Straight out of Toronto, Waspriders )) issue an ultimatum to the current state of things - smashing heavyweight bass music into the sonic DNA of transcendental techno raves. Modern esoteric experience, engineered for those who know how to lose themselves on a sweaty dance floor. Tss - stay quiet when the bass talks. Bass is the source of truth. Bass is your new god! Behind Waspriders )) are two unhinged creative minds - Danny Voicu (aka Dan Only, ½ Cloudsteppers) and Alex Pletnev (aka Pletnev, Moisk). These transmissions started taking shape in a Toronto studio back in 2024. Toronto's own Cindy Ciel - also ½ of Cloudsteppers - blessed the EP with a body-moving banger of her own.
Once I Was Young and The Airplane Album find the producer taking yet another sonic right turn. "These records were made in the same year with a very similar creative process. I moved almost completely away from sampling, experimented more than ever with ambient and techno elements and used the album format as a way to tell a story about moments in my life." Once I Was Young is a storytelling work that journeys through analogue synth-pop, modulated techno and raw, dusty drums with otherworldly melodies. Moments of beauty come through escapist, naturalistic ambient tracks and fusions of Kraftwerkian sequencing with more classical piano, while stark, clubready grooves keep things moving. Airplane contrasts similar shades of light and dark, synthetic and organic, rough and smooth. Glitchy, imperfect analogue sounds, knackered drum machine grooves and eerie synth phrasing evoke a post-human world with icy atmospheres. Elsewhere, warmth comes from bittersweet melodies and loose, funky drums that ooze retro-future charm.
Once I Was Young and The Airplane Album show a diff erent side to Escobar, one that embraces introspection and experimentation while exploring a whole other world of meaningful machine soul
Following the critical success of last year’s ‘Cold Feet’ LP, producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist Alek Lee returns to Isle of Jura with his most introspective work to date, the ‘Blue Bird’ album. Across eight tracks, the Athens-based artist explores what he describes as a "Peculiar state of minds & Dub Orientated Feelings," blending his signature guerrilla style production with deep, organic soul.
The album’s centerpiece and title track, ‘Blue Bird’ features the haunting vocals of singer-songwriter Keren Ilan. It is a raw, heartfelt exploration of the aftermath of a breakup. The lyrics speak of a "desert heart" and a "loss that grows tall and loud," eventually finding a path toward healing as the "blue bird sings the dawn." Musically, the track is anchored by hazy, sun drenched guitars, a central instrument that weaves a consistent Balearic thread throughout the LP.
The journey through ‘Blue Bird’ is one of shifting shadows and unexpected textures. ‘Treasures’ is a standout instrumental, leaning into a grit-flecked, bluesy "twang" reminiscent of Duane Eddy, while ‘The Beach Road’ sees long time collaborator and ‘Shame On Us’ bandmate, Yovav, lending his magical bass and guitar work to a track that feels like a slow drive toward the horizon.
Side B shifts the energy toward the dancefloor and the sophisticated leftfield pop of the 80s. ‘First Rain’ is a subtle house leaning gem underpinned by a kick drum and lush, synth heavy emotive chord progression. ‘Thanks to Sade’ is a seductive downtempo groove with epic guitar lines shifting through, while ‘Remember the Good’ brings a subtle reggae skank and a French-influenced organ sound into the mix. The LP comes full circle with a smoked out Dub version of the title track ‘Blue Bird’.
A 180 gram pressing in a 3mm spine full colour sleeve and sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.
Drumcode returns with its flagship A-Sides series, led by a huge new Adam Beyer single that highlights the 20-track compilation.
If you want a snapshot of techno in any given year, look no further than Drumcode’s annual A-Sides compilation. The release broadly charts the evolution of the genre, while giving a platform to standout demo’s Adam Beyer has received across the course of the year with many emerging artists finding their music on Drumcode for the first time. Case in point – Wehbba, Charles D and Raxon who all debuted on the label via a track on the A-Sides series and have gone on to become regular contributors to Beyer’s influential labels.
This year’s compilation features an exciting mix of established heavy-hitters, alongside a slew of new faces set to make their mark on the genre. ‘We Don’t Say Please’ – is emblematic of Adam Beyer’s sound in 2025 – fresh, experimental and thriving on cross-genre pollinations, as elements of bass music, rap and techno collide, underpinned by a distinctive UK vocal. The results are inspiring.
Elsewhere, the 20-track compilation brims with highlights. HI-LO’s ‘NYC to Amsterdam’ has inflections of New York house fused with driving techno elements. Nicole Moudaber returns to DC in cahoots with the rising ZLATA for the super-charged ‘Report to the Dancefloor’. Oscar L & Charles D mint a new collaborative partnership with the immersive, spacey cut ‘Lift Me Up’. LUSU continue their red-hot run following the recent ‘Move 2 the Groove’ EP, and craft a straight-up mind-mashing single ‘LIKE THIS’. Mark Reeve is in trademark strong form with hypnotic ‘My Mind’, which comes to life via a massive synth led. The fantastic Kaufmann shares her ‘People are Strange’, a nod to a classic vox, re-contextualised for a modern techno audience.
As is tradition, a troupe of ascendant producers land on Drumcode for the first time. They include Uruguay’s Enzo Monza, who delivers the crisp ‘Late Night’ – a favourite of Beyer’s; Mattia Saviola, whose ‘Parallel Dimension’ is a powerful cut with fantastic sound design; Romanian artist Tao Andra, who shares the celestial ‘Unity’; and long-time industry stalwart AdamK, who makes a richly deserved Drumcode debut in partnership with Vikthor feat. MC Stretch on the stunning ‘Silence + The Sound’.
Afro Funk Grooves by Afro Dub is a unique experience that challenges genre conventions, bringing together the present and the past in a captivating blend of Afro Funk Soul sounds. Sound Exhibitions Records continues to be the bridge between historical roots and contemporary innovations, making this vinyl a precious addition to any music collection.
Fresh off an EP on Semantica and an album on MORD, Uun returns to his imprint Ego Death with the Panopticon EP. Uun showcases his range on these 6 tracks, running the gamut from dissonance to chord driven grooves.
The A side focuses on intensity. “Aesthetic Descent” features dual synth lines, slipping between melody and atonality. The straightforward percussion allows the listener to focus on the everchanging dynamics in the leads. “Structural Obedience” begins with a chugging groove, out of which a buzzsaw synth emerges. This track is a display of Uun’s ability to walk the line between minimalism and maximalism.
The B side focuses on the interplay between melody and groove. “Ralph’s Track” channels the dub chords of Basic Channel while applying a modern edge. “The Hidden System” features the lone vocal on the EP, sampled from the work of the late great David Lynch. The interplay between the 7⁄8 lead synth and 4/4 percussion creates a feeling of anticipation, where the patterns develop in unpredictable ways.
The digital exclusive tracks go into more experimental territory. “Queen’s Chamber” is a broken beat dirge, consisting of reverb drenched percussion and synths reminiscent of Dead Can Dance. The final track, “Shokunin”, is the counterpoint to Aesthetic Descent, closing out the release on a crushing yet hopeful note.
Pressed onto a unique custom turquoise and black hand poured color mix record inside a full printed jacket. The evocative artwork was created by Minneapolis based graphic designer Ryote.
