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Debut album from Alex Ho out of Los Angeles.

In his foundational essay on Los Angeles, L.A. Glows, the essayist Lawrence Weschler speaks on the city's uncanny, immediately recognizable light; "The late-afternoon light of Los Angeles—golden pink off the bay through the smog and onto the palm fronds." Weschler traces the city's mysterious refracted light from the iconic paintings of David Hockney through the city's frequent portrayal on film and TV, noting its ability to put residents into a state of "egoless bliss."

Similarly, Alex Ho's new album for Music From Memory, 'Move Through It', radiates with the unmistakable LA glow. While the Pasadena native's studio work is just now coming to light, Ho has long been a fixture in the Los Angeles dance music scene, throwing what are perhaps the city's most musically expansive warehouse events and carving out a singular voice as a DJ, as heard on his brilliant Moony Habits show for NTS. The eight-track record, however, lands in a more contemplative zone, better suited for a golden hour drive than a night out.

Though it's his first record, 'Move Through It' is the accomplished work of a fully-formed artist, produced patiently between 2017 and 2020 with help from friends including Baba Stiltz, Phil Cho, Damon Palermo and John Jones. "Mark," the Koanic track conclusion side A, is an arpeggiated slow burn reminiscent of Pino Donaggio's brilliant score for Brian De Palma's 1984 film Body Double. Ho's stunning, pure falsetto soars above gentle melodies. "Miss Suzuki," the piece that originally caught the ear of MFM's Jamie Tiller and Tako, opens the record with a blue, cinematic sway. Ho's facility for poignant melodies—easily conveyed through saxophone, vibes, various keyboards and his own voice—shines on "College Crest Drive," as well as the title track. The lyrical "Move Through It" and the restrained and beautiful closing cut, "TYFC," are abetted by glimmering Kraut guitar figures courtesy of John Jones.

While Ho's rhythms and melodies paint a crystal-clear musical vision, the music's emotional centre is more elusive, indicative of a yearning feeling synonymous with the City Of Angels. Hitting these hazy and subtle notes, Move Through It falls within a canon of sun-addled records spanning from Herb Alpert's "Rotation" to Dam-Funk's Private Life trilogy as Garrett. An immersive and concise statement, Alex Ho's 'Move Through It' is as warm and uncanny as the city that inspired it, a definitive LA album.

For the second announcement of the upcoming sophomore Keinemusik album, Rampa, &ME and Adam Port teamed up with another threesome.

That's none other than Netherlands finest when it comes to emotively driven dance music - Cubicolor. And it shows it is a match made in hymn-heaven. "Before The Flood" delicately embodies that feeling its title automatically insinuates.

That calm, yet tensed up state, intensifying with every bar of that bassline driven, string kissed sonic foundation, shaping up the appropriate environment for Tim Digby's signature falsetto. It is a contemporary Pop jewel in its own right and in context of the body of work it's taken from, a hint towards one or another unexpected stylistic nuance.

SUMMER OF SEVENTEEN are MONIKA KHOT (NORDRA, ZEN MOTHER), WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS, DANIEL MENCHE, FAITH COLOCCIA (MAMIFFER), and AARON TURNER. (SUMAC, SPLIT CRANIUM).

Wildfires plagued Washington state during the summer of 2017, their smoke drifting westward toward the Seattle area and toxifying the air. Shortly before that trauma, MONIKA KHOT, WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS, DANIEL MENCHE, FAITH COLOCCIA, and AARON TURNER had gathered at the latter two musicians' House Of Low Culture studio on idyllic Vashon Island with revered producer RANDALL DUNN. There they cut eight songs that capture the makeshift band's feelings of what COLOCCIA calls "a kind of doomsday lurking in the background." It's as if these highly attuned players had a premonition.

"Summer Of Seventeen" -which was edited and arranged by MONIKA KHOT, who records apocalyptic music solo as NORDRA and plays in the avant-rock band ZEN MOTHER—is a nuanced admixture of these musicians' sounds and a culmination of all of their previous collaborations. COLOCCIA and TURNER have created eldritch folk and chamber rock for over a decade in MAMIFFER while engaging in various solo and group projects that explore their profound spirituality in sound. MENCHE has been a fixture on the abstract composition scene for 31 years and COLLINS is a savvy explorer of drone and ambient forms. Their ephemeral summit meeting has yielded a masterwork for the ages.

A heaven/hell and beauty/beastliness dichotomy pervades the album—as if a titanic struggle was transpiring in that small studio. The fearsome trumpet fanfare that starts "Chorus Of The Innocents" heralds a baleful fate. With a subliminal industrial rhythm bristling beneath the eerie exhalations, the song submerges us in a slow-motion maelstrom, a horror-film facsimile of MILES DAVIS' "Bitches Brew". "Perceived Slight" threads death-metal screams through a stark, suspenseful atmosphere, with austere glints of guitar and beats like fists on a casket lid intensifying the dread.

Angelic chants and celestial drones perfume the air in several of the songs on "Summer Of Seventeen", countered with muted blast beats, serrated hums, jagged glitches, simulacra of grinding gears and lightning. It's as if no good deed goes unpunished. "Spirits Of Redeemer" could be an elegy for the human race while "Cultural Orphan" sounds like a symphony for a malfunctioning factory. The album ends with "Theatre Needs An Audience," a harrowing ballad somewhere between EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN and MERZBOW; it's a savage rent in the space-time continuum.

"Thinking about this record now," COLOCCIA recalls, "it seems like we were all sort of anticipating something like this current pandemic happening, although we were thinking about it as fire in the hands of man (literal fire, and also gunfire) that would overturn the normal running of things and reveal the current false beliefs systems holding up most of America."

That grave aura infiltrates "Summer Of Seventeen", However, a hopefulness bubbles beneath the foreboding architecture of sound and noise summoned here. The bunker is the new penthouse.

