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Der international gefeierte Schlagzeuger und Produzent Makaya McCraven meldet sich mit einem besonderen Projekt zurück: Vier neue EPs - Techno Logic, The People"s Mixtape, Hidden Out! und PopUp Shop, die gebündelt als Doppel-LP und Doppel-CD unter dem Titel Off the Record (via XL Recordings) veröffentlicht wird. Es sind McCravens erste Studioarbeiten seit In These Times (2022), mit denen er zu seiner charakteristischen Mischung aus Live-Improvisation und Studio-Nachbearbeitung zurückkehrt. Schon jetzt geben die Singles "Imafan", "Away", "Technology" und "Choo Choo" einen Vorgeschmack auf das Projekt. Die vier EPs greifen auf verschiedene Live-Momente der letzten zehn Jahre zurück: Aufnahmen aus London, Berlin und New York (Techno Logic), ein Jubiläumskonzert in Brooklyn (The People"s Mixtape), eine Residenz im Chicagoer Hideout (Hidden Out!) sowie McCravens Los-Angeles-Debüt 2015 (PopUp Shop). "In einer Zeit, in der vieles virtuell und ungreifbar ist, bleibt es etwas Besonderes, wenn Menschen in einem Raum zusammenkommen und Musik teilen", sagt McCraven. "Diese Energie möchte ich festhalten - roh, menschlich, spontan." Mit Off the Record beweist der als "kultureller Synthesizer" und "Beat Scientist" bezeichnete Musiker erneut, warum er zu den prägenden Stimmen einer neuen Generation zählt, die den Jazz ins 21. Jahrhundert führt.

This is the merging hydra of these two dubby-eletronicky-cheeky experimentators.

Jonquera (half of Pilotwings, thrisd of Jeza-Bel and many more) jazzy-poppy-variété rythms crunches Officium dreamy-hazy-bass dubs in a gaze.

These 6 tunes have been recorded live during a jam session, mixed by the duo for a tape project.

But the Tioma Tchoulanov's mastering conviced us to press a small batch of 300 copies.

Paolo Viscogliosi painted some artowrks elements and they enjoyed the layout with Maya Bellemin.

A Minecraft Movie (Songs from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) features the songs from the film, including Jack Black's "Steve's Lava Chicken' and the Mark Ronson/Andrew Wyatt/Jack Black-penned "Feel Alive". Alongside the film's other original songs and two score selections are bonus tracks "Welcome to Steve's!" and an extended versions of "Steve's Lava Chicken", "Birthday Rap", and "Ode To Dennis". The 'I. .. Am Steve" teal vinyl variant celebrates the iconic character's signature-colored sweater, instantly recognizable to any Minecraft fan.






[f] A6 | Just Can't Get Enough (From "a Minecraft Movie”) [instrumental Version] - Jamieson Shaw

Seefeel - eine der visionärsten und experimentierfreudigsten Elektronik-Bands der frühen 1990er - formte in London einen Klang, der Brücken schlug zwischen Shoegaze und elektronischer Musik. Mit ihren schimmernden Soundlandschaften, hypnotischen Minimal-Rhythmen und einer einzigartigen Ambient-Sensibilität schufen sie einen völlig neuen Kosmos. Die neu erweiterte Ausgabe von Pure, Impure vereint drei ikonische EPs der Band zu einem faszinierenden Gesamtwerk. In den legendären Abbey Road Studios von Geoff Pesche neu gemastert, umfasst die 11 Tracks starke Sammlung zudem ein frisch interpretiertes Artwork. Erhältlich als Doppel-LP oder CD, erscheint diese Edition als wahres Sammlerstück. Die enthaltenen EPs - More Like Space, Plainsong und Time to Find Me - präsentieren nicht nur Mixe von Aphex Twin, sondern auch ein bislang unveröffentlichtes Demo des Stücks "Moodswing". Bereits 1993 markierte Pure, Impure, erschienen auf Too Pure, einen Wendepunkt in der Entwicklung von Seefeel: reduzierter, intensiver, hypnotischer als das Debüt Quique. Die Tracks entfalten sich in endlos kreisenden Loops, sanften melodischen Verschiebungen und einem atemberaubenden Zusammenspiel von organischen Gitarrentexturen und maschineller Präzision. Sie spiegeln die wachsende Faszination der Band für Dub, Ambient Techno und Post-Rock wider. Mit Pure, Impure legten Seefeel den Grundstein für ihre weitere Reise - ein Werk von zeitloser Schönheit, das sich jeder Genregrenze entzieht und bis heute als Schlüsselstück ihres Ouvres erstrahlt.

Drawing from over three decades in electronic music, DJ Rame (one third of the acclaimed Italian Pastaboys team) showcases his House Music expertise with this genre-blending original EP on Memento Records, going right back to the roots of club culture.

Title track Life 3 starts off with a dreamy pad intro and New York-house inspired piano chords, setting the mood for the dance floor and suddenly exploding into a bouncy, tension-and-release energetic swing, trippy percussions and rubberized synth rhythms.

Toyholic’s infectious bassline and syncopated beats match retro-futuristic synths and acid melodies, while Niwa’s faster pace and robotic vocal samples are drenched in 80s Electro Disco moods.

Stone Garden rounds off the release with a breakbeat groove, vintage analog sounds and mesmerizing stop-and-gos.

A visceral ode to the free spirit of the early warehouse parties that came to define an era of revolutionary music, these 4 tracks are one part raw emotion, one part contemporary sonic innovation.

Another cassette-only mixtape in Death Is Not The End's series in partnership with Philadelphia's World Gone Mad, this time surveying South American punk and post-punk between '81 & '90 - featuring bands from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

Vinyl LP pressing. Electroacoustic saxophonist, improviser, and composer Cole Pulice traffics in shimmering, otherworldly beauty. On the meditative ambient jazz of Land's End Eternal, Cole adds a welcome new texture with the introduction of the electric guitar, an instrument previously unheard in their music, which took on a central role as a compositional and sonic tool for this record.

