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For his new album, Irreparable Parables, Andrew Wasylyk felt a strong desire to write a set of songs featuring an element hitherto rare in his work: the human voice. Equally strong was the conviction that he did not want to sing them himself.

The Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer set about assembling a group of guest singers, sending out the songs to wherever they were in the world. The vocals were recorded remotely and then, like migrating birds, winged their way back to Scotland. The result is an album of great beauty which, perhaps preeminently in Wasylyk’s work, expresses the vulnerability and resilience of the human spirit.

Six singers appear on the record, represented by six songbirds illustrated on the sleeve by Clay Pipe Music’s Frances Castle. The cuckoo is a nod to Belle and Sebastian’s 2004 single ‘I’m A Cuckoo’, that band’s Stuart Murdoch being the first voice you hear on the new album. When the vocal for ‘Private Symphony #2’ arrived, says Wasylyk, “it was everything that I was looking for and more. But this is Stuart Murdoch. Of course he’s going to make something incredibly beautiful and thoughtful.”

The song lyrics were, for the most part, written by the singers. The music is Wasylyk’s creation. He navigates a sound world that lies somewhere beyond the borders of classical and jazz, ambient and abstract. It is difficult to describe, but easy to understand, which is to say to feel. That is the way Wasylyk’s work is experienced: as a feeling. It takes you back to childhood, perhaps, to feelings of comfort and safety, or to memories of walks at sunrise and sunset, or to the way a shadow falls on a particular field in a particular place at a particular time in your life. This is consoling music. That is why, though pretty, it is not merely pretty. These are songs to shore up the soul.

Wasylyk writes in a room, in his native Dundee, full of “half broken” instruments. He picks these up, plays a little, seeking an idea, a feeling, a door that lies ajar. The musical palette of Irreparable Parables includes brass and woodwind, a six-piece string section, guitar, bass, drums, vibraphone, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, tape loops, synthesisers and percussion. The strings were arranged by the cellist Pete Harvey, a long-term collaborator.

Among the other guest vocalists are Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals, Saya Ueno from Japan’s Tenniscoats and Peter Brewis from Field Music. Wasylyk himself takes the lead vocal on the title track, though a throat infection and touch of pitch-shifting have altered his singing in a way that even he, having fallen out of love with his own voice, finds acceptable.

The heart of the record can, arguably, be found in two tracks, ‘Love Is A Life That Lasts Forever’ and ‘Spectators In The Absence of God’, sung respectively by Molly Linen and Kathryn Joseph. The former, bright with trumpets, was inspired by the writing of Derek Jarman. “I was feeling deeply upset about the world and wanted to try and write some- thing that was obviously hopeful,” Wasylyk says.

‘Spectators …’ offers an emotional counterpoint. It is an “apocalyptic hymn” that seems to grapple with watching human suffering from afar, too distant to be at physical risk, but experiencing the psychological wounding, and feelings of helplessness, even complicity, that come with constant awareness of other people’s pain. “Kathryn’s a pal, I love her dearly, and she’s a brilliant artist who really feels what she writes,” Wasylyk says. “The cracked tenderness of her voice is spellbinding.”

The album closes with an instrumental piece, ‘Soul Enters The Ocean Sun Climbs Out Of The Sea’, all piano and strings, that offers a sense of resolution and ascension. A good moment, too, for Wasylyk to reflect upon the artistic companionship that he enjoyed while making this record – the songbirds that answered his call: “These humans are incredible at what they do. I’m deeply grateful and feel so lucky. It blows my mind.”

Centered around the driving lead cut ‘Retrospective’, the EP delivers hypnotic floor-focused techno marked by meticulous sound design with its two accompanying versions — ‘Retrospective (Intro Version)’ and ‘Retrospective (Intro Tool)’ expanding the record’s functional range, while staying aligned with the Klockworks ethos of timeless,
uncompromising music built for the dancefloor.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Ben on this EP for his wonderful Klockworks label,” the duo states,“…an imprint that stands for precision, and music that holds its weight over time. Working on this EP we focused on stripping everything back to the core, letting the deepness of the dark groove and tension do the talking.

