Search:emerge

Newly launched label Laughing Bee Music unveils vinyl and digital releases of Naked Raygun’s archival live performance from The Aadam Jacobs Collection. Documenting nearly forty years of the Chicago music scene, Associated Press recently said “The growing Aadam Jacobs Collection is an internet treasure trove for music lovers.” Naked Raygun's release This Place Used to Be a Strip Joint (releasing on both colored and black vinyl) features an incredible live performance recorded on November 2, 1985, including two soundcheck recordings and documenting the band at a pivotal moment as they emerged as one of the most influential bands in the Chicago punk scene.

Formed in New York City in 1993 around singer, guitarist and songwriter Chris Leo, the band emerged from the same fertile underground scene that gave rise to many of the most influential post-hardcore, indie rock and emo acts of the decade. Yet while many of their contemporaries went on to achieve wider recognition, The Van Pelt chose a different path: one built on artistic independence, restless experimentation and a stubborn refusal to fit comfortably into any scene or trend.
Across two landmark albums — Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves (1996) and Sultans Of Sentiment (1997) — The Van Pelt developed a singular language that combined intricate guitar interplay, spoken-word intensity, literary lyrics and emotional depth. Their music occupied a unique space between post-hardcore urgency, indie rock invention and the introspective sensibility that would later become associated with emo, influencing generations of musicians while remaining largely outside the spotlight.
After disbanding in 1997, the band's reputation continued to grow. What began as a well-kept secret among underground music fans gradually became a touchstone for listeners searching beyond the obvious narratives of 1990s alternative rock. Reunions in 2009 and 2014, the release of the long-lost Imaginary Third, and a series of acclaimed live performances introduced their music to a new audience while reaffirming their enduring relevance.
In 2023, The Van Pelt returned with Artisans & Merchants, their first collection of new material in more than twenty-five years. Rather than revisiting old formulas, the album expanded the band's sonic vocabulary while preserving the qualities that made them unique: curiosity, intelligence, vulnerability and an unwavering commitment to following their own instincts.
Now, more than three decades after their formation, The Van Pelt are set to return in 2026 with Remain Obscure, their fifth studio album. Continuing their tradition of defying expectations, the record pushes beyond the familiar boundaries of the band's sound while embracing the same spirit that has defined them from the beginning. A band whose influence has consistently exceeded its visibility, The Van Pelt remain one of independent music's most enduring and rewarding secrets.

Remastered limited edition double vinyl with double-sided screenprinted poster-cover (sleeve folds out to be one huge poster). A real collectors item!

When Off Off came out around June 1984, one couldn’t speak of an independent music scene in Portugal. Warm Records’ vague existence didn’t have any impact and Dansa do Som’s inaugural release appeared only in December. 10 years after the revolution, after two IMF interventions, a lot of political instability (not to say turmoil, in the first couple of years) and the natural excesses of a sudden burst of freedom, the Portuguese consumer had more choices but a generally poor standard of living. There was no entrepreneurial culture and serious second thoughts about investing private money in risky ventures.

After many complaints about the whole music scene (institutions, critics and record label executives, popular and classical music alike), something that would continue well beyond the end of the decade, Telectu decided to finance, record, produce, release and sell an album with complete independence from outside structures. Their karmic reward was profit. According to Vítor Rua, Off Off was the only album fully payed by the duo and the only one that really payed off. Not an easy accomplishment for a double LP housed in a large (also double-sided) screenprint with complicated cuts and folds. The artwork was conceived by António Palolo, a friend and multidisciplinary artist. It was based on a collage of heavily saturated and xeroxed polaroids framed in shocking pink and green. Palolo was considered the third member of Telectu, regularly producing slides, video and other visual support for their shows. The inspiration for the type of cover came from GRM’s Gramme series.

Off Off is divided in four distinct sides, each one corresponding to a “theme” or “function” related to Telectu’s manifold artistic interests and interactions. The titles are also gateways to influences and a small portion of Portuguese cultural life:

- Side 1 / “Diagonale” is dedicated to Egídio Álvaro, art critic and gallery director (he opened Diagonale in Paris). Performance art was arguably his main artistic concern over the years, so the music on this side is suggested for use by one or more performers in live or playback situations. The three tracks segue into each other, linked by a synth arpeggio much in the same way as Telectu’s previous “Belzebu” álbum (1983);

- Side 2 / “Anarké” is dedicated to the composer Filipe Pires, one of Jorge Lima Barreto’s recurring invocations when asked about worthwhile contemporary music in Portugal. It is subtitled “concert music”, proposing «a new form of listening». Three tracks also, and these are separated by “clap interludes”, which basically consisted in the following: JLB and VR each had a pair of headphones on, and they clapped their hands according to the rhythm of the music each one was listening. Both musicians were interacting with a different Steve Reich piece: Vítor with “Music for Mallet Instruments”, Jorge with “Six Pianos”. The result is disjointed clapping, an awkwardly deliberate celebration of their own music. Telectu applauded themselves.

- Side 3 / “Cornucópia” is subtitled “music for theatre” and dedicated to Luís Miguel Cintra and Luís Lima Barreto (JLB’s brother), both connected to the Cornucópia theatre company. The side consists of several short pieces previously used as interludes in the Cornucópia staging of “Mariana Espera Casamento” (1983). Field recordings, mood pieces, ambience and a numeric poem (“Soneto Soma 14x”, by E.M. de Melo e Castro) read by João Perry, a quite well-known stage actor. His voice is treated with a flanger effect;

- Side 4 / “Palolo” is “video music”. It’s a one-take mix recorded from cassette sources (Telectu studio experiences) and done live while watching António Palolo’s Om film (1978) projected on the living room wall. It’s a deep, immersive, quasi-mystical 20-minute piece perfectly suiting the meditative, abstract, fluid images created by Palolo by mixing paint and water inside a bathtub. One imagines the Cosmos, hardly suspecting the technique. The film is 90 minutes long, so the music on the LP is of course edited.

The six titles on sides 1 and 2 evoke demons, all of them with conflicting symbolism, since it varies from culture to culture, religion to religion. No explanation is given and Vítor Rua has no idea where this imagery comes from. During virtually the whole stretch of the 1980s, Jorge was the one in charge of titles and concepts, and Vítor didn’t bother too much even reading the liner notes :) In any case, when you synchronize the listening experience with the imagery, a powerful impression emerges, a feeling of being in the presence of these entities while placing yourself inside the sonic narrative.

