New Hormones, 'Dow Chemical Company'/ 'Skin Deep'. Both tracks offered bubbling, rhythmic sound patterns, and were the first to feature other musicians that would become know as The Bedlamites. Consisting of Lynn Walton on vocals, Ian Runacres and Andy Diagram of Dislocation Dance, and bassist Wayne Worm, aka Wayne Sedgeman. Their debut 12' single 'Subliminal Seduction'/'Bedlam-a-Go-Go' was released in 1982 through Plurex, mixing arid funk textures and sparse melodies. That same year the group contributed proto chill-out track '6.55' to Plurex compilation 'Hours' and the highly filmic track 'In Cassette Conference' to the Touch cassette package 'Feature Mist'. In 1983, Random spent several months in the Himalayas with a group of musicians from the Kulu Valley and studied non-Western instruments such as tabla. On returning to Manchester, Random convened a new group of Belamites including Walton, Sedgeman and drummer Graham Dowdall aka Dids of Ludus. They released the 12' single 'Mad As Mankind'/'Dream Web Of Maya' in 1984 on Cabaret Voltaire's Doublevision, embracing electronic, industrial and dub styles. In 1985 they contributed the soothing 'Pure Power' to Food Records' 'Imminent Episode One' compilation.

Our reissue also includes 4 unreleased bonus tracks from Eric's archives recorded between 1981-1984. The whole set adds up to 115 minutes of sinister, somnambulant Random music. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Each copy is housed in a gatefold jacket designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a spread of ephemera, photos with liner notes by James Nice of LTM.

2025 Repress

“In stark contrast to the stress-makingly staccato assault of your average 'ardcore rave, Telepathic Fish was a wombeldelic sound-and-light bath"

Simon Reynolds (Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music And Dance Culture)

The first-ever illustrated compendium recounting the seminal underground South London ambient party that surfaced at the axis through which the likes of Ninja Tune, Warp and Rising High flowed. Telepathic Fish shared fertile waters with Megatripolis and The Big Chill, moving the early 90s London back room chill-out space into the kaleidoscopic spotlight.

Documenting the sights and sounds of South London’s seminal Telepathic Fish ambient parties. Hosted by Chantal Passamonte (aka Mira Calix - RIP), David Vallade, Mario Aguera and Kevin Foakes (aka DJ Food) - collectively named Openmind. With the help of Mixmaster Morris (The Irresistible Force) and Matt Black (Coldcut), they put on some of the earliest chill out events in London.

Rooted deep in the heart of the electronic underground they started DJing and decorating house parties or squats with mind-blowing installations and wholly idiosyncratic design, hosting the likes of Aphex Twin, Andrea Parker and Tony Morley (The Leaf Label). Within a year they were playing VIP after shows for the likes of Orbital and illegal New Year’s gatherings at the disused Roundhouse whilst guesting on Coldcut’s Solid Steel radio show on London’s KISS FM.

Whilst collaborations with legendary club nights such as Megatripolis saw them share bills with Autechre, Higher Intelligence Agency, Scanner and Global Communication, they also created their own ambient fanzine - Mindfood – to document the scene evolving around them. A 20-page history of their parties is included in the release, richly illustrated with personal photos, artwork and memorabilia from their adventures between 1992-95. The gatefold sleeve also features their Telepathic Fish logo, mirroring an original T-shirt design they sold in Ambient Soho, a record shop three of the four worked in at different times.

The selections featured here are all personal favourites that were played at the Telepathic Fish parties during the 90s. Picked and arranged by Mario, David and Kevin who combed their collections for key pieces they associate with the time and Chantal’s music tastes. Over a hundred tracks were selected, totalling nearly 11 hours of playing time, before being whittled down to the essentials by the trio, forming a snapshot of their world back in the day.

KEY POINTS:

* Features long deleted and hard to find tracks by Caustic Window (Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin), Tranquility Bass, Spacetime Continuum and Global Communication (Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton).

• Pressed on DJ friendly double black vinyl

• Includes A 20-page history of their parties is included in the release, richly illustrated with unseen personal photos, artwork and memorabilia from the Telepathic Fish crew’s adventures between 1992-95, as well as detailed liner notes courtesy of founding members Mario Ageura and Kevin Foakes.

• Cover includes horizontal obi sticker with quote from Simon Reynolds' book Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music And Dance Culture, describing the Telepathic Fish parties' place in the dance music landscape.