Presenting a joyous double dose of Brazilian pífano magic by João do Pife, taken from his iconic Folclore Alagoano LP and pressed for the first time on 7” vinyl. The infectious, uplifting energy of the instrumental track 'Garoto Do Pife' has been a dancefloor weapon for revered selectors such as Gilles Peterson, Cliffy and the Mr Bongo DJs, and we are proud to be reissuing it for the first time.

The pífano, pifaro or pife, which creates the distinctive melodies in these tracks, is a simple seven-hole woodwind instrument from the Northeast region of Brazil. Often made out of bamboo or taquara wood, they are rich in folkloric music tradition and paired with percussion instruments to form the Bandas de Pífanos groups, which originated from the Northeastern states of the country. "Pifeiros” such as João do Pife, Edmilson do Pífano, and Carlos Malta brought the pífano into a wider public eye through their albums and vinyl recordings.

A part of pífano maestro João do Pife’s rich legacy, these two mesmerizing and timeless tracks originate from his sought-after 1975 LP Folclore Alagoano, released on the Tropicana label. Born João Alfredo Marques dos Santos in 1943, in Riacho das Almas, João do Pife became an ambassador of Northern Brazilian culture and folklore through his music, which placed the pífano centre stage.

For this 7" issue, we have curated two of our favourite tracks from the album, 'Garoto Do Pife' and 'Homenagem a Ludugero', that exude a driving and joyous dancefloor energy. With lively accordion and organ accompaniments that weave around João do Pife's sublime pífano playing, they channel a folk spirit that will resonate deep within your soul.

As inspiration for the picture sleeve, we have adapted the original cover photo art for this 7 inch issue. João do Pife’s music, which is housed within, will sweep you away to Northeastern Brazil in an instant.

A decade after its release, A Fragile Geography returns transformed. This limited edition cassette accompanies the AFG10 anniversary reissue, offering an inspired re-envisioning of Rafael Anton Irisarri’s landmark compositions. Reworks presents distinctive readings of these pieces, with each artist leaving their personal mark on the material. The titles remain unchanged, with the sole exception of “Hiatus,” reborn here as “Ausencia.” Together, these reimaginings extend the emotional cartography of the album into new terrains.

KMRU reframes “Displacement” with expansive, glimmering layers that open into meditative ambient landscapes. Nairobi born and Berlin based, he is known for morphing field recordings into vivid aural experiences, often capturing the texture of footsteps, foliage, and distant city life and weaving them into contemplative soundscapes. In this version he introduces subtle new sounds, including stringlike synths that trace and heighten the piece’s emotional arc. The result invites close listening, offering enveloping tones where the organic and the synthetic gently collide and flow.

Penelope Trappes renders “Reprisal” as a voice-led invocation of the delicate and the intimate. Her wistful vocals bloom with fragile sorrow, rising over shimmering strands of strings to create a sound world at once sacred and shadowed. She is adept at channeling inherited grief into music that is transcendent and otherworldly. The interplay of her voice, the strings, and her use of space and depth draws those qualities into Irisarri’s orbit, imbuing “Reprisal” with the same spiritual weight and clarity that define her most powerful work.

Kevin Richard Martin (a.k.a. The Bug) transforms “Empire Systems” into a cavernous “Iced Mix,” driven by polyrhythmic double bass motifs and sculpted from subterranean pressure and negative space. Known for pushing sound to its physical limits, Martin brings the stark intensity of his dub and noise infused practice into Irisarri’s architecture. The track seethes with harmonic distortion and erupts in white noise rhythms, its brooding low end depth and icy reverberant textures amplifying the tension. Vulnerability and force are set in stark relief, as silences feel as heavy as the bursts of sound themselves. The result is a stark study in atmosphere, restraint and impact, reframed through Martin’s singular lens of sonic mass and low end intensity.

On Side B, Mabe Fratti opens with a cinematic, dreamlike, Lynchian reimagining of “Hiatus” in her native Spanish (“Ausencia”). She threads cello and voice so wondrously that her rendering feels at once hauntingly beautiful and disquieting. Emotionally charged melodies shift in unexpected directions, while her soft, intimate vocals hover above Irisarri’s brooding synth textures. Fratti’s gift for blending experimental and avant pop sensibilities with visceral, emotionally powerful expression shines resplendently here. She gives voice to Irisarri’s reflections on the passage of time and his growing desire to reconnect with his familial roots.

Abul Mogard stretches “Persistence” into a vast drone elegy. A master of patient sound sculpting, Mogard layers evolving waves of analog synths into a dense shroud that radiates its own internal light. Gradual surges of tone and subtle harmonic shifts emphasize the piece’s endurance and inevitability. Irisarri’s original composition, in Mogard's hands, becomes a rumination on time’s unrelenting flow. Melancholy and transcendence coexist in equal measure in this engulfing, cathartic rework.

William Basinski and Gary Thomas Wright close the cycle with a spectral version of “Secretly Wishing for Rain.” Basinski’s field recordings of Reseda rainfall and birdsong, which open and close the rework, add a personal touch and evoke the imagined sound of a grainy film reel flickering to life. The piece suspends Irisarri’s yearning for the Pacific Northwest, lodging it hazily between memory, place and an unreachable dream. It feels like a fading recollection, half forgotten and half felt. A final gesture that dissolves the album into vapor, leaving the listener adrift in its lingering afterglow.

Mastered with great care by Stephan Mathieu and featuring a remixed version of the original artwork by Daniel Castrejón, this edition refracts the language of the original through new prisms. Less a return than a passage, across time, across interpretation, into uncharted emotional realms.

A reissue of a cassette that was originally released on Uramado in 2020, this is the first time this live session appears on vinyl. The performance, featuring Kudo on piano and 3C123 on clarinet, was recorded on October 18, 2009, at the Uramado venue in Shinjuku. A beautiful and quixotic forty-minute set, that reconnects both Kudo and 3C123 with various musical histories, including those of classical composition and free improvisation.