Off Off is undoubtedly a seminal album in the history of electronic music, as much Heldon as Fripp & Eno, jazz and American minimalism, cosmic out-thereness, mantric miniatures. Telectu at the height of their powers, still very early on, delivering an album-manifesto advocating intermedia art and the fierce independence of Portuguese musicians «from the scum of capitalist music industry monopolies. It’s a path to follow, albeit one that requires enduring hardships and retaliation from music industry gangsters.» Despite a few journalists deemed «capable of being free», the media are «enslaved by the dominant and fascist imbecility of the speculators of light music.» Off Off is addressed to those journalists «and to an audience angry at the cultural misery imposed upon us ..., certain that this music will open new horizons of musical pleasure in the conception of Portuguese avant-garde music, and in the open consciousness of us all. OFF OFF repeats Freedom.»

Those two words are a direct lift from Alberto Arbasino’s 1968 book Off Off, the basis of which is a critical analysis of Theodor Adorno’s and Dwight MacDonald’s ideas concerning the stratification of culture in different levels (high, mid and low) and the pervasiveness of mass culture in the form of a culture industry. In very simplistic terms, and that is precisely the point that inspired Jorge, Arbasino argued that it was possible and desirable to effect a revolution from below, cultivating alternative circuits completely cut-off from what he termed the in-in reality. Telectu’s record was a deliberate demonstration that it could be done, displaying Freedom in the face of all the gatekeepers and other human obstacles.

From Berlin to Lagos: Jembaa Groove expand their sound on "Be A Lover"

Berlin-based outfit Jembaa Groove return with "Be A Lover", a four-track EP set for full release on 18 September via global soul imprint Agogo Records. Following two critically acclaimed albums and an intensive period of touring across Europe and the US — including a SXSW showcase and a widely acclaimed KEXP session — this latest release marks a new chapter in the band’s trajectory. Built around highlife rhythms and shaped by Afro-jazz and the more organic edges of Afrobeats, "Be A Lover" unfolds with a warm, languid and deeply soulful feel, capturing different strands of today’s multifaceted Afrofusion scene.

Here, the band strips back from a seven-piece ensemble to its two founding members, while at the same time opening outward into a deeply collaborative space. At its centre is a close creative partnership with celebrated Nigerian highlife revivalists The Cavemen., alongside contributions from London-based, Nigerian born soul artist Azekel, Lagos vocalist Tim Lyre, and Malian icon Fatoumata Diawara.

“This record has a different flavour,” says Owusu. “It’s really about collaboration — different feelings, different thoughts, different energies coming together.” While centred around the Lagos contemporary scene, the record is shaped by a wider diasporic network stretching across London, Lagos, Berlin and Amsterdam, cities producer and bass player Yannick Nolting describes as “the pillars where everything that is happening in today’s highlife and Afro-fusion scene.”

Formed in Berlin in 2020, Jembaa Groove began after a chance meeting between bassist, producer and composer Yannick Nolting and percussionist, vocalist and songwriter Eric Owusu. Drawing on their respective musical journeys — Nolting’s years working with Lusophone artists in Lisbon and Owusu’s deep roots in Ghana’s highlife tradition, including work with Pat Thomas and late highlife legend Ebo Taylor — the project quickly took shape: their debut album Susuma established a powerful, poly-rhythmic sound grounded in highlife, jazz and soul, while 2024’s "Ye Ankasa | We Ourselves" expanded that vision through collaborations with artists across Ghana and its diaspora, including UK based Ghanaian singer, rapper, percussionist, and arranger K.O.G and legendary Ghanaian highlife musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley.

The collaborative spirit continues on "Be A Lover", most of which grew out of a meeting with sibling duo The Cavemen. at Supersonic Jazz Festival in Amsterdam in 2023, leading to a sustained exchange of ideas between Berlin and Lagos. With two acclaimed albums behind them, The Cavemen. have emerged as central figures in both Lagos’ alternative music scene and the wider contemporary highlife revival, bringing the genre to a new generation through a stripped-back, melody-driven sound. “There was some kind of magnetism towards Lagos,” says Nolting; for Owusu, who is Ghanaian but spent much of his life in Nigeria, the connection runs even deeper. “I feel lucky to be able to bring different cultures together and make something really beautiful,” he says. A key part of that process was a close working exchange between Nolting and The Cavemen.’s Kingsley Okorie, who effectively stepped into a co-producing role on three out of four of the tracks.

The one exception is opener No Pain No Gain, which features Nigerian-born, East London-based Azekel, whose smooth, R&B-leaning vocal moves through a slow-burning arrangement of bright keys, gently rising horns and atmospheric synths, anchored by Owusu’s organic percussion.

The title track Be A Lover, featuring Afro-fusion Lagos artist Tim Lyre, distills the EP’s central message into its most immediate form. Backed by syncopated percussion and a gently smouldering arrangement, Lyre’s voice moves with a laid-back, melodic ease, delivering a simple refrain: “be a lover, not a fighter.” “It’s a very simple message,” says Nolting, “It’s about showing more love, on a personal level but also more broadly… just show love.” That same sense of warmth runs throughout the record, reflecting its core idea.

On Obi, The Cavemen. take centre stage, with Kingsley Okorie leading through melancholic, plaintive vocals rooted in classic highlife. In contrast, his brother Benjamin James punctuates the track with high-pitched vocal interjections, heightening the emotional tension against a backdrop of slow, restrained instrumentation.

Waka follows with a more melodic, hook-led refrain from Eric Owusu, whose loose, almost conversational delivery creates a striking contrast with Fatoumata Diawara’s unmistakably powerful, raspy vocal. The collaboration grew out of a chance meeting while Owusu was on tour, with ideas exchanged quickly and Diawara returning a finished vocal within days. “We are so proud to have her. It’s a privilege” says Owusu. "Be A Lover" is a record shaped by connections like these — between people, scenes, and cities. “It was partly intention, partly destiny,” says Nolting. “We met these people along the way, and somehow Lagos was meant to come into our path.”

Sarah de Scisciolo, known as the Brutalist Poet, presents a new project born from her collabora%on with
Alex Neri, long%me member of Planet Funk and a leading figure in the Italian electronic music scene.
Produced by Alex Neri and released on vinyl, the single emerges from the encounter between Sarah’s
poetry and performa%ve dimension and Neri’s electronic research. The project blends spoken word, vocals
and electronic music, transforming words into sound and crea%ng an original dialogue between
performance and club culture.

This collabora%on brings Sarah de Scisciolo’s poe%c language into the world of electronic music and vinyl,
shaping a release conceived for both audiences and professionals within the contemporary music scene.
PRODUCED BY ALEX NERI AND MANNIE FOR TENAX RECORDINGS

The follow up to her UK number 1 album This Is How Tomorrow Moves, the stark and striking fourth album by beabadoobee is named for the electricity towers that dot every major artery in the world—the strong, spindly structures that reminded Beatrice Laus of her connection to friends and family at home while she was staring down extreme disconnection and isolation on tour over the past few years.