-Dave Segal, April 2020

Die schwedischen Metalcore-Visionäre Imminence kündigen ihr sechstes Studioalbum „Axis Mundi“ an, das am 2. Oktober über Sumerian Records erscheint. Mit den beiden neuen Singles „False Light“ und „Crestfallen“ gibt die Band einen ersten Einblick in das Album und dessen zentrale Dualität zwischen brutaler Härte und atmosphärischer Weite.

„False Light“ zählt zu den härtesten Songs des Albums und verbindet wuchtige Growls, schwere Gitarren und intensive Percussion mit kurzen, ruhigen Violinen- und Gesangspassagen. „Crestfallen“ zeigt dagegen die emotionale, atmosphärische Seite von Axis Mundi – getragen von elektronischen Texturen, Orchestrierung und Eddie Bergs klarem Gesang.

Mit „Axis Mundi“ verfeinern Imminence ihre Mischung aus Metalcore, orchestralen Elementen und cineastischem Storytelling. Produziert wurde das Album von der Band selbst, gemeinsam mit Henrik Udd (Architects, Bring Me The Horizon) und Drew Fulk (Twenty One Pilots, Knocked Loose). Inhaltlich erzählt das Werk eine mythologische Reise zwischen Leben und Tod und beschäftigt sich mit Themen wie Leid, Erlösung und Hoffnung.

Way Dynamic, das Soloprojekt von Dylan Young aus Melbourne, veröffentlicht international ,Massive Shoe" - sein drittes Album, das verspielt und zurückhaltend, strahlend und facettenreich ist. ,Massive Shoe" ist minimalistischer Folk-Pop, Art-Rock und Barock-Pop, produziert und größtenteils eingespielt von Young, der nebenbei bei Melbournes beliebten Bands Cool Sounds und Good Morning spielt und als Schlagzeuger bei Snowy Band und Kankawa Nagarra mitgewirkt hat. Es ist verlockend, diese Songs nur mit denen vergangener Zeiten zu vergleichen - Youngs Falsett, sein Gespür für Harmonien und die komplexen Arrangements wirken alle zeitlos. Aber es gibt eine Sensibilität, eine Wortwahl, die sich zutiefst zeitgemäß anfühlt: Es ist bezeichnend, dass Katie Crutchfield von Waxahatchee ,Miffed It" als ihren ,Lieblingssong seit SEHR langer Zeit" bezeichnete, und Katie, MJ Lenderman, This is Lorelei und Black Country New Road haben alle Way Dynamic auf Tour mitgenommen, während Sir Elton John sagte, er könne einfach nicht aufhören, ,Ibiza" zu hören. Youngs Songs scheuen weder Sentimentalität noch Albernheit: In jedem beliebigen Song könnte er einen Flug ins All vorschlagen oder ernsthaft eine Missverständigung beklagen. "Can we walk and talk as well?", fragt er in ,I Was the Dancer", und wir nehmen die Einladung sofort an.

»Baby Ghost« is the debut album by double bassist and vocalist Jordan Sand. Released through Hallow Ground, it blurs the lines between different genres and modes of expressions, improvisation and composition and showcases the unique playing style the composer has developed. Sand blends her voice with the bowed harmonics and subharmonics of her double bass. At once conceptually rigorous and musically open-ended, Sand’s wordless meditations on death and what comes after are both visceral and explorative.

Sand is a boundary-crossing instrumentalist, performer, and session musician who has worked in folk, free jazz, pop, classical and new as well as experimental music. In 2020, she took a hiatus. When she picked up the bass again, she began stripping down the relationship to her instrument to its core elements, searching for a way to melt the sounds of bow and voice together. This resulted in the appearance of ghost notes, tones emerging from the addition or subtraction of two frequencies, and harmonics that she adds with her falsetto.

On »Baby Ghost,« Sand utilises this acoustic sound and the spontaneous precision of her improvisational practice for pieces that deal with the subject of dying. They move from more polyphonic improvisations toward abstraction, touching upon harsh noise and minimalistic bow-chants before returning briefly to a melodic soliloquy, and finally landing on an extended subharmonic drone. This progression reflects the journey of the spirit after death; the experience of visions, memories, ecstasies and terrors before the dissolution of the self.

Sand performs this process physically, blending her voice with her instrument to explore how the senses might dissolve and merge when they enter a state between life and beyond-or-between-life. Born out of the moment and dedicated to a lost friend, »Baby Ghost« is quite literally an otherworldly achievement.

glass beach's debut album the first glass beach album is the first album from glass beach. That's a good place to start, but the album's plain & descriptive title does little to explain exactly what goes on in the hour-long adventure contained therein. the first glass beach album was initially self-released by the band in Spring 2019, but it's roots date back to as early as 2015 - songwriter & band leader j mclendon started demoing songs for the album when they first moved to Los Angeles & spent three years polishing those first demos into these songs with bassist Jonas Newhouse & drummer William White. On their Bandcamp page, the band describes their sound as the accumulation of jazz, new wave, synth music, and emo distorted through the lens of punk. The songs that make up the first glass beach album are ambitious, theatrical and chaotic. Abandoning genre limitations makes glass beach's talent for songwriting all the more apparent - mathy guitar leads, catchy drum grooves and the constant interplay of horns, synths, and even the intermittent theremin set the perfect scene for j's stunning vocal performance, which can shift from a charming falsetto to the lead of a sing-a-long in an instant.

Fohn conjures a dreamlike landscape of introspective beauty, loneliness and transience from analogue tape and field recordings on new album, Porcelain.

A late summer evening in southern France. The dry mistral wind billows the washing that hangs outside the windows on narrow streets, bringing with it the first whispers of autumn. In the distance children are playing in the square, their shouts caught in the dust whipped up by their feet. A bell tolls, the light dies, and a rich, compelling solitude descends.