The performance documented on Tori Kudo & 3C123 is a curious one. While they both appear to slip into improvised ruminations at times, for the most part, Kudo performs pieces by Erik Satie on the piano, over which 3C123 teases an excoriating stream of improvisation from the clarinet. His playing here is wild in its poetry: sometimes lushly nestly alongside Satie’s melodies, elsewhere loosing Ayler-esque squalls from the instrument, it’s a bravura performance that is matched, in an indirect manner, by the poise and pacing of Kudo’s generous, fluent recital.

When asked about the thinking behind the performance documented here, Kudo explains by describing the historical juxtaposition of Satie with Takehisa Kosugi’s improvised violin as “an essence of the Japanese art of collective improvisation.” The playing here, as within Japanese collective improvisation, is about sitting ‘alongside’ each other, not necessarily in direct (or even indirect) reference, but rather sharing the space; “just being there together,” Kudo says, and letting go of the need for performers to engage in interplay.

Tori Kudo & 3C123 is certainly part of that tradition, and this is where its curious poetry resides; in that ‘third space’ that sits in between, but not directly connecting, the two performers. Kudo makes an analogy with Fluxus, which is appropriate. But you can also hear their shared history here, somehow, as Kudo and 3C123 have known each other since the eighties, when they shared a house in Kunitachi City, Tokyo. Their musical paths have been multiple – Kudo, of course, best known perhaps for his Maher Shalal Hash Baz ensemble; 3C123 as a member of Vedda Music Workshop, and with other Japanese musicians like Koichiro Watanabe.

DINTE's third mixtape in partnership with Philadelphia punk archivists World Gone Mad, this time focused on the late 1980s/early 90s punk & hardcore scene in Medellín, Colombia.

"There are moments in which art perfectly reflects the surroundings in which it was born. This is the case of the entire hc/punk/metal scene in late 80s/early 90s Medellín. It was, at the time, the most violent city in the world because of drug cartels, corruption, oppression & poverty. This violence was the reality of daily life & is reflected in the music that flourished in Medellín during the time period. It is some of the most authentically violent, aggressive, noisy, raw & abrasive hc/punk/metal to ever exist. This tape is a sonic snapshot of those times."

"The Burning Bright Light" is a mind-meld between improvisation trio "Dromedaries" (saxophonist Keir Neuringer of Irreversible Entanglements, Shayna Dulberger on double bass, and percussionist Julius Masri) and sci-fi writer/vocalist "Alexoteric" (Alex Smith), evoking epic sci-fi cinemascapes, vocabulary- and reference-rich underground writing, the liberatory jazz tradition, and playful avant-garde experimentation.

Recorded in a single high-voltage burst of cosmic collaboration on an October afternoon at Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Soundworks, "The Burning Bright Light" is a sonic document like no other. A mind-meld between improvisation trio »Dromedaries« and sci-fi writer/vocalist "Alexoteric" (Alex Smith), the album emerges organically on a foundation of speculative fiction, free jazz interaction, avant-garde textures, and freestyle refrains.

"Rags, Ballads & Harmonium Songs. Chanteys, Come-All-Ye's, Aborigine Song Sticks. Gospel, Improvisations, Renaissance Lyrics, Blake Hymns, Bluegrass, Hillbilly Riffs, Country & Western, 50's R&B, Dirty Dozens & New Wave"

Allen Ginsberg's recorded opus gets its first ever full vinyl reissue on a gatefold double vinyl LP replete with photography by Robert Frank. Containing studio-recorded performances that he wrote, performed and taped in sessions taking place between 1971 and 1981 - featuring Bob Dylan, Arthur Russell, Anne Waldman, David Mansfield, Perry Robinson, David Amram and many other friends and contemporaries.

A selection of what were arguably "demos" for this record were originally recorded by the legendary Harry Smith at his apartment in the Chelsea Hotel in the early 70s, and this would later appear on Folkways as First Blues: Rags, Ballads & Harmonium Songs.

Sit, you sit down
Breathe when you breathe
Lie down, you lie down
Walk where you walk

Talk when you talk
Cry when you cry
Lie down, you lie down
Die when you die credits

Issued under license from the Allen Ginsberg estate. With thanks for Peter Hale, Peter Wright & John Allen.



c 03: Jimmy Berman (Gay Lib Rag) feat. Bob Dylan, David Amram, Perry Robinson, Happy Traum, Jon Sholle, Surya, Moruga, Peter Orlovsky & Anne Waldman

Huayno has its roots in the Andes during the colonial era, when indigenous peoples began to blend their music with influences brought by European settlers. During this process the Spanish guitar naturally became very prevalent, incorporating the tunings, finger-style and rhythms of the traditional Andean harp along with it.

The late Alberto Juscamaita Gastelú, known as Raktako, was a renowned guitarist, composer and mentor to generations of guitarists from his home in Ayacucho, southern Peruvian Andes. His unique style also blended techniques from the Spanish lute and other instruments brought by colonisers, such as the violin and accordion. For over a century, Raktako preserved Ayacucho's musical traditions and the Andean guitar form.

In 2022, the last disciple of Raktako, Gustavo Yashimura, shared with Sound of the Andes' Hánkel Bellido a series of astonishing home recordings made by Raktako between approximately 1930 and 1940. These recordings, made with the sparsest of equipment, had never been published before and represent an invaluable cultural treasure. The guitarist, who lived for over 100 years and passed away in 2023, had been largely forgotten until recently, when the Ministry of Culture of Peru officially recognised him as Meritorious Personality of Culture. His legacy, which includes a profound influence on Peruvian music, especially the Ayacucho guitar tradition, is finally being acknowledged.

Badboy garage is the order of the night on this latest drop from the unstoppable Instinct label. It's a split EP between Isgwan and Trustee, and the offer kicks off with the low slung swagger and warped bass of 'Right Tehn' complete with gun-finger synths and nawty vocals. Trustee then steps up with some expertly crafted jungle breaks turned 2-stepping beats on 'Watch Dat' with mad low energy wobbles. His 'Shuffle N' Step' is another lip-curling and rude as you like bit of filthy garage, 'Feel Me' (feat Tanya George) is a more emotive sound thanks to the buttery r&b vocal hooks and 'Work Set' shuts down with bumping low-end pressure.