The title can also be read as an allusion to Laus’ spiky, forceful new sound—the waves of distortion that crash and shatter across this record’s 14 songs mirroring the intense crackle you hear when walking under power lines. The pylon is also a fitting symbol for an album that reckons with the repetitive anxieties of your mid-twenties: What if I’m always going to be this way? What if life is just pylon after pylon on the road?

The album’s first single is available to stream and buy from today: “Sun Has Set” introduces Pylon as, in essence, a set of songs that began as diary entries, words that Laus thought she’d never be able to say out loud. “A lot of the songs on this record are things I wish I could have said to someone,” she says. “This song has this petty tunnel vision—it’s like, I hate you. You’re gonna stay here and listen to how much I hate you. Because I never got to say that.” The single comes accompanied by a striking first person video directed by Bea’s partner and longtime visual collaborator Jake Erland.


Ever a devotee of pure rock music—both as something to be cherished and something to be played with—Laus casts these feelings in songs that touch on classic grunge, midwest emo and ‘90s radio rock, zeroing in on a sound that is both harsher and more direct than any of her previous records. She says the music she’s loved has “always been an influence” on her music, and so for B4 she went straight to the source. A fair few of Beabadoobee’s composite influences contributed to Pylon, a fact that speaks to the goodwill and respect Laus has amassed over the course of her relatively brief career.

Hayley Williams sings on “Nothing to Prove,” a deeply anthemic indie-rock song about getting your power back from fairweather friends who just want a bit of your success. The moody “Powerlines” features a verse from Turnstile singer Brendan Yates, a master of matching vocal force with emotional nuance. Elsewhere, you’ll find contributions from Pinegrove’s Evan Stephens Hall, Deftones’ Chino Moreno, and Title Fight’s Shane Moran, as well as, on “Write Me A Letter”, production work from Laus’ longtime friends and collaborators Matty Healy and George Daniel of The 1975.

Beabadoobee will debut songs from the record on the Powerlines Tour, her first ever arena shows and biggest tour to date, taking in shows across North America, the UK and Europe this autumn-winter. The Powerlines Tour kicks off 1 October and includes stops at Madison Square Garden, The Kia Forum, The O2 and more (full routing below). Support comes from Wisp in the US, Canada and UK and Violet Grohl in France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.





Born in the Philippines and raised in London, Beatrice Laus emerged as a British alternative music icon across three acclaimed albums and five EPs. She has garnered multiple BRIT Award and BBC Sound Of nominations, and won NME’s Radar award, whilst amassing over 10 billion streams worldwide and more than 12 million followers across her social channels.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves became her first record to reach number 1 on the UK Official Album Chart in 2024, following her Top 10 albums Fake It Flowers (which reached number 8) in 2020 and 2022’s Beatopia (#4). Earlier this year, beabadoobee released the one-off single ‘‘All I Did Was Dream Of You,” teaming up with Grammy-nominated best New Artist The Marías, the result of a longtime mutual creative admiration between María Zardoya and Bea.

With “La Fiesta Seria y Nuevas Formas de Tecnaco”, the fourth chapter in the ESTADO DE BIENESTAR series, the project continues to delve deeper into a singular sonic territory, situated at the fringes of experimental electronics and free from any aesthetic constraints, moving unapologetically between tribal dub, primitive electro, hypnotic ambient and even classical piano structures, articulating a musical discourse that is as disconcerting as it is coherent.

Most of this work emerges from the use of CV sequences which, with their distinctive human groove, trigger iconic synthesizers from different generations, giving rise to a new radical exploration of proto-electronics as an open and constantly evolving language.

Recorded almost entirely in analog, the album preserves a lo-fi aesthetic that has become one of the project’s defining characteristics.

Previously described by various international specialist media outlets as “a new genre because of its unclassifiable nature”, ESTADO DE BIENESTAR continues to develop a language of its own: one that follows no one and, in its own way, follows everyone. A sonic territory that, at Oráculo, we have chosen to call Transelectronica.

London based duo Curbside Lambsear have announced their debut EP Put Rings On All My Fingers To Weigh Down My Hands out 11 September via Scenic Route. The duo comprised of Magdalena McLean and Annabelle Mödlinger have also shared new song ‘No Ordinary Word’.

Mödlinger and McLean met performing in The Umlauts and McLean is also a member of caroline. Curbside Lambsear is their outlet to explore rough textures and soft intentions, a space that combines the meticulous and the improvised. The announcement follows their debut single ‘Man The Door’ and was first revealed in their interview with The Quietus.

Curbside Lambsear say, “This EP came from experimentation and is composed of all the sounds we felt drawn towards while making music together, all the noise and melodies we came to be in agreement about, all that emerged while testing and probing what felt right. Some of it was found, some of it was built, some of it happened by accident while cycling down a narrow lane. Like the hands in the EP title, extremely adorned, weighing down on the keys of a keyboard, these songs are precious to us and needed to be spurred on by the mutual curiosity of what could be done if we started trying. We had a lot of fun making these songs and we hope you enjoy them.”

Recorded in Los Angeles over the course of a single day at a studio in the Eagle Rock neighborhood, Dois Desertos was produced by Mario Caldato Jr. and emerged without a predetermined plan or schedule. The project took shape during Portuguese musician João Pimenta Gomes' stay in Los Angeles with his family. During that time, through Rodrigo Amarante, João met Mario and Samantha Caldato, as well as musicians Abe Rounds (drums and percussion) and Gabe Noel (bass and cello). From those encounters, the album began to unfold organically.

Working from simple scores—some containing little more than chord progressions—the sessions left plenty of room for improvisation. Every performance was captured live, in a single take, with no overdubs. The mixing process, also carried out live by Mario Caldato Jr., followed the same philosophy: effects and level adjustments were performed in real time and printed directly to the final two-track master.

At the heart of the album's sound is the Cristal Baschet, a rare instrument played by rubbing glass rods with the hands, causing metal resonators to vibrate and produce an ethereal, resonant tone. João describes its sound as "a trace, almost like a shadow." Rather than taking the lead, the instrument serves as a textural foundation, while the bass and cello carry the melodic lines. Some of these melodies are original compositions, while others draw from traditional Portuguese fado, reimagined through an open and exploratory approach.

The album has a dreamlike atmosphere, reflecting the perspective of someone experiencing Los Angeles from the outside—not in a rush to belong, but fully receptive to the city's unique energy. Two films helped shape this imaginary landscape: Model Shop (Jacques Demy, 1969), in which the French filmmaker uses Los Angeles as a pretext to simply observe and inhabit the city, and Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself. The result is Dois Desertos, an album that, in João's own words, "could never have been made anywhere else."

With Dois Desertos, João Pimenta Gomes invites listeners into a deeply immersive experience, revealing a more exploratory side of his artistic practice while reinforcing Amor in Sound's commitment to releasing original works that engage with the many languages of contemporary music.