Miles Borghese’s Direct Styles, up next on Jupiter’s Depth, explores a meditative dub techno palette that sits somewhere between dub, tech-house, and minimalist club music. Following a run of standout releases on 9FINITY and Squid Recordings, among others, we’re thrilled to welcome that alien modern club sound to the label.

The floor-focused Direct Styles opens with the title track, driven by a hyperactive bassline and layered with delay-drenched synth chords, galloping through time with restless momentum. On A2, a more tempestuous techno side of Miles Borghese reveals itself on “Dark Plan,” charging the release with a mind-bending looped groove, pulling everything on earth into a hypnotic, blitzed state.

“Climber” — a storm of immaculately constructed, phase-shifting textures that drags us deep into the B-side; a real dub-techno delight made for outer space. Closing the EP, Miles joins forces with Pipo Renault on the lush “Parapluie”: warm and groove-focused, a captivating, house-leaning masterclass built to keep you moving.

A Bandcamp-only digital bonus, Substance, awaits those willing to dig a little deeper.

With over 20 albums under his belt, John Beltran returns to his much-loved Placid Angles project with one of his strongest albums to date. Years of experience have brought a deep focus and awareness of textures, space and emotion that reveal a producer at the top of his game.

From the sound of slowly moving mountains that is the title track "Canada" to the breakbeat-laden "Hero BK" and collaborations with Sophia Stel, Tom VR, and Yussh, it's easy to hear why this album is special.

Beltran notes, "Everything from the scenery to the people just made sense, so I decided to dedicate this record to them and that beautiful country." He adds, "I think you'll hear a little bit of all of the Placid records in this one. I encapsulated what the project has always been and will continue to be moving forward."

On "Canada", the past is present in a joyous way, a record full of emotion and ambience connecting nostalgia with the now.
"That's what Placid Angles is," Beltran says. "A peek back into that wonderful era of music."

I started writing the songs for V at the beginning of 2023, and the demos were finished by the end of that year. While creating this material, I kept returning to one thought: everything we take for granted - everything that feels stable and permanent - is, in reality, incredibly fragile. Nothing lasts forever, and the sense of things slipping away can hit much sooner than we expect. I tried to translate those feelings into sound. At that time, a lot of difficult things were happening in my life, things I didn't know how to cope with. Music became a form of therapy - a way to process emotions I couldn't express in any other way. In early 2024, we began working through the songs together as a full band. After finalizing the arrangements, we spent the rest of the year recording them. The process stretched over many months, split into several sessions across different studios. I didn't want to rush anything. I wanted, as always, to refine every detail the best we possibly could. Soon you'll be able to hear the result for yourselves. For me, this album is something deeply personal. It's an act of opening up to anyone who chooses to listen - a glimpse into things I can't fully describe with words, into what I felt and who I became during that period. I'm incredibly happy that together with my friends from the band, we've created another record. What comes next_ time will tell.

Magenta Vinyl, limited to 450 copies. I started writing the songs for V at the beginning of 2023, and the demos were finished by the end of that year. While creating this material, I kept returning to one thought: everything we take for granted - everything that feels stable and permanent - is, in reality, incredibly fragile. Nothing lasts forever, and the sense of things slipping away can hit much sooner than we expect. I tried to translate those feelings into sound. At that time, a lot of difficult things were happening in my life, things I didn't know how to cope with. Music became a form of therapy - a way to process emotions I couldn't express in any other way. In early 2024, we began working through the songs together as a full band. After finalizing the arrangements, we spent the rest of the year recording them. The process stretched over many months, split into several sessions across different studios. I didn't want to rush anything. I wanted, as always, to refine every detail the best we possibly could. Soon you'll be able to hear the result for yourselves. For me, this album is something deeply personal. It's an act of opening up to anyone who chooses to listen - a glimpse into things I can't fully describe with words, into what I felt and who I became during that period. I'm incredibly happy that together with my friends from the band, we've created another record. What comes next_ time will tell.