Shadows fold into colour. Memory dissolves into noise. You brush up against the walls of the mind. Touch is soft as breath. On ‘B side’, Areliz Ramos follows her work’s current into its more “fantastic and elusive… and even romantic” side; a place where fantasy loosens the bolts of reality and memory, and emotion is alluringly refracted into musical collages and loose-strung compositions. Across the album, voices drift in and out of an intimate space, while pensive guitar lines stumble and bloom like scribbled unresolved notes in a diary. Beneath its icy, often chaotic surface, ‘B side’ radiates a deep sense of joy and fragility. Ramos sketches out an entire world by free association, collaging notions and echoing quiet thoughts into deeply honest snapshots of daydreams.

Areliz Ramos is a Peruvian producer living in London, recognized for an evocative palette weaving lo-fi and downtempo threads into dreamlike, abstract emo narratives. While her debut ‘Frío’ (Where to Now?), orbited around homesickness and estrangement, ‘B side’ embraces imperfection, incorporating her guitar (named "Frank"), pedals, synthesizers, and her own vocal textures for the first time, privileging emotional immediacy over technical precision. The creative process behind this album reflects a conscious decision to let go, loosen control, let intuition lead, and engage her own ‘B’ side.

Rather than constructing a safe haven from hardship, Ramos offers a cracked mirror, staring right at it, embracing that vulnerability. The gentle and beautiful ‘B side’ explores fleeting satisfaction, or the elusive comfort sitting just out of sight.

English composer Andy Cartwright aka Seabuckthorn uses picking & bowing techniques combined with various open tunings on string instruments to form a mixture of approaches, often with layered accompaniments. Generally the songs lean towards to the experimental genre, whilst on the edge of the ambient and folk.

Having grown up in Oxfordshire, Cartwright studied sound engineering in Cornwall and then lived in the cities of London, Paris & Bristol working as a broadcast wireman. He now resides in the French Southern Alps making music.

Cartwright has been actively touring internationally for several years performing in festivals and events throughout Europe. Since 2009, he has released several releases on some labels such as Lost Tribe Sound, IIKKI, Fluid Audio and recently Quiet Details. Various songs have featured in documentaries, film, websites and contemporary dance, as well as making original scores for film.

Mister Water Wet returns to Soda Gong with "Things Gone and Things Here Still," an album that radically expands the project’s purview while preserving the homespun warmth and oblique tactility that have long defined Iggy Romeu’s work. Where earlier records tilted toward the dusty swing of sample-based beatcraft or spectral minimalist jazz, here Romeu opens the frame to a more ensemble-minded approach, inviting a stellar cast of supporting musicians, including SG alumni Memotone and K. Freund, into the fold.

The result is an album that feels both broader and more intimate, with live instrumentation such as piano, strings, and reeds woven into MWW’s signature lattice of hand percussion, production sleights, and slippery time signatures. Acoustic and electronic textures bend toward each other like plants angling for the same light: bowed strings blur into vaporous pads, brushed drums scatter under riffing guitars, a horn phrase lingers in the same space as a cracked cassette loop.

A tension between decay and presence - the “things gone” and the “things here still” - runs throughout the record. At times, the music evokes a chamber session refracted through waterlogged tape; at others, it recalls the afterimage of a hip-hop instrumental slowed into an oneiric haze. In the world of MWW, memory functions less as nostalgia and more as a living fabric - mutable and resonant. "Things Gone and Things Here Still" finds Iggy Romeu at his most expansive, offering up a generous record of open spaces and porous boundaries.

A – Raise & Risk – The Itch

A tiny camel keyring tossed around on a contact mic and run through an ancient plate reverb makes up most of the percussions, odd ad-libs and wooshes in "The Itch". A 60 ton bass growl of mesozoic depth and some messed up hihats nicked from a previously discarded track round things off. Unfolds particularly well at high volume with ample Waterhouse-level low end.

B1 – Raise & Risk – Anthistamine
The initial minimalist groove of "Antihistamine" had already been in place for a while. But it was the log drums we added after a long night spent in a dark room surrounded by and partaking in mayhem that really tied it all together. Overall a moody and somewhat dissonant affair, the track breathes and oozes in unexpected ways, like we've never managed before.

B2 – Raise & Risk – Screwfix E17

Sirens wail, shouts compete for attention, a gnarly bassline tests your speakers and the drums switch between half- and doubletime 165 business. "Screwfix E17" is a rowdy loveletter to everyone's fav retailer of cheap tools and ambivalent service.

Mr Thing : "Quick story and some background on the 45 of mine that Koco posted yesterday in his stories, some of you know about this but here’s the whole scoop!
Around the time Biz Markie’s second album was coming out Westwood used to play Tribute To Scratching Part 2 using all Jackson’s/Michael Jackson samples - absolutely amazing but never came out for obvious reasons. Fast forward a few years and I’m doing my debut set on the show and I asked about it and if I could get a copy - he was very cool about it but said he couldn’t let me have it, which was fair enough, although he DID play it on the show when it aired when he interviewed me. Fast forward a bit more and the Hot Chillin’ 12” comes out and even that is what sounds like a radio rip pressed on the record.

An’archives presents Kagome Kagome, the first collaboration between France’s Delphine Dora and Japan’s Ayami Suzuki. Curious listeners might know Dora from the string of lovely, idiosyncratic albums she’s released over the past two decades, most recently for labels like Modern Love, Morc and Recital; she’s also worked with the likes of Michel Henritzi and Sophie Cooper. Suzuki’s performances, predominantly for voice, place her within a tradition of Japanese improvised music – see the music she’s made with artists such as Takashi Masubuchi, TOMO and Leo Okagawa – but her approach also takes in folk song, ambience and claustrophobic drone.

On Kagome Kagome, Dora and Suzuki play to their many strengths: a gentle, free-willed folksiness; long, aerated drone constructs; ghostly, time-warping explorations for voice. They met on Dora’s May 2024 tour of Japan, though they’d been in touch beforehand, with Dora proposing the collaboration to Suzuki, developed around “concepts of ‘otherworldliness’ and ‘impermanence’,” the latter says, “and explored the relationship between ‘the invisible’ and sound in Japanese culture – a common interest we share.”