• Lacquer cut by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering

Aphex Twin’s ‘Xylem Tube’ EP arrived in the summer of 1992 on R&S Records, coming hot off the heels of his landmark ‘Digeridoo’ release, and an audacious follow up from the then 21-year-old Richard D. James. Out of print for nearly two decades, this long-awaited vinyl reissue restores one of the pivotal early works in his catalogue.

Where ‘Digeridoo’ pushed the endurance of the rave floor to its limits, the ‘Xylem Tube’ EP stretched the Aphex Twin sound into new dimensions with ‘Polynomial-C’ becoming an enduring classic with its spiralling arpeggios, shattering breakbeats and alien melodics. Tracks like ‘Phlange Phace’ and ‘Tamphex (Hedphuq Mix)’ pushed distortion, humour and rhythm into uncharted territory, while ‘Dodeccaheedron’ acts as a bold signifier of James’ radical ideas of how dance music can sound, with its ominous and brooding synth work over a cacophony of eerie, broken beats.

Three decades later, the EP stands not only as a key chapter in the Aphex canon, but also as a statement of intent from an artist set on reshaping electronic music’s DNA. Now faithfully reissued on vinyl for the first time since a 2006 pressing, this edition returns one of the most in-demand Aphex R&S titles to circulation after nearly twenty years out of print.

Next up on Mesh is Throwing Snow’s ‘Jackals’, a five-track EP drawing on echoes of UK subcultures.
Written in Ireland late last year with the London 2010s in mind, ‘Jackals’ is Throwing Snow’s love letter to his time spent there, tapping into a detailed web of sounds and styles through a personal lens, but skillfully produced to resonate with many. Locating memories in a transient city that is constantly reconfiguring itself, each track is an attempt at honouring fragments of recent, but seemingly distant, musical history. Taking us from DMZ at Brixton Mass to FWD at Plastic People, or Future Garage Fridays in Soho (IYKYK) to early days of NTS, the EP captures some of the fleeting moments that continue to play a significant part in the city’s sonic patchwork.

Production-wise, all the tracks share the same sounds twisted in different directions. The hats are vocoded with noise and random LFOs, and much like the chaos of London, every bounce has a unique pattern.

Opening track ‘Jackals’ walks the line between dub and UK bass, quickly overtaken by a wonky synth lead that spirals eternally upwards. ‘Ohnein’ jumps in with a massive pad swirling above a half-time step. In Throwing Snow’s own words, ‘I had to check with Martyn whether I'd ripped him off, turns out I hadn't, but it's a heavy head nod crossed with Un Vingt from my first 12"’. ‘A Cloud Mountain’ - a nod to the timeless James Holden remix of Nathan Fake’s ‘The Sky Was Pink’, leans into a maximalist progression of deep chords and fractured synths. ‘Forged’ steps into a weightier space with sparse drums driven forward by a deep cut of bass and twitchy echoes. Rounding things off, ‘Path Dependency’ speeds things up with touches of DnB in the drums, distant echoes in the forefront and the occasional sub wobble holding things together.

Exit were a five-piece ensemble of journeymen musicians from the lone star state of Texas who came together in the early 1980’s to record a handful of popular local 45’s including two Football-mania songs. The groups line-up consisted of lead guitarist and vocalist Clennis High, rhythm guitarist Lonnie Jones, his brother Johnny K. Jones the groups keyboardist, bassist Frank Houston Jr and George Oliver on Drums.

Clennis High, a promising Football player with a flair for playing the guitar began his early musical career while attending Wheatley High school. Aged 17, Clennis played on several Crazy Cajun, Huey P Meaux’s recording sessions for Eugene Gamble and Barbara Lynn. Further recording sessions on Roy Head followed before he accepted an invitation by his neighborhood friend Willie Parnell to play alongside a group of fellow students in a band called ‘The Drells’. ‘The Drells’ had been founded by Archie Bell in 1966 pulling together neighborhood friends James Wise, base singer Cornelius Fuller, Billy Butler, Willie Parnell joined later by Archie’s brother Lee Bell. Clennis would play with ‘Archie & The Drells’ through their time on Skipper Lee Frazier’s Ovide label often accompanied by the ‘Texas Southern University Toronadoes’ where they scored a hit with the dance instruction song “Tighten Up” which on the strength of Atlantic Records picked the group up. Clennis played on all 3 of the Drells studio albums “Tighten Up”, “I Can’t Stop Dancing” and There’s Gonna Be A Showdown” under Gamble and Huff’s tutelage before quitting to return home to complete his degree. He continued to play with several local Houston bands including the Cold Four who recorded the sort after “Love And Care/Low Riden” (Drells).

