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The new recordings from The Dengie Hundred unfurl on Tain Records after a busy year releasing a solo tape on Sagome and a collaborative LP and tape with Japan Blues on Demdike Stare's DDS imprint.

Lammas Land is an album which meditates on the Walthamstow Marshes, an ever-changing watery landscape, rich with history and wildlife. The Dengie Hundred writes:

"I am sitting at my table overlooking the marshes listening to Lammas Land in November 2023, watching crows fight a never-ending aerial battle with the gulls. In summer, you can see bats from here every evening, fluttering around the windows as the light begins to fade, but today it is colder so there is smoke rising from the boats on the River Lea and the dog walkers are wrapped up tight against the wind.
Most of Lammas Land was made sitting right here, playing guitar and recording the sounds passing by. I would hang a microphone out of the window to capture the ‘putput’ boat which delivers provisions, or the trains that rattle along the tracks that cut across the marshes and up to Stanstead, carrying passengers to the airport and away.
I wonder what tourists make of the marshes as they cross them, the landscape opening up for a moment between the urban sprawl of the East End and the rampant development of Tottenham. They offer a jarring pause of green and sky. I feel very lucky to be living in that pause, a resident, for now…

The album contains a whole year of found sounds recorded from the window and while out walking. It is full of bird song and radio sounds, singing, life.

Many others have been inspired by this space, this pause. The author Esther Kinsky who wrote River, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, captures this area so perfectly. I borrowed the two track names for this album from her book. I hope she doesn’t mind.

Also, the photographer Paul Fuller whose work reflects the atmosphere I feel here precisely. On hearing the music he wanted to collaborate on the Lammas Land project, He spent a year filming the marsh through the seasons. Some of his images are included with the vinyl release, and there is an accompanying film close to completion. I am so pleased this project is continuing in new forms.

The vinyl also contains a piece of writing, ‘Sound Fishing’, by Gemma Blackshaw, an author, art historian and curator who in a twist of fate also found herself spending time on the marshes, but that is her story, for another day."




The Dengie Hundred
Lammas Land
LP, with essay insert + five photographic prints
Cat No: TAIN02
Price: £14.49
Due next week

A: A hand full of ever thickening twilight
(Sample clips 1 / 2 / 3)

B: A string of pearls pulling
the night away
(Sample clips 1 / 2 / 3)

"It's about being really ambitious, and seeing enhanced beauty in the world, and knowing that seeing things in that way isn't unrealistic," she continues. "It's about striving for that ultimate freedom." Recorded in a joyful stay at Wales' residential StudiOwz, 'Tell Me It's A Dream' rings with the audible fizz of friends hanging out and having fun. Though many of its lyrics began during a complicated time for Walton, the record itself is a testament to choosing life and pleasure and the people that make it all worthwhile. "A lot of the record is about stretching outwards and acknowledging how far love can take you; about expressing how I feel about the people I love through music in ways that words can't," she says. "It was important to capture that lightness from the recording, because that spirit is in a lot of the songs." Frequently euphoric and brightly emotional, the songs themselves aim heavenwards. 'Heart To Heartbreak' cracks through the clouds of a break up, taking influence from emotionally-rich bands like The Cure and Prefab Sprout to translate the feeling at its core. "This is a song about feeling like everything in your life has shattered but realising that relationship was holding you back and the world is opening up," she says. "I wanted this song to feel really visual, like things are starting to sparkle and look colourful again.

On March 20, 1964, legendary American comedian and harpist Harpo Marx joined the Riverside Symphony on stage at a benefit for the Southern California organization. By then, the comic had been in semi-retirement, and after a series of heart attacks in 1961, he was told to stop working altogether. But to a lifelong performer, nothing compared to the feeling of being on stage. Benefit shows, he slyly argued, were not technically work, since he wasn’t getting paid. For the next few years, Marx’s wife and doctors grudgingly went along with the pitch. Harpo Speaks! The Riverside Symphony Concert, out June 5 from Ramseur Records, captures a considerably remarkable, one-of-a-kind performance: The silent Marx Brother, the one whose trademark persona led many audiences to believe he was actually mute, spoke. As Harpo Marx’s first, and last—recorded just six months before his death—live album, Harpo Speaks! places listeners in the room, immersed in the swell of the Riverside Orchestra as Marx performs alongside the symphony and leads them in a narration of Peter and the Wolf. In another unusual move for Marx, he allowed the recording of the show for posterity, though the tapes seemingly disappeared after his death. Harpo Speaks! is the result of heroic archival work. Recently discovered by longtime Marx Brother archivist John Tefteller, he and Marx biographer and expert Robert Bader set out to restore the long lost recording. “The fact that we have a recording is a miracle,” says Bader. “It was not the most professionally recorded thing.