World Of Echo announces the reissue of two remastered albums by Japanese guitarist and songwriter Naoki Zushi, 1988’s Paradise, and 2005’s III. Two classics of Japanese psychedelia, both Paradise and III were originally released on Org Records, the imprint of Shinji Shibayama of acid-folk group Nagisa Ni Te, with whom Zushi has guested on second guitar for decades. Both intimate and expansive, rich with revelatory songwriting and blasted, sky-scouring guitar, these reissues return these albums to print for the first time since the 2000s. It’s the first time III has been officially released on vinyl, with an extra, previously unreleased track, “Under The June Moonlight.”

Recorded in Kyoto’s Townhouse Studios in mid 1987 and released in limited-to-500 vinyl pressing in 1988, Paradise emerged from a scene in Kansai, Japan that was embracing the idiosyncracies of 1970s singer-songwriters, the soaring solos of early seventies psychedelia, and the DIY impulse of 1980s post-punk. While Zushi’s musical history stretched back to the early eighties – he was a founding member of Jojo Hiroshige’s noise outfit Hijokaidan – he found his feet with groups like Hallelujahs, whose dream-pop collection Niku O Kuraite Chikai Wo Tateyo was recently reissued by Black Editions, and Idiot O’Clock.

Paradise appeared two years after that Hallelujahs album and share much the same membership – Zushi’s backing band on several of the songs includes Shibayama on drums and Ken-Ichi Takayama (aka Idiot) on electric guitar, though just as often, Zushi plays all the instruments himself. The coordinates here are wide-reaching – you can hear the volume and intensity of Neil Young & Crazy Horse (on “Hallelujah: Left Side” and “Paradise: Midday”), the slow-motion magic of Galaxie 500, the idiosyncratic spirit of The Only Ones, all mixed up with tender guitar miniatures and stumbling garage-psych-pop moves.

Seven years later, after the transitional album Phenomenal Luciferin, Zushi released III. Perhaps his masterpiece, it’s already been bootlegged on vinyl, but this reissue is the real deal. The album was recorded at Studio Nemu over seven years, and sees Zushi backed by Shibayama (bass) and Masako Takeda (drums), his erstwhile bandmates in Nagisa Ni Te. By this stage, Zushi had started to really stretch out, and many of the songs on III swoon languorously, taking their sweet time to say what they need to say. It’s rich with lovely, melancholy songs, in a similar realm to bandmates Nagisa Ni Te, of course, but you can also hear traces of everything from Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs, through seventies private press loner folk, to the slow-burn meanderings of the likes of early Low or Damon & Naomi.

When interviewed by Shibayama in the mid-nineties, Zushi said of Paradise, “it was a sort of collection of songs that had meant something to me up to that point… it was my paradise. I wanted to create paradise.” That’s something Zushi achieves on both of these albums – visionary Japanese psychedelia, en route to paradise. - Jon Dale