Violinist and multi-instrumentalist Fohn, aka Tom Connolly, describes the act of making music as “building fictional environments that become places of solace,” and a process of translation and projection that bridges his internal and external worlds.

While musicians like John Also Bennett, Oren Ambarchi and Connolly’s own group Quade drift behind his sound, Porcelain draws its temperamental inspiration from films like Call Me My Your Name and Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror, as well as the sculptures of Anthony Gormley, whose solitary figures stand isolated in expanses of water along the UK coastline.

How does Connolly describe the atmosphere he wants the music to evoke? “It's the feeling of the inevitability of something having to pass,” he answers. “It's compelling because it's fundamentally unattainable. You're searching and grasping for something that you can never fully hold.”

A moving, intimate and deeply personal album, Porcelain shimmers in the illusive light of melancholy. For Connolly it provided the release of catharsis, but it’s a feeling that will mean something different to everyone who listens.

Leo Gibbon returns to Mudline with barbed, a six-track suite of dust-worn, sample-driven constructions pieced together from a balcony while travelling. Built from fragments that retain the emotional weight of their origins, the EP finds Gibbon paring his sound back to its essentials, letting cracked loops, negative space and tactile percussion carry a quiet sense of intimacy. There's a subtle tension throughout, music suspended between memory and movement, where worn textures and carefully preserved imperfections become part of the composition itself.

James Massiah appears on the record with a characteristically measured performance, his delivery drawing on the cadence and phrasing of archived poet freestyles, less spoken word than an act of excavation, recalling a lineage of recorded voices whose authority comes from rhythm, restraint and lived experience. His presence folds seamlessly into the EP's weathered textures, becoming another fragment in Gibbon's collage rather than a conventional guest appearance.

The first half drifts through reflective, inward-looking terrain before the second side gradually opens towards the dancefloor, never abandoning the emotional pull that defines the record. Even at its most club-focused, barbed favours understated pressure over obvious peaks, allowing atmosphere and texture to carry as much weight as rhythm. Mastered by Miles Whittaker, every grain, scrape and imperfection is left intact, balancing grit with clarity and reinforcing Mudline's instinct for raw, emotionally resonant club music that feels as honest as it does functional.

After a brief disappearance into solo records and restless touring, Wolter siblings Jack and Lily resurface with 3: a record drenched in salt and sun, with the tide pulling at its edges 3 is a record of firsts for the Brighton-based band. The first as a true three-piece, with close friend Joe Taylor (Anna B Savage, Iona Zajac) joining on drums, and the first they've ever recorded live. Jack and Lily trade shimmering guitars and sunlit harmonies like shared secrets, while Joe Taylor anchors it all: falsetto drifting wistfully above, drums crashing below.

Originally released in 1978. A Classic Reggae album re-released on 180 gram vinyl and produced by Linval Thompson with extensive sleeve notes.
Recorded at Channel One Recording Studio & Harry J's Recording Studio.
Cornell Campbell is one of an elite group of Jamaican reggae singers who has weathered the changes throughout the music's development - in his case, from the ska era to right up to date - whilst retaining their relevance. Witness his recent alliance with UK Afrobeat/reggae band The Soothsayers or Jazmine Sullivan's R & B hit Need U Bad, which sampled his classic 'Queen Of The Minstrel' -a song that still sounds fresh more than thirty years later.
Sweet Baby was pressed on bright red vinyl, which only added to the excitement when you saw the selector position it carefully on the deck.
On the LP cover was a painting of Cornell wearing an emerald green shirt and framed by a lurid sky, which might have left some people wondering if it was a soul album. It wasn't, although there is certainly soul in the grooves, and especially on R&B covers like Gonna Take A Miracle - first recorded by the Royalettes -and Darling You Send Me, which Sam Cooke had introduced to the US Billboard charts some twenty years earlier.
Both are among the highlights but then the whole album is good in truth, and a heartfelt I Need Somebody and My Sweet Baby, plus the two-step favourite Just Enough were regularly played on sound system. Blinded By Love, I Didn't Know and Can't Hide My Love are tinged with melancholy and like the seductive Whenever You Need Me, display all the hallmarks of a classic Cornell Campbell side -swooping vocals, a driving rhythm and seductive lyrics included.

Nearly forty years later, it is gratifying to know there is still no mistaking him when his records are played in a dance. That relaxed vocal style draws you in but it's his falsetto, quivering with understated emotion that hooks you and turns you into a lifelong fan.

Chicago was a hotbed for talent in the 1970s (well, it always has been and always will be, to be honest) and one of the groups to emerge at that time was Heaven & Earth, a vital soul vocal collective. They released four high-quality albums and this one, 'I Can't Seem To Forget You', was the first on Clarence Johnson's G.E.C. Label. It is packed with super sweet vocals and Dwight Dukes' lush falsetto and has never before been reissued. This version from the good folks at P-VINE has an extra bonus cut 'Promises,' which has previously only been available as a single from 1975.

505 Games und Laced Records präsentieren die mitreißende Musik von „WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers“ auf Doppel-Vinyl.

Die gesamte Musik wurde von Joe Caithness speziell für Vinyl gemastert. Das Gatefold-Cover ziert ein Artwork des Entwicklers Leenzee, das den Protagonisten Bai Wuchang darstellt.

Die Handlung spielt im Land Shu während der Ming-Dynastie, und die Filmmusik spiegelt eine Welt wider, die von kriegführenden Fraktionen, einer mysteriösen Krankheit und monströsen Kreaturen heimgesucht wird. Die Musik fängt die feierliche Schönheit der Landschaft und die darunter lauernde Furcht ein und verbindet traditionelle chinesische Instrumente und kraftvolle Gesangsdarbietungen mit grandiosen Orchesterarrangements und unheilvollen Gesangseinlagen.