Sekouba Bambino’s ‘Sebema’ first time on vinyl (previously CD / cassette only) with edit treatment from frequent collaborators Pete Blaker & Dionisos on the A-side and the original on the flip.

Originally released in 2004 by the Guinean multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, this cut was taken from his Ambiance Ballon album. Real name Sékouba Diabaté, he was previously a member of Bembeya Jazz National, who are regarded as one of the most significant jazz groups to emerge from Guinea as well as joining Africando All Stars in the late 90’s. Bambino went on to pursue a solo career and released projects throughout the early 2000’s on Syllart Productions.

The edit by Pete Blaker and Dionisos overdubs sound effects, additional percussion and guitar licks to build tension throughout the track and emphasises that hypnotic chorus.

The acclaimed compilation series returns with volume 4! Fourteen tracks showcasing the most exciting emerging voices in Belgian jazz, ready to claim a permanent spot on your turntable.

The latest instalment in the celebrated compilation series once again shines a spotlight on the most adventurous and forward-thinking artists emerging from Belgium's jazz scene. Curated by Belgian tastemaker, DJ and broadcaster Lefto Early Bird, the collection continues a tradition of uncovering hidden gems and introducing them to a wider audience of dedicated diggers.

Over the years, the Jazz Cats series has become a trusted barometer of Belgium's ever-evolving jazz landscape. Long before many artists gained international recognition, they first appeared on these compilations, making the series both a discovery platform and a snapshot of one of Europe's most exciting musical ecosystems.

Jazz Cats Volume 4 captures a scene bursting with creativity, diversity and ambition. Across fourteen carefully selected tracks, the compilation explores the many directions contemporary Belgian jazz is taking today. Jazz, hip-hop, electronic music, afrobeat, spiritual jazz and experimental sounds coexist effortlessly throughout the collection.

The opening stretch of the compilation, led by Brussels-based Irreversible Entanglements band member Aquiles Navarro, Ola Tunji and HelenaCasella, offers an early glimpse into a scene that rarely stands still. Their music moves freely between traditions and contemporary influences, reflecting less concern with preserving genres than expanding them. Artists such as Lupo Spaccaro and Kunde, joined here by the raw soul voice of Fred Gata, draw inspiration from hip-hop and contemporary beat culture, yet neither approaches these influences in a conventional way. Instead, they reveal how naturally these sounds have become part of the vocabulary of a new generation of jazz musicians.

Experimentation emerges as another defining thread. KVR and BREAD FOR PIGEONS embrace unpredictability through unexpected textures, shifting atmospheres and confident compositional choices, creating music that constantly challenges expectations. Elsewhere, artists like Gaiko and VLIEGWERK favor immersive soundscapes that reward repeated listening. Whether there's a connection between musical adventurousness and a preference for capital letters remains a question for future research.

At the heart of the compilation lies a strong sense of movement and groove. Ragini Trio and Foutloos approach that rhythm from different angles, yet both build their music around powerful, pulsating foundations. Their tracks need close attention, revealing layers of detail and low-end richness that practically demand to be experienced on a proper sound system.

By the time it reaches its closing chapter, Lucid Lucia, SLAGADER and Kuna Maze bring the focus back to forward motion. Jazz and funk-infused grooves provide a fitting finale, reminding us that however far these artists push the jazz genre, they never lose sight of its ability to connect, uplift and move people.

The result is a body of work that feels remarkably cohesive despite its diversity: a portrait of a scene that continues to evolve through curiosity, collaborationand constant reinvention.

Over the course of more than four decades, Andrew Chalk has created one of ambient and experimental music's most distinctive, influential, and enduring bodies of work. Though his recordings have taken many forms—from the raw, post-Industrial sounds of Ferial Confine in the 1980s to the fragile guitar meditations, blurred keyboard studies, and richly textured collages that populate the Faraway Press catalogue—they remain united by a singular sensibility: an uncommon attentiveness to atmosphere, nostalgia, and the power of restraint.

Mystical Obscurant offers a rare opportunity to encounter the expansive character of that oeuvre in miniature. Rather than documenting a single period or methodology, it functions almost like a survey of Chalk's musical language—a collection of new music that illuminates the breadth of his practice while distilling the singular vision that unites it.

“The Sea of Sorrow” and “Peacemaker” feel cut from the same cloth as the sacred guitar minimalism of The River That Flows Into the Sands, while “Against the Tide” would sit naturally alongside the smudged and distant keys of Blue Eyes of the March. Other pieces draw upon environmental sound and loop-based constructions, hallmarks of Chalk's more recent, vignette-like compositions. Though these recordings emerge from different moments in his long creative journey, each inhabits a recognizable world: one where melodies drift in diffuse, unhurried forms and sound gathers with painterly grace.

What is most striking when these pieces are heard together is not their difference but their coherence. Across changing instruments, collaborators, and approaches, Chalk has consistently pursued a subjunctive music of suggestion rather than declaration, creating spaces where memory and imagination are allowed to unfold at their own pace.

Doomcrusher fuse stomping industrial riffs, uncompromising gutturals and uplifting hooks - modern core with electronic depth and metal roots.

In the crucible of the apocalypticatmosphere that envelops our world, Doomerusher was forged. Born out of the deepest desire to be the harbinger of change, the band emerged with a resolute mission: to defy the impending doom that looms on the horizon. Founded by Andy Posdziech (Any Given Day), Jean Bormann (Rage), Marv Kinkel & Rob Lee, Doomcrusher's sound is a powerful fusion of stomping and heavy mid-tempo industrial riffs, seamlessly intertwined with uncompromising gutturals that resolve into unfolding and uplifting hooks. The band's sound is further enriched by sophisticated electronic elements, adding depth and complexity to their musical tapestry. The ambition is clear - to redefine modern core music while staying true to the roots of the metal genre. Their music is not merely an auditory experience; it's a journey through the realms of sound, a deliberate exploration of the boundaries of heavy music. Doomcrusher stands as a defiant force against the inevitable, a rebellion that crushes the darkness of doom with an unwavering belief in the transformative power of music. DOOMCRUSHER BIO SHORT: Forged in the apocalyptic atmosphere, Doomcrusher blends stomping industrial riffs with guttural vocals and uplifting hooks. Their music, a deliberate exploration of heavy soundscapes enriched by electronic elements, redefines modern core while honoring metal roots- a defiant force against impending doom

When hip hop trio FU-Schnickens emerged in Brooklyn in 1992 with a unique style that combined high-speed rapping, dancehall chatting, and backward rhymes with Looney Tunes-inspired voice impressions and craftily arranged grooves, the Rap world had never heard anything like it.

Following up on their debut F.U.: Don't Take It Personal, Nervous Breakdown, originally released in 1994, proved that the Fu-Schnickens could deliver the goods. The album shows an improved lyrical maturity among all three members, but most noticeably Chip Fu, whose hyperactive flow has more hilarious, colorful cartoon imagery than ever.