Nothing waren schon immer Regelbrecher. Shoegaze-Rebellen, die das typischerweise leichtgewichtige Genre nach ihrem eigenen, knallharten amerikanischen Image neu erfunden haben. Outlaw-Poeten, die existenzielle Ängste auf kilometerbreiten Leinwänden aus Fuzz und Hall ausbreiten. Angefangen als Solo-Projekt in einem Schlafzimmer in Philadelphia im Jahr 2010, hat die Musik von Nothing immer die ganze Bandbreite des Menschseins eingefangen, sowohl die schreiende Wut als auch die flüsternde Traurigkeit. ,A Short History of Decay", das fünfte Soloalbum von Nothing und das erste für Run For Cover Records, erweitert diesen Horizont noch weiter und bietet die bisher hochauflösendste Darstellung von Nothing. Die Band hat noch nie so kolossal geklungen, sich noch nie so intim angefühlt, war noch nie so ehrlich. Mit dem stärksten Arsenal in der sich ständig verändernden Besetzung von Nothing - Gitarrist Doyle Martin (Cloakroom), Bassist Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), Schlagzeuger Zachary Jones (MSC, Manslaughter 777) und dem dritten Gitarristen Cam Smith (Ladder To God, ebenfalls von Cloakroom) - wusste Singer-Songwriter Domenic ,Nicky" Palermo wusste, dass er die nötige Manpower hatte, um das bisher ambitionierteste Album der Band aufzunehmen. Mitgeschrieben und produziert wurde es zusammen mit Whirr-Gitarrist Nicholas Bassett, zusätzliche Produktions- und Mixing-Arbeiten übernahm Sonny Diperri (DIIV, Julie). a short history of decay ist das musikalisch ausgereifteste Statement im Katalog von Nothing. Songs wie ,Cannibal World" und ,Toothless Coal" sind katastrophale Ausbrüche mechanisierten Industrial-Gaze, die wie My Bloody Valentine klingen - nur extremer. Am anderen Ende des Spektrums steht das kunstvoll-düstere ,Purple Strings" mit einem wunderschönen Streicharrangement, an dem die Harfenistin und zweifache Nothing-Mitwirkende Mary Lattimore beteiligt ist. Diese barocke Zartheit durchdringt auch andere Höhepunkte von ,A Short History of Decay", insbesondere ,The Rain Don't Care", eine beschwingte Ballade, die die abgenutzte Eleganz von Mojave 3 kanalisiert, sowie ,Nerve Scales", ein prasselnder Bop, der in seiner Verbindung von jenseitiger Atmosphäre und tödlicher Präzision an Radiohead erinnert. Palermo bezeichnet das neue Album als ,letztes Kapitel". Nicht das Ende von Nothing, sondern der Abschluss einer Geschichte, die mit dem Debütalbum von Nothing aus dem Jahr 2014, Guilty of Everything, begann - einem weiteren Album über Zeit, Reue und die Konfrontation mit unangenehmen Wahrheiten - und nun mit A Short History of Decay ihren Abschluss findet. Es ist ebenso sehr eine Momentaufnahme von Palermos Vergangenheit wie ein Sprung in die Zukunft von Nothing.

Nothing waren schon immer Regelbrecher. Shoegaze-Rebellen, die das typischerweise leichtgewichtige Genre nach ihrem eigenen, knallharten amerikanischen Image neu erfunden haben. Outlaw-Poeten, die existenzielle Ängste auf kilometerbreiten Leinwänden aus Fuzz und Hall ausbreiten. Angefangen als Solo-Projekt in einem Schlafzimmer in Philadelphia im Jahr 2010, hat die Musik von Nothing immer die ganze Bandbreite des Menschseins eingefangen, sowohl die schreiende Wut als auch die flüsternde Traurigkeit. ,A Short History of Decay", das fünfte Soloalbum von Nothing und das erste für Run For Cover Records, erweitert diesen Horizont noch weiter und bietet die bisher hochauflösendste Darstellung von Nothing. Die Band hat noch nie so kolossal geklungen, sich noch nie so intim angefühlt, war noch nie so ehrlich. Mit dem stärksten Arsenal in der sich ständig verändernden Besetzung von Nothing - Gitarrist Doyle Martin (Cloakroom), Bassist Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), Schlagzeuger Zachary Jones (MSC, Manslaughter 777) und dem dritten Gitarristen Cam Smith (Ladder To God, ebenfalls von Cloakroom) - wusste Singer-Songwriter Domenic ,Nicky" Palermo wusste, dass er die nötige Manpower hatte, um das bisher ambitionierteste Album der Band aufzunehmen. Mitgeschrieben und produziert wurde es zusammen mit Whirr-Gitarrist Nicholas Bassett, zusätzliche Produktions- und Mixing-Arbeiten übernahm Sonny Diperri (DIIV, Julie). a short history of decay ist das musikalisch ausgereifteste Statement im Katalog von Nothing. Songs wie ,Cannibal World" und ,Toothless Coal" sind katastrophale Ausbrüche mechanisierten Industrial-Gaze, die wie My Bloody Valentine klingen - nur extremer. Am anderen Ende des Spektrums steht das kunstvoll-düstere ,Purple Strings" mit einem wunderschönen Streicharrangement, an dem die Harfenistin und zweifache Nothing-Mitwirkende Mary Lattimore beteiligt ist. Diese barocke Zartheit durchdringt auch andere Höhepunkte von ,A Short History of Decay", insbesondere ,The Rain Don't Care", eine beschwingte Ballade, die die abgenutzte Eleganz von Mojave 3 kanalisiert, sowie ,Nerve Scales", ein prasselnder Bop, der in seiner Verbindung von jenseitiger Atmosphäre und tödlicher Präzision an Radiohead erinnert. Palermo bezeichnet das neue Album als ,letztes Kapitel". Nicht das Ende von Nothing, sondern der Abschluss einer Geschichte, die mit dem Debütalbum von Nothing aus dem Jahr 2014, Guilty of Everything, begann - einem weiteren Album über Zeit, Reue und die Konfrontation mit unangenehmen Wahrheiten - und nun mit A Short History of Decay ihren Abschluss findet. Es ist ebenso sehr eine Momentaufnahme von Palermos Vergangenheit wie ein Sprung in die Zukunft von Nothing.