Clennis later formed ‘The Reality Band’ with his friend Jerald Grey which introduced him to George Oliver and Frank Houston Jr. Occasionally ‘The Reality Band’ played with other groups, one group in particular (which Jerald previously knew) being an outfit from Conroe, Texas called the ’58 Engineers.

‘The 58 Engineers’ were founded by Johnny and Lonnie Jones, taking their name from the Army unit Johnny served with during his time in the service. By 1973 having grown to 8 members the group entered the studio to record the highly collectable and popular funk outing “The Funky Fly (Part1 & 2)” on their own Bryant Records label (Bryant being the Jones brother’s mother’s maiden name).

As members of the ‘58 Engineers’ moved on, the Jones brothers found themselves working more and more with the ‘Reality Band’ so when Jerald Grey too later moved on the remaining ‘Reality Band’ members Clennis, George and Frank having grown fond of the two “Country Brothers from Conroe” as they affectionally called the Jones’s made the decision to continue working with them, which led to the foundation of the group, Exit.

During 1980 the recently formed Exit recorded the first of their two Football -mania songs but it is from the groups 1981 release “Success/One More Hour” (Dat-Tex 105) that Soul Junction have taken the splendid ballad “One More Hour” to pair with the flipside of the groups third release “The Little Green Monster” (Dal-Tex 106) which is now highly regarded and sort after by sweet soul/lowrider connoisseurs alike. Both of these songs have been put back-to-back to feature on Soul Junction’s forthcoming September 45 release.

The album that launched a thousand heavy-hearted singer-songwriters on their not-so-merry way, Sweet Baby James was arguably the first shot in what became the soft revolution of the early '70s. Taylor struck commercial gold with Sweet Baby James by augmenting his acoustic guitar and soothing vocals with laid-back accompaniment and penning a slew of songs that drew upon folk, soul, and rock influences. Musically mellow and lyrically restive, it put Taylor in the Top 10 and set the tone for a popular school of '70s sound.

SUPREME STRIKER returns with its second release following the breakthrough success of Quasar — Ritmo Love, widely supported on dancefloors and notably played by James Zabiela, igniting crowds and confirming the label’s direction: uncompromising underground music built on culture, not trends.

The new chapter comes from Italian producer John De La Noise, delivering a powerful and deeply authentic EP entirely co-produced by Michele Lamacchia, the mind behind Rhythm Of Paradise (ROP), Love Island, 34th Floor Experience, Nu-Cleo, Qubrique, Soulvibe Inc. and many other essential projects tied to the extended SKYLAX universe. A true architect of sound, Lamacchia brings his unmistakable analog finesse and musical intelligence into every detail of this record. From the opening track, A1 — Just With U (Special Skylax Edit) sets the tone with a refined filtered house approach — balancing French touch heritage with modern underground precision. Warmth, control, and elegance without excess. A2 — Tributo Al Maestro operates as a direct transmission — a respectful and elevated nod to the legacy of Soichi Terada and Larry Levan, where rhythm becomes language and space becomes emotion. A3 — 1986 (Special Skylax Edit) pushes deeper into the source code — merging old school Italo disco, proto-Chicago house and early European electronics. With strong melodic identity and raw analog textures, the track echoes the spirit of Klein & MBO while feeling immediate and alive.

On the B side, the journey expands with Piacere D’Estate, a fluid and luminous house track built for open air systems and extended sets, followed by Città Di Frontiera, where darker tones and hypnotic structures meet urban tension. Vecchio Ritmo Italiano closes the record as a statement — rhythm as memory, rhythm as identity, reprojected forward. Across the entire EP, the production carries the aura of early ‘90s Italian and New York house — not as a reference, but as a living system. Every element is intentional. Every frequency serves a purpose. SUPREME STRIKER continues to define its path: records made for the dancefloor, for DJs, for those who understand that music is not content, but structure.