It was very haphazard. The work that was done to rehabilitate it is stunning. It’s as if you’ve found something covered with layers of mold and dirt, got it all cleaned off, and now are able to see something brand new underneath it.” Across the recording’s near-43 minute runtime, Marx, alongside the Riverside Symphony, takes the cheering audience through the delightfully lighthearted “Toy Symphony” and carries them into the softly romantic “Moon Medley,” (a medley of “Fly Me to the Moon” and “How High the Moon,” arranged by his son Bill, alongside his own composition, “Moon Tune”) and a rare instrumental performance of his composition “Guardian Angels.” And then the concert’s true highlight: the near 22-minute long riveting narration of Peter and the Wolf. For the first time, Harpo reveals his voice: deep, yet soft-spoken, refined, yet still retaining the slightest hint of his New York City origin. And, in speaking, he entertained, getting laughs not just for his physical gags, but for the storytelling itself: the dramatic inflections in moments of suspense, the arch mischievousness, and tongue-in-cheek references to Goldwater, Rockefeller, and Nixon.

Every so often in music, we come across voices that achieve a certain timelessness, so naturally do they encapsulate both past and present. Laure Briard is one of these voices, retro in form but contemporary at heart, spanning a career rich in aesthetic twists and turns, never without her signature magic, a special kind of eternal filter. Her first album, Révélation (2015), reveals her yé-yé influences, a testament to her love for ‘60s French pop music. Her second studio album, Sur la piste de danse (2016), follows in this vein and finds Laure accompanied as always by her long-time bandmates who share an affinity for warm, catchy arrangements that never lose their appeal. Her tour of Brazil marks a turning point in her career, introducing her to the local indie scene and thus launching her collaboration with the band Boogarins, as well as inspiring the release of multiple EPs composed and performed in Portuguese. Today, her music is embellished by touches of bossa nova and a folk sensibility, boasting increasingly intricate arrangements, as exemplified by her 2019 release, Un peu plus d'amour s'il vous plaît. Several years later, the Californian desert captures the musician’s imagination with Ne pas trop rester bleue, a poignant musical journey inspired by the rich history of Western legends and the role they play in shaping our collective consciousness.

In Voyage Mental, Laure Briard draws upon an inner energy unearthed during a new stage in her life, where the thrill of spontaneous adventure is not accessible in quite the same way. The result is a collection of sophisticated, introspective songs, narrating a young mother’s quest for balance in the face of routine. The album, nostalgic but always tethered to the present moment, is also the fruit of her collaboration with Gaëtan Nonchalant, a talented musician known for coaxing poetry out of the mundane. The two of them co-wrote and recorded five tracks at Studio Nocturne, accompanied by her long-time sidekick Pieuvre, aka Vincent Guyot, Léo Blomov, Pierre-Louis Vizioz, and Hedi Bensalem. The gentle pop opener “Rocking Chair” sways steadily to the rhythm of dynamic drums, followed by “Train,” a ballad that extends an invitation to set sail and daydream alone. The folk escapade continues with “Golden Sun,” a duet featuring the 1960s cult American musician F.J. McMahon, who Laure contacted via the internet on a whim. “Golden Sun” is an unlikely encounter between two generations and two cultures, giving new life to an old forgotten demo on the other side of the Atlantic. And while Laure sings of wide open spaces, cowboys, and sunsets sinking into the sea, we feel the city surrounding her in “Miroir,” a song composed by Hedi Bensalem that laments the suffocation of living in a crowded metropolis where the sky is a distant gray smudge. This pressing need for air, this search for rest and total disconnection, is one of the album's central themes. It may also explain the ever-present sense of nostalgia that pervades the songs, a welcome respite in our current era of doomscrolling and darkness. Along the way, Laure soothes us with melancholy guitar, delivers poetry set to scattered piano notes, and takes us by the hand during lively, uptempo passages. We climb onto her wings, never straying too far from the ground, soaring joyfully above her moods.