Nothing waren schon immer Regelbrecher. Shoegaze-Rebellen, die das typischerweise leichtgewichtige Genre nach ihrem eigenen, knallharten amerikanischen Image neu erfunden haben. Outlaw-Poeten, die existenzielle Ängste auf kilometerbreiten Leinwänden aus Fuzz und Hall ausbreiten. Angefangen als Solo-Projekt in einem Schlafzimmer in Philadelphia im Jahr 2010, hat die Musik von Nothing immer die ganze Bandbreite des Menschseins eingefangen, sowohl die schreiende Wut als auch die flüsternde Traurigkeit. ,A Short History of Decay", das fünfte Soloalbum von Nothing und das erste für Run For Cover Records, erweitert diesen Horizont noch weiter und bietet die bisher hochauflösendste Darstellung von Nothing. Die Band hat noch nie so kolossal geklungen, sich noch nie so intim angefühlt, war noch nie so ehrlich. Mit dem stärksten Arsenal in der sich ständig verändernden Besetzung von Nothing - Gitarrist Doyle Martin (Cloakroom), Bassist Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), Schlagzeuger Zachary Jones (MSC, Manslaughter 777) und dem dritten Gitarristen Cam Smith (Ladder To God, ebenfalls von Cloakroom) - wusste Singer-Songwriter Domenic ,Nicky" Palermo wusste, dass er die nötige Manpower hatte, um das bisher ambitionierteste Album der Band aufzunehmen. Mitgeschrieben und produziert wurde es zusammen mit Whirr-Gitarrist Nicholas Bassett, zusätzliche Produktions- und Mixing-Arbeiten übernahm Sonny Diperri (DIIV, Julie). a short history of decay ist das musikalisch ausgereifteste Statement im Katalog von Nothing. Songs wie ,Cannibal World" und ,Toothless Coal" sind katastrophale Ausbrüche mechanisierten Industrial-Gaze, die wie My Bloody Valentine klingen - nur extremer. Am anderen Ende des Spektrums steht das kunstvoll-düstere ,Purple Strings" mit einem wunderschönen Streicharrangement, an dem die Harfenistin und zweifache Nothing-Mitwirkende Mary Lattimore beteiligt ist. Diese barocke Zartheit durchdringt auch andere Höhepunkte von ,A Short History of Decay", insbesondere ,The Rain Don't Care", eine beschwingte Ballade, die die abgenutzte Eleganz von Mojave 3 kanalisiert, sowie ,Nerve Scales", ein prasselnder Bop, der in seiner Verbindung von jenseitiger Atmosphäre und tödlicher Präzision an Radiohead erinnert. Palermo bezeichnet das neue Album als ,letztes Kapitel". Nicht das Ende von Nothing, sondern der Abschluss einer Geschichte, die mit dem Debütalbum von Nothing aus dem Jahr 2014, Guilty of Everything, begann - einem weiteren Album über Zeit, Reue und die Konfrontation mit unangenehmen Wahrheiten - und nun mit A Short History of Decay ihren Abschluss findet. Es ist ebenso sehr eine Momentaufnahme von Palermos Vergangenheit wie ein Sprung in die Zukunft von Nothing.