It was the 90s. Paris had the blues, French rap was beginning its slow rise, and a new musical genre was emerging: Acid Jazz. Imported from England by DJ Gilles Peterson, this groovy style blended 70s funk with a certain idea of jazz tailored for the dancefloor. Its heroes were Galliano, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, and the James Taylor Quartet. Jamiroquai topped the charts, MC Solaar recorded with Urban Species, and suddenly, France was swept up in the swing whirlwind. Starting in 1993, Parisian clubs embraced this union of jazz and groove, and in 1994, a compilation was released: Paris Groove Up. Around ten groups delivered the French version of this British style: Mellowman, Mad In Paris, Vercoquin, Ready Made... and Dis Bonjour À La Dame. The band wasn’t new—their roots went back to the late 80s, when bassist Marc Israël brought together a brass section and some seasoned musicians. But the real beginning of DBALD came in 1992 with the arrival of singer Sital. "Christophe Denis joined on guitar and songwriting. In 1993, we opened for Jamiroquai and Maceo Parker, and that’s when the major labels interested in the acid jazz market started noticing us," recalls Marc. Their track Chris’tal, the centerpiece of the compilation, was released as a single, and Dis Bonjour À La Dame's album began production in late 1994 in London, at Roundhouse Studio. “We must’ve been among the last sessions there—it was demolished shortly after. It was a very 70s studio, with old gear, a Fender Rhodes, everything was vintage! We recorded for a month, all playing together live, then added the brass and finally Sital’s vocals. We were lucky to have two exceptional backing singers, Sarah Brown and Mark Anthoni, who worked with Incognito and Urban Species.” The self-titled album came out in early 1995, and it had all the ingredients of a hidden funky gem from the 90s: Hey Mama with its ironclad groove, the irresistible instrumental Sheherazade Groove opening the record, Soul Body with its R\&B sensuality... The hip-hop touch came courtesy of Lee Rick’s, the MC from Mellowman, who laid down rhymes on Hall Blues. The brass section was on fire, the bass went wild, and Sital added a sensual spark to the whole thing. In short, a solid album produced by Fred Versailles (producer of NTM’s first album) and mixed by Paul Borg (Urban Species, UFO, -M-, Mory Kanté), a testament to a time when big funky bands made Paris groove—with Dis Bonjour À La Dame leading the charge. Nearly thirty years later, it’s time to (re)discover DBALD.

Drummer and Composer David Lee Jr.’s stunning and rare album Evolution (1974) blends the deep experimentalism of John Coltrane and Sun Ra with the pulsating second-line and parade rhythms of New Orleans to create a stunning sonic and rhythmical tour de force. In a lineage of incredible New Orleans drummers that includes James Black, Idris Muhammed, Zigaboo Modeliste of The Meters, and stretching back to Earl Palmer and Baby Dodds, David Lee Jr. stands out for his fire, experimentalism and an out-there-ness like no other. 'Evolution' is a super deep, ‘lost classic’ radical and groundbreaking deep spiritual jazz album. Originally released in New York in 1974 (400 copies only ever pressed!), ‘Evolution’ is an extraordinary one-off solo album, pressed on the artist’s own Supernal Records, a record company whose slogan ‘seeking creative progress’ and dedication ‘to peace and freedom’ clearly displayed artistic intent over any commercial or market-led forces. David Lee Jr was born in New Orleans and the deep experimental drum-compositions featured on ‘Evolution’ are as rooted in this southern city rhythmically as they are in the spiritual and metaphysical musical ideas of Afro-Futurist pioneers like Coltrane, Sun Ra and others. In the early 1970s Lee Jr. headed off to New York, playing in Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity and later immersing himself in the thriving loft deep jazz scene playing with Leon Thomas, Lonnie Liston Smith, Harold Alexander, Charles Rouse, and recording for a host of seminal deep jazz labels including Strata-East, India Navigation and Flying Dutchman. Today 'Evolution' remains one of the rarest and heaviest of all deep and spiritual jazz albums ever made. One-off super-limited edition magenta colour vinyl, newly digitally remastered, complete with new reproduction artwork, sleevenotes and download code.

2025 repress !

I walked away from the mirror.
It was morning, it was afternoon,
it was night.

Nothing changed,
it was locked in place.

I was born for this.
Shot like a flower in the dance.

***

Early support by: Blawan, Perc, Clouds, James Ruskin, Truss, Pfirter, Chris Liebing, Adam Beyer, Drumcell, He/aT, P.E.A.R.L., Slam, ROD, Lucy, AnD, Gary Beck, Paul Birken, Exium, Ansome, Sawf, Henning Baer, Dustin Zahn, Objekt, Adam X, Rebekah, Norman Nodge, Markus Suckut, Jonas Kopp, Marcel Dettmann, Takaaki Itoh,...