From the opening track, "Breakdown," on, this is a frenzied, fast-paced roller coaster ride of originality that doesn't let up until the last song ends. The album reached the nineteenth spot on the R&B Albums chart, and managed to

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

Across two song cycles separated by nearly four decades – Richard Wagner’s »Fünf Gedichte für eine Frauenstimme« (the »Wesendonck Lieder«) and Johannes Brahms’ late »Vier ernste Gesänge« (»Four Serious Songs«) – Wagner’s songs, written under the spell of his relationship with Mathilde Wesendonck and already pointing towards »Tristan und Isolde«, and Brahms’ final composition, which gives the album its name and was shaped by grief, illness, and meditations on biblical texts, circle the same existential questions.

Desire and mortality, ecstasy and resignation appear less as opposites than as mirrored states. The voices of Wesendonck’s poetry seem to answer the solemn reflections of Ecclesiastes and Corinthians, revealing an unexpected dialogue across time.

Without seeking historical authenticity or revisionist spectacle, »Serious Songs« listens for what still resonates beneath these works: the suspended moment where love, loss, and transcendence become indistinguishable. The harp assumes the role of the piano as the foundation, pulse, and emotional compass. The vocal line, liberated from classical convention, inhabits a contemporary expressive space without severing its bond to the original scores. It is Romantic music viewed through the acoustics of the present. The project emerged from a moment of professional disillusionment familiar to many classically trained musicians. This led to a confrontation with some of classical music’s traditional flaws that became an invitation to reimagine it.

Sissi Rada approaches the spinal properties of the Romantic Lieder, fragile enough to transform and resilient enough to survive. Intimate, lucid, and quietly radical.

This is white08's debut EP on Spulenmusik, featuring four tracks pressed to vinyl and two additional digital tracks, including an Idu Berg remix. The percussion work is deeply layered, creating rhythmic textures that reveal themselves gradually as the music unfolds. Each track maintains a minimal aesthetic while building rich, organic layers of sound that feel natural rather than constructed. The energy throughout the release is present and purposeful, but it emerges from the textured foundation rather than announcing itself loudly. This is music that rewards close listening, where the interplay of percussive elements and careful arrangement creates a coherent sonic experience.

Dark Entries helps Suzanne Ciani come out of the closet as Steve! Legendary composer, sound designer, and Buchla maestra Suzanne Ciani has a staggering list of accolades and accomplishments, from scoring Hollywood films to releasing influential new age records to literally designing the Coca-Cola bottle-opening sound. In the late 70s/early 80s, Ciani, while living in New York, acquired an Eventide H 949 harmonizer, which offered high fidelity pitch-shifting. In her words, “When I adjusted the pitch of my voice to 0.80, my natural voice became re-invented as what was clearly a gay man, who I called Steve. I became Steve; and Steve expressed himself as only he could.” Ciani adopted the male persona and collaborated with Peter Baumann of Tangerine Dream on “Steve Goes to a Party.” The track features Ciani-as-Steve adlibbing in decadent and delirious fashion alongside Baumann’s robotically funky beats. Steve would emerge again a few years later at George Louvis’s Stardust Studios in New Jersey, to create “Steve Saves the World,” an absurdist and ecstatic proto-house groover complete with a gospel-esque chorus from the Stardust All-Stars. This EP is rounded out by a birthday wish to Ciani’s then-boyfriend Alfred on “Steve Happy Birthday Wishes” featuring Suzanne. Steve’s Out of the Closet perfectly captures the delirious techno-poptimism of the 1980s downtown avant-garde, with parallels in Robert Ashley’s Perfect Lives or Lynn Goldsmith’s project Will Powers, responsible for the track “Adventures in Success.” The Steve sleeve was designed by Eloise Shir-Juen Leigh, and the record also includes a birthday card with liner notes from Ciani.

From the swamping lands of Finland death/grind trio Galvanizer emerges with their debut album “Sanguine Vigil” after having paid all their dues with several tapes and a 7″ep like we were used back in the 90s.
Galvanizer have quickly become one of the most promising underground acts around, their old school approach perfectly combines with their youthful energy and their sound will perfectly please both fans of old school Finnish death metal and modern deathgrind sounds.
The artwork is painted by mighty TG Rantanen, a finnish institution famous for his works with Demilich, Demigod, Adramelech, Depravity and many more.

From São Paulo, Brazil comes CSS, the first South American band Sub Pop has foisted upon the global marketplace. Cansei de Ser Sexy, Portuguese for “Tired of Being Sexy,” is improbably, unbelievably and nearly eponymously their debut. It is a thick, pulsating thing full of haphazard synths (“Alala”) and a come-on of call and response that tears down any attempt at posturing (“Art Bitch,” “Patins”). It is equal parts rock mantra and throwback into something new, transcending boundaries of genre and geography.

It careers full speed into dance territory, into the unknown and untouched, to emerge all hot and bothered with wild electro-rock. Pretension? Absent. Friction? Probable. They are the un-pretension: unfinished, exposed, and throwing all they have right at you. It is quick, tightly-wound, unfastened and supreme. Not a sneer but a giggle. To paraphrase from the Portuguese: “Not only music, but a new way to live with it. An unfinished group that, unlike preserving itself until getting ‘to the point,’ was bravely showing off, turning everything into style.” Fashion. Art. Design. Cinema. Panties thrown and received. Micro shorts and dirty legs. How does it happen? It happens like this…

Recorded when the band members were barely out of their teens, this 1966 masterpiece captures Los Mockers at their rawest and most inspired. Fueled by obsession, talent, and urgency, the group forged a uniquely South American take on British rhythm & blues - wild, melodic, and timeless more than half a century later. Released at the end of 1966, Los Mockers' debut album stands as one of the defining rock & roll records to emerge from South America in the 1960s. While often compared to The Rolling Stones because of Polo Pereira's unmistakable vocal swagger, the band built a sound of its own: rooted in the bluesier side of the British Invasion, yet rougher, fiercer, and unmistakably rioplatense. Recorded in Buenos Aires under modest technical conditions, the album transformed limitations into creativity. The result is a collection bursting with urgency and inspiration - from swaggering rhythm & blues and explosive rock & roll to infectious pop melodies and unforgettable ballads. More than fifty years after its original release, the album remains as youthful, vibrant, and essential as ever.