They recorded across several days that month, with the sessions for Kagome Kagome taking place in Kanumi, in Tochigi prefecture, at a space named Center. “I was particularly looking forward to seeing Delphine encounter the vintage 104-year-old harmonium from Nippon Gakki Seizo Co. that had just been repaired at Center,” Suzuki recalls. “It was as if the harmonium had been waiting for Delphine to draw sound from it. I felt it was a beautiful relationship where they could guide each other.”

Indeed, there’s something channelled about the music that Dora and Suzuki made together in the session that constitutes Kagome Kagome. Dora’s harmonium might be the spine of the album, but Suzuki’s free- floating voice, and gaseous, muddied banks of electronics, wrap around the wheezing, ancient tonality of the harmonium beautifully – they, too, sound as though they were just waiting to be willed out of the daytime air. Their voices nestle together beautifully – “when we sang together in a tunnel,” Suzuki says, “there were times when we sang the exact same melody without planning. It happened so naturally that the boundaries between us became blurred.”

And that title? It’s drawn from a Japanese children’s song, and the song titles themselves constitute the song’s lyrics, in alternating Japanese (Romanized) and French language. Urban legend connects the song “Kagome Kagome” to the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, nearby Center, that Suzuki and Dora visited while they were in Kanumi. “The mysterious lyrics of ‘Kagome Kagome’ and its puzzle-like connection to Nikko Toshogu were a perfect fit for this mysterious album,” Suzuki reflects, “which I think has its own kind of puzzle-like elements.”

A deep album of prayer and magic, of divination and ritual, Kagome Kagome’s sense of serious play, its rich beauty, feels somehow dislocated from our time. If you’ve ever enjoyed the music of Nico, Kendra Smith, Charalambides, or other channelers of ghostly mystery, its eerie otherness will, somehow, feel oddly familiar.

Blazing onto ICONYC for its 21st release, Swiss sonic alchemist Shiffer makes a striking debut with the magnetic All I’ve Been EP. Celebrated for his emotional finesse and innate ability to connect with unexplored corners, Shiffer’s latest creation, including a lucious collaboration with Paul Brenning and capped off by Jonathan Kaspar’s trademark rework, is a tantalizing suite designed to echo in our timeless halls.

The journey begins with Shiffer & Paul Brenning’s opening manifesto, “All I’ve Been”, a track that unfurls with both confidence and caution, as if self-aware from its very first beat. Mechanical whirs and fractured frames give way to low-end swells that drive forward with an unrelenting undertow. Brenning’s unmistakable vocals start to break a warmer ground as they linger in the liminal space between today and tomorrow before slowly growing in gravitas. Suddenly, the piece begins to contort, drawing spellbinding figures as arresting arrangements and melodic flourishes allow for decompression. Imbued with a tantalizing breakdown that amplifies their exquisite use of negative space, “All I’ve Been” is a fascinating and intimate take that feels as expansive as it ever could.

The follow-up, “Urban Legends”, takes a bolder stance. Anchored by heavy drum programming that carves its place with deliberate force, the track is haunted by ghostlike vocal fragments that lend an unsettling, cinematic edge.. Out from the left field, Shiffer deploys undulating synthetics that intertwine with consummate ease as they glide under the spotlight. An alluring act that treads unhurried and unconcerned, “Urban Legends” operates at its own pace, far from the demands of a world lost in the metropolitan hustle, allowing us to bask in a lore of things that might or might never have happened.

Closing the release, ICONYC calls upon Cologne innovator Jonathan Kaspar, who delivers a singular reinterpretation of “All I’ve Been”. Immersed in iridescent textures, Kaspar layers lush, swelling pads over pulsing low frequencies, their ebb and flow punctured by flashes of distortion that spark like electric currents.. Reflective and equally immersive, Jonathan Kaspar’s take on “All I’ve Been” pushes the collaboration into a brash new terrain while retaining the spiritual ethos intact

Zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum von God of War präsentieren Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Santa Monica Studio und Laced Records ein monumentales 13-LP-Vinyl-Boxset, das die Musik aller Spiele von God of War (2005) bis God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla (2023) umfasst. In zwei aufwendig gestalteten Schubern befinden sich sieben Hüllen mit individuell bedruckten Innenhüllen und exklusiv für Vinyl gemasterten Aufnahmen. Die Sammlung zelebriert die musikalische Entwicklung von Kratos’ Epos – von den orchestralen und choralen Klanggewalten der griechischen Saga (u. a. Gerard K. Marino, Winifred Phillips, Tyler Bates) bis zu Bear McCrearys preisgekrönten, emotionalen Soundlandschaften der nordischen Ära. Erstmals auf Vinyl enthalten ist McCrearys Score zu Ragnarök: Valhalla, ergänzt durch drei entspannte Lofi-Remixe von Alex Moukala & Lawrence Ravagnan, die das 20-jährige Vermächtnis des Ghost of Sparta stimmungsvoll abrunden.

Die Jazz-Disruptoren Ebi Soda (Spotify Best Of Jazz UK 2024) verarbeiten auf ihrer neuesten LP "frank dean and andrew" das Chaos endloser Jam-Sessions in einem abgelegenen, gemieteten Bauernhaus. Das Album vertieft ihre punkige Herangehensweise an Jazz und eröffnet zugleich Raum für eine lang gehegte Faszination für elektronische Texturen und filmische Kuriositäten. Die Tracks konzentrieren sich auf Ambient und Hall, greifen aber auch auf Einflüsse von UK Dubstep (wie Zomby, Burial und Joe Armon-Jones' Zusammenarbeit mit Maxwell Owin) zurück, sowie auf den rauen, körnigen DIY-Mixtape-Sound (inspiriert von Künstlern wie Athletic Progression, Yameii Online und Playboi Carti). Ebi Soda spielten renommierte Festivals wie Gilles Petersons We Out Here, Jazz Re:freshed London, SXSW Austin und EFG London Jazz Festival. LP mit Poster samt Link zum gleichnamigen Dokufilm und einem Secret Track.