Emalkay is famous for his club smashing hits 'When I Look At You' 'Fabrication' 'Explicit' and 'Crusader' to name just a few! A side 'The World' feat ft. Lena Cullen is taken from the album 'Eclipse' and yes its yet another club anthem. On the flip 'Transpose shows how he can switch up the filth like no-one. Check the official video.
Please Note: This format is 3×12' Vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with the full 11 track CD inside. Dub Police are proud to announce the release of their first artist album courtesy of Birmingham-based producer Emalkay, who is set to release his hotly anticipated debut LP 'Eclipse' this Spring. First making a name for himself with early releases on his own Morphic Sounds imprint, Emalkay has continued to push the boundaries of underground bass music ever since, delivering a slew of huge releases on the way. Having been an integral part of the Dub Police stable ever since his 'Explicit / Heroics' 12' for the label in 2009, Emalkay has gone from strength to strength with a series of heavyweight tracks that includes the phenomenal 'When I Look At You' and recent smash 'Crusader'. Comprised of 11 tracks, 'Eclipse' is a bold and powerful album encapsulating perfectly everything that makes Emalkay such a prodigious talent, effortlessly showcasing the depth and diversity of his sound while always remaining true to his inimitable style. As addictive as it is hard-hitting, the album doesn't just provide a collection of dancefloor tracks, but a confident and coherent artistic statement. A brilliantly confident and varied debut album, 'Eclipse' is set to cement Emalkay's place as one of the biggest and most exciting producers working in bass music today.
a Emalkay - Flesh & Bone
b Emalkay - Metropolis
c Emalkay - Keep Goin On
d Emalkay - True Romance
e Emalkay - Space Hopper
f Emalkay - When I Look At You
Mannequin Records presents a special release that bridges two generations of electronic body music: DAF’s iconic track “El Que” reimagined by French techno and EBM pioneer Terence Fixmer.
A lifelong admirer of DAF, Fixmer has been playing El Que in his DJ sets for years, considering it one of the band’s most enduring and powerful pieces. His connection to the track and to DAF’s groundbreaking legacy is the core inspiration behind these two new remixes, created with both reverence and bold creative vision.
On the “El Que (Terence Fixmer Leather Remix)”, Fixmer remains close to the original’s raw, muscular pulse while injecting a sharp, modern club sensibility. The remix builds on DAF’s unmistakable rhythmics but adds a contemporary momentum that feels like a natural extension of the band’s DNA. “It was like imagining what I would do if I were a member of DAF today,” Fixmer says.
The second version, “El Que (Terence Fixmer Drive Remix)”, ventures deeper into Fixmer’s own territory: darker, hypnotic, and peak-time focused. Tension and release are crafted with surgical precision, taking the original’s spirit into a harder-edged, suspense-driven sound world. It’s a version built for late-night floors without ever losing the soul of El Que.
Fixmer explains:
“I’ve been playing DAF’s El Que in many of my DJ sets for years. It’s a track I deeply loved from the first listen. I’m super proud to have remixed DAF — one of my cult bands and a major influence on my sound and electronic universe. For the "Leather Remix", I wanted to stay close to the original while bringing modernity and club momentum. For the "Drive Remix", I pushed the track toward darker, peak-time and hypnotic techno, keeping the soul of the original intact. I wanted to make versions that make you think: ‘I know this track… but wait — what is this version? I want it!’ When I tested them, that’s exactly what happened.”
DAF remains one of the most influential bands in electronic music history. These new remixes by Terence Fixmer reinforce the timeless power of El Que while offering two striking, club-ready perspectives for a new generation of listeners.
"Morning Star" zeigt Kekht Aräkh auf dem Weg zu einer authentischeren, verfeinerten Version seiner selbst. Das Album wurde in Berlin und Stockholm aufgenommen und entstand in einer Phase intensiven persönlichen und künstlerischen Wachstums. Es verbindet aggressive Black-Metal-Passagen mit immersiven, strukturierten Klanglandschaften, die sowohl intim als auch weitläufig wirken. Seit seinen Anfängen in Mykolajiw, Ukraine, hat Dmitry (alias Crying Orc), der alleinige Kopf hinter dem Projekt, einen unverwechselbaren Weg innerhalb des Black Metal gesucht. Diese Vision entfaltete sich durch sein Debütalbum "Through the Branches to Eternity EP" (2018) und die Alben "Night & Love" (2018) und "Pale Swordsman" (2021), die eine charakteristische Spannung zwischen wildem, viszeralem Black Metal und zarten, introspektiven Balladen etablierten. Auf "Morning Star" erreicht diese Dynamik eine neue Tiefe. Das Album entstand in einer Phase künstlerischer Klarheit und erkundet eine rauere, persönlichere Gefühlspalette, geprägt von Stress, Angst und langen Phasen der Schreibblockade, was ihm eine seltene Unmittelbarkeit und Verletzlichkeit verleiht. Dmitry nahm fast alle Instrumente selbst auf, das Schlagzeug stammt von Jonathan (Spira Me, Vanskapth, Olycka). Bladee steuerte den Gesang bei und war Co-Autor der Texte zu "Eternal Martyr", eine unerwartete Zusammenarbeit, die eine intuitive Chemie offenbart. VS--55 und Varg2Ö fügen abstrakte Samples und subtile Texturdesigns hinzu, die "Morning Star" seine unverwechselbare Körnigkeit und analoge Wärme verleihen, während James Ginzburg (Emptyset, Osmium) sich um das finale Mastering kümmerte und die dynamische Tiefe und atmosphärische Fülle verstärkte. Mehrere Tracks greifen früheres Material mit neuen Perspektiven wieder auf. ,Wänderer" und ,Drömsang" wurden teilweise neu aufgenommen oder komplett neu interpretiert. Intensive, treibende Passagen kollidieren mit spärlichen, kontemplativen Zwischenspielen und erzeugen eine Landschaft, die sowohl viszeral als auch eindringlich ist. Themen wie Isolation und Wanderschaft tauchen in "Wänderer" auf, traumhafte Melancholie in ,Drömsang", existenzielle Kämpfe in "Angest" und Reflexionen über Zeit und Transformation in "Three winters away". Mit "Morning Star" verbindet Kekht Aräkh vergangene Erkundungen mit neuer kollaborativer Energie und produziert ein Album, das die Black-Metal-Tradition der 90er Jahre würdigt und gleichzeitig Lo-Fi-Wärme, melancholische Melodien, klangliche Experimente und emotionale Offenheit umfasst. Das Ergebnis ist ein zutiefst persönliches Statement - ein Album, das sowohl eine Ankunft als auch eine Fortsetzung seiner künstlerischen Reise darstellt.
Top Tier Contemporary Analog Disco Boogie. Powered by a stellar array of vintage gear and a shared fascination with the grooves of yesteryear, the L.A.-based, cross-Californian duo Introverted Funk have returned to the Windy City's Star Creature Label for "Body's Groove," an airtight 12" EP that unifies a variety of global influences into one forward-thinking, hybrid slab of soul. Their debut two-sided 7" Tell You / Fan Out quickly sold out last year and the follow up continues the ride with a fresh flow of funk that draws on smooth downtempo R&B, cosmic, breezy synths and masterfully-executed disco with expert authentic studio wizardry, all urging you to take that first step into their Groove.