Geometrik Records is delighted to once again play a part in the exclusive recovery of Marcelo Expósito's previously unpublished work, which had been lost since its original creation in the 1980s. Marcelo Expósito is one of Spain's most internationally renowned contemporary artists, whose work is regularly exhibited across Europe and Latin America. He began his career at a very young age during the era of sound experimentation that flourished in the wake of so-called industrial culture, which found particularly fertile ground in Spain. As co-editor of legendary publications such as the fanzine Experiencias (1983) and, above all, the cassette-fanzine publisher Necronomicón (1983-1987), which operated on an international scale, Marcelo Expósito has, in recent years, been reconstructing those of his sound experiments that had been lost for decades. The album we are now presenting brings together material previously released on cassettes as EGK023 in a very limited edition. These tracks have now been remastered and expanded to complete this record, which noise musician Mattin has described as "secret recordings that constitute a gem from the rich Spanish underground of the 1980s". In the words of Luis Alvarado, editor of the Peruvian label Buh Records, this album allows us to appreciate how "Expósito developed a style of his own that understood sound as a malleable material open to chance. The recordings gathered on The Lost Tapes reveal an artist who moves as much through territories of unsettling textures and atmospheres as through zones of abstraction and radical noise". Influenced by the early work of figures such as Maurizio Bianchi, Nurse With Wound, and La Otra Cara de un Jardín, the release of this album provides a key piece in reconstructing the genealogical puzzle of Spanish experimental music. This carefully curated edition-in Spanish and English-includes a lengthy essay by Marcelo Expósito on the creative processes behind his work and the historical context of the industrial culture of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as extensive liner notes contributed by Vittore Baroni, editor of the legendary Italian label Trax; Francisco Felipe, co-founder of the Ars Sonora programme on Radio Clásica (Radio Nacional de España) and one of the most active names on the Spanish experimental scene of the 1980s; Mattin and Susana López (Susan Drone), key figures in the sound experimentation of the generation that emerged in the 2000s; as well as the aforementioned Luis Alvarado.

Relocate follows their debut album Hereby (2022), which critics announced as being one of the best guitar led trio recordings to have emerged in recent years. The first thing that strikes one about the music presented here is the intense beauty and sound of Andres Thor's guitar; lush throughout, from the introspective 'Is It Me, Is It You', to more dense tunes such as 'Tuesday Morning Coffee'. And oh, that pedal steel doubling with the electric guitar on 'Grace On High' is so mesmerising. Engineer Gestur Sveinsson deserves a feather in his cap for the excellent recording quality: warm, direct, homogeneous, with subtle use of reverb and a fantastic approach to the stereo placement of the instruments, making the music wonderfully transparent. These musicians have nothing to prove; they simply add their maturity and individual voice to the diverse tunes composed by Andres.

Robag Wruhme is the solo alias of Gabor Schablitzki, a quietly singular voice in minimal and house music since the early 2000s. His sound is built on precision without ever feeling rigid. Instead of chasing big moments, he lets tracks unfold through subtle movement and carefully balanced tension, always evolving but never rushing.

That same approach runs through this EP. It's about letting momentum emerge naturally, allowing each element to settle into place while the energy continues to build.

Across four tracks, Robag creates a world where rhythm and atmosphere constantly shape one another. The arrangements are rich with detail, yet nothing competes for attention. Even in the densest passages, every sound feels deliberate.

OLAHNI opens patiently, with ghostly textures and hypnotic vocal fragments setting the tone before the bassline slowly comes into focus. The arrangement keeps evolving, with subtle details drifting in and out as the groove steadily deepens.
IFTHAH takes things into darker territory, driven by a heavy rolling bassline and a looping motif that never quite loosens its grip, adding weight without disrupting the flow.

On FUMAXOHN, the groove remains tight while the mood shifts. A warm harmonic layer gradually emerges as the vocals dissolve into texture, drawing the track towards something more melancholic.
PENTHO closes the EP in its most direct form. Stripped back and driving, it lands with quiet confidence, bringing the journey to a close while holding onto the hypnotic tension that defines the record.

It's been a pleasure bringing this EP together, and we're excited to finally share it with you. We hope these four tracks draw you into Robag's world as much as they have us.

Franc Fala & Benja land Crosstown Rebels debut with hypnotic collaboration, ‘Dirty Dancing’.
Out on 31st July 2026, the Dutch pair unite for a dark, groove-led first appearance on Damian Lazarus's label, backed by two distinct reinterpretations from Brazilian artist Malive.

Anchored in a heavy groove that never loosens its grip, Crosstown Rebels’ latest release, ‘Dirty Dancing’, brings together two Dutch artists whose ideas have been shaped by a shared creative language built over time. Amsterdam’s Franc Fala continues to build on what has been a rapid rise onto the global house circuit, with a run of notable releases coupled with a growing touring schedule, ensuring his records and name have been the talk of the town for many. Alongside him, regular collaborator, fellow countryman and close friend Benja has also ensured his approach to music has also landed with impact, leaning on energy and atmosphere to shape records designed to resonate beyond the dancefl oor. Here, the pair reunite for their biggest collaboration to date as they make their debut outing on Damian Lazarus’s revered imprint with a record crafted for the peak hours.

Everything revolves around a vocal hook that doesn’t sit in the background; it emerges to take over the track, keeping listeners locked into the groove beneath. Rather than pushing in obvious directions, it circles and tunnels deeper, drawing listeners in until it becomes the only thing that matters. On remix duties, Brazilian DJ/producer Malive delivers two contrasting interpretations that take command of the B-side. His ‘Noturno Mix’ pushes into shadowy, late-night territory, extending the track’s hypnotic pull through melodic textures and tension, whereas his ‘Goes To Rio’ mix takes a more fluid direction, loosening the groove and introducing bright keys alongside a slick rhythmic swing.

One original mix, never before released on vinyl, alongside three brand new remixes from Claptrap Allstars.

Francisco D’Argento may not have been a pioneer of the Italo Disco movement that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but his sun-soaked, refined approach captured the spirit of the era with unmistakable charm.

While D’Argento received critical attention from local press and music journals, his work unfortunately never connected with a wider audience. In later years, his output gradually slowed, and his early recordings slipped into obscurity.

With the support of the D’Argento estate, this forgotten gem has been lovingly restored and remastered from the original ½-inch tape, bringing new life to an overlooked piece of Italian electronic music history.

This release presents the original version, an uptempo, high nrg direct italo cut featuring D’Argento’s own vocals, alongside the voice of his second wife, actress and model Eleanora D’Argento.

Donald Dust delivers a powerful and thumping rework for the A2 the “Squish Mix”, a stretched-out, dubbed-out interpretation built for those late-night, hot and heavy dancefloors.

Dr Valentine takes things into the cosmos with the “Nello Spazio Mix”, slowing the tempo and drifting into hypnotic space.

Closing out the EP, Vanity Project presents a darker Robotalo Remix, stripping away the original’s outer layer and revealing a shadowy, dark-disco driven version.

Buon ascolto!

Following their eponymous 2023 debut, Chestnut People once again emerge from the Wood to deliver Volume 2, a lichen-scented batch of blissed IDM and crackling tech. While retaining the filtering step of its predecessor, Volume 2 plunges deeper into the honey pot with rich melodic density, recalling the gentle pluckings and starry-eyed glitch of 00s Icelandic electronica. The music unfurls in programmatic detail like a misted forest dream–winged creatures buzzing as brush collapses under our feet.