British punk trio GRADE 2 return swinging with Talk About It, their third and most blisteringly realized album, out on Tim Armstrong"s storied Hellcat Records. It"s an 11-track surge that fuses classic punk"s bare-knuckle conviction with the disillusionment, identity crises, and quiet rage of Gen-Z-delivered by three Isle of Wight lifers who"ve been sharpening their edge since they fifirst bashed out covers at 14. Jack Chatfifield, Jacob Hull, and Sid Ryan have spent thirteen years turning raw instinct into a signature roar, and Talk About It captures them at full velocity. Their blistering track, "Cut Throat," distills their ethos: fifierce guitars, punishing rhythm, and a narra-tive of clawing forward while the world seems hellbent on pulling you under. "It"s about a world that takes more than it gives," the band says-and that tension becomes fuel, a rallying cry for anyone navigating a landscape that feels colder by the day. With Talk About It, GRADE 2 don"t just revive punk"s urgency-they embody it.

The Dwarves return to their punk roots with a fun, energetic record. Standout tracks include: Damned If I Do, We Are The Scene, Psychosis Tripping. Jenkem finds The Dwarves returning to the raw, confrontational energy that defined their early work, delivering a fast, irreverent blast of punk rock that blends melody, aggression, and their trademark shock humor. Packed with short, high-impact tracks like "We Are The Scene," "Damned If I Do," and "Psychosis Tripping," the album balances tight songwriting with the band's chaotic, anything-goes attitude, moving effortlessly between hardcore punk bursts and hook-driven rock moments. Formed in the mid-1980s and long led by founding member Blag Dahlia, The Dwarves have built a reputation as one of punk's most provocative and unpredictable acts. Emerging from the underground with releases like Blood Guts & Pussy, they became notorious for their explicit artwork, confrontational lyrics, and myth-making persona that blurred fact and fiction. Over decades, the band has shifted fluidly between garage rock, hardcore punk, and pop-inflected punk, while maintaining a consistent identity rooted in speed, satire, and rebellion. Their ever-changing lineup has included notable musicians such as HeWhoCannotBeNamed and members connected to acts like The Queers and Zeke, reinforcing their deep ties within the punk scene. With Jenkem, The Dwarves reaffirm their core strengths--brevity, intensity, and attitude--while delivering a record that feels both nostalgic and immediate. The songs hit quickly and leave an impression, driven by sharp riffs, pounding rhythms, and Dahlia's biting vocal delivery. As a continuation of their long-standing ethos, the album stands as a reminder of the band's enduring ability to provoke, entertain, and channel punk's most unfiltered spirit.