Zusammen bilden Musik und Artwork ein Werk, das sich zugleich elegant und unheilvoll anfühlt – ein Artefakt, das der untergegangenen Dynastie, die es repräsentiert, würdig ist.

Von 1964 bis 1980 zauberte Lenny ,King Creole" LaCour auf verschiedenen geheimnisvollen Labels eine knallharte Mischung aus R&B, Keller-Beehive, Hard Funk, Gruppenharmonien und Proto-Disco aus dem Hut. Dieses Deluxe-Doppelalbum versammelt 26 soulige Tricks aus dem Zylinder von Magic Touch, ergänzt durch eine ganze Illusion an Notizen, Fotos und Ephemera im beiliegenden Booklet. Abracadabra.

It's time for no.7 in the Disco Combine vinyl only series, with two heavy hitters re-worked and re-mixed from the tapes by Dave 'Love' Lee. On the A is 'Not This Time (Baby) (Give Me Some Moore Mix)' a much loved slice of Philly Disco,Aabsolutely bursting with lush orchestral arrangements. This classic jam has been given a noticeably different refresh, with a show-stopping acapella intro and more of the less heard instrumental passages. Speaking of classic, on the B is 'Jammin' Up In Smoke (Ready Steady Eddie Mix)' a Harris Machine, gospel charged chuggerAwhich is given a more groove based mix, which builds up instrumentally before hitting some falsetto vocals half way through, leading to a big hands in the air finale. Stay still if you can!!

With the album 'El Ritmo' Delinquent Habits mark their 30th anniversary with 11 tracks blending West Coast vibes and Latin spirit. Featuring guests like Sick Jacken and Reverie, the album celebrates resilience, culture, and community, carrying the unmistakable spirit of East L.A. worldwide and underlining the band’s timeless impact on global hip-hop and the voice of the Latino community.

There is an important difference between "mature" club vibes (leather porkpie hats) and "adult" club vibes (a post-ego-death experience of the world through the eyes of an Eames chair). Extrawelt's Jamborghini EP exemplifies the latter in ways that extend beyond sophisticated wordplay*. Well beyond.

Sophisticated electro-techno hybrids occupy an incredibly dangerous space. One false move and you corner listeners into an unsolicited conversation about "gain staging." The four tracks on the vinyl EP thread the needle in thrilling fashion, and then use that needle to stab at the sweet spot between sentient cell tower admin software vibes and the kind of architecture hot people like.

And with the digital exclusives, we've once again saved you from the depths of "bonus beats" hell by supplying three tracks that are as good as anything that has ever been pressed to vinyl. If your knee-jerk reaction is to doubt this, we would simply point out you haven't even heard them yet, and here you are talking shit. Go push your hateful agenda somewhere else.

Extrawelt are fast becoming a Turbo Recordings staple, and don't think the globalist EDM cabal hasn't taken notice. Jamborghini has already received heavy DJ support from Jumpin' Josh Junior, Monoburglar, Now or Never, Tiga, Never Say Never, Rumpled Glory, Moment of Truth, and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.

*Our best guess is that the title is meant to evoke a Lamborghini you can have a musical "jam session" in, and not the striking metallic purple Diablo SE30 driven by Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay in the 1996 video for "Cosmic Girl."

Die acht Jahre, die I've Missed You All These Years geprägt haben, waren von tiefgreifenden Veränderungen geprägt: Sera Cahoone verlor innerhalb kurzer Zeit ihre beste Freundin, ihren Vater und ihren Hund. Aber bei diesem Album geht es ganz und gar nicht um die Dunkelheit; es geht darum, was passiert, wenn der Sturm vorbei ist, um den Moment, in dem du nach einem dunklen Winter wieder in deinen Körper zurückfindest. Dieses Gefühl der Leichtigkeit kommt deutlich zum Ausdruck in dem Klavier und der E-Gitarre, die in ,Say Something" zum Leben erwachen, sowie in dem komplexen Porträt von ,Hits Right". I've Missed You All These Years fängt den Klang einer ekstatischen Zusammenarbeit zwischen außergewöhnlich talentierten Freunden ein. Man hört es im Barroom-Swing von ,Pulling Up Roots", im Seufzer einer Pedal Steel in ,Not How I Had Hoped", im luftigen Falsett von ,Say Something". Es ist ein Album darüber, Trost in der Gemeinschaft zu finden; darüber, sich selbst wiederzuentdecken, indem man sich mit den Menschen verbindet, die man liebt. Auf ihrem sechsten Album hat Cahoone ihre Kräfte voll im Griff. In seiner Fähigkeit, Verlust und Verbundenheit in einer Hand zu halten, ist I've Missed You All These Years triumphierend, eine Feier des Lebens, die in dem Wissen um dessen Vergänglichkeit verwurzelt ist. Als Ergebnis eines Lebens, das sie mit dem Aufführen und Produzieren von Musik verbracht hat, durchquert das Album Blues, Folk, Pop und Country und erinnert in einem Song an Loretta Lynn und im nächsten an Lucinda Williams. Es ist ein Zeugnis der Kraft, die Kreativität und Gemeinschaft mit sich bringen, ein Porträt einer Künstlerin, die sich selbst vollkommen kennt.