After the wild Afro-jazz fusion of Trancedance (reissued as BT118) and the meditative solo Christer Bothén Donso n’goni (BT133), legendary Swedish multi-instrumentalist Christer Bothén returns to Black Truffle as part of a dream quartet completed by the three members of Ghosted: Oren Ambarchi (guitar), Johan Berthling (bass) and Andreas Werliin (drums). Recorded at a rustic studio built by Werliin and Hans Fredriksson in the sylvan surrounds of Hamburgsund, Sweden across a few days in September 2023, Serpentine offers up four generous slices of hypnotic repetition and shimmering resonance, cut through with wild bursts of Bothén’s bass clarinet.

The depth and ease of the quartet’s rapport is evident from the first moments of the opening title-track. Berthling’s resonant upright bass locks into a head-nodding ostinato that makes sensitive use of a prominent end-of-phrase rest, opening spaces through which Werliin’s continually shifting statements of the pulse shine through. Having worked together in various groups for many years, Berthling and Werliin are masters at playing subtle games of difference and repetition, creating a driving rhythmic flow animated by perpetually changing details: here, you can never step in the same groove twice. Weaving through it all is Ambarchi’s now-signature Leslie-cabinet guitar tone, sounding out long chords at times strikingly close to a Hammond, while also creating intricate cross-rhythms through the play of his tremolo modulations against the bass and drums. When Bothén enters five minutes in, the growl of his bass clarinet at first works deep in the collective brew, carving off brief staccato phrases and twisting them into fragmented melodies. As he moves into the instrument’s higher registers, Bothén’s playing becomes wilder, twinning with Ambarchi’s guitar in shimmering arcs like a 21st century update of the Garbarek-Rypdal pairing immortalised on Sart.

Each of the four pieces explore different possibilities of a shared language. On ‘Antigorite’, another hypnotic bass riff emerges gradually from an atmospheric haze, eventually developing into a frenetic rhythmic workout propelled by Werliin’s cowbell. Berthling sits out for ‘Lizardite’, while Bothén moves from bass clarinet to the Donso n’goni, the sacred Wassoulou hunter’s harp he has studied for half a century; the resulting performance streamlines the approach heard on other tracks into pure modal propulsion, sparkling with harp-like arpeggios from Ambarchi’s guitar. On the closing ‘Chrysotile’, the bottom drops out, leaving a swampy, churning mass of wavering organ-like chords, roaming bass runs, and distant toms, over which Bothén floats bass clarinet figures by turns bluesy and abstract, the whole thing landing somewhere between classic ECM and the most blasted freeform moments of early Amon Düül II. Bearing a delicate calligraphic abstraction by Bothén on its cover and beautiful documentation of the recording sessions on its inner sleeve, Serpentine is a powerful reminder of the magic that can happen when inventive musicians just get together and play.

Great Television unfolds as a loose, emotionally driven narrative about navigating love, identity, and self-destruction against a backdrop of memory, movement, and Southern imagery. It begins with “Sunset Promenade,” where a deep, possibly lifelong bond offers comfort amid internal turmoil, establishing a desire for connection strong enough to withstand a restless mind. This sense of identity expands in “Girls of Atomic City,” where independence and womanhood are celebrated, though tinged with performance and uncertainty.

As the story progresses, songs like “Okeechobee Mud” introduce instability and intensity, portraying relationships that are passionate but corrosive, where love becomes inseparable from pain. “Thiokol Tripwire” honors the lives lost in the 1971 Thiokol Chemical Explosion and those affected in the south Georgia community of Woodbine. “Razorwire Wall” reinforces this devotion to chaotic love, suggesting loyalty even in destructive circumstances. A turning point arrives with “The Easy Kind,” where Cook reflects on attempts at self-repair, acknowledging her contradictions and rejecting simplicity in favor of a more fractured self-understanding. This awareness deepens in “Caldonia and The Love Convoy” and “In Your Veins,” where freedom blurs into recklessness and love takes on addictive qualities, revealing her complicity in cycles of harm. “19th Nervous Breakdown” provides crucial context, tracing her instability back to a turbulent upbringing marked by neglect and emotional disorder. “Feverfew,” leaves the narrative unresolved, as she recognizes her repeated attraction to destructive paths yet continues to follow them. In contrast, the closing track “Lightly” offers a rare glimpse of pure, protective sisterly love. Altogether, the album portrays a cyclical journey of longing, damage, and partial self-awareness, where clarity emerges but transformation remains uncertain.

2026 Sakura Pink coloured vinyl, 2022 Abbey Road remaster, cut-out artwork! When the mysterious masked collective calling themselves Goat first emerged in 2012, armed with an incendiary debut album 'World Music' - there was, and there still isn't, anyone else on earth quite like them. With their enticing mythology, music full of sinuous grooves and manic explosions of fuzz, Goat were outliers from the very beginning. 'World Music', received an avalanche of acclaim with critics, psych heads, outernational crate diggers etc, all left enraptured by its thunderous intensity, conjured from a singular mix of sounds from across the globe. 'World Music' is brimming with tracks now seen as 'classic' Goat live favourites. Tracks that have been wowing audiences all over the world; the afrobeat stomp of 'Disco Fever', the fuzz abuse of 'Goathead', the post-punk groove of 'Let it Bleed', the sing-along repetitive pop of 'Run to your Mama'... From the first note to the last, 'World Music' oozes with a sonic confidence rarely seen on a debut album. What Goat have is unique - they've managed to create a sound unrestrained by genre or any other boundaries. So if you haven't done so already, then it is now time you joined the Goat commune. 300 ww copies only!

DC The Don has emerged as one of the most dynamic voices in modern rap, known for blending raw authenticity with genre-defying creativity. Hailing from Milwaukee and now based in LA, he spent years cultivating a fiercely loyal fanbase, culminating in his 2023 XXL Freshman Class selection, where fans propelled him to win the coveted 10th spot. His breakout year marks the arrival of REBIRTH, which he formally introduced to fans with a sold out pop-up at LA’s iconic Roxy Theatre.
With millions of streams and a reputation for introspective yet hard-hitting tracks, DC The Don continues to shape the future of hip-hop while staying true to his artistic roots.