On her second album, Sawt El Doumouh (The Sound of Tears), Beirut-based Sandy Chamoun summons flickers of light from sadness. Influences from the Arabic tradition of Tarab – one of the first styles Chamoun learnt to sing – and polyphonic Cantu are reinterpreted and reimagined through her voice and electronics, synths from her SANAM and Ghadr bandmate Anthony Sayhoun, and live percussion from Ali Hout.
Marked by its times, the record isn’t what Chamoun had planned. “I wrote the lyrics between October 2023 and September 2025,” she explains. “The plan was to write about nature, since the album’s concept was inspired by Cantu, a tenor Sardinian ritual that celebrates humanity’s victory over nature. I intended to visit several places and regions in Lebanon and write a track for each, but after the genocide and the war in Lebanon, everything changed.”
“I chose the title because many mornings during this period I woke up crying silently. I remember a dark story from school: a teacher yelled at a small boy while he was crying and told him to cry without making any sound. I feel we are still living in that condition in the region — forced to die or suffer without making any noise.”
Sawt El Doumouh is a gorgeous refusal to be silent. It opens with a booming drum. Over keening autotune Chamoun’s pure voice cuts through, burying the despair to illuminate rays of hope. On “Ward W Shok” a shuffling swing gives way to a righteous organ interlude. The title track sees a choir of Chamoun’s vocals lull and lap. Drums arrive and indignation stirs, what’s mournful begins to stride.
Chamoun’s tracks are as beautiful as they are defiant. Why write songs in the face of horror? Perhaps because music can hold onto something better. By turning to song, Chamoun catches the hopeful glints and sparks that persist and strive outside the terror. In SANAM and Ghadr she often borrows lyrics from Arabic writers through the centuries, listening to what their words say in the present while reminding us the world can and has been different to how it is now. Solo she writes her own words, and the way her songs alternately soar and sigh evokes hopeful pluralities and suggestions of other, kinder realities. Even hearing someone cry is a connection to humanity.
It’s a possibility conveyed in the album’s most jubilant moments. “Shahed” is an incandescent dance of percussion and levitating synths. “I wrote it after I saw a photo of a small boy on a horse on the beach in Gaza,” Chamoun recalls. “I imagined a fantasy where the boy lives in the water and watches the terrifying reality on the shore, trying to bring water to put out the fire. Shahed is the witness who lives far from the shore, enjoying the water and trying to help. You can hear this duality: the percussion is desert-like, while the vocals and synths evoke the feeling of water.”
Although it comes from darkness, in Chamoun’s music we can hear faith in something beyond it.

"I decided to just let myself go," Zzzahara says of their new record, 'Spiral Your Way Out' "I think I finally came to this acceptance that I don't have to be perfect. I want to be a good role model to my fans and stuff like that, but I also don't want to hide who I am." Zzzahara's music wades into the deep waters of love, lust, and self-discovery in a part of the world where artifice and authenticity co-exist. Emerging from the heart of LA's alternative music scene, their sound is raw in feeling and rebellious by nature.

Their 2022 debut album, Liminal Spaces, chronicles a coming- of- age in Highland Park, following painful childhood memories through to late- night, live- fast coping mechanisms, and the changes the neighbourhood has endured over the same period of time. Their 2023 follow- up, Tender, marked a period of slowing down, looking inward, and embracing a softer side of being. 'Spiral Your Way Out' sees Zzzahara evolve again. Emotionally, its foundations are built on scorched earth.

The album finds Zzzahara in the aftermath of a relationship spent trying to fit someone else's mould, being jerked around by indecision, and then hitting "emotional rock bottom." Made in a three-month burst that let all their pent-up frustrations loose, 'Spiral Your Way Out' is in part a work of self-reclamation, swapping there 2nd album Tender's meditative state for something fiery and more assertive. The new album marks another sonic evolution as much as an emotional one. Zzzahara's songs have always come wrapped in a warm glow that reflects how they were written -namely at home in their bedroom.

That glow remains on 'Spiral Your Way Out', but it also packs an ambitious streak and a gutsy punch. Taking a more collaborative approach than usual, Zzzahara worked with a range of producers including Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, No Joy, Sky Ferreira), Sarah Tudzin (boygenius / Cloud Nothings / The Armed), former Ducktails guitarist Alex Craig (Jelani Aryeh / re6ce) and Halsey tour drummer Franco Reid, who helped harness their intimate style of writing and blow it up into something more panoptic. After a year of upheaval, Zzzahara finally feels "calm." The musical equivalent to going several rounds on a punching bag, 'Spiral Your Way Out' finds solace between extremes. It licks its wounds in a place where pain and love, healing and abandon, sit side-by-side. If it has a message, it's one of standing tall in your own shoes - scuffs and all.

"I decided to just let myself go," Zzzahara says of their new record, 'Spiral Your Way Out' "I think I finally came to this acceptance that I don't have to be perfect. I want to be a good role model to my fans and stuff like that, but I also don't want to hide who I am." Zzzahara's music wades into the deep waters of love, lust, and self-discovery in a part of the world where artifice and authenticity co-exist. Emerging from the heart of LA's alternative music scene, their sound is raw in feeling and rebellious by nature.