What is Buck? Buck is a state of mind, a way of life, a demeanor that gets you through the good times and the bad. If you ask Brainstory, It is also the energy that permeates their debut album. Kevin, Tony, and Eric are a trio of brothers bounded by blood, fate, and a small town with nothing to do. Their story begins in the long lost lands of the San Bernardino Valley, in the twilight zone known as Rialto, California: An arid wasteland of boredom and empty lots. Through punk rock and skateboarding they found temporary liberation from the local monotony. However, it wouldn't be long before a hunger for more led them to explore musical realms beyond that of the hardcore punk they admired. After stints at music school and steady disappointment trying to navigate their local jazz scene they moved to Los Angeles and Brainstory was born. Through a introduction from Chicano Batman's bassist, Brainstory caught the ears of Big Crown head honchos Danny Akalepse and Leon Michels. Shortly thereafter they were on their way to Queens, to record at The Legendary Diamond Mine with Michels at the helm. An instant chemistry yielded 10 songs in 10 days and now Brainstory has gifted the world with one hell of an introduction to all things Buck. Highlights include the sublime slow burner, "Dead End" which was the A-side to their first 45 on Big Crown that sold out in a matter of days. With Kevin's sublime falsetto floating atop Tony and Eric's unflappable and unmistakable backbeat, this tune has become a favorite with the ballad heads, the low-riders, and the slowie collectors. "Breathe" showcases another side of their sound taking a page out of the Shuggie Otis playbook and flipping the script with some stoned out west coast swag. Kev and Tony's father, Big Tone, an accomplished performer himself, steps in on "Peter Pan" to sing lead vocals over a chorus of friends and family. Bassist extraordinaire, Tony, takes over lead vocal duties on "Sorry", a smoked out, G Funk groove that is just waiting to be sampled. These guys have come a long way from their self released EPs and opening tours with Chicano Batman. Their musical growth is undeniable, and taking their California sunshine vibes and mixing them with Michels' NYC aesthetic has proven to be an amazing combination. It's a debut record that pulls influences from so many genres seamlessly it's hard to nail down. Call it Funk, call it Rock, call it Soul, but over here at Big Crown HQ, we've decided to call it BUCK.

Precious Little Diamond is a song by Dutch funk band Fox the Fox, originally released in 1984. The single peaked at # 5 in Germany and the US and became a hit in France, UK, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands too.

George Michael was a huge fan of the song and introduced the band to CBS Records in 1984. Dieter Bohlen from Modern Talking has been cited with this song as the inspiration for using falsetto choruses in his songs.

In 2013, the song was sampled in The Weeknd's song "Wanderlust". The Weeknd sampled the melody, the original chorus and a part of the original lyrics.

This 12-inch includes the Shep Pettibone remix and Ben Liebrand remix. The audio is remastered at Artone Studios and the limited edition of 500 copies on transparent vinyl are cut on 45RPM.

Maverick folk artist and touring veteran Rev Hammer has been writing and releasing music for over 40 years. He regards his music not so much as a passport to fame and fortune but as a ticket to ride and has enjoyed numerous tours, collaborations, and projects over his long and varied career. The Old Crow Folk Club album features 23 of his songs re-imagined by friends and artists including Justin Sullivan (New Model Army), Mark Chadwick (Levellers), Maddy Prior (Steeleye Span), Simon Friend (Levellers), Seth Lakeman, John Jones (Oysterband), Dan Donnelly & Jon Sevink (Levellers), Nick Harper, Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, Nick Parker,

Nach dem "makellosen und zeitlosen Soul" (The Guardian) des 2019er-Vorgängers "American Love Call" öffnet "Private Space" von Durand Jones & The Indications die Tür zu einer breiteren Palette von Klängen und führt die Band kühn in eine synthielastigere Soul-Welt aus mit Streichern durchsetzten Disco-Beats. Das harmonische Zusammenspiel zwischen Aaron Frazers sanftem Falsett am Schlagzeug und Durand Jones' kräftigem Gesang sitzt noch immer tadellos und wird von Blake Rhein (Gitarre), Steve Okonski (Tasten) und Mike Montgomery (Bass) perfekt abgerundet. The Indications bleiben auch auf ihrem dritten Album wahre Meister darin, Revival-Sounds mit einer modernen Haltung zu verschmelzen. "Private Space" atmet den Geist der vergangenen Disco-Ära und die zehn Tracks liefern so eine dringend benötigte Dosis Eskapismus nach diesem turbulenten Jahr 2020. Das Album entstand nachdem die Band einen Großteil des Jahres getrennt voneinander verbracht hatte. Die Freude des Wiedersehens und am kreativen Miteinander ist auf "Private Space" jederzeit spürbar. Der hoffnungsvolle Sound setzt auf die Idee, dass Freude uns befreien kann. Die Kraft eines guten Songs, ein Licht in der Dunkelheit zu sein. Bandleader DURAND JONES fasst es treffend zusammen: "At the end of the day, I just want people to close their eyes and forget where they are. Just the way a Stevie Wonder album does for me."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a world currently defined by unrest, uncertainty, and cultural fracture, acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Isaiah Collier returns with Joy, a 5-track EP that reframes one of humanity’s most nuanced emotions both as a devotional grounding and political act.

Collier’s deeply personal compositions present joy as an act that isn’t rooted in escapism or abstraction, but rather, as something hard-won rooted in lived experience, shaped by transformation, and sustained through connection. Throughout the album’s five compositions, Collier positions joy as a guiding light during challenging times, an expression of challenging yourself to utilize your gifts, an affirmation of love and discovery, and as an affirmative source of reassurance.

“We are in a paradoxical time, where so much is being revealed to us,” Collier shares. “Everything feels political from every scope… our collective hearts feel the heaviness in the air. Yet I say to you all—don’t despair. For right now, the most political thing we can do is share joy.”

That ethos is made clear in the opening title track and lead single “Joy.” A pulsing rhythmic motif anchors the melody with a sense of both searching and certainty. Collier conceived the piece around 3 years ago reflecting on a time where many people in his life were experiencing loss of family and friends and experiencing profound life transitions. “Everything just felt like it was falling apart with no aim in sight,” he reflects. “Yet, there is a light at the end of it all.”