For those that don't know who Ocean Dawn is, it's a new alias from Kid Drama (1/2 of Instra:mental), mainly focusing on atmospheric jungle. I've previously worked with Damon (Ocean Dawn) on Ambien Sequence (which came out on Meeting Of The Minds Vol. 10, before he had established this alias for his solo atmospheric jungle tunes) as well as a track called Transitions, which came out on the Nine Windows (him & DJ Trace) album called Rule Of Thirds.

Last year, I booked him to play at one of the Future Retro London nights in Peckham Audio and I really enjoyed his set & his selection, which was mainly made up of his own work. He was quite keen on doing a release for the label so we started with Fingerprints.

Even though this tune is by just him, the original version of it is actually my remix, which was going to be a collaboration & was actually started by him. I finished the track & he liked it but thought it could be taken down a different path, so I sent him back the sounds and he made his own version from it, which is now the original & the "collaboration" became my remix of the tune.

Shortly after we had Fingerprints & the remix done, he sent me Progressive Future Music & Wax Cool which he had recently made and I loved both of those tracks, which give us enough tracks by him to complete the release.

Big up to Damon for his work on this release & look out for more to come from Ocean Dawn, including a collaborative release me & him are currently working on! :)

Das Jimi Hendrix Bold As Love Boxset bieten ein erstklassiges Sammlererlebnis. Jedes Set enthält 27 bisher unveröffentlichte Aufnahmen aus dem Jahr 1967, darunter Demos und alternative Takes sowie Fernseh- und Radioauftritte. Diese Deluxe-Edition enthält die Stereo- und Mono-Mischungen des Albums Axis: Bold As Love, die alle von Bernie Grundman anhand der originalen Masterbänder neu gemastert wurden. Ein 36-seitiges Booklet mit seltenen Fotos, detaillierten Liner Notes und Track-für-Track-Einblicken rundet das Angebot ab. Diese Veröffentlichung ist ideal für Hendrix-Fans und Vinyl-Liebhaber, die nach einer definitiven Archivausgabe eines der kultigsten Alben von Hendrix suchen.

"Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me", das vierte Album von Porridge Radio, wurde Anfang 2024 in Somerset vom langjährigen Big Thief- und Laura Marling-Tontechniker Dom Monks aufgenommen und ist ein Moment des Erwachsenwerdens, inspiriert von Burnout, der Musikindustrie, Herzschmerz und der zunehmenden Vertiefung der Bandleaderin Dana Margolin in ihr eigenes Handwerk als Künstlerin. Margolins rücksichtsloser, sich selbst hinterfragender Schreibstil wird auf dem gesamten Album durch die bisher ergreifendste Musik der Band ergänzt, die sich geduldig aufbaut und tragisch intensiv ist. "Alle Songs begannen als Gedichte, ich wollte mich selbst herausfordern", sagt Dana Margolin über das Werk, aus dem "Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me" wurde. "In einem Song kann sich der Autor immer hinter den Tricks der Musik und altbekannten Techniken wie Wiederholungen verstecken. In einem Gedicht hingegen sind es nur Worte und das war's." "Vieles auf diesem Album handelt von einer frenetischen und verzweifelten Art von Liebe, es geht um den völligen Verlust meines Selbstbewusstseins in einer Beziehung und um den tiefen Rest von Unsicherheit und Schmerz, der eine neue Beziehung trübte." Lieder, die als Liebeslieder geschrieben wurden - wie "In A Dream I'm A Painting" - bekamen neue Bedeutungen, als Margolin die Lieder mit einer neuen Distanz betrachtete. "Es gab eine Menge Liebe und Verwirrung, alles durchsetzt mit Erschöpfung und Schmerz." Die Clouds-Sessions fanden in Frome statt, als der Winter zu Beginn des Jahres 2024 in den Frühling überging. "Es gab ein paar Zusammenbrüche", grinst Dana, eine faire Einschätzung der Aufnahme solch intimer und persönlicher Songs, "nach einigen Takes brach ich einfach auf dem Boden zusammen, so aufgebracht war ich." Es wurde ein Umfeld geschaffen, in dem Dana sich ausdrücken konnte und in dem sie gefördert wurde. "Wir hatten jeden Abend diese großen gemeinsamen Mahlzeiten", sagt sie, "es fühlte sich sehr eng und fürsorglich und warm und besonders an. Unser kleines Haus lag auf einem großen Hügel, ein Fluss floss hindurch, es war groß und hell und schön", erinnert sich Dana. Das Studio selbst war hell - voller strahlendem natürlichem Licht aus den großen Fenstern, ein Segen für Musiker, die an die abgeschottete Welt der meisten Aufnahmestudios gewöhnt sind, und zum ersten Mal konnten alle im selben Raum wie der Produzent aufnehmen. "Es fühlt sich an, als hätten wir zum ersten Mal etwas gemacht", erklärt sie und freut sich hörbar über das Album, "es hat etwas von unserer Freundschaft eingefangen und von der Art und Weise, wie wir gelernt haben, zusammen zu spielen. Ich liebe die Songs, ich liebe es, sie zu spielen, sie sind nicht alt geworden und es fühlt sich an, als wäre es etwas Besonderes." Eine Pause. "Es hat mich so viel gelehrt. Deinem Bauchgefühl zu folgen, auf deine Freunde und ihre Loyalität zu vertrauen, darauf zu vertrauen, dass du mit Leuten richtig kämpfen kannst. So will ich leben, so will ich Platten machen, denn Platten machen ist mein Leben, denn meine Arbeit ist mein Spiel, mein Job ist mein Leben. Alles ist in dieser Sache miteinander verbunden, und es gibt Wege darin, die mich nicht umbringen."