Their 2022 debut album, Liminal Spaces, chronicles a coming- of- age in Highland Park, following painful childhood memories through to late- night, live- fast coping mechanisms, and the changes the neighbourhood has endured over the same period of time. Their 2023 follow- up, Tender, marked a period of slowing down, looking inward, and embracing a softer side of being. 'Spiral Your Way Out' sees Zzzahara evolve again. Emotionally, its foundations are built on scorched earth.

The album finds Zzzahara in the aftermath of a relationship spent trying to fit someone else's mould, being jerked around by indecision, and then hitting "emotional rock bottom." Made in a three-month burst that let all their pent-up frustrations loose, 'Spiral Your Way Out' is in part a work of self-reclamation, swapping there 2nd album Tender's meditative state for something fiery and more assertive. The new album marks another sonic evolution as much as an emotional one. Zzzahara's songs have always come wrapped in a warm glow that reflects how they were written -namely at home in their bedroom.

That glow remains on 'Spiral Your Way Out', but it also packs an ambitious streak and a gutsy punch. Taking a more collaborative approach than usual, Zzzahara worked with a range of producers including Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, No Joy, Sky Ferreira), Sarah Tudzin (boygenius / Cloud Nothings / The Armed), former Ducktails guitarist Alex Craig (Jelani Aryeh / re6ce) and Halsey tour drummer Franco Reid, who helped harness their intimate style of writing and blow it up into something more panoptic. After a year of upheaval, Zzzahara finally feels "calm." The musical equivalent to going several rounds on a punching bag, 'Spiral Your Way Out' finds solace between extremes. It licks its wounds in a place where pain and love, healing and abandon, sit side-by-side. If it has a message, it's one of standing tall in your own shoes - scuffs and all.

With Superstring, one of the greatest trance classics returns to vinyl. Originally released by Cygnus X, the track became a landmark in trance history and remains instantly recognisable decades later. Its hypnotic melody and emotional drive helped shape the sound of the genre and continue to resonate with fans and DJs.

This special edition includes an exclusive, never-before-released remix by Oliver Lieb as well as the iconic versions by Rank 1: the celebrated Rank 1 Remix and the Deep Dub Remix. Each interpretation brings a different perspective to the timeless core of Superstring, showing why it remains one of trance's defining records.

Pressed on vinyl for collectors, DJs and trance enthusiasts, this release celebrates the enduring legacy of a classic that still feels relevant today. It represents trance's ability to connect generations through melody and emotion.

For the 6th edition of Easy Tiger, Marko Nastic welcomes Bosko Balos for the first chapter of their new project, Mooshoo Clan, presented through a 4-track EP titled A Journey To Hyperspace. The record opens with Bellissimo - a wavy bassline-driven track followed by old-school drum programming that pulls you straight onto the dancefloor. Down the grooves, we arrive at Original 59. From the very first moments, you’re drawn into a vocal and bass-led paracosm, evoking the feeling of falling into a lost world of pure joy. On the flip side, the strong energy continues with Take It From The Top - a classic pumper, fueled by vintage stabs designed to get the crowd moving. Part one closes with the signature track Mooshoo Clan - a bass-heavy roller that keeps the momentum alive, this time leaning into a darker, more hypnotic mood.

This is a super funky double A by the Swedish Dino Ögon - A side “MELLAN SLAGE” is a mellow summer feel groove, lovely melodic vocals full of beats and feeling.
On the flip is an explosion of drums – just want I needed.

B-boys and B-Girls, let’s get the lino to the ready, this one is gonna get you Movin “PUMPAN” is a happy uplifting groove that drops into one of the best drums and percussion grooves I’ve heard for years