"Space Friends" by DJ Moy is an invitation to celebrate friendship through music, a sonic experience that traverses genres and styles. Sound Exhibitions Records continues to lead the way in musical innovation, offering a vinyl that stands out for its freshness and versatility. A must-have for music lovers seeking an exciting journey among the Nu Funk & Afro Disco.
Ten years after Marcos Valle’s debut long player (Samba Demais) introduced Brazilian music lovers to the immense talents of the Valle brothers, a new direction and backing band helped the singer expand his musical palette. Showcasing a groovy funk and jazz-fusion influence with help from then current backing band Azimuth (later known as Azymuth), synthesizers, Fender Rhodes, and electronic sounds took Valle’s samba, bossa nova, baião (a rhythmic beat from the rural northeast of Brazil), along with the inspiration of black American music and psychedelic rock from prior albums, to dimensions unheard. While not a complete departure, the vocals, grooves, and engaging songs of Previsão Do Tempo are guaranteed to make you feel free and think deep.
British electronic music pioneers Graham Massey (founding member of Manchester legends 808 State) and Brian Dougans (the mind behind acid house milestone Humanoid and one half of The Future Sound Of London) join forces for their debut collaboration In Place Of Language, released on Belgian label De:tuned.
Both 808 State and Humanoid helped shape the UK's early rave and acid house movement. Here, Massey and Dougans channel that legacy into a beautifully balanced four-track EP that radiates warmth and energy, drawing on more than three decades of experience in electronic music. Inspired by key elements of the '89-91 era while embracing a contemporary edge, the duo merge their distinct sonic identities into a sound that feels both timeless and forward-looking.
In Place Of Language is not a nostalgia trip, but a natural evolution: a meeting point between foundation and future, and a blueprint for a new wave of electronic experimentation!
Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!
Dave Wallace is one third of Aquasky, as well as a founding member of Mad Dog and Fugitive. He also released his own EP’s on Moving Shadow and R&S in the 90’s and more recently an EP on TeeBee’s Subtitles label as well as a return to the rave with various Fugitive tracks and remixes on Vinyl Fanatiks over the past few years.
But one track has always alluded a release, there was always something that prevented it from being released. Originally written in 1995, it wasn’t until 1996 that he sent it to LTJ Bukem who went nuts for it, advising Dave to speed it up from its original 156bpm so he could play it. Upon doing so, it was also sent to Fabio and the pair of them played it on Kiss, Radio 1 and various gigs and festivals across the world. Dave was just in discussions to release it when Dillinja made a Bladerunner track using the same samples. In light of that and how the hierarchy worked in the 90’s drum and bass scene, Dave decided to pull the release and the track went back into the DAT draw… for 26 years!
This track has been requested by many to be pressed since Vinyl Fanatiks started as it had such a huge fanbase, so many people loved the track after hearing it either back in the day or on copies of mixes uploaded in recent years to the internet. An extremely desired track! But there was never a B-side to it… until Dave stepped into his Fugitive guise and brought the track up to date with one of the baddest basslines we have released on the label.
Join us as we take you on a ride from the smooth to the ruff!
Having played Sold Out tours and supercharged festival appearances across the UK & Europe, It's no wonder that Jim Jones All Stars were personally selected by The Black Crowes on their 'Happiness Bastards' UK & European dates in 2024.The band also recently joined The Wildhearts on their Spring 25' tour dates.The band's debut album, 'Ain't No Peril', was released in September 2023 to universal praise. Their sophomore studio album 'Cat Fight', produced by Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) is due on April 3rd 2026 via the Black Crowes 'Silver Arrow' Imprint. But, not ones to rest on their laurels, the band just completed a Sold Out tour of the U.K in support of their brand new Live Album 'Get Down - Get With It - Jim Jones All Stars Live (Released October 24th Via Assai Recordings) 'Get Down & Get With It! Is an unvarnished document of a deep, immersive, and mind- bending journey, a transcendent and hypnotic rock and roll experience. It highlights the band's gritty, unapologetic sound, brimming with raw authenticity and attitude. Visceral and uncompromising, it is an electrifying live performance that true believers will never forget
For the first time on LP vinyl, Come Ahead: The Remixes Vol.2 (Dubs) brings Primal Scream’s club-ready reinventions into full analog glory. Originally released in FLAC format in 2025, this second volume dives deep into dub territory, reimagining tracks from Come Ahead with hypnotic grooves and spacious textures. Featuring reinterpretations by Lovefi ngers, Black Science Orchestra, Radio Slave, and Pet Shop Boys (in dub mode), each track pulses with low-end warmth and rhythmic experimentation. From the acid-drenched swirl of “The Centre Cannot Hold” to the narcotic haze of “Innocent Money,” this is Primal Scream at their most psychedelic and dancefl oor-minded. Specially mastered for vinyl, the sound is immersive and tactile — perfect for DJs, collectors, and audiophiles alike.
Eight tracks, nearly an hour of music, and a sleeve that nods to rave-era design make this a must-have for fans of dubwise house and experimental club culture. Limited pressing. Maximum impact. Come Ahead: The Remixes Vol.2 (Dubs) is available as 2LP Black Vinyl.
Let's see now – you just love that hugely fertile foundation period of Jamaican pop music from the birth of ska, through the spectacularly brief two year heyday of rocksteady up to and including the arrival of the first incarnation of reggae a.k.a. early or 'boss' reggae. But you're also aware that the pioneers of these sounds (including The Pioneers!) won't be creating music in these styles or touring forever – so what do you do?
Well, if you're Neil Anderson, owner of Original Gravity Records, the creation bit isn't a problem. You put forth period-authentic style material from a 'roster' of acts – such as Junior Dell & The D-Lites - that in reality consist mostly of yourself (you are a multi-instrumentalist and lyricist after all!) and whichever extra musicians and session singer you rope in for a given track. In the case of Junior Dell & The D-Lites that singer was Adrian Dell – soon to be dubbed (no pun intended) 'Junior' - first appearing on 2021's uptempo ska tribute to Salvadoran retro-dancing internet sensation Aranivah, entitled Miss Aranivah. And you keep putting out stuff so profusely and effectively that there are clamours for you to tour 'the band' which - er - doesn't really exist. What a botheration! Still, maybe your session singer could become – well - a permanent singer? Maybe you can rustle up assorted bredren to become the rest of the band and...you know what? That might just work!
And so, in the blink of an eye, Junior Dell & The D-Lites becomes a bona fide actual live band fronted by a young Jamaican singer playing fresh 60s/70s-style Jamaican music with an energy last seen and heard in, well, the 1960s and 70s. And it tours so effectively that there are clamours for 'the band' – or more accurately, now – the band - to release an album. Wait...what now? And, by the way, you've got a European tour coming up in April wouldn't it be great if the album was ready to tour by then? Pressure drop? Pressure rise more like!