Born at the turning point between apartheid and democratic South Africa, the Xitsonga bubblegum-disco duo Chibuku embodies the energy of a time of change,as Nelson Mandela was released from prison and kwaito began to emerge. Althoughthey did not achieve the fame of figures such as Paul Ndlovu or Penny Penny, their only album Maxambe (1992) is now considered a precious time capsule, a raw disco treasure rediscovered by lovers of forgotten music. Behind the project is Dr Joe Shirimani, a guitarist, singer, composer and producer of genius from Tzaneen and Soshanguve, recognised as one of the major architects of South African disco and bubblegum. Long overlooked, Maxambe nevertheless bears witnessto an era and a social perspective: migration ("Lekomfere"), debt and economics ("Xikweleti"), and family relationships ("Mhamazala"). The music is festive in appearance, but deeply rooted in the reality of its time. Released on Tusk/Diamond Music, an iconic label of the 1980s and 1990s bought out by Gallo Record Company, Chibuku is now emerging as a diamond rediscovered from the archives of South African disco. Its name, borrowed from a millet beer popular in several southern African countries, sums up the spirit of the group: popular, sincere and deeply rooted in local culture.

ROSE KEELER-SCHAFFELER

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

Magic Hollow (MH002)

Before we learn language, we learn the voice.

Universal Language is the second release on Magic Hollow and an exploration of the voice before song and before speech. Written and recorded during pregnancy and early motherhood, Rose Keeler-Schaffeler's album draws inspiration from the earliest forms of human communication: coos, cries, sighs and instinctive vocalisations that precede language yet already contain the seeds of music.

Best known as Keel Her, the cult DIY songwriter, producer and NTS Radio DJ whose fiercely independent body of work helped define a generation of bedroom pop, Rose reveals a strikingly different side of her musical practice here. Produced by Daniel O'Sullivan, Universal Language places the human voice at its centre, treating it not as a vehicle for lyrics but as the raw material from which music, language and relationships emerge.

With the exception of a handful of bass vocal parts performed by O'Sullivan, every voice heard on the album is Rose's own.

Across twelve meticulously composed pieces, layered vocal arrangements intertwine with subtle electronics, tape manipulation, synthesizers and understated drum machines. At times the music evokes the luminous purity of medieval sacred music; elsewhere voices dissolve into hazy ambient textures or unfold through hypnotic loops that blur the distinction between singer, choir and atmosphere.

The album was recorded during the first year of her son’s life. Many of its melodic contours and vocal gestures were inspired directly by his earliest sounds. His pre-linguistic attempts at communication became compositional material, guiding Rose towards a deeper exploration of the voice at its point of origin.

Deeply personal yet reaching towards something universal, Universal Language is a meditation on the human voice: our first instrument, our first language and our first experience of belonging.

‘THE GREATEST ROCKSTEADY ALBUM OF THE MILLENNIUM’ NARC - MAY 2022
4/5 REVIEW IN MOJO: “ONE OF THE MOST THRILLING ROCKSTEADY ALBUMS TO HAVE BEEN MADE SINCE THE GENRE EMERGED IN THE LATE 60's”

8/10 REVIEW IN UNCUT + TRACK ON COVERMOUNT: “A STUDIO-ONE INDEBTED, VINTAGE-SOUNDING STUNNER.”

The Frightnrs escort Daptone into the world of long-playing reggae with both the sweetest and the roughest record of the decade. This record will long be treasured by lovers of reggae, lovers of soul and lovers of love...

Crafted under the meticulous eye of black-belt reggae mastermind/producer Victor Axelrod (AKA Ticklah), Nothing More to Say is a rocksteady masterpiece the likes of which has not reared it’s head since the golden era of Studio One. However, you’ll find no imitation here - none of the faux-jamaican cliches of lesser reggae bands. Like all things Daptone, this record is above all soulful and honest.

With the exception of two soul covers (both from the Daptone catalog: Bob & Gene’s "Gotta Find a Way” and Saun and Starr’s “Gonna Make Time”,) the record is populated by original compositions of the highest order.

They are simply great songs, and though their treatment here is masterful, each one of them has the melodic and lyrical substance to hold it’s own in any genre. “Till Then” invokes the coquettish hyper-rhymes of top-form Smokey Robinson, while “Hey Brother” sounds like it fell off the desk of Gamble and Huff, and “Purple” defies any comparison at all.

From the first cracking snares of “All My Tears” through the final pulsing echoes of “Dispute,” the murderous rhythms of Rich Terrana (drums,) and brothers Preet and Chuck Patel (bass and piano, respectively) can be heard chunking mercilessly towards oblivion as Dan Klein pours his endearing poetry over the top like some
otherworldy falsetto potion.

qorakitobchi aka Anvar Kalandarov is a music archaeologist, musician and producer from Tashkent, Uzbekistan whose work is dedicated to uncovering forgotten sounds from across Central Asia. In recent years he has emerged as a singular voice documenting the region’s musical heritage, co-compiling Synthesizing the Silk Roads for Ostinato Records and curating Digging Central Asia: Musical Archaeology Along the Silk Road split release for Death Is Not The End, alongside presenting his own Maqom Soul imprint.

For this mixtape, Kalandarov turns his attention to the synth-pop, disco and electronic music that flourished across Central Asia during the 1980s and 1990s. Drawn from rare vinyl records & private archives, this selection explores a period when Soviet modernity, regional traditions and emerging synthesiser sounds merged to create a uniquely Central Asian vision of the future. From Uzbek disco and Tajik synth-pop to lesser-known oddities, the mix offers a glimpse into a musical world that remains largely unexplored outside the region.

Fij makes a vibrant return with his new single "Don't Bring Me Sunshine," a bittersweet, high-speed ode to independence and renewal. Described by Fij as an "anti-love song," "Don't Bring Me Sunshine" flips the script on romance. Its sardonic, bah-humbug lyrics are set against a rush of euphoric energy - inspired by the simple thrill of driving fast with the windows down, music blaring, and summer stretching endlessly ahead. As Fij puts it: "Who needs love when you've got a full tank of petrol... and the whole of Summer lying ahead on the heat-hazed open road?" The track is the latest preview of his long- awaited debut solo album, due this September via Tip Top Records. It signals a clear shift in tone and tempo. After years marked by introspection - shaped by personal upheaval, frontline work during the pandemic, and his role as a funeral celebrant - Fij has hit reset.

Re- embracing the electric guitar, raising the BPMs, and rediscovering joy, his new material blends the fuzzed edges of dream-pop with elements of pop and electronica, all delivered with his signature wit and melodic finesse. Fij first emerged in the early 90s with Adorable, whose debut album Against Perfection (Creation Records) became a cult favourite, earning multiple NME accolades and topping the Indie charts. The band's legacy continues to resonate, with artists citing their influence and figures like Noel Gallagher famously calling their label's decision to drop them a major mistake. Following Adorable, Fij explored new sonic territory with Polak and later collaborated with Terry Bickers of The House of Love, producing critically acclaimed releases that reaffirmed his reputation as one of Britain's most distinctive voices. His baritone - often compared to Lee Hazlewood, Lou Reed, and Richard Hawley - remains as rich and compelling as ever, now carrying a renewed urgency.