As he played the chords with a sense of urgency, he could feel the vibration of yellow in the piece. That initial triplet motif serves as the guiding light on the piano and the only word Collier could hear was Joy. In addition to Collier at the helm singing and playing piano and tenor sax on the track, it features an expansive 11-piece ensemble with a full horn and string section allowing Collier’s propensity for composition and arrangement to shine with an eclectic sonic palette.

“Landscape of Dreams” finds Collier serendipitously leaning into utilizing his gifts as a multi-instrumentalist. While he had a sketch of the piece going into the studio, a traffic delay caused musicians to be late arriving at the studio. Never one to waste time in the studio environment, Collier stepped into new creative territory and took up the challenge of executing playing all instruments himself as an act of trust and experimentation. “I’ve never done this before, and so it was a leap of faith for me,” he asserts. “I always dream of doing stuff like this, and being part of the small percentage of people who can do it like Prince, Steve Lacy, Frank Zappa, and Stevie Wonder. The end result finds Collier immersed in a hypnotic soundscape playing layered flutes, drums, Metatron, Wurlitzer, and auxiliary percussion.

Another layer of joy is revealed in “Where I’m Loved” that serves as a love letter and leaning into the process of stepping into the willingness to explore life and love with a partner. On the intimate meditation of vulnerability and connection, Collier's vocal prowess is on full display, exerting effortless falsetto reminiscent of D’Angelo over soulful Wurlitzer and guitar as he crosses over into more R&B-inspired realms. “I believe everyone deserves this feeling or to honor the memories of it. Furthermore, I believe you should also go where you’re celebrated and not tolerated.”

“When the Dust Settles” captures the electricity of live collaboration and Collier further steps out of being confined to any specific genre. He had just gotten a microKORG keyboard from co-producer Sonny Daze and was exploring the vast array of sounds on the instrument. Collier plays synth bass on the microKORG joined by the electrifying improvisation of Cole Runge on guitar and the combustible rhythm of his brother Jeremiah Collier on drums with additional post-production work from Sonny Daze.

The album’s final track “God’s By Your Side” reflects on perseverance and artistic legacy, directly inspired from the passing of D’Angelo, whose life’s work was a huge part of Collier’s childhood growing up in the late 90s and early 00s. With gospel flavor and direct influence both from D’Angelo’s vocal and instrumental arrangements, the track speaks to resilience and persistence in the face of obstacles—an affirmation of source and reassurance. “And what’s better than having God by your side, right?” asserts Collier.

Joy is a through-and-through expression of the arc of joy in its truest form. Joy transcends fleeting happiness and is conscious gratitude shaped by taking chances, leaning into your gifts, fostering community, and lived experiences.

“Joy is partially happiness,” Collier explains. “But to me it means happily being grateful for family, friends, lovers, teachers, and good times. These are the things that anchor us.”

The release of Joy comes off the heels of significant momentum for Collier, whose work continues to garner accolades and resonate across cultural spheres. He was featured on the cover of DownBeat’s April 2025 issue, where he was named “The Next Sax Giant,” and profiled on NPR’s Jazz Night in America for his ambitious 13-movement interdisciplinary suite The Story of 400 Years, that traces 400 years of Black American History. He released two full-length albums in 2024 with The World Is on Fire highlighted in The New York Times’ Fall Arts Preview and The Almighty named among the publication’s Best Jazz Albums of the year.

Beyond performance and recoding, Collier’s influence is recognized in broader cultural and intellectual spaces as he was the recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association’s 2025 Up and Coming Artist of the Year Award, the 2024 Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz, and was named a Steve Jobs Archive Fellow joining an elite cohort of the next generation of artistic visionaries through a yearlong program.

In addition to the release of Joy, Collier is touring his “Collier Plays Coltrane” program throughout 2026 in honor of John Coltrane’s centennial. Rather than presenting Coltrane’s expansive catalog as repertory, Collier approaches this music as something living, reshaping it in real-time with a sense of space and improvisational dialog reflecting both reverence to the past and present times.

Colemine freut sich, einen weiteren Orgone-Kultklassiker zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl rauszubringen! ,New You", ursprünglich 2013 nur als CD erschienen, ist zeitloser Funk & Soul - mit tiefem Groove und kräftigen Rhythmen. Jetzt, über ein Jahrzehnt später, ist es endlich als LP erhältlich. Seit 2001 liefert Orgone dreckigen, organischen California Soul mit Herz; Musik, die dich am Kragen packt, dich auf die Beine zieht und dich gierig auf die Tanzfläche schubst. Alles begann mit zwei Jungs aus dem San Fernando Valley, deren gemeinsame Vorliebe für raue Soul-Platten der 60er und 70er Jahre auf die bunte Musikkultur traf, die sich Ende der 90er in Los Angeles entwickelte. Diese Freundschaft löste eine Bewegung aus, und seitdem liefert Orgone den Funk-Fans nichts als Gold.

Colemine freut sich, einen weiteren Orgone-Kultklassiker zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl rauszubringen! ,New You", ursprünglich 2013 nur als CD erschienen, ist zeitloser Funk & Soul - mit tiefem Groove und kräftigen Rhythmen. Jetzt, über ein Jahrzehnt später, ist es endlich als LP erhältlich. Seit 2001 liefert Orgone dreckigen, organischen California Soul mit Herz; Musik, die dich am Kragen packt, dich auf die Beine zieht und dich gierig auf die Tanzfläche schubst. Alles begann mit zwei Jungs aus dem San Fernando Valley, deren gemeinsame Vorliebe für raue Soul-Platten der 60er und 70er Jahre auf die bunte Musikkultur traf, die sich Ende der 90er in Los Angeles entwickelte. Diese Freundschaft löste eine Bewegung aus, und seitdem liefert Orgone den Funk-Fans nichts als Gold.

