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Far from being a nostalgic exercise, the record reasserts their daring artistry, merging legacy and rebirth. Known for melodic minimalism, elegant melancholy, and pulsing electronics, the band has often been compared to Depeche Mode, New Order, or Joy Division, yet their singular identity has always set them apart. On this new album, they reinvent their sonic language, blending vintage synths with classical textures and luminous modern production. The result is a sensory journey where light and shadow converse, where poetry meets pulse, reaffirming their timeless relevance. Their influence extends across genres: sampled by Madlib, reinterpreted by Tricky, reimagined by Theophilus London, and remixed by DJs such as Marcel Dettmann. Tributes, reissues, and appearances in cinema and fashion underscore their resonance, from Lucie Borleteau's Chanson Douce movie to catwalks by Chloe.

Born in Marseille in the early 1980s and led by Alain Seghir alongside Catherine Loy , Brigitte Balian , and Beverley Jane Crew , Martin Dupont left a mythic legacy with tracks like ' Inside Ou't and 'Just Because...' before dissolving in 1987. Rediscovered through Minimal Wave reissues, their music captivated a new generation of underground and electronic enthusiasts. Today, Martin Dupont are reborn. Seghir and Crew, joined by Sandy Casado, Thierry Sintoni, and Olivier Leroy, embark on a world tour that affirms their unique ability to move and inspire. You Smile When It Hurts proves that their visionary sound has never been more alive

2026 Repress

Turbotito and Ragz's electrifying Naya Beat label has curated a cultured list of remixers to add their spin to the work of legendary Indian vocalist Asha Puthli. This essential remix album features Yuksek, Maurice Fulton, Psychemagik, Kraak & Smaak, Jitwam, and Turbotito & Ragz.

Naya Beat, which translates from Hindi as 'new beat', is focused on uncovering foundational electronic sounds from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora through reissues, remixes and compilations. It found quick success with its first release, 'Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983 - 1992', followed by a rare 1985 Hindi New Wave album by Pinky Ann Rihal and more recently a ground-breaking compilation ‘Awaaz’ uncovering Bollywood electro and leftfield 80s original soundtrack recordings.

Hot off their highly sought after EP of Dimitri From Paris’ seminal remixes of Asha Puthli’s iconic track ‘Space Talk’, the label now offers up the first of two full-length releases based around her music. Cosmic disco pioneer, Studio 54 icon and jazz improviser Asha Puthli has recorded, sung or shared the stage with the likes of Roy Ayers, Alice Coltrane, Grace Jones, Barry White, Andy Warhol and many more. From David Mancuso's The Loft, to Giorgio Moroder's early work with Donna Summer, to hip-hop where she has been sampled extensively, Asha's musical influence and impact is profound. She was the first artist of South Asian descent to successfully crossover and make a mark on dance, jazz and pop culture in the West.

For this LP, Naya Beat tracked down the long mythologised original stems and recordings of Puthli's most seminal albums, including ‘The Devil is Loose’, and working closely with Asha, they have tasked a series of producers inspired by her work to remix her music.
Yuksek opens up with a pumping disco remix of 'I Am Song (Sing Me)' awash with uplifting synths and big claps next to the original vocals, which soar to the heavens. The seminal 'Space Talk' is remixed by Maurice Fulton into super steamy and late-night territory. The live drums and jumbled percussion are lit up with soulful chords as Puthli's carefully delivered vocals seduce up top. 'Lies' (Kraak & Smaak Remix) rides on fat-bottomed drums and bass that unfold with a dub swagger beneath a nebulous eco-system of cosmic synths and dramatic vocals. Label heads Turbotito & Ragz flip 'One Night Affair' into a leggy disco celebration with sweeping synths and bright effects, and Psychemagik's 'Right Down Here' is a pulsating mix of dark, snaking bass and drums with deep space ambience and raw hits making for a turbulent and tense atmosphere. Lastly, Jitwam closes out with a smooth disco sound laced with dynamic drums and cruising chords next to another sensuous top line from Asha Puthli.

So… what are we actually supposed to tell you about HCL? Honestly, it’s a pretty nice story. A collaboration the way it’s meant to be.

HCL stands for Horkheimer, Consti aka Zeitstill, and Delenz — not hydrochloric acid, but liquid music. One shared idea of sound, without a fully mastered plan. Most of the tracks were born during long studio sessions — long nights, extended jams, ideas taking shape naturally. No big concept, just working it out together and seeing where things go (or not).

After the first two HCL tracks found their way onto various samplers — including the 25 Years of Live at Robert Johnson compilation and Freeride Millennium’s own Queer Base Vol. 2 — it felt like the right moment to take the next step and release the first pattern. Not as a conclusion, but more as a checkpoint. This is far from the end. There are more patterns, more sessions, more ideas already waiting to be published.

Describing the genre is, as always, not that easy. It drifts somewhere between techno and all the other things orbiting around it. Purely electronic music, rooted in the club, but not obsessed with functionality. In a way, it reminds us of the early 2000s — deep, slightly twisted, hypnotic, driving but never aggressive. Music that takes its time, creates space, and pulls you in rather than pushing you forward.

For moments that are meant to last — tracks you don’t want to hear mixed out. For getting lost on the dancefloor, for forgetting the noise and madness outside for a while, for drifting into yourself and letting time fly. Honest club music, built for immersion.

Enjoy the music. Enjoy yourself. Love.

Yours, HCL

Hailed as one of the US's most exciting and provocative new bands, Prostitute's bracing debut Attempted Martyr finally sees its official worldwide release on Mute.?

Emerging out of Dearborn, Michigan, this five-piece deal in pure chaos and catharsis - fiery live shows, razor-sharp intensity, and a sound that's as incendiary as it is brutally tight. Their name reflects their fixation on identity, desperation, and survival under late capitalism.

Attempted Martyr was written in the midst of global and personal turmoil, capturing the zeitgeist of a world unraveling. A loose concept record, it chronicles the rise and fall of a doomed zealot whose pursuit of holy vengeance spirals into a psychotic orgy of violence, greed, and lust. It's dense, turbulent, and charged with blaring Middle Eastern, African and East Asian influences - all scorched into shape by producer Chris Koltay (The Armed, Mdou Moctar).