Then again, Junior Dell & The D-Lites have done so many sure-shot singles to date that assembling them along with a new cut, an extended version of one of the singles and re-recordings of two of the label's previous singles that were originally by 'label mates' The Regulators should be a cinch. So expect all the hits: bluebeat banger 20 Flight Ska, the euphoric ska bounce of the aforementioned Miss Aranivah and the title track, a de rigueur smattering of covers (opener Jump Around, midway markers Praise You and Just Can't Get Enough, and one of the re-recordings, closer Don't Look Back In Anger), early reggae groovers Cool Right Down, Last Night Reggay, Can't Stop The Reggae (in a new extended form) and crowd-pleasing new one Mi Try along with the other Junior Dell re-recording - the gorgeous Why Why Why which nods to the period of reggae between the sound of '69 and the arrival of roots.
Don't you brag and don't you boast but that's a Whole Lotta Skankin' going on! Do the ska, do the rocksteady, do the reggay, why– it's another scorcher!
Laputa, a title taken from the fantastical floating island of Gulliver's Travels is aptly named as 'The album that never landed' for, apart from a limited touchdown in Japan, Laputa was never released. This mystical world is a summation of Yokota's journey so far, a complex and at times challenging work but immeasurably rewarding. Beguiling and bewitching in equal measure.
Over fifteen undulating sonic fugue states, he guides listeners round a liminal world, made up of familiar materials but formed in a way defying all laws of perspective and physics. Background murmurings give way to almost uncomfortably foregrounded chattering, and one perceived soundstage segues into another impossible tableau of sonic apparitions, some recognisable in form, but all boldly decontextualised and arranged in expertly cluttered amalgams.
Laputa's obscurity was a prime reason Lo Recordings decided on the Skintone retrospective. Falling as it did between The Boy and the Tree on The Leaf Label and our own debut of Symbol. It was something of an audio crime that the album had never been properly explored and discovered. Lo Recordings hope Laputa can now ascend to its rightful place... hovering above us.
Saithara were a leading traditional Lanna music group in the Chiang Mai area, led by Chansom Saithara who was named a National Artist in 1996.
Chansom's son, Thepthara Panyamana, fronted the related Saithara "Combo", who explored a range of international pop styles to craft their light-hearted parody tracks in the local "kam mueang" dialect. The lead single here, from 1985, makes use of a well-known German synth-pop song which had become a surprise smash a few years earlier, while the b-side snags a similarly notable power-pop tune from the USA.
Thepthara was also a songwriter and instructor for the child musical group Nok Lae, a Chiang Mai area youth band who became mainstream crossover stars nation-wide. Thepthara passed away in 2017, and Baa Records has teamed with his brother Komsan to license this re-issue in his memory.
Newly remastered version of Oren Ambarchi’s long out-of-print classic Hubris originally released on Editions Mego in 2016. Expertly remastered by audio wizard Joe Talia who worked with the original mixes, highlighting the myriad details of the audio with forensic precision, previously unheard up until now.
From the 2016 press release:
Hubris continues the exploration of relentless, driving rhythms heard on Ambarchi’s Sagittarian Domain (2012) and Quixotism (2014). Where those records looked to Krautrock and techno for their starting points, the sidelong opening track here begins from the perhaps unlikely inspirations of disco and new wave, drawing particularly from Ambarchi’s love of Wang Chung’s soundtrack to William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A. Leaving behind the song-forms of these reference points, Ambarchi weaves a sustained and pulsating web of layered palm-muted guitars from which individual voices rise up and recede, eventually setting the stage for some lush guitar synth from Jim O’Rourke. Arnold Dreyblatt collaborator Konrad Sprenger contributes overtone-rich motorized guitar, pushing the piece into a satisfying intersection of shimmering minimalism and rhythmic drive that smoothly builds up until the entrance of Mark Fell’s electronic percussion in its final section.
After a short second part, in which Ambarchi, O’Rourke and crys cole pay tribute to the skewed harmonic sense of Albert Marcoeur with a track built from layered guitar figures and abstracted speech, the long final piece pushes the concept of the first side into darker and denser areas. Joined by electronics from Ricardo Villalobos and the twin drums of Will Guthrie and Joe Talia, the layered guitars of the first piece are transformed into a raw and tumbling fusion-funk groove that calls to mind early Weather Report or even the first Golden Palominos LP. As this stellar rhythm section rides a single repeated chord change into oblivion, a series of spectacular events emerge in the foreground: first, aleatoric synthesizer burbles from Keith Fullerton Whitman, then slashing skronk guitar from Arto Lindsay, until finally Ambarchi’s own fuzzed-out harmonics take center stage as the piece builds to an ecstatic frenzy. Few artists could hope to include such an incredible variety of collaborators on one record and still hope for it to have a unique identity, but Ambarchi manages to do just that, crafting three pieces that emerge directly out of his previous work while also pushing ahead into new dimensions.
Players: Oren Ambarchi, crys cole, Mark Fell, Will Guthrie,
Arto Lindsay, Jim O’Rourke, Konrad Sprenger, Joe Talia, Ricardo Villalobos, Keith Fullerton Whitman.
Following Parnell March’s Back Bar Grooves EP in February and November’s release of the Dust Tears (lead song from Sarah/Shaun’s debut) remixes, Edinburgh’s Hobbes Music label returns with a second EP of dream pop from husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), alias Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced McLochlun), who wooed hearts and wowed critics with debut EP ‘It’s True What They Say?’ last year.
‘It’s True What They Say?’ attracted fans across the board: Artist Of The Week in The Scotsman, rapturous reviews from The Skinny and Tokyo's Ban Ban Ton Ton blog, BBC 6Music airplay courtesy of Nemone (Mary Anne Hobbs' Morning Show), more radio play from Radio Scotland's Roddy Hart & Vic Galloway, plus Simone Butler (Primal Scream) and Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds) via their respective Soho Radio shows, not forgetting ringing endorsements from the likes of David Holmes, Youth, Kevin Bales (Spiritualized), Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks) and Julian Corrie (Franz Ferdinand).
They played gigs supporting Glasgow's huge Glasvegas, at festivals (Kendall Calling, Dunbar Music, Hidden Door), plus a slew of venues across the Scottish capital, ending the year with a trio of shows supporting Glaswegian 80s pop legends The Bluebells at Aberdeen’s Tunnels, Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys and Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms, while The List magazine tipped them among their Ones To Watch For 2025, with journalist Fiona Shepherd suggesting they were “blending the starry-eyed pop of Sonny & Cher with the electronic experimentation of Chris & Cosey.”
Very much the companion piece to the debut EP but arriving a full twelve months later, Someone’s Ghost is emblematic of the duo’s desire not to rush things or release anything half-baked.
“I’ve always wanted to create the perfect pop record and I do really feel that we’ve achieved that with this one,” says Shaun. And he’s clearly not the only person who thinks so.