Living Targets, the 2002 Beatsteaks album, available on ash grey colored vinyl.

The dreamy harmonising of Everything But The Girl. The propulsive urgency of The Strokes. The lilting folk-pop of The Coral. The introspective songcraft of Belle and Sebastian. The bittersweet, lyrical side-eyes of The Beautiful South. Vona Vella have all these elements and so many more, all weaving together to form a contemporary sound both gossamer delicate and fiercely robust. Since their eponymous debut album in 2023 (released on Strap Originals, Pete Doherty’s label), the seed of their signature sound – wistful indie-pop harmonies, exquisitely blended male/female vocals – has not so much grown as erupted through the dream-pop meadow into a towering, flowering beanstalk.

Today, with their second album Carnival, the former indie-pop duo have spectacularly evolved into a dynamic five-piece band, with key musical contributions from the musicians they’ve so successfully toured with over the last two years, drummer Jake Bott (who they’ve known since they were 17), bassist Claud J Melton (who they found on TikTok through a search for a female bassist), and guitarist Dexter Howell (a friend of a friend). As a five-piece, their innate pop sensibilities are now newly bolstered by a confident, thrilling propulsion, izzy and Dan, still the main songwriters and vocalists, are thrilled with the sound, where the possibilities are endless. Vona Vella may be names after two flowers, but there’s nothing twee happening here.

“From Birmingham and centred around the extraordinary songwriting talent of James and Patrick Roberts – initially as The Sea Urchins and since 1993 as Delta – they’ve only just got round to releasing their debut album, Slippin’ Out. It is a work of some beauty”. 9/10 NME ALBUM OF THE MONTH, 2000

“It’s classicist for sure, shot through with the influence of The Beatles, Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. In James’ downright beautiful closing ballad ‘I Want You’ one can also discern the school of ambitious English balladry that peaked in about 1968: The Casuals, Love Affair, Barry Ryan. The impression of accomplished old-schoolery is only furthered by the dizzying string arrangements penned by Louis Clark Jnr, son and namesake of the one-time orchestral chief of Electric Light Orchestra” – Mojo lead review, 2000


Having ended the 90s with the spirited ‘Laughing Mostly’ compilation of singles and demos (Guardian Album Of The Week) Delta finally released their debut studio album of twelve songs in the summer of 2000 on the Dishy Recordings label. Accepting that this might be their sole studio album the band threw everything at these recordings allowing it to exist in its own sphere, unbothered by their contemporary generation and disregarding the idea of even releasing a single.

Recorded at DEP International there was a notable difference to the scruffier, looser charm of their 1990s recordings, a tighter focus developed by having the experienced Lenny Franchi mixing the LP with them. Lenny had been working with a number of Island artists including My Bloody Valentine and Tricky so knew his way around a desk. There was also the question of budget (a few months passed between recording and mixing whilst funds were raised) so every day counted. Ultimately though you can hear the joy in the recordings, even amongst the melancholy and angst. As James recently recalled in an interview in Shindig! Magazine: “It was such a big deal for us. It’s one of my fondest memories doing that record. Everyone was happy. If there’s anything that I’d stand by, I think it would be that”

Louis Clark Jr joined the band towards the end of the ‘90s and brought a classically-trained element to the recordings particularly with his string arrangements. For ‘Cuckoo’, ‘I Want You’ and the prophetic ‘We Come Back’ Louis brought in eight players from the Birmingham Conservatoire; the baroque style is partly why the record often receives comparisons to Love’s ‘Forever Changes’.