Mit ihren stählernen Klängen sind Judas Priest seit vielen Jahrzehnten Garanten für absolut atemlose Hardrock-Orgien. 1990 legten sie mit 'Painkiller' ein furioses Metal-Meisterwerk vor, das sich mit Hammer-Tracks wie ''Metal Meltdown', 'Leather Rebel' und 'A Touch Of Evil' in die Gehörgänge bohrte. Das mehrfach vergoldete Album zählt zu den erfolgreichsten Veröffentlichungen des von Sänger Rob Halford angeführten Quintetts aus der englischen Stahl- und Kohlestadt Birmingham.

Chicago-based indie punks Sincere Engineer started as a solo acoustic punk act playing dive bars and open mics. Singer/guitarist/songwriter, Deanna Belos, decided to forego dental school for punk music, trading in teeth for corn dogs (as referenced in her fan favorite song "Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7"), and touring the world with bands like Hot Mulligan, Alkaline Trio, The Menzingers, and Joyce Manor. In 2020, she released Bless My Psyche, her first sophomore album on independent powerhouse Hopeless Records. Featuring the Sirius XM Faction hit "Trust Me," the album explored themes of insecurity, failure, and coming of age and was built for gut wrenching sing-a-longs. With the upcoming Cheap Grills, Sincere Engineer now takes a massive leap forward with catchy melodies, witty and sharp lyrics, and the sincerity of a person that wants to do the right thing in a world that doesn't always reward that. Working with producer Mike Sapone (Taking Back Sunday, Brand New), Sincere Engineer/Deanna Belos has crafted an album that sees her emerge as a face of the new generation of melodic punk. For Fans Of: The Menzingers, Alkaline Trio, Hot Mulligan, Jeff Rosenstock

Sincere Engineer is an American punk rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2025 three full-length albums have been released, this is the second (2021) and first for Hopeless Records. Inspired by Chicago punks like Alkaline Trio and The Lawrence Arms, Sincere Engineer, centered around Deanna Belos,cut its teeth in the windy city's folk-punk scen, eissuing her debut album Rhombithianin 2017 and gaining a cult following over the course of multiple tours across the United States. For her sophomore album and Hopeless debut Bless My Psyche, Deanna is still pulling from the inspiration her adolescent icons brought her but is also expanding her sound by taking cues from artists who she has looked to as of late like Hop Along, Soccer Mommy, and PhoebeBridgers. For Fans Of: Mom Jeans, Hop Along, Remo Drive

„Manche nennen es Musik, doch für die meisten ist es Krach“, tönt’s im Intro. Das bedeutet damals
wie heute: Der Sänger und Gitarrist der Besten Band der Welt versucht gar nicht erst, seine musikalische
Herkunft zu leugnen und das ist damals wie heute etwas Gutes.
Nur am Rande sei bemerkt, dass FARIN URLAUB den Großteil des Krachs selbst eingespielt hat. Einzig
die Bläser und Streicher hat er sich ins Studio geholt und wer glaubt, „Endlich Urlaub!“ käme lediglich als
nostalgisches Hörerlebnis für den graumelierten Fan erster Stunde ums Eck, hat sich gewaltig in tiefliegende
Gewebsschichten geschnitten.
In „OK“ wird dem geneigten Hörer floskelfrei die Fresse poliert – mit scharf gezackten Gitarrenriffs und
dem roten Saft eines frisch zerfetzten Herzens. „Glücklich“, „Phänomenal egal“ und „Sumisu“ schreien
ungebrochen „IchIchIch“, wenn die Frage nach Singleauskopplungen im Raum steht.
Nur für jene, die unheilvollen Zeiten gern mit Vogelstrauß-Ignoranz oder gar sanfter Zerstreuung begegnen
wollen, wird’s hier gewohnt schwierig – auch wenn’s an musikalischer Vielgestaltigkeit nicht mangelt.
Unbequem kann man, wer hätte das gedacht, auch zu Surf-Sounds werden; wenn’s sein muss, geht’s sogar
rein instrumental. Auf „… und die Gitarre war noch warm“ wabert’s einem nämlich zu High Noon in bester
Morricone-Manier apokalyptisch entgegen.

Dark Stories Part I: 2020: Homophobie, Liebeskummer, Nazi Terror und die Abhängigkeit von Social Media und KI. Nadine Nevermore, Tommy Cräck und Äxel Äxport schreiben während einer weltweiten Pandemie 4 Songs, nehmen diese im heimischen Äxport Tonstudio, in WG Zimmern und Proberäumen, zwischen Ausgangssperren und Kontaktverboten auf. An Shows ist zu dieser Zeit nicht zu denken. Dark Stories Pt. I war entstanden. Dark Stories Part II: 2024: People Pleasing, Ausbruch aus dem Alltag, TierUNwohl, die dunkle Seite der Gesellschaft und der Kampf gegen das Patriarchat. Nach vier Jahren, einem Album und über 70 Shows später, war die Zeit reif für Part II der Dark Stories. Zusammen mit dem Produzenten Daniel Keller (Studio 411) wurden 5 Songs aufgenommen. Das Schlagzeug wurde im Kulturzentrum Kinett, einem ehemaligen Kleinstadt Kino in Kusel aufgenommen, indem N.T.Ä. ihre allererste Show spielten. Musikalische Gäste bereicherten den zweiten Part der Dark Stories. Lee Hollis in klassischer Hardcore Manier beim Song "Away" und Chris Kotze on 1-2-3-4 beim Song "Combat". Idee und Gestaltung des Artworks stammen aus der Feder von Flöter und Andy Kremp (AK.ink). Dark Stories Pt. II war entstanden. Die LP kommt mit schwerem Inside Out Cover, schönem LP Booklet und Download Link, mit dem ihr euch die Songs als MP3 und WAV herunterladen könnt.