REVIEWS, FEEDBACK ETC:
"I LOVE that! Dreamy dreamy pop." ROY MOLLOY (Marvellous Crane/Alex Cameron) on BLAST RADIO, Sydney
“the Scottish music scene’s cream of the cool... buzzy drum beats, high, distant chimes, and heavenly electronics…. very ethereal.” THE SKINNY
"Listening to Sarah/Shaun is like eavesdropping on a noir dreampop, long-distance phone call between them both, across two separate sonic locations. On this stunning 4-song EP, Sarah’s voice, effortlessly mesmerising, draws you into these big beautiful and haunting passages of perfect dream-pop. All beautifully produced in a multi-layered-scape of low-fi analogue textures, epic cinematic crescendos, intense electro-pulse grooves and warped psycho-pop guitar riffs. Within the songs lurk a sense of unresolved emotions, longing and pathos. There are shades of classic Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra but also Post-Punk Electronica and Beach House. But what a unique sound they’ve created of their own. I love it" DAVID MCCLUSKEY (The Bluebells)
"Absolutely beautiful" SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"Lovely stuff here! Total quality." MARTYN 'MASH' HENDERSON
"Ooooh. Everything the last record promised is here. Well done" GEORGE T aka George Demure (Accident Machine)
"Vince clark Era Depeche Mode in places" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized)
"Sounds cool. Well done" PETE KEMBER (Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3)
"Glorious, it (Debbie Harry) grabs hold of you and doesn't let go." IAIN DAWSON aka RAVECHILD (Everyone Wants To Play The Hits Podcast)
SOMEONE’S GHOST
Born out of an incredibly anxious, stressful time, the songwriting process for these recordings has been something of a personal tonic for Shaun…
“There was a period when I was having nightmares,” he reveals. “Apparently I was saying there was someone in the room, I was talking to that person and Sarah was seeing all this while I was still asleep.
So, I was thinking that this was my ghost. I started writing songs because I was going through something and I was dealing with something and writing songs was a comfort. My ghost was a comfort, whether it was real or not. The idea of it was a comfort.”
“I firmly believe that everyone has someone who watches over them but all of the songs are essentially about being there for someone,” he says. “Everybody needs someone but also everyone needs to stay real and keep what you have, keep it close, never let it go. If you don’t have it, continue to tell people you’re there for them. It’s about loving and hoping people will be good to you in return.”
While Shaun took the songwriting lead on Filter Of Love and EP closer The Sound Which Stresses The Sound Of My Ears, Debbie Harry was originally instrumentally conceived by producer Jaguar Eyes, alias Ali Chisholm, later lyrically completed by Shaun, and the EP’s lead track, Anhedonia, and one of its stand-outs (much like Starbed on the debut) was conceived by Sarah, as a result of experiencing a bit of a spiritual epiphany of her own.
“When I first heard the word Anhedonia, I didn't know what it meant but when I found out I thought about it quite a bit. How sad it would be to have no enjoyment in anything,” she explains. “This song is really about my own personal beliefs. When I have been down, that's one of the things that helps me the most. It talks about trying to make amends but realising, for some things, you can't. But I think with any kind of faith comes hope… which is always a good thing.”
A record about hope, truth, honesty, a belief in something bigger than oneself… and all set to a soundtrack that wouldn’t feel out of place in a David Lynch or Eighties feature film. What more could anyone ask for, really?
There’s equally a desire to offer something universal and positive to anyone who tunes in. The labels for the 12” edition reveal the dual mantras “Who just wants to survive?” and “It’s about time to live a little”, with both messages also engraved in each record’s run-out grooves. T-shirts accompanying debut EP It’s True What They Say? bore the slogan “Kill Them With Kindness” - leading caps intentional. Shaun carries the acronym KTWK everywhere he plays, as a reminder: it’s stitched into his guitar strap. And this particular wee pebble has already caused a few ripples: people have been approaching him at gigs to acknowledge their appreciation and respect for it.
"We feel we have made an honest, open, colourful, body of work,” say the duo. “We hope to go out and play the songs with the guys (our band) and then potentially make more records. We are taking things as they come. Everything has been organic so far, after all. We are looking forward to whatever this brings."
It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).
“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”
The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.
“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”
“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”
The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).
Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”
The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…
REVIEWS/RADIO/FEEDBACK:
“Starbed is folky, flavoured by pedal steel, cello, and brass. Dust Tears, in stark contrast, is a mini synth-pop rave epic. Part Bicep. Part Human League. Keep Your Eyes Closed summons a mood that’s romantic, but also dark and potentially doomed – like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks meets Cliff Martinez’s Drive score. My pick though is It’s True What They Say, whose interwoven jangle and picking recalls New Order’s more introspective moments (Love Vigilantes, Love Less… ). Drums crashing, cathartic. Guitar raising dramatic arcs. Its chorus a rush, like a reprise of Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart’s ‘Higher Than The Stars’.” BAN BAN TON TON
"Dust Tears sees them sharing vocal duties over a synth foundation reminiscent of Moby’s Go - Artist Of The Week” THE SCOTSMAN
"Woozy pop" NEMONE (Mary Anne Hobbs Morning Show, BBC 6Music)
"Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop" YOUTH (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney, U2, The Orb, Spiritualized etc)
"Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
"I’m enjoying it” TIM BRINKHURST aka LONDON (IKLAN, Young Fathers, Callum Easter)
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"It’s totally my cup of tea with milk and biscuit" BRENT RADEMAKER (Beachwood Sparks/GospelBeach)
"Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Soulsavers, BE)
"Makes me wanna sit in the sun and sip an Arnold Palmer" CHRIS DIXIE DARLEY (Father John Misty)
“Really beautiful - Cocteau Twins / Spiritualized vibes but has its own thing going on, too - worth checking out!” JULIAN CORRIE (Franz Ferdinand, Miaoux Miaoux)
‘Sounded nice on a sunny day, makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ EAMON HAMILTON (Sea Power)
"Dealing in nostalgia, no bad thing at all, great to play that (Dust Tears) for you” RODDY HART (BBC Radio Scotland)
“I'll give the vocal tracks a spin before the release." VIC GALLOWAY (BBC Radio Scotland)
"Rather good!" IAIN ANDERSON (BBC Radio Scotland)
CREDITS:
Lyrics, Guitars, Keys, Synths, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Mandolin, Glockenspiel: Shaun McLachlan
Lyrics, Vocals, Keys by Sarah McLachlan
Guitars, Synths, String Arrangements, Drum Programming, Engineering: Jaguar Eyes Percussion/Drums/Effects, Fire Extinguisher: Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz)
Guitars by Daniel Land
Slide Guitar by Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty)
Brass by Bruce Michie
Keys, pre-production & engineering on “It’s true what they say”: Gavin King
All produced by Jaguar Eyes and Shaun McLachlan and then mixed at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios by David McCaulay (From Scotland With Love, Rick Redbeard, BBC TV’s Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard score).