On release ‘Slippin’ Out’ was a big favourite with writers at the NME, Mojo and The Guardian again and before long the band were signed to Mercury/Universal for their second studio album ‘Hard Light’, a far more expensive and expansive love affair. It was a temporary palatial home where things quietly fell apart again, but that’s another chapter.

“If long-term memory is nothing more than selective editing and only pop’s most weighty visceral works are built to last then it’s quite possible that in 50 years the Britpop era will be best recollected for the two bands it ostracised. Earlier this year we met Shack and thought their story of mercurial brilliance indicated the biggest music biz oversight of the 90s. We were wrong because we hadn’t met Delta yet. This is richer and more engrossing than anything by Shack” 

We stumble, we doubt, we fall - but within those moments lies the spark of transformation. It isn't just change. It's courage. It's fire. And that same bravery is at the core of the twenty- second instalment of Armin van Buuren's annual year mix series. Opening with a powerful narration that sets the stage for transformation, this 113- track journey takes you through the sounds that breathe courage, reinvention, and unshakable energy. From uplifting anthems and emotive vocal tracks to driving, boundary-pushing tech-trance, the mix features productions from Armin van Buuren, Adam Beyer, KI/ KI, Ferry Corsten, Joris Voorn, Hardwell, Svenson & Gielen, Hannah Laing, Factor B, Mauro Picotto, and others. Collaborations with artists such as Bon Jovi, Martin Garrix, Sam Gray, and Malou highlight the spirit of connection and reinvention, while tracks such as "Set Me Free (Rising Star Remix)", "Put Your Bassline", "Holding The Light", "Marama (Moon & Stars)", and "Missing Part Of Me" demonstrate the power to transform moments into memories. Whether through soaring melodies or relentless grooves, this mix invites you to take the leap, embrace the unknown, and let the music guide your own transformation. All together, in A State of Trance.

Rick James Blends Brazen Attitude, Fearless Sexuality, and Shrewd Charisma on Street Songs:

Punk-Funk Album Aims for the Hips and Head, Includes the Timeless Hit “Super Freak”
Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies:

Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Presents 1981 Smash in Audiophile Sound for the First Time
1/4” / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe


“Punk funk” was a relatively unknown concept before 1981. But once Street Songs took the charts by storm that year, the world soon knew about what became Rick James’ signature style. And how. True to its name, Street Songs blends outspoken sexuality, brazen attitude, and edgy commentary amid contagious R&B-fueled arrangements that simultaneously aim for the hips, head, and various nether regions. And it’s never sounded better.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents James’ platinum-certified effort in audiophile quality for the first time. Playing with crisp dynamics, lively textures, airy headroom, and revealing clarity, this collectible edition of the record that stayed at the No. 1 spot on the R&B Album Charts for 20 weeks invites you to get closer to music that beckons you to turn your space into a private dance floor.

Then again, you’ll likely be so taken by how the taut bass lines, snappy rhythms, and four-on-the-floor beats — all rendered in stunning detail and with full-bodied architecture — come across with such accuracy and presence, you might stay pinned to your seat. On this pressing, the soundstaging, imaging, and lit-fuse energy of Street Songs reach new heights. Everything from the rubbery feel of the guitar lines to the depth of James’ temperature-raising vocals to the scale of the horn charts emerges as if James and his ace session crew set up in your room.

The Buffalo native and his ensemble waste no time getting their message across. On the album-opening “Give It to Me Baby,” James and company lay down a mix of sleek funk and pulsing disco that practically activates the bright lights of a discotheque and stimulates the libido of anyone within earshot. Having reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul charts, the song is pure sex — and just one of the carnal delights on a record that embraces the subject as fearlessly as James does his identity.