With mounting online buzz, critical acclaim and a run of sold-out bootleg editions, Prostitute's debut continues to gain momentum - now available on red viny

A mix of metallic doomgaze, epic gothic soundscapes and post punk attitude. Loud and crushing, yet sharp enough to stick in your head for days. There are two kinds of heavy bands: the ones that make a lot of noise and the ones that drag you somewhere you didn't know you needed to go. Cwfen (pronounced 'Coven') are the latter, and Sorrows is a record that doesn't just crush - it haunts long after the final note. The allure of Cwfen's sound lies in contrasts: the glacial ferocity of Amenra, with the velvet-and-razor vocals of King Woman, and the rotting grandeur of Type O Negative. It's as hypnotic as it is harrowing, but somehow even better than the sum of those parts. Since emerging from Glasgow's underground just 18 months ago, Cwfen's reputation is growing, selling out shows and pulling growing audiences into their doom-laden fever dream. Released in October, the band's debut single 'Reliks' was a hit with fans and critics, landing a spot on Kerrang!'s release of the week playlist. And rightly so. Their sound devours and delights in equal measure. "Cwfen have emerged from the darkest depths of the Caledonian underground with a beguiling blend of doom metal and gothic post-punk for those who like to live deliciously." Kerrang! Sorrows lives in the space around doom where the weight of the riffs is matched by the weight in your chest, where the lyrics and the songwriting are as important as the music itself. Loud and crushing, yet sharp enough to stick in your head for days. It builds, burns, collapses, resurrects. Big on riffs, bigger on feeling. The kind of songs you carry with you. Singer and rhythm guitarist Agnes Alder bears her claws one minute, then whispers the next, as the band follows like a storm front, rising, breaking, drowning you in the weight of it. From the guttural Penance to the lush Whispers, to the feral Wolfsbane and the insurrectionist Rite. It includes a long reworking of Embers and Bodies, the two self-recorded demos that launched them into the scene with a bang and their growing legion of fans already adore. Intricate vocal arrangements, heavy and harsh guitars, a mix of atmosphere and heft, it undoubtedly punches above its weight for a debut. As Agnes says: "When we stopped trying to fit into any one space, what came out was this beautiful mix of dark and light. Something visceral and cathartic." This is a band that sits right in the boundaries between the heavy genres, pulling in everyone from the young goths and to the die-hard metalheads alike and 'Sorrows' truly does deliver in spades. Make no mistake, Cwfen are set to be one of the names to watch in 2025. FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, Zetra, King Woman, Type O Negative, Alcest, Faetooth, Liturgy. Limited vinyl pressing, 500 copies in transparent red vinyl. Full colour Gatefold outer sleeve, with a full colour printed inner sleeve, Full download included as well.

‘Call To Arms & Angels’ is the title of the twelfth studio album from South London collective Archive.

 A 17-track double CD / triple LP recorded at RAK studios in London and released on Dangervisit/PIAS.

 Deluxe editions of the album also include a bonus ‘Super8’ album of new and exclusive instrumentals, as featured in the band’s ‘Super8’ documentary that will accompany the release of the album.

 Produced by Archive and long-time collaborator Jérome Devoise, ‘Call To Arms & Angels’ is the band’s first studio set since 2016’s ‘The False Foundation’.

 Talking about the new album, Darius Keeler says, “Writing our twelfth studio album was an extraordinary time for the band. The song writing became an unfolding narrative as the world got stranger and more disturbing every day. With people’s freedoms being pushed to the brink, the suffering Covid caused and the terrible events in the US lead by Trump and the rise of the Right, anything seemed possible.

 “To reflect on these times as artists brought up a darkness and an anger, but also a strange kind of inspiration that was at times unsettling. It really made us appreciate the power of music and how lucky we are to be able to express our feelings in this way.

 “It seems there is light at the end of the tunnel, but there are always shadows within that light.”

 Deluxe 2CD album plus ‘Super8’ bonus CD in 40-page casebound Polaroid bookpack.

 2CD album.

 Deluxe vinyl box set with white coloured vinyl 3LP (exclusive to this box set), ‘Super8’ bonus LP on white vinyl (exclusive to this box set), deluxe 3CD with Polaroid booklet and 12” x 12” art print.

 Triple LP on gold vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on green vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on black vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.

Four classic US house vocals. Four club-ready remixes. One essential Sub-Urban EP.

Sub-Urban returns with Volume 3 in its much-loved vinyl series, a four-track, vocal-driven house EP built for DJs who want real vocals, real soul and real dancefloor impact.

Featuring iconic voices including Kathleen Murphy, Helen Bruner & Terry Jones and Ceybil Jefferies, this release delivers timeless house songwriting reworked into modern, club-ready cuts by respected underground producers.

This is a no-filler DJ tool, every track works in warm-ups, sunset sessions, peak-time soulful moments and late-night deep floors.

Stay True Sounds presents a vinyl-focused celebration of a modern dance music classic.

Jazzanova need no introduction. For over two decades, the Berlin collective has shaped the sound of soulful electronic music — timeless, refined, and rooted in pure musicality. Their collaboration with the ever-smooth Vikter Duplaix produced That Night, a track that has since lived many lives on dancefloors across the world.

Central to its legacy is the Wahoo Remix by Dixon and Georg Levin — a cult favourite that continues to resonate from Berlin to Johannesburg. This vinyl release brings together key reinterpretations of that remix, spotlighting South African artists who have added new dimensions to an already iconic recording.

REVNOIR is one of the most exciting new forces to emerge in the rock and metal world. Officially unveiled in September 2023, the project has been quietly evolving behind the scenes for nearly two years, led by the talented trio Maxime Rodriguez-Medallo, Julien Ho-Tong, and Kaz Nakazawa. Blending elements of modern rock, crushing metal, and dark electro, REVNOIR crafts a powerful, melodic sound that resonates with both emotional depth and cinematic intensity. Since their formation, the band has made impressive waves—already surpassing 1 million Spotify streams across their four latest singles and building a loyal listenership with over 70,000 unique monthly listeners on the platform.

Their explosive live energy was on full display when they joined Future Palace on a European tour and later proved their rising star status with a sold-out headline show at La Maroquinerie in Paris (550 capacity) in April 2025. Now signed to Arising Empire, REVNOIR are gearing up for their next big chapter: supporting Coldrain on their massive UK/EU headline tour this winter. Spanning 17 dates across 10 countries, including major stops in the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, and more, the tour marks Coldrain’s first European run in over four years and is set to draw thousands of fans each night. As main support on every date, REVNOIR will be performing in some of the biggest venues of their career so far—introducing their sound to a whole new wave of international listeners and firmly cementing their place among the most promising heavy acts of this new generation.

Schattenmann präsentiert ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Album »Endgegner« - ein mutiger Schritt in Richtung Innovation. Nach vier Alben samt einiger Chart–Erfolge setzen sie 2026 mit einem brandneuen Sound und einem komplett neuen Look ein klares Statement.