ABOUT WORLD WITHOUT GOD: Alongside the band's early '90's counterparts 'World Without God', Convulse's first proper full-length, helped pave the way for a new generation of death-metal extremity. ABOUT CONVULSE REISSUES 2026: Finland's CONVULSE present the official 2026 Remastered, Reissues of their classic titles "World Without God", "Reflections" & the new demo compilation "From Resuscitation to Reincarnation - The Early Years" All three remastered titles are streaming now & pre-orders are out July 31, 2026 on LP/CD/CS formats. Convulse original member Rami Jämsä comments on the reissues: "I am very grateful for the Relapse Records from all these three classy Convulse reissues. "World without God" (1991) is our best known debut album with full of rotten old school death metal notes. But don't miss our hidden gem "Reflections" (1994), which is our second album and will be released first time ever on vinyl format. Death 'n roll album "Reflections" comes to home on Relapse Records after 30 years with a brand new layout and a brilliant remastered sound. Third release will be "From Resuscitation to Reincarnation" which presents Convulse's transformation from the straightforward death metal band to more diverse death&rock band. It includes our first demotape "Resuscitation of Evilness" (1990) and "Lost Equilibrium" EP (1992)." All 3 Convulse titles were Remastered by Jaakko Viitalähde/Virtalähde Mastering (Oranssi Pazuzu, Havukruunu).

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Für sein treffend betiteltes Solo-Debütalbum "Introducing..." hat Aaron Frazer mit Dan Auerbach von The Black Keys zusammengearbeitet. Soft spoken und mit dem Aussehen eines leicht unzufriedenen Matinee-Idols aus den 1950er Jahren gesegnet, besitzt Frazer eine einzigartige Stimme, die sowohl zeitgemäß als auch zeitlos klingt. Der in Baltimore aufgewachsene, zurzeit in Brooklyn lebende Songwriter wurde als Schlagzeuger und Co-Vokalist von Durand Jones & The Indications bekannt. Jetzt tritt er mit "Introducing..." als Solist hinter dem Drumkit hervor und demonstriert nicht nur seine beeindruckenden stimmlichen Qualitäten, sondern auch sein Können als hochklassiger Songschreiber. Schon die erste Single "Bad News" sorgte für Aufsehen ("a gorgeous piece of vintage R&B" - CLASH), die sich anschließende Lead-Single "Over You" ist inspiriert von elektrisierenden Northern Soul 45s der 60er Jahre. Nur zwei Belege der erfolgreichen Zusammenarbeit zwischen Frazer und Auerbach. Die zwölf Songs auf "Introducing..." verbinden gekonnt den Soul der 70er Jahre mit Dan Auerbachs besonderer Sensibilität für Vintage-Sounds im neuen Gewand. "Introducing..." enthält klassische Message-Songs im Stil von Künstlern wie Gil Scott-Heron sowie motivierende Liebeslieder, die von Disco-, Gospel- und Doo-Wop-Einflüssen durchzogen sind. Das gesamte Album wurde innerhalb nur einer Woche in Auerbachs berühmten Nashville-Studio nach einer schnellen und produktiven Songwriting-Session aufgenommen. Auerbach holte auch den legendären Songwriter und Falsettspezialisten L. Russell Brown (schrieb früher Hits für Frankie Valli von The Four Seasons) an Bord, der den wunderschönen Opener "You Don't Wanna Be My Baby" auf dem Album mitkopmponierte. Für "Introducing..." rekrutierte Frazer eine beeindruckende Schar alteingesessener Session-Musiker aus Nashville. Darunter Mitglieder der legendären Memphis Boys (die in Dusty Springfields "Son of A Preacher Man" und Aretha Franklins "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman" mitspielten), den Perkussionisten Sam Bacco sowie diverse Musiker aus dem Daptone/Big Crown Records-Umfeld.

Originally released in 2008. Although this album invites aesthetic comparisons to works by the likes of Philip Jeck, William Basinski, and Janek Schaefer – draped as it is in an obfuscating, soupy crackle – there’s a very specific conceptual agenda at work here.

Part of the success of »Persistent Repetition of Phrases« comes from the attention it pays to the function of »the loop«, not only as a narrative ordering system in modern music, but as a means by which the brain itself recalls and interprets information; it’s as old as recorded sound itself, but in this context the repetition of small shards of auditory information becomes an elegy to fading memory and the worn-out synapses of old age. The track titles offer signposts through Kirby’s labyrinth of faulty remembrances, pointing their way towards the peculiarities dictating the manner by which the mind stores and attempts to recover information: »Lacunar Amnesia« references a condition that leaves a specific event absent from the sufferer’s memory, and Kirby’s music sounds suitably stuck on a prelude to something that never happens.

Bathed in gusts of crackle, the piece gets stuck on what might be a start of something, but we never get to hear what. Many of the pieces refer to different ways the memory might find itself caught in a holding pattern: »Von Restorff Effect«, »Rosy Retrospection«, and the title track itself are all suggestive of reliving a single event or point in time – here, both music and memory are united by the notion of »glitch«, whereby a fault or fissure causes the replaying of the same pocket of data over and over again, but what distinguishes Kirby from so many other musicians operating within the field of loops and broken recordings is the unnerving, ghostly sentimentality that courses through this process. »Long Term (remote)« is particularly explicit in its reaching back through the first half of the 20th century, exhuming snatches of music hall romance, now warped into a sinister new form by the erosions of time. It’s like watching John Carpenter’s »The Fog« only to find that instead of vengeful phantoms emerging from the mist, it’s The Glenn Miller Band. Which is infinitely more disturbing. More eerie still is the detachment from authorship endemic to this sound – at no point do you really sense the presence of a composer’s hand; this album just... is. A remarkable thing that only seems to have improved with age (which is either highly appropriate or highly inappropriate, I can’t quite decide which), »Persistent Repetition of Phrases« is an even better fit on vinyl, a medium which itself wears and fades just as the memory does.