Artwork: Jamie Walman (Fourteen Admirals)
MORE INFO:
Although Shaun released a pair of solo singles (When We Dance and Give Your Love To Me) during Lockdown, he will be better known to many via his work as the multi-instrumentalist in Edinburgh band Delta Mainline. With two albums released to date, Oh! Enlightened and Bel Avenir, both rapturously received by fans and critics alike, Delta Mainline have developed an international, cult following. Oh Enlightened (2013) achieved widespread critical acclaim on release, earning the band comparisons to Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen, while 2019’s Bel Avenir pulled in references to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and krautrock. A third DM album is currently being mixed and due for release later this year…
‘Red Moon’ is Alannah’s second solo single and marks her first ever physical vinyl release. The song reflects on growth, misdirection and self-reconnection, told through a woman looking back at her younger self. Written on a quiet beach in the Algarve, under a striking red moon, the moment became the catalyst for the lyrics, carrying a deep, spiritual stillness into the music. Alannah is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter whose sound blends RnB, jazz and hip-hop with soulful, storytelling vocals. Influenced by artists such as Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday, she views songwriting as a form of emotional release and shared healing. With performances at iconic venues including Ronnie Scott’s and Pizza Express Jazz Club, her voice carries a timeless energy, full of heart, vulnerability, and quiet power. Stanley Hood’s remix reimagines ‘Red Moon’ into a moody Deep House cut. Alannah’s layered vocals float over warm keys, late-night percussion, and thick, club-ready production, shifting the emotional core towards the dancefloor while preserving the intimacy of the lyrics. Supported across specialist radio and tastemaker sets. Released as a Record Store Day exclusive on coloured 7" vinyl with full picture artwork. Strictly limited run. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
Xerrox Vol. 1 is the third studio album by German electronic artist Alva Noto. It was released in 2007 as part of the ongoing Xerrox pentalogy, based on the concept of digital replication of source material.
Using the process of copying as a basis, the Xerrox series deals with the manipulation of data through endless reproduction. Due to the inherent fallacy of making copies from other copies, everyday sounds become so altered that they are hardly associated with their source material. As a result, entirely new sounds are created: copies of originals become originals themselves.
Together with Christoph Brünggel, Nicolai designed a "sample transformer" that takes audio fragments and manipulates them beyond recognition. In this process of taking something familiar and defamiliarizing it, samples from obvious sources-advertising jingles, airport tones, telephone hold music, and film soundtracks-were used and altered, resulting in sounds totally unlike their original source. The result is a series of haunting, intricately realised pieces that recontextualise Nicolai's "glitches and bass" sound into extended, cinematic, organic, and almost orchestral works.
Xerrox Vol. 1 was followed by Xerrox Vol. 2 (2009), Xerrox Vol. 3 (2015), Xerrox Vol. 4 (2020), Xerrox Vol. 5 (2024). This remastered version will be reissued on NOTON in 2026
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Medium: 1 // Side: A // Track: 1
Artist: Alva Noto
Title: 10-22-38 Astoria
Playtime: 00:00:19
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62500001
(P):
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Medium: 1 // Side: A // Track: 2
Artist: Alva Noto
Title: Haloid Xerrox Copy 4
Playtime: 00:03:53
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62500002
(P):
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Medium: 1 // Side: A // Track: 3
Artist: Alva Noto
Title: 03-10-06 Astoria
Playtime: 00:00:38
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62500003
(P): 2007 2007
Country: Germany
Xerrox Vol. 2 is the sixth studio album, released in 2009 by German electronic artist Alva Noto. It is the second installment of the Xerrox penthalogy, based on the concept of digital replication of source material.
As with the first Xerrox album, the starting point is a set of samples culled from external sources. This time, snippets and recordings from Sunn O))) collaborator Stephen O'Malley and composer Michael Nyman are featured, as is an excerpt from the 2004 Insen tour with Ryuichi Sakamoto.
While Alva Noto's oeuvre is predominantly affiliated with pristine sound design, the Xerrox series holds more intimate gestures and emotional sensibility. This volume moves further from the conceptualism and orderliness of prior musical outputs, ranging from heart-warming elegies to mind-bending sci-fi projections in extrasolar territories.
This remastered version will be reissued on NOTON in 2026
Tracklisting
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Medium: 1 // Side: A // Track: 1
Artist: Alva Noto
Title: Xerrox Phaser Acat 1
Playtime: 00:12:11
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62500015
(P): 2025 NOTON
Country: Germany
London based composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Akusmi announces 'Lines', an exhilarating new collection of works born from the desire to take where the acclaimed debut album 'Fleeting Future' left off - in search of new forms.
" 'Secant', I must have listened to this tune 3 times in a row, this one soundtracked my night drive through the winding roads" - Benji B, BBC Radio 1
'Lines' is presented as a Limited edition clear vinyl (500 copies only worldwide), printed in heavy-weight reverse board sleeve with a hand-numbered edition sticker. The vinyl edition also features 'Oblique' (A2), an exclusive version for the vinyl format, plus the now revered 'Longing for Tomorrow' - (Brandt Brauer Frick Remix), previously unreleased physically and now pressed on vinyl format, ending side B. The cover artwork features another collaboration with Dutch visual artist Sigrid Calon and design by label founder Adam Heron.
Formed with a sense of urgency and a reductive approach 'Lines' is almost entirely comprised of alto saxophone, clarinet and piano with embellishments of ambience and minimal percussive elements. Recorded in full at his home studio in London, Pascal Bideau speaks about the process:
"I wanted to go a bit more a bit more horizontal and ambient, work with layers of lines, might they be dotted or straight, and leave them to unfold and see where they would take me."
Akusmi uniquely finds the spaces in between experimental jazz, crossover classical and ambient music.
Heavy, reminiscent of a release from the nineties, Younger Than Me pulls us through interdimensional soundscapes on his debut to the label — a wormhole morphing from ultra-emotive breakbeat and hallucinatory progressions into full-blown, boisterous acid techno at its very best. A producer with an endless catalogue of releases, notably on incredible labels including Jennifer Cardini’s Dischi Autunno, now steps up on Neptune Discs with his Vaco Loco EP. The Berlin-based, Italy-born producer is joined by Byron Yeates and label regular Biodive on the B-side, each taking turns remixing A3, Aargh!!!, pulling it in different direction — one leaning into trippy trance atmospheres, the other exploring a more immersive progressive terrain.
We welcome you to the third installment of Scala. Each new release on Scala Muziek reflects the evolving mindset of its founder. For the third chapter, Pascal Benjamin delivers Soul Extension EP, an exploration of movement, mood, and the subtle shifts that define his sound. A1: Almost Fact sets the tone with taut rhythms and shimmering low-end pulses, balancing tension and release in constant motion. A2: Shift Happens dives deeper into modulation, its warped stabs and filtered delays gradually building a shifting, evolving energy. On the flip: B1: Extension expands into rolling grooves and atmospheric layers, blending vintage warmth with modern precision. B2: Phases closes with a sparse, contemplative mood—fragmented voices and echoes creating a hypnotic sense of drift. Soul Extension captures Pascal at a point where artist and label move forward as one, shaping the next chapter of Scala Muziek’s identity.
The craft of making music and the exploration of new methods for creating sounds were at the very heart of producing markmechanik’s LP “Invest in Rest”. The months-long production process led to one key insight: music is a tool. And this tool opens up possibilities for slowing down, sets a counterpoint to the fast-paced digital age, and leaves intellectual overthinking behind.
In his second solo release, markmechanik fully dedicates himself to blending sampling with digital and analog sounds. Between the sounds, you can hear the celebrated time spent in the studio—the playful tinkering with sounds and devices has been distilled into the LP’s eight tracks.
Assemble Music welcomes XDB for his first appearance on the label. Born and based in Germany with Greek roots, XDB (Kosta Athanassiadis) has been deeply involved in electronic music since the early 1990s. Known for his broad musical vision and refusal to be boxed into a single style, XDB has built a reputation through both his carefully curated DJ sets and hardware-driven productions. His sound draws from raw Detroit traditions, dub techno and deep house, favouring analog textures and stripped-back machine funk. On this three-track EP, XDB explores the darker edges of house and techno, blending classic Detroit influences with raw analog production to deliver a focused and uncompromising statement. With releases on respected imprints such as Sistrum, Ferox and Dial Records, this debut on Assemble Music feels perfectly placed and essential.