Bekannt für ausverkaufte Tourneen und energiegeladene Liveshows, beweist die Band einmal mehr, dass sie sich ständig weiterentwickelt und neue Wege geht. Das Album markiert einen klaren »Cut« in der Bandgeschichte und bietet Fans und Neueinsteigern gleichermaßen eine faszinierende Mischung aus deutschem Metal mit Core-Elementen - roh, ehrlich und unverkennbar Schattenmann!

Tracklisting

Nach ihrer erfolgreich absolvierten Europa Tournee mit den Kaliforniern Y&T als special guest im Gepäck sowie diversen Festivalshows und den drei »Rockmonsters Of Switzerland« Arena-Auftritten mit ihren Landsmännern von Krokus, legen Gotthard nun nach: »More Stereo Crush« kommt mit insgesamt acht Tracks als lukrative, brandneue EP um die Ecke und liefert eine Menge neues und starkes Material.

Darunter befinden sich fünf vielseitige, bis dato unveröffentlichte Songs aus der »Stereo Crush« Aufnahmesession, wie zum Beispiel das pumpende »Ride The Wave«. On top gibt es das bis dato nur als Videoclip veröffentlichte »Mayday«, die Radio-Version der aktuellen Power-Ballade »Burning Bridges« sowie als Sahnehäubchen eine brandneue Duett-Version des aktuellen Album Fan-Favoriten »Liverpool«, zwischen Nic Maeder und Krokus-Monsterröhre Marc Storace.

Limited Green LP is for Indies only. all LPs include a DL card. Island Family is the fifth album from Isle-of-Eigg dwelling electro-acoustic psych-pop wonder Pictish Trail, AKA Johnny Lynch. A strange, unpredictable, sardonic and yet deeply personal record inspired by all from Fever Ray to The Flaming Lips, Liars, Mercury Rev and Beck, Island Family is Pictish Trail's contrarian view of arcadia; a search for the euphoric in the bucolic, bound up in sometimes conflicting ideas and feelings around nature and environment, sincerity and artifice, escapism and belonging. It's an album about how no man can remain an island, however hard he might try. Released by Fire Records, with support from Johnny's own label Lost Map, and produced by long-term collaborator Rob Jones (The Voluntary Butler Scheme, The Gene Dudley Group), 'Island Family' opens with its title track, a song of death, ghosts and the ties that bind, fusing abrasive electronic beats with a tongue-in-cheek fireside folk refrain and the haunted ice cream van melody of a digitally reincarnated traditional Scottish jig. A purgative surrender to nature's whim driven by a clattering machine drumbeat rolled in a puddle of filthy dirty fuzz, 'Natural Successor' is five-and-a-half-minutes of cathartic churning bass. 'In The Land of The Dead' is an eight-bit glitch-core reflection on island party excesses spasming into existential dread and regret, suitably accompanied by a funereal mariachi band. It's followed by the epic 'It Came Back', the understated verses and arms-aloft falsetto chorus of which are accompanied by a tense, foreboding bass-driven electro hip hop instrumental with (spoiler) a brain-shattering industrial-metal meltdown. 'Melody Something' is the album's purest moment, a cautiously uplifting solar-powered-ballad about losing track of time in the cycle of the seasons, and the gap between memory and reality. Shapeshifting closer 'Remote Control' is a channel hopping cabin-fever-dream flipping from warped boyband ballad to deep-fried fuzz pop. "One of my favourite artists" Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music

Another absolute classic filthy slamming warehouse techno release from Cluster, this time from Sortek & Sam DFL with the fast and furious 'Listen' on the a side, alongside the rugged 'Shit Sandwich'. On the flip we get slightly more synthy and funky on 'Let The Dog See The Rabbit' and 'Soul', but still both absolute bangers!

Kim Gordon hat Kunst und Noise über Jahrzehnte immer wieder neu gedacht - und dabei nie an Schärfe verloren. Vierzig Jahre nach ihren Anfängen wirkt ihre Vision noch immer provokant. Dieses Abenteuer setzt sie mit ihrem dritten Soloalbum "PLAY ME" fort, das am 13. März bei Matador Records erscheint. Mit der Ankündigung erscheint die erste Single "NOT TODAY", begleitet von einem Kurzfilm der Modedesignerinnen und Filmemacherinnen Kate und Laura Mulleavy (Rodarte). Gordon trägt darin ein eigens für sie gefertigtes, handgefärbtes Seidentüllkleid. Der Song offenbart eine neue, fast poetische Spannung in ihrer Stimme: "Da kam eine andere Stimme zum Vorschein", so Gordon. "PLAY ME" ist ein konzentriertes, direktes Album, das ihren Sound um melodischere Beats und den motorischen Drive des Krautrock erweitert. Entstanden ist es erneut mit Produzent Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, Sky Ferreira, Yves Tumor). Die Songs sind kurz, prägnant und stark rhythmusorientiert - fokussierter und selbstbewusster als zuvor. Nach "No Home Record" (2019) und "The Collective" (2024, zwei Grammy-Nominierungen) richtet Gordon den Blick auf die Gegenwart: Tech-Macht, KI-getriebene Kulturverflachung, den Abbau demokratischer Strukturen und den absurden Alltag des Spätkapitalismus. Trotz dieser Themen ist "PLAY ME" ein nach innen gewandtes, geradezu körperliches und ebenso emotionales Album. Mit verzerrten Stimmen und schroffen Beats legen Songs wie "Square Jaw", "Dirty Tech" oder "Busy Bee" gesellschaftliche Realitäten frei. Der Titeltrack entlarvt die Logik einer durchkuratierten Komfortkultur. "PLAY ME" ist radikal gegenwärtig, widerständig und kompromisslos eigenständig.