Of course, the most famous of James’ erotic excursions — the timeless “Super Freak” — hit No. 1 on Hot Dance Club Play charts, No. 16 on the Hot 100, and, later, No. 153 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time. Bolstered by a quavering keyboard theme and electro riffs, the much-sampled track worms itself inside your muscles with smile-inducing subject matter, gliding vocals, nimble movements, a hot tenor-saxophone solo, and backing vocals by the Temptations.

The iconic Motown group isn’t the only celebrated guest artist on the Grammy-nominated Street Songs. James’ then-labelmate, Stevie Wonder, lends harmonica to the frank sociopolitical narrative on “Mr. Policeman,” a protest tune that also manages to stroll ’n’ strut via simmering organ, staggering brass accents, and James’ gritty vocal performance. In addition to contributing backing vocals on several cuts, Teena Marie turns in one of the album’s signature moments on “Fire and Desire,” a romantic old-school duet with James that impresses with smoothness, sensitivity, and smokiness.

High-profile colleagues aside, James remains the undisputed star, a figure whose leather-and-latex attire, braided hair, and natural swagger made him misunderstood by some in the mainstream and embraced by everyone in the know as a true original. As a testament to his magnetism and skills, his charisma and rawness seemingly seep through every note, whether on the balladic sweep of the risqué “Make Love to Me” or strident, poke-and-prod persuasion of the moonwalking “Call Me Up.”

On the closing “Below the Funk (Pass the J),” an uptempo autobiographical tale that addresses the visionary musician’s second-favorite love, the singer acknowledges his upbringing and inseparable connection with his roots — an homage to where he began and a toast to where he’s gone.

Rick James, keepin’ it real on Street Songs, still as real as it gets.

From out of nowhere comes a unique collaborative album from Edvard Graham Lewis (WIRE) & Mark Spybey (ZOVIET FRANCE). Mixing lush electronic rhythms, sonic collage, ambient soundscapes and manipulated field recordings, these six compositions form an album with a strong identity. That this is such a vital and fertile partnership should come as no surprise. After all, both men have made careers out of creating confidently questing musics. Lewis with Wire, He Said, Hox, Dome etc. and Spybey with Dead Voices on Air, Beehatch, Altered Statesmen, Zoviet France and so on. This new album however, is something different again: experimental, yet tightly focused, and not averse to the groove or the sly hook. The pair met via an appearance on a podcast in November 2022, hosted by cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy. They hit it off immediately. “We did a live chat with Graham - which I think, went on for about three days” jokes Spybey. It was Spybey who first broached the idea of collaboration. “It was a bit like shy bairns get nowt: I just said ‘maybe we should make something together.’” And so, with no plan other than to see what might develop, the duo began to assemble the compositions at long distance. Indeed, Lewis and Spybey only met in the real world after the album had been completed. “Mark sent half a dozen tracks in a stereo mix,” says Lewis. “And I looked at the ’topography’, to see where the spaces might be. So then I’d add to those areas. But then, when do you take it away? Sometimes you let it drop off a cliff, land in the shingle, and it gets washed out to sea again.” The process moved at a pace. “Almost everything each of us brought, ending up being incorporated in some way.” Says Spybey. “We didn’t really go down any cul-de-sacs.” As Lewis observes “We have such a sympathetic tone.” Full of inventive sonics that draw on both men’s previous work, ‘Lewis/Spybey’ offers up a richly detailed soundworld

SAM GOKU (Permanent Vacation / Dekmantel / Atomnation)
Paryìa marks its eighth release with Sam Goku, whose contribution showcases not only the creative depth of his dreamy side but also just how club-ready his tracks can be. Rooted in shimmering house and techno yet fluid across a wider spectrum, both Sam Goku’s sets and productions strike a balance between effortless buoyancy
and intricate depth. A distinctive sound that seamlessly blends elements of his roots with everything dance music lovers cherish: richly textured layers, hypnotic repetition, and a subtle sense of unpredictability. This balance is also reflected in his EP on Dekmantel (2024) and Permanent Vacation (2025), shaping a sound that is instantly recognisable and quietly enduring.