TALISMANN strikes again with a third drop on his KLINIEK series. Examining the human eye as an instrument of clarity, a study in truth seeking and international recalibration. The point where vision, truth and self-reflection converge and collapse. An expanded 15 minutes on the A-side transfers you through a dark wormhole into the good old times of 90's pounding dub-techno. With the B-side covering three essential highly effective techno tools in true TALISMANN form.
Nicaraguan-American artist Dagmar Zuniga makes music that feels both intimate and expansive: songs drift like disrupted signals, carried by harmony, tape hiss, and a strong sense of touch. Her debut solo album in filth your mystery is kingdom / far smile peasant in yellow music — written and recorded in New York, Norway, and Athens, Georgia over a period of five years on her longtime companion, the Tascam 424 — was uploaded to Bandcamp and YouTube in January 2025, quickly garnering over two hundred thousand views and the attention of artists such as Mount Eerie, who invited her to tour with them that summer. This year, what was once a jewel of tapped-in algorithms and message boards will meet the world at large, with in filth arriving digitally on March 4, and physically on April 10, via AD 93.
in filth is an atmospheric, devotional collage where one voice multiplies into a chorus of selves, sometimes delicate, sometimes severe; an effect created by Zuniga’s masterful layering of texture and complex harmonies. Synths glitter out like spears of sunlight from beneath clouds of moody, time-distorted guitars, and songs spin about themselves like tightly-wound music boxes, making use of a kind of hypnotic repetition, before melting apart into their components or slipping into the following track.
Zuniga began recording to tape as a teenager, drawn to the physicality of the medium — how a tape recording is fragile, mutable, and alive. Though her ethereal sound may draw easy comparisons to other female pioneers of psychedelic folk, she is influenced just as much by the darker sounds of Syd Barrett and The Fall. Like Barrett, Zuniga is a painter, and she is interested not only in recording music but in creating a full, self-contained artistic universe: she creates her own artwork, merchandise, music videos, and bootleg tapes of new and unfinished music that she exclusively sells at live shows (“If something is not material, it does not exist,” she insists). Her world has not gone unvisited, garnering her a monthly show on NTS Radio ‘World of Pain’, as well as a forthcoming appearance at Rewire Festival in April 2026.
Though Zuniga’s work explores themes of solitude and suffering, the suffering in her songs is not borrowed or displayed; it is held, then opened outward through empathy — an exacting practice of attention that insists on shared ground. Solitude, in her work, is not withdrawal but a starting point for connection. Likewise, over time, her recording process has become increasingly communal, with in filth featuring musicians Hayes Hoey, Austyn Wohlers (Tomato Flower), and Zach Phillips (Fievel Is Glauque). Newer recordings widen the circle even more. For Zuniga, collaboration is a way to “find a place between worlds,” echoing Badiou’s idea of love as a vision refracted through the prism of difference. Meaning emerges there — in the space between voices, between artist and listener. “I hope my music helps people work through difficult experiences,” she says. “The same way it helps me.”
Xerrox Vol. 3 is the eighth solo studio album by German electronic artist Alva Noto, released in 2015 as part of the ongoing Xerrox penthalogy, which began with Xerrox Vol. 1 (2007) and Xerrox Vol. 2 (2009).
Inspired by formative influences such as Andrei Tarkovsky's 1971 film Solaris, La Isla Misteriosa y el Capitán Nemo by Juan Antonio Bardem, and Henri Colpi, Carsten Nicolai exchanges austerity for cinematographic lushness in the remarkably widescreen third volume of his Xerrox series.
In line with the series' focus on "using the process of copying as a basis," the eleven compositions of this volume can be heard as copies of memories, exploring emotional data patterns that are reflected as melodic vectors and noise.
This remastered version will be reissued on NOTON in 2026
Tracklisting
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Medium: 1 // Side: A // Track: 1
Artist: Alva Noto
Title: Xerrox Atmosphere
Playtime: 00:01:22
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62500026
(P): 2025 NOTON
Country: Germany
Paces of Places" is an evocative exploration of the diverse rhythms that define various environments, intertwining physical, symbolic, and digital realms. This album delves into the intricate layers of pace, not just in terms of rhythm, but as a reflection of deeper societal and existential meanings. Each track on the album transports the listener to a unique locale, where the pace of life reveals profound truths about human existence, societal constructs, and the ever-evolving digital landscape.
The concept of pace is multifaceted within this album. It goes beyond mere tempo to encompass the emotional and symbolic resonance of each environment. Whether it's the languid drift of forgotten dunes or the frenetic energy of virtual hideouts, the pace embodies the essence of these places, drawing listeners into a vivid auditory experience that stimulates both thought and feeling.
"Paces of Places" is a profound auditory journey that challenges listeners to reflect on the rhythms that shape their lives. Through its masterful blend of soundscapes and symbolic depth, the album offers a contemplative experience that resonates with the complexities of contemporary existence.
Tom Jenkinson, alias Squarepusher, präsentiert Kammerkonzert – ein Feuerwerk aus messerscharfen, rasend schnellen Riffs, teuflischen Orchesterklängen und rasanten Wendungen, das Progressive, Ambient, elektronische und experimentelle Musik vereint.
Der einzigartige Hardcore-Rave-/IDM-Produzent, experimentelle Musiker und Schöpfer futuristischer Fusion-Formen blickt auf ein 30-jähriges Schaffen mit einer Vielzahl herausragender Alben zurück. Von dem furiosen Breakbeat-Acid und dem brachialen Live-Bass-Angriff auf "Feed Me Weird Things" (1996) über das selbsterklärende "Music For Robots" (2014) bis hin zum virtuosen Live-Showcase "Solo Electric Bass 1" (2009) und dem entrückten Concrète-Jazz von "Ultravisitor" (2004) – nur wenige zeitgenössische Musiker haben ein so breites Spektrum an Musik so souverän abgedeckt. Doch trotz dieser Bandbreite zeichnet sich sein 30-jähriges Schaffen vor allem durch zwei Dinge aus: Unberechenbarkeit und Regelbruch. Da sein neues Album "Kammerkonzert" auf Warp im Grunde ein Kammerkonzert ist, bei dem er alle Parts selbst spielt, kann man getrost sagen, dass er seit seinem kristallklaren Drum-&-Bass-Debüt für das Label im Jahr 1996, der EP "Port Rhombus", einen langen Weg zurückgelegt hat.
Mit "Kammerkonzert" beginnt für Squarepusher nach 21 Alben eine neue Ära als Komponist.
Münchenbuchsee, a suburb of Bern, Switzerland. Stephan Eicher is the youngest of three children. His father, a radio and TV repairman, is also a jazz violinist and a sound tinkerer in his spare time. In the family home's converted fallout shelter turned studio, Mr. Eicher experiments with homemade sequencers, tortures handcrafted drum machines, and abuses reel-to-reel tape recorders—all under the fascinated gaze of young Stephan.