Die französisch-afrikanische Künstlerin Amy Gadiaga (AH-mee GAH-dee-ah-gah) ist eine in London lebende Bassistin, Sängerin und Komponistin. Ihre Debüt-EP "All Black Everything" hatte eine wichtige neue Stimme in der Londoner Jazzszene angekündigt. Mit ihrem neuen Projekt "BabyGoated" macht Gadiaga einen mutigen Schritt in Richtung Farbe und Selbstbewusstsein. Sie folgt ihrem Instinkt, über den Jazz hinaus zu expandieren und Musik zu machen, die sich weitläufig, grenzenlos und ihren Wurzeln treu anfühlt. "BabyGoated fasst zusammen, wer ich bin", erklärt Gadiaga. "Sowohl verletzlich (Baby) als auch mutig (Goated). Es ist niedlich und liebenswert, aber auch ein bisschen arrogant." Der Titel spiegelt die Dualitäten wider, die das Projekt prägen: zwischen Demut und Stolz, Sanftheit und Stärke, göttlicher Energie und menschlicher Unvollkommenheit. ,Das ganze Projekt ist ein ständiger Kampf zwischen Selbstbewusstsein und Verlorenheit - aber immer voller Anmut." Während "All Black Everything" sich auf erweiterte Jazz-Instrumentierung stützte, tauscht "BabyGoated" diese gegen Direktheit ein. Gadiagas Stimme rückt in den Vordergrund und verleiht ihrem inneren Dialog mit ungeschützter Klarheit Gestalt. "BabyGoated" setzt auf organische Texturen und nutzt warmes Klavier, Trompete und folkige Gitarrenklänge. Zum ersten Mal schreibt sie auch in französischer Umgangssprache. Das ist eine befreiende Wendung, die ihre französische und afrikanische Identität verbindet. "Normalerweise schreibe ich auf Französisch poetisch und extravagant", sagt sie. "Aber dieser Song entstand aus der Absicht, etwas zu schaffen, mit dem sich mein jüngeres Ich identifizieren und das es genießen kann." Die EP ist durchzogen von einer überschwänglichen Stimmung, sowohl in der Musik als auch in den Bildern. In Zusammenarbeit mit einem Kreis enger Mitarbeiter, die sie liebevoll ihre African Baddies nennt, ließ sich Gadiaga von ihrem afrikanischen Erbe inspirieren, um die Welt von "BabyGoated" zu einer farbenfrohen Vision zu formen, die Individualität und panafrikanischen Stolz zelebriert. Letztendlich ist "BabyGoated" eine Geschichte über Selbstvertrauen, Verwandlung und Freude.

Red Motorbike hits the road in '26 with an original production from Berlin's master of boogie funk LJ Simon!

Givin' Up is a soulful modern funk 7" steeped in warm '80s analogue production and classic groove.
The OG version blends vintage synth textures with a deep, understated rhythm section. Known for his love of fat-sounding vintage gear, LJ Simon begins every song with no blueprint, working purely from sound, instinct, and feel, tuning in to receive what the moment brings. The influences are unmistakable, yet the result feels fresh, intuitive and alive.

Vocals are delivered by Denice Brooks, a formidable singer from Austin, Texas, now based in Berlin. Denice built her solo career while performing with an exceptional list of artists including Tina Turner, Roy Ayers, David Bowie, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, and many others. She is notably the only singer to receive Prince's blessing to record an official cover of 'Purple Rain' - a distinction that speaks volumes about her artistry.
Her career has taken her across Germany, Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa, where she even once performed for Nelson Mandela. Her continued experience across stage, studio, television, and musical theatre shines through in a vocal performance rich in depth and soul.

Label head Eddie C offers up his Disko Mix and reframes the track through a '90s street soul lens; stripped-back, dusty, and perfectly tuned for late-night selectors and heads-down dancefloors.

Constellation Tatsu welcomes US artist Brendan Principato aka Saapato for what is a hugely conceptual new album based around decomposition. It was sparked when Saapato saw a dead fox lying by the side of the road on his way home from a job in a local warehouse. He used that as a jumping-off point to interrogate "transformation, interconnectedness, and renewal" and the five stages of decomposition, namely fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay and dry/remains. Several collaborators help him on his way as he sketches out various instrumental textures which variously have occasional shards of light, lingering melancholy and a subtle sense of hope.

Peach Discs' first release of 2026 comes from fast-rising star of the Manchester scene PACH. (pronounced "pack"). Five slippery rollers built for dark rooms, wafty terraces and the most locked-in of afters.

"The Wake-Up Call" EP represents the full spectrum of the PACH. sound, one rooted in the minimal tunes coming out of Romania but with a cheeky playfulness that can only come from a life spent in the trenches of UK club culture. The A1 "Keep It Bubblin’" is a prime example, as Todd Edwards-style vocal chops flirt back and forth with dub-inspired feedback lines, or "5am Wake-Up Call's" skipping, UKG-adjascent hats. Things get a little rowdier with "Complex Waveform's" scuzzy bassline that wouldn't sound out of place coming from the Clone Records ecosystem. Here it's bolted to a chassis of tough, techy drums and trippy vox that tickle at your peripheries. Flip to the B-side for something a little deeper – the dubbed-out percussion and disembodied voices of "Not That Kinda Party" contrasting with the moody, low-key synthetic tones of "Book The Dungeon", both sharing a mutual concept of smartly stripped-back, hypnotic jams that focus on heads-down grooves and rolling energy.

Eight years have passed since 8 regards obliques, the album in which Jaumet reinvented his spiritual jazz classics, letting them drift into other dimensions. Since then, an intense tour alongside Thomas de Pourquery and a new recording adventure with Zombie Zombie have taken him on the road. Yet it is in the inspiring calm of his brand-new studio in Bagnolet that he found the material for Du cortex à l’iris, his new album recorded for his label Versatile Records. Du cortex à l’iris continues this delicate balance that defines Jaumet’s signature: a constant tension between hypnotic abstraction and an almost animal groove. "To reduce the distance between my cortex and my senses, in order to compose mental images with sounds," he says. This intention runs through the entire album: a desire to make people dance, yes, but with echoes of EBM, bursts of cinematic landscapes, and that singular way of slowly inducing trance rather than declaring it. Saxophone, synths, analog drum machines: the arsenal remains familiar, but the approach is even more direct. Playing fast, composing in the moment, letting the hand run before the mind corrects. Capturing something primal, spontaneous, almost raw – as if the sound were really passing, this time, directly from the cortex to the iris.

Zach Bryan hat seinen Status als einer der einflussreichsten Künstler der zeitgenössischen Country- und Americana-Szene im Jahr 2026 eindrucksvoll untermauert. Sein im Januar 2026 digital veröffentlichtes sechstes Studioalbum „With Heaven On Top“ (WHOT) stieg direkt auf Platz 1 der US Billboard 200 Charts ein und umfasst 25 von ihm selbst geschriebene Titel. Am 13.März folgt nun die Veröffentlichung auf CD und Vinyl.
Der Erfolg wird durch enorme Reichweiten untermauert: Die Lead-Single „Plastic Cigarette“ erreichte innerhalb kürzester Zeit die Marke von 50 Millionen globalen Streams. Zuvor setzte Bryan bereits historische Maßstäbe, als er im September 2025 vor über 112.000 Fans im Michigan Stadium das größte Einzelkonzert der US-Geschichte spielte. Im Rahmen seiner anstehenden Welttournee wird er am 31. Mai 2026 auch in der Berliner Waldbühne auftreten.