Mr Bongo are thrilled to have one of the leading lights in contemporary soul joining the label. Melbourne-based vocalist, musician, and songwriter Ella Thompson is an artist whose name is being championed by some of the best in the business. She’s been building a reputation as one to watch, with two standout releases on Hopestreet Recordings, Domino EP in 2023 and Ripple On The Wing LP in 2024, alongside a heavy touring schedule and a stacked list of support slots and collaborations.

For this new 7” single, Ella collaborates with a selection of artists at the forefront of Naarm/Melbourne’s soulful DIY community. Featuring members of Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo, Liam McGorry from Temporary Blessings (College Of Knowledge) joins Ella as co-writer and co-producer, with go-to Melbourne engineer Henry Jenkins also producing and recording the track.

Bridging the worlds of classic and contemporary soul, Ella’s songwriting is drenched in emotion and personal experience. With a timeless feel that is hard to tie to any particular period, she has crafted a sound that instantly hits deep. It’s warm, tasteful and distinctly Ella. That talent has also seen her tour with Mark Ronson, and support other contemporary greats like Jalen Ngonda, Lee Fields, and Thee Sacred Souls.

‘Promise To Keep’ is the first taste of Ella’s new material on this 7” single. An irrepressible upbeat groover that echoes mid-to-late-sixties vocal groups. That influence though never overpowers Ella’s own unique creative voice or distinct sense of self. She draws from it, but the colour is all her own. The song tells a story of being carried by the current that keeps us moving, giving us courage. A commitment to oneself that speaks to action shaped by vision, and the pull of following what feels correct even when the distance is far.

The flip side finds Ella in a different mood. ‘Change Of Heart’ is a heavy sweet-soul ballad. Rich in drama, Ella’s falsetto vocals build to a stunning climax in the final section, with triumphant horns that signal the release of letting go. The lyrics reflect on temporality and impermanence, and the way moments can be missed or arrive with synchronicity. It’s that bittersweet paradox of triumph and sadness, where everything contains its opposite: absence and presence, innocence and experience. The song is underpinned by a brooding production quality and atmospheric, beat-heavy flavour that Surprise Chef and cinematic soul fans will relish.

Mixed by Wayne Gordon (Daptone, Womack Sisters), ‘Promise to Keep’ and ‘Change of Heart’ are a glimpse of things to come from Ella. Keep an eye open for more new music incoming from this phenomenal artist at the top of her game.

Wet is the fifth full length album by Black Meteoric Star and the 10th release. Black Meteoric Star is a project Rayna started in 2006 when she was living in Berlin that brought together her life long love of dance music culture with spiritual themes, drag, and her formative experiences of S/M culture Black Meteoric Star has always had an avenger quality in Rayna's life and creative work, and this iteration plays that role in response to the current political landscape. Wet celebrates the long standing shared history of electronic music and queer leather/SM culture and imagines a future where these two cultural expressions are re-connected.

Electronic music and leather/SM are both ways that queer people have historically built community, created and shared knowledge, and kept each other safe. The current administration demonizes and villainizes queer people on the basis of a false moral framework of respectability, and its a trick. No amount of acting "respectable" will humanize queer people in the eyes of this administration and get us the rights we deserve. Revitalizing the connection between electronic music and queer leather/SM is a way to affirm the cultural power of both during a time when it has never been clearer that we keep each other safe. Rayna, a transgender woman with a deep commitment to all of these cultural forms, has a strong message to deliver with this album. She has been a DJ and producer of electronic music for over thirty years and has been producing community cultural events for as long. She has also been involved in kink and bdsm for decades and is a well-known and respected DJ in the New York leatherdyke scene. Rayna made international headlines in 2017 when she came out as transgender while touring with LCD Soundsystem. In 2018 she left the Grammy winning band to pursue projects that were more connected with her queer experience, including founding Voluminous Arts a cultural organization that supports trans artists. Black Meteoric Star is a continuation of a thread in Rayna's work that runs through her Paper Eyes project and her role in Black Leotard Front. This thread has a comic book or x rated graphic novel component based around her experiences of being a sad lonely lesbian trans girl who got bullied a lot and found escape and the possibility of being avenged through X men comics and Dungeons and Dragons books.

'I live in a gentrified part of Brooklyn, I eat out several times a week, I travel the world sampling the best that cities across the globe have to offer. Do I live in a penthouse loft Am I dinning in five stars restaurants Can you only find me in the most exclusive areas Do I own a jet The answer to all the above is most certainly no. I'm just a regular man from Prince George's county, Maryland that figured shit out. I discovered that I can make a career in an arena dominated by artists that sell false dreams. I realized that although the masses may not know of my body of work, it doesn't take the whole world to have the world I want. Tangible Dream is a mix-tape dedicated to the deconstruction of our traditional ideas of success & shedding light on the possibility of a sustainable rap life. These rhymes were written in economy class seats, these beats were produced on long bus trips & these songs were recorded in airbnb apartments. All I want to do is make music for a living so that I can live to make music. The only dreams I'm interested in are the ones I can grasp. It just so happens that anything you want bad enough can be obtained. Perhaps the world may never know of my accomplishments but accomplishments they are nonetheless.

Practical Limits of Nihilism is a double album by Das Ding containing 14 brand new tracks. On the album, Danny Bosten searches for meaning in an incomprehensible world in which even nihilism does not offer a way out anymore. Created on self-built analogue synths and drum machines, Practical Limits of Nihilism sees the typical Das Ding sound evolving into new territory, including 4 vocal tracks. The atmosphere varies from dark wave to ambient trance and italo, while remaining true to itself. The artwork on the gatefold sleeve was also created by Danny Bosten and reflects a collapsing world, leading to the emptiness that is symbolised by the white vinyl the album is pressed on.