The boy quickly develops a musical curiosity, exploring sound through various experiments and wanderings. Alongside his younger brother Martin, Stephan crafts audio plays on a homemade multi-track recorder (essentially several cassette decks hooked together!), which they write, record, add sound effects to, and perform for family and friends. Just a couple of nice kids, really...
Then comes 1972, and Lou Reed's Transformer album changes everything for the Eicher kids. For 13-year-old Stephan, it's a revelation—especially "Vicious", the opening track, which he plays on repeat for months. He convinces his father to buy him an electric guitar. Not stopping there, his father also builds him a tube amp using an old radio.
Then comes adolescence. A rough one. Stephan leaves home at 16 and moves to Zurich. With obvious artistic talent, he persuades his art teacher to help him get into F+F, a radical, alternative art school—despite his young age. Accepted, he starts learning video techniques, determined to become a filmmaker.
At F+F, Stephan organizes Dada-style happenings and concerts with a group of friends known as the Noise Boys. Among them: one of his teachers on bass, Veit Stauffer on drums (who would later found ReR/Recommended Records), his girlfriend Sacha on vocals, and Stephan on guitar. In one of their early performances, they release a remote-controlled mouse covered in dull razor blades into the audience to create panic and chaos. Keeping with this aggressive, confrontational spirit, they once played a concert while wearing headphones blasting Tristan and Isolde, trying to perform their own songs simultaneously—to maximize the cacophony. The goal was always the same: clear the room.
Their “songs,” if you can call them that, followed suit. Take "Hungeriges Afrika", for instance—performed entirely with power drills and some drum feedback.
To make ends meet, Stephan returns to Bern on weekends to work as a waiter at the Spex Club, the city’s main punk venue. On September 16, 1980, during a show by proto-electro group Starter, the police raid the club and arrest everyone. Stephan, who manages to avoid arrest, seizes the opportunity to “borrow” Starter’s gear left behind. He suddenly finds himself in possession of a Roland Promars synth, a Korg MS20, and a gorgeous CR78 drum machine, which he runs through a Big Muff distortion pedal to get that perfect gritty sound.
He then sets out to reinterpret some Noise Boys tracks, reworking them during impromptu sessions recorded on a dictaphone (yes, a dictaphone—now the lo-fi sound makes more sense, doesn’t it?). He ironically titles the resulting cassette "Stephan Eicher spielt Noise Boys" ("Stephan Eicher plays Noise Boys"). This gem features seven tracks, which are the ones reissued here.
Back in Zurich, he visits his friends Andrew Moore and Robert Vogel, who have a DIY cassette duplication setup. They make 25 copies of Stephan Eicher spielt Noise Boys for Stephan and his friends. Robert encourages him to visit Urs Steiger of Off Course Records and play him the tape.
Without much hope, Stephan shows up at Urs’s office. But Urs is instantly hooked and suggests releasing a 7” single. Due to space constraints, they reluctantly drop two of the seven tracks ("Hungeriges Afrika" and "One Second"). As for the musical score featured on the cover—it was randomly chosen and remains a mystery to this day. Calling all music theory nerds!
The 7-inch is pressed in 750 copies and released in the first week of December 1980—a date Stephan remembers well, as it’s the same week John Lennon was killed. Smartly, Urs sends a promo copy to François Murner, Switzerland’s answer to John Peel, who hosts a show on alternative station Sounds. Murner falls in love with the record and starts giving it airtime. To Stephan’s surprise, sales follow—and people actually seem interested in his music.
Even this modest underground success scares Stephan a bit. He stops making music for a year and moves to Bologna, where he works as a programmer at Radio Città, a feminist radio station.
Meanwhile, Stephan’s younger brother Martin, who’s also involved in the punk scene, joins the band Glueams as a singer and guitarist. Glueams, named after the fanzine run by two of its members (drummer Marco Repetto and bassist GT), eventually rebrands as Grauzone. Stephan is invited to their shows to project hacked Super 8 visuals live on stage.
Urs Steiger, now working on a compilation titled Swiss Wave – The Album, asks Grauzone to contribute alongside bands like Liliput, Jack and the Rippers, The Sick, and Ladyshave (Fall 1980).
For the album, Martin tasks Stephan with producing their recording sessions. Under Stephan's artistic direction, two tracks emerge: "Raum" and "Eisbär". During "Eisbär", Martin plays a minimalist bass line borrowed from post-punk band The Feelies (just an open string). Drummer Marco Repetto struggles to keep time. Later that evening, unhappy with the takes, Stephan builds a four-bar drum loop from a ¼-inch tape and uses it instead of the flawed original. He then adds bleepy synths and wind sounds to complete the track’s icy vibe before handing it over to Urs.
The Swiss Wave – The Album compilation is released quietly at first, but things snowball thanks to "Eisbär", which eventually becomes a smash hit—selling over 600,000 singles.
Meanwhile, Stephan plays in a rockabilly band called SMUV (named after Switzerland’s social security agency) and begins producing artists, including the debut album of Starter (1981), which includes a more pop-oriented version of "Minijupe".
By early 1982, Stephan starts spending time with the post-punk girl band Liliput (formerly Kleenex). They’re older than him, and he happily drives them around in his Renault Major, acting as their roadie.
By 1983, Grauzone—signed to the major label EMI, which turned out to be a misstep—is falling apart. Stephan begins to pivot toward a more mainstream pop sound with his debut solo album Les Chansons Bleues.
OTON releases limited edition vinyl and CD box set of Alva Noto's Xerrox series.
Pioneering in his approach to digital sound and its materiality, Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) began his ongoing exploration of sampling, degradation and recontextualisation with the Xerrox series in 2007. Over the years, the project has evolved into one of the most distinctive bodies of work in contemporary electronic music, situated between minimalism, experimental sound art and digital abstraction.
Across five albums, Xerrox Vol.1 (2007), Xerrox Vol.2 (2009), Xerrox Vol.3 (2015), Xerrox Vol.4 (2020), and Xerrox Vol.5 (2024), Nicolai's method evolves from sample-based work toward original composition as he deconstructs and reassembles source material into precise, sculpted sound worlds that are at once minimal and emotive.
Remastered in collaboration with Bo Kondren of Calyx Mastering, the Xerrox recordings of Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are made available alongside Volumes 4 and 5 on vinyl and CD under the title 'reMASTER', presented in a beautifully designed box featuring original artwork by Carsten Nicolai.
Nu Groove spotlights the artists that made this cult NYC label a favourite of crate diggers then and now with this special vinyl release of their vital tracks revisited by leading selectors of today. The label, born in 1988 by Frank and Karen Mendez as an outlet for the experimental works of the Burrell Brothers, quickly became a home for up-and-coming genre pioneers. ‘Nu Groove Edits, Vol. 8’ opens with DJ Steaw’s Autumn Reshape of ‘Window Guards’, originally by N.Y. House’n Authority - a moniker of Rheji Burrell. Next up is Steve Mac’s remix of NYC favourites The Sound Vandals’ ‘Tonight’s The Night’, followed by another seminal N.Y. House’n Authority record, ‘APT. 3B’ remixed by Dazzle Drums. A third track from the mind Rheji Burrell closes out this vinyl collection of future record box staples, with Seamus Haji reworking The Utopia Project’s ‘File #1’.