In 1962, Black Music was making its transition from R&B to soul and the Chicago music industry was exploding, producing thousands of records and dozens of new labels. The two biggest black labels Vee-Jay and Chess led in the creation of the distinctive, smooth, Chicago soul brand with names familiar and not so familiar: the former with Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler and the latter with Mitty Collier, Etta James and Billy Stewart. And yet it's the smaller labels that make up the bulk of the Chicago story: Hawk with Geraldine Taylor, Lu-Cee with Roberta, M-Pac with Dorothy Prince and it's here that we explore some of the finest sounds of the era in this collection. Extensive liner notes written by Robert Pruter, author of the acclaimed 'Chicago Soul'. Side One. 1. The Town I Live In - McKinley Mitchell 2. I'm The One Who Loves You - The Impressions 3. Shake A Tail Feather - The Five Du-Tones 4. Mama Didn't Lie - Jan Bradley 5. Make It Easy On Yourself - Jerry Butler 6. Seven Day Fool - Etta James 7. The Blues Don't Like Nobody - Tony Adams 8. I've Got To Get Away From It All - Mitty Collier 9. How Much Longer - Geraldine Taylor 10. I'm On The Prowl - Roberta. Side Two: 1. Fat Boy - Billy Stewart 2. Can't Take No More - Ted Taylor 3. I Don't Want To Suffer - Walter Jackson 4. Open Your Heart - Sugar Pie DeSanto 5. Shook Up Over You - Dee Clark 6. Something's Got A Hold On Me - Etta James 7. Why Not Tonight - Dorothy Prince 8. Delilah - Major Lance 9. Money In My Pocket - Moss Tolbert

A journey into the raw and visceral origins: from the demo sessions mixed by Steve Albini to the night of the very first secret show on December 20th, 1988. In the heart of Chicago, Geordie and Martin Atkins turned frustration and distance into pure creative energy, recording the now-legendary "Black Cassette" demos at Albini"s house. Distorted, menacing bass lines, unruly oscillators, and Albini running endlessly up and down the stairs between the basement drum room and the pantry control room defined a sound that was brutally direct and uncompromising. The first interactions with the Yamaha drum machine foreshadowed elements that would later shape parts of the album. Those sessions sparked essential ideas, while the future studio - purchased from Steve and moved to Wabash Ave - would soon become the core of Invisible Records and Killing Joke"s operations. On the other side, a truly rare document: excerpts from Atkins"s very first show with the band, at Burberries in Birmingham on December 20th, 1988. In a small, mirror-lined club filled with tension, adrenaline, and inevitable collisions with the walls, Extremities, The Fanatic, Intravenous, and The Beautiful Dead were performed publicly for the first time. It was the night when everything ignited: the blast beat still in its embryonic stage, the controlled fury Geordie demanded - "can you go a bit more Moonie on it?" - and above all Jaz"s theatrical yet strikingly genuine laughter. Not just joy, but a declaration: a giant "fuck off" to the doubters and a prelude of what was about to come. A raw, essential, indispensable testimony: the birth of an era.

A journey into the raw and visceral origins: from the demo sessions mixed by Steve Albini to the night of the very first secret show on December 20th, 1988. In the heart of Chicago, Geordie and Martin Atkins turned frustration and distance into pure creative energy, recording the now-legendary "Black Cassette" demos at Albini"s house. Distorted, menacing bass lines, unruly oscillators, and Albini running endlessly up and down the stairs between the basement drum room and the pantry control room defined a sound that was brutally direct and uncompromising. The first interactions with the Yamaha drum machine foreshadowed elements that would later shape parts of the album. Those sessions sparked essential ideas, while the future studio - purchased from Steve and moved to Wabash Ave - would soon become the core of Invisible Records and Killing Joke"s operations. On the other side, a truly rare document: excerpts from Atkins"s very first show with the band, at Burberries in Birmingham on December 20th, 1988. In a small, mirror-lined club filled with tension, adrenaline, and inevitable collisions with the walls, Extremities, The Fanatic, Intravenous, and The Beautiful Dead were performed publicly for the first time. It was the night when everything ignited: the blast beat still in its embryonic stage, the controlled fury Geordie demanded - "can you go a bit more Moonie on it?" - and above all Jaz"s theatrical yet strikingly genuine laughter. Not just joy, but a declaration: a giant "fuck off" to the doubters and a prelude of what was about to come. A raw, essential, indispensable testimony: the birth of an era.

Rising singer-songwriter Hetta Falzon announces her debut EP ‘Henrietta’, due for release on March 13th. Marking a new chapter for the Manchester-based artist, the EP captures Hetta at her most self-aware and emotionally articulate yet - balancing tenderness, humour and quiet self-reckoning across a collection of deeply personal songs. Following recent releases ‘Thank God It’s Mum’s (Live at Mum’s)’, ‘The Rabbit Hole’ and ‘I Hope You Notice Me’, Henrietta expands Hetta’s soft, soulful world while keeping its emotional core intact. Where earlier releases leaned into stillness and vulnerability, the EP introduces moments of lightness and observational wit - songs that don’t shy away from heartbreak, but aren’t afraid to smile at it either.

"The Sophs sind quasi aus dem Nichts aufgetaucht", sagen Rough-Trade-Mitgründer Geoff Travis und Jeannette Lee über ihr neuestes Signing: eine sechsköpfige Band aus L.A. mit dem feinsinnigen Namen The Sophs. Die kompromisslose Ehrlichkeit und der weite Soundkosmos der Band überzeugten sofort. Als Sänger Ethan Ramon ein Demo an seine Lieblingslabels schickte, rechnete er nicht mit einer Reaktion - doch schon am nächsten Tag meldete sich Rough Trade mit der Bitte um ein Gespräch. In den frühen Songs hörte das Label genau jene Kreativität, Vielseitigkeit und den draufgängerischen "Don"t expect me to act pretty"-Spirit, den The Sophs auf jede Bühne bringen: Ethan Ramon (Gesang), Sam Yuh (Keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (E-Gitarre), Seth Smades (Akustikgitarre), Devin Russ (Drums) und Cole Bobbitt (Bass). Die fünf Demo-Tracks bildeten die Blaupause für ihr Debütalbum "GOLDSTAR". Musikalisch bewegen sich The Sophs im Zickzack: Pop-Punk trifft auf Funk, Delta Blues auf ZZ Top. Ramons warme, kraftvolle Stimme wandert dabei wie ein vokales Chamäleon durch die Genres. "Wir versuchen nie, so vielseitig zu sein, wie wir am Ende klingen", sagt Ramon. Songwriting verstehen sie als Pop Art - ein spielerisches Zitieren, Verformen und Neuerschaffen. Oft entstehen Songs aus spontanen Ideen, die im Bandprozess eine völlig neue Richtung nehmen. Der Track "THE DOG DIES IN THE END" erinnert an 2000er-Pop-Punk, getragen von düsteren Gedankenspiralen und Akkordeon. "DEATH IN THE FAMILY" kombiniert sonnigen Rock mit bitterem Humor und der Sehnsucht nach Mitleid als Schutz vor Verantwortung. "GOLDSTAR" stellt dabei einfache, aber unbequeme Fragen nach Anerkennung und Moral. Weitere Highlights wie "SWEETIEPIE" und "BLITZED AGAIN" zeigen die Band zwischen Selbstentlarvung und euphorischer Energie - roh, lebendig und kompromisslos kreativ.