Very limited numbers, orders will need to be confirmed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For well over a decade, MONOLORD have caused mass riff hypnosis with longform epics steeped in repetition, volume, and heaviness. One of heavy music’s most consistent and beloved bands, MONOLORD are gearing up for their next chapter with a new album titled Neverending. In looking for a new take on the genre, MONOLORD approached the legendary producer Sylvia Massy, known for her work with Tool, System of a Down, and Johnny Cash, among many more. The payoff from this new process is undeniable. Neverending feels like the culmination of 13 years of heavy, molten music, with a keen eye towards creating a sharper album. “The recording of this album is an example of the spirit of MONOLORD’s camaraderie,” says bassist Mika Häkki. “We’ve looked back and seen for the first time how much we have done as a band collectively, and realized what an intense 13 years it has been.” "The lyrics on this album are more personal than before because I went through some major life changes in the last couple of years,” guitarist/vocalist Thomas Jäger says. “I usually write about religion and how people are superstitious, but this record is more about relationships between people. But it’s not all about me. Sometimes I’m writing from another person’s perspective.” Neverending’s lead single “You Bastard” offers listeners a sharp contrast: A propulsive groove offset by lyrics about suicide. There’s two sides to suicide,” Jäger points out. “There’s the person who commits suicide and the people who gets left behind...The choruses represent the person left behind, and that person is calling the other a bastard—but it’s not pointing fingers or saying, ‘You suck.’ It’s more like, ‘You left me here with all the bullshit.’ It’s an understanding that life is not easy." Though it might not be immediately obvious, album opener “Iodine” was inspired by 70's rock epics like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” and Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter." Elsewhere, album closer “It’s Neverending” is the first MONOLORD song that Jäger doesn’t sing on. Instead, the death-metal style vocals are performed by former Entombed bassist Jörgen Sandström, (also of Grave, Domedagen and Firespawn.) 13 years on, MONOLORD’s path takes a new turn, and Neverending becomes the band’s most befitting album title. “It's been a wild ride and still is,” says drummer Esben Willems. “I've spent a quarter of my life in this band. Looking back, I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished along the way, and in many ways, this album feels like the essence of everything we've done so far. My mindset is the same it's always been, to be the absolute best the three of us can be.”

The Spice of Life, released in November 1969, stands as Marlena Shaw's second--and final--studio album for Cadet Records, produced and arranged by the renowned Richard Evans and Charles Stepney. From the opening, Shaw's voice--both playful and powerful--cuts through the lush yet tight-knit arrangements, weaving together a vibrant tapestry of soul, proto-funk, jazz, gospel, and blues. The album features two defining classics: her deeply resonant original of 'Woman of the Ghetto' and a signature take on Ashford & Simpson's 'California Soul', both staples in sampling culture (you'll probably find that you're more familiar with Shaw's material than you thought.) Evans and Stepney's arrangements are far from mere support--they're panoramic and inventive. You'll hear kalimba flourishes, psych-tinged guitar accents, and bongo-fueled organ textures that elevate each track, keeping the atmosphere rich but never overwhelming. Moments like the Bacharach-styled 'Looking Through the Eyes of Love' or the dramatic flair of 'Stormy Monday' showcase their widescreen sensibility and Shaw's versatility. Beneath its musical elegance, "The Spice of Life" carries a weighty current of social commentary. Tracks such as 'Woman of the Ghetto' and the succinct, fierce 'Liberation Conversation' bring political and feminist themes into a soulful, expressive framework--adding unexpected depth to the sophisticated sonic palette. This album offers an immersive journey through soul-jazz mastery, one that rewarded listeners with sampling gold for decades to come. Reissue on 180g vinyl.

Season 2 formed in late 2024, bringing together seasoned Melbourne musicians with previous and current projects including Parsnip, The Stroppies and Phil and the Tiles. The five piece, comprising Carolyn Hawkins, Claudia Serfaty, Charlotte Zarb, Freya McLeod and Matt Powell, quickly set to work writing winsome, DIY, shimmer-pop hits that careen through your mind in a gratifying dizzy rush.

With a clear collective vision and little time to waste, Season 2 spent 2025 writing and recording, appearing live only a handful of times. Finally, this April, the band are primed for their debut release, a full-length album entitled 'Power of Now'. ‘Power of Now ‘is a cerebral explosion of melody, hooks, drones and rhythm. In the vein of The Feelies, The Vaselines and The Clean, Season 2 have whipped up a sonic whirlwind. It's a giddy thrill of snappy slap, catchy gang vocals and crystalline guitar refrains.