Red/Black marbled Vinyl, limitiert auf 200 Exemplare. Plus LP Booklet und Downloadcode. Dark Stories Part I: 2020: Homophobie, Liebeskummer, Nazi Terror und die Abhängigkeit von Social Media und KI. Nadine Nevermore, Tommy Cräck und Äxel Äxport schreiben während einer weltweiten Pandemie 4 Songs, nehmen diese im heimischen Äxport Tonstudio, in WG Zimmern und Proberäumen, zwischen Ausgangssperren und Kontaktverboten auf. An Shows ist zu dieser Zeit nicht zu denken. Dark Stories Pt. I war entstanden. Dark Stories Part II: 2024: People Pleasing, Ausbruch aus dem Alltag, TierUNwohl, die dunkle Seite der Gesellschaft und der Kampf gegen das Patriarchat. Nach vier Jahren, einem Album und über 70 Shows später, war die Zeit reif für Part II der Dark Stories. Zusammen mit dem Produzenten Daniel Keller (Studio 411) wurden 5 Songs aufgenommen. Das Schlagzeug wurde im Kulturzentrum Kinett, einem ehemaligen Kleinstadt Kino in Kusel aufgenommen, indem N.T.Ä. ihre allererste Show spielten. Musikalische Gäste bereicherten den zweiten Part der Dark Stories. Lee Hollis in klassischer Hardcore Manier beim Song "Away" und Chris Kotze on 1-2-3-4 beim Song "Combat". Idee und Gestaltung des Artworks stammen aus der Feder von Flöter und Andy Kremp (AK.ink). Dark Stories Pt. II war entstanden. Die LP kommt mit schwerem Inside Out Cover, schönem LP Booklet und Download Link, mit dem ihr euch die Songs als MP3 und WAV herunterladen könnt. Das Vinyl kommt in der Farbe red-black marbled tranlucent. Diese Version ist auf 200 Exemplare limitiert.

„All is love and pain in the mouse parade“ ist das lang erwartete vierte Album der Band. Es ist eine Sammlung von Geschichten darüber, wie Liebe und Schmerz miteinander verwoben sind. Gefühle, die auf den ersten Blick unvereinbar scheinen, aber gleichzeitig existieren und einander brauchen. Das Album wurde im Heimstudio der Band in Island geschrieben, aufgenommen und produziert, mit Unterstützung ihres Kindheitsfreundes, dem Toningenieur Bjarni Þór Jensson.

Mit ihrem 2011 erschienenen Durchbruchalbum „My Head Is An Animal“ schafften Of Monsters and Men den Sprung von Reykjavík auf die Weltbühne und wurden von isländischen Indie-Lieblingen zu internationalen Chartstürmern.

Inmitten ihres kometenhaften Aufstiegs veröffentlichte die Band 2015 ihr zweites Album „Beneath the Skin“, das auf Platz 3 der Billboard 200 debütierte. Begleitet wurde die Veröffentlichung von einem Überraschungsauftritt in der HBO-Erfolgsserie „Game of Thrones“. Ihr cineastischer Sound tauchte überall auf, von „The Hunger Games“ bis „The Secret Life of Walter Mitty“.

Nach über einem Jahrzehnt hat sich die Band von folkigen Newcomern zu einer festen Größe des digitalen Zeitalters entwickelt. Sie hat 9 Millionen monatliche Hörer:innen auf Spotify und erreicht eine neue Generation, die entdeckt, dass die Schönheit Islands über Fjorde und Thermalbäder hinausgeht.

"Hidden City" (2016) is The Cult"s tenth studio album - produced by Bob Rock and written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy. It"s the final part of a trilogy that witnessed the rebirth of the band, beginning with "Born Into This" (2007), which evolved into "Choice of Weapon" (2012), and arrived fully formed, kicking and screaming with the seductive "Hidden City". The sonic assault of "Dark Energy" is the perfect intro to this album. Peel away the layers of this 12-track master class in space and time, and you will discover a band in their absolute prime. Which comes as no surprise, as the Cult have existed in the shadows and wild spaces since their inception. Remastered for vinyl by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound, and cut by John Webber at Air Studios.

"Hidden City" (2016) is The Cult"s tenth studio album - produced by Bob Rock and written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy. It"s the final part of a trilogy that witnessed the rebirth of the band, beginning with "Born Into This" (2007), which evolved into "Choice of Weapon" (2012), and arrived fully formed, kicking and screaming with the seductive "Hidden City". The sonic assault of "Dark Energy" is the perfect intro to this album. Peel away the layers of this 12-track master class in space and time, and you will discover a band in their absolute prime. Which comes as no surprise, as the Cult have existed in the shadows and wild spaces since their inception. Remastered for vinyl by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound, and cut by John Webber at Air Studios.

"“The strongest Cult songs in years.” ★★★★ --The Guardian

Remastered for vinyl by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound, and cut by John Webber at Air Studios. Pressed on Limited Edition Coloured vinyl: LP1 red, LP2 white vinyl.

Hidden City is The Cult’s tenth studio album - produced by Bob Rock and written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy. It’s the final part of a trilogy that witnessed the rebirth of the band, beginning with ‘Born Into This’ (2007), which evolved into ‘Choice of Weapon’ (2012), and arrived fully formed, kicking and screaming with the seductive ‘Hidden City’

The sonic assault of ‘Dark Energy’ is the perfect intro to this album. Peel away the layers of this 12 track master class in space and time, and you will discover a band in their absolute prime. Which comes as no surprise, as the Cult have existed in the shadows and wild spaces since their inception."

"“The strongest Cult songs in years.” ★★★★ --The Guardian

Remastered for vinyl by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound, and cut by John Webber at Air Studios. Cut at 45 RPM for a superior sound. Pressed on black audiophile vinyl at Optimal, Europe’s premium pressing plant. This CV 45 Edition comes with an individually numbered obi strip.

Hidden City is The Cult’s tenth studio album - produced by Bob Rock and written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy. It’s the final part of a trilogy that witnessed the rebirth of the band, beginning with ‘Born Into This’ (2007), which evolved into ‘Choice of Weapon’ (2012), and arrived fully formed, kicking and screaming with the seductive ‘Hidden City’

The sonic assault of ‘Dark Energy’ is the perfect intro to this album. Peel away the layers of this 12 track master class in space and time, and you will discover a band in their absolute prime. Which comes as no surprise, as the Cult have existed in the shadows and wild spaces since their inception."