Emilia Sisco’s single “Trouble” b/w “It’ll Get Better” gets an instrumental treatment by Timmion, crafted by the label’s renowned powerhouse, Cold Diamond & Mink. In the absence of Emilia’s vocals, the instrumental renditions of both tracks offer the listener a fresh perspective to the deep original material.

The shimmering guitar licks of “Trouble” run face to face with the tightly grooving horn section. What starts as a light and melodic stroll in the park grows slowly towards the anthem-like ending.

“It’ll Get Better” drops the tempo down a notch, as the organ glides slowly through the southern-tinged deep soul instrumental.

Cold Diamond & Mink’s seasoned production skills shine through as they infuse these instrumental tracks with their soulful signature touch. If you are looking for a funky background for your day or jukebox, sink your teeth into these analog treats right now.

"The Sophs sind quasi aus dem Nichts aufgetaucht", sagen Rough-Trade-Mitgründer Geoff Travis und Jeannette Lee über ihr neuestes Signing: eine sechsköpfige Band aus L.A. mit dem feinsinnigen Namen The Sophs. Die kompromisslose Ehrlichkeit und der weite Soundkosmos der Band überzeugten sofort. Als Sänger Ethan Ramon ein Demo an seine Lieblingslabels schickte, rechnete er nicht mit einer Reaktion - doch schon am nächsten Tag meldete sich Rough Trade mit der Bitte um ein Gespräch. In den frühen Songs hörte das Label genau jene Kreativität, Vielseitigkeit und den draufgängerischen "Don"t expect me to act pretty"-Spirit, den The Sophs auf jede Bühne bringen: Ethan Ramon (Gesang), Sam Yuh (Keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (E-Gitarre), Seth Smades (Akustikgitarre), Devin Russ (Drums) und Cole Bobbitt (Bass). Die fünf Demo-Tracks bildeten die Blaupause für ihr Debütalbum "GOLDSTAR". Musikalisch bewegen sich The Sophs im Zickzack: Pop-Punk trifft auf Funk, Delta Blues auf ZZ Top. Ramons warme, kraftvolle Stimme wandert dabei wie ein vokales Chamäleon durch die Genres. "Wir versuchen nie, so vielseitig zu sein, wie wir am Ende klingen", sagt Ramon. Songwriting verstehen sie als Pop Art - ein spielerisches Zitieren, Verformen und Neuerschaffen. Oft entstehen Songs aus spontanen Ideen, die im Bandprozess eine völlig neue Richtung nehmen. Der Track "THE DOG DIES IN THE END" erinnert an 2000er-Pop-Punk, getragen von düsteren Gedankenspiralen und Akkordeon. "DEATH IN THE FAMILY" kombiniert sonnigen Rock mit bitterem Humor und der Sehnsucht nach Mitleid als Schutz vor Verantwortung. "GOLDSTAR" stellt dabei einfache, aber unbequeme Fragen nach Anerkennung und Moral. Weitere Highlights wie "SWEETIEPIE" und "BLITZED AGAIN" zeigen die Band zwischen Selbstentlarvung und euphorischer Energie - roh, lebendig und kompromisslos kreativ.

This selection of obscure eighties and nineties experimental and industrial music was taken from even more obscure cassette releases on labels such as Nihilistic Recordings, Harsh Reality, Cauchy Productions, Cafardage, Illusion Production, Watergate Tapes, Afterbirth Records, IEP and Out Of Nowhere.

Tracklist A:
1 Kinexus Stringenus - Ohne Titel (from "Heliotropic" Cafardage 199?) 2 Bernard C. - Les Chants Révolutionnaires Part 3 (from "Les Chants Révolutionnaires" Illusion Production 1983) 3 Winter - Ik Wil Winter (from "The Netherlands" Harsh Reality 1989) 4 Lyke Wake - Burning The Human Flesh (from "Pandora's Wooden Bucket" Watergate Tapes 1989) 5 Varoshi Fame - Work After Machinery (from "Tear Down The Mill" Afterbirth Records 1987) 6 Toshiyuki Hiraoka - Ore (from "Japan" Harsh Reality 1990)

Tracklist B:
1 Mortification To The Flesh - Voice Out Of The Tomb (from "Registro De Voces" IEP 1987) 2 Louis Pasteur - Bei Aller Liebe (from "Wolfsangel" Nihilistic Recordings 1986) 3 Det Wiehl - Rome (from "Tu Quoque, Fili Mi" Cauchy Productions 1987) 4 Nox - Yohad (from "Out Of Nowhere" Out Of Nowhere 1986) 5 A Violated Body - Seduction (from "Wolfsangel" Nihilistic Recordings 1986)

Alle größten Hits von Nat King Cole jetzt auf hochwertigem Doppel-Vinyl! Diese Edition vereint 24 zeitlose Klassiker des legendären Crooners - ein Muss für Liebhaber eleganter Jazz- und Popmusik. Mit seiner unverwechselbaren Stimme prägte Cole Generationen und schuf unvergessene Standards. Enthalten sind Meilensteine wie "Unforgettable", "When I Fall in Love", "Stardust" und viele weitere Songs, die Musikgeschichte geschrieben haben.

ARCHIVE veröffentlichen am 27. Februar 2026 ihr 13. Studioalbum Glass Minds über ihr eigenes Label Dangervisit / PIAS. Nach dem monumentalen Triple-Album Call to Arms & Angels (2022), das europaweit Top-10-Erfolge feierte und in einem triumphalen Konzert in der Pariser Accor Arena mündete, kehrt die Band mit einem Werk zurück, das intime Tiefe und epische Weite meisterhaft verbindet.

Musikalisch schlägt Glass Minds eine Brücke zwischen minimalistisch-introspektiven Klangwelten und treibenden, genreübergreifenden Arrangements – von hypnotischem Electro-Pop (Wake Up Strange) über motorische Gitarren-Power (Look At Us) bis hin zu tiefen Ambient-Atmosphären. Ergänzt wird das Album durch starke Gäste: Rapper Jimmy Collins verleiht „Heads Are Gonna Roll“ eine schneidende Intensität, während Lisa Mottram auf Songs wie „Glass Minds“ oder „The Love The Light“ ihre hypnotische Stimme einbringt.

Glass Minds markiert eine neue Schaffensphase in den drei Jahrzehnten von Archive. Von der Melancholie eines „So Far From Losing You“ bis hin zur Euphorie von „Shine Out Power“ demonstriert das Kollektiv seine ungebrochene Innovationskraft. Begleitend startet im Frühjahr 2026 eine große Europatournee mit Konzerten u. a. in Amsterdam, Paris, Hamburg und London.

Music From Memory is thrilled to present ‘Aquáticos’, a captivating new record from Los Angeles producer Eddie Ruscha and Brazilian guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento. Blending Nascimento’s expressive, Afro-samba and choro-inflected guitar with Ruscha’s cosmic, groove-driven sound, ‘Aquáticos’ marks the start of a vibrant musical partnership—an organic, free-spirited collaboration full of interplay and vitality.

Conceived during the early 2020’s, ‘Aquáticos’ grew from a series of recording sessions in which the music unfolded naturally, in a state of effortless flow. Album opener ‘Nascer,’ the very first piece they recorded, captures such a moment perfectly: Nascimento’s 7- and 10-string nylon guitars weave seamlessly with Ruscha’s modular synths, drum machines, and vintage keyboards. Like much of Ruscha’s work under Secret Circuit and E Ruscha V, it is rich in lush, rhythmic textures—pulsing and bubbling with vibrant energy.

The initial session that produced the opening track set the tone for the record, establishing a template of intuitive interplay and musical freedom. Each subsequent session built upon the last, gradually shaping ‘Aquáticos’ across nine tracks, all characterized by melodic richness, rhythmic depth, and an unshakable sense of spontaneity.

‘Aquáticos’ pulls the listener gently into a celebration of musical conversation — a radiant, immersive journey where Ruscha and Nascimento’s instruments breathe together, echoing the joy, curiosity, and playful spirit that define their collaboration.

Sleeve art and design by Michael Willis.

Collecting Orders For 2025 Repress

Ruff n’ ready torque collides with the nocturnal as Argentinian donny JUAAN enters the fray.

A properly intoxicating melange of boisterous, straight-for-the-jugular biz and late-night seduction. Four distinct, durable traxxx tailor-made for the witching hour. Icily moody with a bit of menace and dread about it. It’s also very slick, optimised and fine-tuned for maximum dancefloor impact.

Critics often highlight his ‘90s-indebted approach, and while those influences remain ever-present, this one has more in common with dancefloor styles prevalent a decade prior. Shades of darkwave, Detroit In Effect and the nascent years of Chi-Town house depending on the track, but never do we run the risk of falling into pastiche.

Pure forward momentum with a decidedly mean streak coursing throughout. Plenty of sci-fi flourish, funked-out where it counts. Flush with dystopian romance and a decent dose of weirdo flex.

Quintessentially Kalahari.

Dusty Springfield hosted this impromptu TV special to promote the Tamla Motown artists that were taking part in their first ever European tour in 1965. Motown sent over their six premier - The Supremes, The Temptations, The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas were all backed by the Motown house band, The Earl Van Dyke Sextet. Dusty was a huge Motown fan and was keen to play her part in bringing the acts to a wider audience. The Beatles and the Stones also went out of their way to give Motown a mention in their interviews. Remember, Motown had only just launched its label in Europe earlier that year and the artists were known only to a small number of soul aficionados, so ticket sales for the tour were very poor. Mary Wilson recalls that the acts referred to it as the ghost tour, but they all put a performance for this fabulous TV show.

When Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16, 2018 we lost the Queen of Soul, acknowledged as the foremost female singer of her generation, someone who sold over 75 million records in her glittering career. The sadness that so many soul fans felt at that time was most acute knowing that we would never hear her beautiful voice on any new recordings. So it is with great pleasure that we present a live set from Aretha never before heard on a commercial CD. And it is with pride that we can say that the recordings, made in a TV studio in Cologne during her first European tour in 1968, are smack in the middle of soul’s Golden Age. The musical quality - the great artist at her peak – is so high that this issue can only enhance her reputation. This is prime Aretha Franklin – and soul music doesn’t get much better than this. Notes by John Ridley.

If you could go back in time ten years, what would you want to tell yourself? This was a question Khruangbin posed to themselves when approaching the ten-year anniversary of their debut album, the once cult classic, now genre-defining work The Universe Smiles Upon You. “If we could go back and tell ourselves how much was going to happen to us after that record, what would we want to
celebrate?” asked Laura Lee, bassist, vocalist, and founding member of the band. Instead, they thought: “Let’s do it again.”
The Universe Smiles Upon You ii was recorded on January 4-6, 2025, in the same family barn of guitarist Mark Speer, across the
same dates where TUSUY was first conceived ten years earlier. Though the conditions were the same–dirt floor, brutally cold,
minimal sound isolation, all takes live–the songs aren’t. They’re re-approached, some changed more than others, harnessing the lightning-in-a-bottle energy of TUSUY while discovering what would be unique this time around, in this stage of the band’s life.
The result moves like ripples on the water across ten hypnotizing tracks, the barn creating a sense of spaciousness, serenity and creative freedom, nearby wildlife (listen out for the birds on “August Twelve ii”), rattles and creaks of the barn and all. It’s a tapestry of small movements in nuanced arrangements, slowly revealing the new life, stories and character of someone you’ve met again for the first time in ten years.

Transmitter ist Max Clarkes viertes Album als Cut Worms. Produziert von Jeff Tweedy im Loft Studio von Wilco, zeigt Transmitter, wie Clarke seine Fähigkeiten weiterentwickelt hat und wie zwei Künstler zusammenkommen, die in ihrer Arbeit nach Anmut inmitten von Entwurzelung suchen. Es sind Orte, die vom Mythos der Selbstständigkeit geprägt sind, an denen Menschen, die die Idee der Verbindung durch Technologie verkauft haben, zu stillen Sendern reduziert wurden - Datenpunkte, die gekauft und verkauft, manipuliert und gemessen werden und deren Leben durch genau die Netzwerke verzerrt wird, die sie eigentlich verbinden sollten. Die ersten Anzeichen für Transmitter gab es, als Cut Worms im Sommer 2024 als Vorgruppe von Wilco unterwegs waren. Am Ende der Tour lud Tweedy die Band ein, im legendären Loft in Chicago aufzunehmen, und schon bald wurden Pläne geschmiedet, im Herbst damit zu beginnen. In der gemütlichen Unordnung aus Gitarren, Verstärkern und Büchern im Loft fanden Clarke und Tweedy schnell eine gemeinsame musikalische Basis und eine gemeinsame Vorliebe für komplexe Songs. Während Clarkes Stimme und Texte den Rahmen bildeten, skizzierten Tweedys Gitarren- und Basslinien die Räume, in denen die Songs leben. Tweedys Präsenz als Produzent zeigte sich nicht in hartnäckigen Entscheidungen, sondern darin, wie er Räume kolorierte und immer wieder neue Texturen anbot. Zwischen ihnen überbrückte ihre gleichgesinnte Sensibilität eine Generationskluft, um etwas zu schaffen, das nuancierter war, als es jeder von ihnen allein hätte schaffen können. Wenn frühere Veröffentlichungen von Cut Worms von der Dekadenz des Brill Building und verrückter Americana geprägt waren, wirkt der Sound auf Transmitter dunkler, reichhaltiger und gesättigter mit der Angst des modernen Lebens. ,Long Weekend" beschleunigt die Zeit und hat die melodische Dringlichkeit von Big Star oder Dwight Twilley. ,Evil Twin" kämpft mit bitterer Enttäuschung, seine gesprächigen Gitarren erinnern an den klirrenden Herzschmerz von The Replacements und The Go-Betweens, und ,Windows on the World" neigt sich mit einer Melancholie, die irgendwo zwischen Elliott Smith und Miracle Legion schwebt, der Sonne der Zukunft zu. Der letzte Titel ,Dream" bringt uns zurück auf eine vertraute Ebene: Clarke allein am Klavier, zart und unentschlossen, grübelt er über das Schicksal von Träumen und das Risiko, zu kurz zu kommen oder sich auf dem Weg zu verlieren. Transmitter zeigt Clarke in voller Fahrt, der mit der Überzeugung eines Menschen schreibt, der seinen Frieden mit der Ungewissheit gemacht hat. Diese Songs setzen sich mit den Kosten des Komforts auseinander und kehren zu der Idee zurück, dass Schönheit, Verbundenheit und Liebe keine Luxusgüter sind, sondern Überlebensnotwendigkeiten. Clarke fühlt sich zu Paradoxien hingezogen - der Reibung zwischen Intimität und Flucht, Glauben und Zweifel, Schatten und Licht. Seine Vergebung kommt, wie die des abgeschnittenen Wurms, durch Übertragung zustande: durch den Akt, etwas Zerbrechliches in den Lärm zu entlassen und darauf zu vertrauen, dass es noch immer spürbar ist.

Transmitter ist Max Clarkes viertes Album als Cut Worms. Produziert von Jeff Tweedy im Loft Studio von Wilco, zeigt Transmitter, wie Clarke seine Fähigkeiten weiterentwickelt hat und wie zwei Künstler zusammenkommen, die in ihrer Arbeit nach Anmut inmitten von Entwurzelung suchen. Es sind Orte, die vom Mythos der Selbstständigkeit geprägt sind, an denen Menschen, die die Idee der Verbindung durch Technologie verkauft haben, zu stillen Sendern reduziert wurden - Datenpunkte, die gekauft und verkauft, manipuliert und gemessen werden und deren Leben durch genau die Netzwerke verzerrt wird, die sie eigentlich verbinden sollten. Die ersten Anzeichen für Transmitter gab es, als Cut Worms im Sommer 2024 als Vorgruppe von Wilco unterwegs waren. Am Ende der Tour lud Tweedy die Band ein, im legendären Loft in Chicago aufzunehmen, und schon bald wurden Pläne geschmiedet, im Herbst damit zu beginnen. In der gemütlichen Unordnung aus Gitarren, Verstärkern und Büchern im Loft fanden Clarke und Tweedy schnell eine gemeinsame musikalische Basis und eine gemeinsame Vorliebe für komplexe Songs. Während Clarkes Stimme und Texte den Rahmen bildeten, skizzierten Tweedys Gitarren- und Basslinien die Räume, in denen die Songs leben. Tweedys Präsenz als Produzent zeigte sich nicht in hartnäckigen Entscheidungen, sondern darin, wie er Räume kolorierte und immer wieder neue Texturen anbot. Zwischen ihnen überbrückte ihre gleichgesinnte Sensibilität eine Generationskluft, um etwas zu schaffen, das nuancierter war, als es jeder von ihnen allein hätte schaffen können. Wenn frühere Veröffentlichungen von Cut Worms von der Dekadenz des Brill Building und verrückter Americana geprägt waren, wirkt der Sound auf Transmitter dunkler, reichhaltiger und gesättigter mit der Angst des modernen Lebens. ,Long Weekend" beschleunigt die Zeit und hat die melodische Dringlichkeit von Big Star oder Dwight Twilley. ,Evil Twin" kämpft mit bitterer Enttäuschung, seine gesprächigen Gitarren erinnern an den klirrenden Herzschmerz von The Replacements und The Go-Betweens, und ,Windows on the World" neigt sich mit einer Melancholie, die irgendwo zwischen Elliott Smith und Miracle Legion schwebt, der Sonne der Zukunft zu. Der letzte Titel ,Dream" bringt uns zurück auf eine vertraute Ebene: Clarke allein am Klavier, zart und unentschlossen, grübelt er über das Schicksal von Träumen und das Risiko, zu kurz zu kommen oder sich auf dem Weg zu verlieren. Transmitter zeigt Clarke in voller Fahrt, der mit der Überzeugung eines Menschen schreibt, der seinen Frieden mit der Ungewissheit gemacht hat. Diese Songs setzen sich mit den Kosten des Komforts auseinander und kehren zu der Idee zurück, dass Schönheit, Verbundenheit und Liebe keine Luxusgüter sind, sondern Überlebensnotwendigkeiten. Clarke fühlt sich zu Paradoxien hingezogen - der Reibung zwischen Intimität und Flucht, Glauben und Zweifel, Schatten und Licht. Seine Vergebung kommt, wie die des abgeschnittenen Wurms, durch Übertragung zustande: durch den Akt, etwas Zerbrechliches in den Lärm zu entlassen und darauf zu vertrauen, dass es noch immer spürbar ist.