'Abundance of Power' is a bittersweet bop of ponderous bass, crisp chord flashes and grounded vocals that dwell on slighted futures and bored realities. 'Becomes a Dream' is a delirious race of scrappy strumming and flying phrases that unsettle as much as they pinball endorphins - "pour the ink into the sand, watch the dog it bites the hand". "Tell me something, elbows on the table, I'll tell you nothing, leave you tugging at the cable" they sing on the peppy future single 'Tugging at the Cable', capturing a certain innocent, wide-eyed expressiveness. Season 2 do sparky well, their songs are instant rewards, tunnelling into your subconscious and testing the dance floor. They keep everything moving, the beat and the conversation. Season 2 sound barely controlled and all the better for it, you have no choice but to be swept up.

'Power of Now' was recorded by Alex Macfarlane (The Green Child, Chateau) and mastered by Mikey Young. It will be released digitally and on LP (black vinyl) on April 24th, internationally via Upset The Rhythm and locally in Australia by Spoilsport Records.

What"s new for the first time in over a decade? Squirrel Bait"s self-titled 12" EP and Skag Heaven in the black. In "85-"87, their screamin" teenage psycho dilemmas stood way out in the emerging field of metal damaged hardcore punk. "Kid Dynamite" would ring in your head like a #1 single that had just unseated "Sun God" from the vaunted top spot. Every week. Anthems for the freaks! It happened fast. After a couple of records, guitarists David Grubbs and Brian McMahan split for Bastro and Slint (and Gastr del Sol and The For Carnation, respectively) With Grubbs went bassist Clark Johnson, original Bait batterie mate Britt Walford joined McMahan in Slint. Leaving only the stuff of legend: records eternally exploding with youthful feels through all the endless winters and summers of hearts and minds. Repressed, Squirrel Bait can now continue to dialogue with the young in the creation of new useful and unforgettable experiences. For the children of tomorrow as well as your own damn selves, get copies now.

What"s new for the first time in over a decade? Squirrel Bait"s self-titled 12" EP and Skag Heaven in the black. In "85-"87, their screamin" teenage psycho dilemmas stood way out in the emerging field of metal damaged hardcore punk. "Kid Dynamite" would ring in your head like a #1 single that had just unseated "Sun God" from the vaunted top spot. Every week. Anthems for the freaks! It happened fast. After a couple of records, guitarists David Grubbs and Brian McMahan split for Bastro and Slint (and Gastr del Sol and The For Carnation, respectively) With Grubbs went bassist Clark Johnson, original Bait batterie mate Britt Walford joined McMahan in Slint. Leaving only the stuff of legend: records eternally exploding with youthful feels through all the endless winters and summers of hearts and minds. Repressed, Squirrel Bait can now continue to dialogue with the young in the creation of new useful and unforgettable experiences. For the children of tomorrow as well as your own damn selves, get copies now.

Kaum zu fassen - Gimp Fist sind nun schon seit 21 Jahren eine feste Größen der britischen Oi!-Szene. Das Trio hat sich als eine der angesehensten Street-Punk-Bands Großbritanniens etabliert, mit einem einzigartigen Songwriting-Stil fernab der üblichen Klischees, treffsicherem Gespür für mitreißende Songs und eigenem Sound, in Europa ebenso beliebt wie in Großbritannien. Und ihre Street-Punk-Hymnen füllen jedes Jahr den Empress Ballroom mit einer Kapazität von 3.000 Plätzen beim Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. Die Band stammt ursprünglich aus Bishop Auckland, County Durham, und hat seit ihren Anfängen im Jahr 2005 elf Alben, ein halbes Dutzend Singles und drei EPs veröffentlicht. Auch wenn es nicht immer leicht ist auch Anerkennung bei der größtenteils auf London fokussierten Musikpresse zu finden, haben sie doch eine treue Anhängerschaft in UK und ganz Europa gewonnen und sind vor allem dem Publikum des Rebellion Festivals bekannt, wo sie seit 2008 jedes Jahr auftreten. Zwei Jahre nach dem letzten Album "Losing Streak" erscheint nun das 12. Album "Take the Power Back", produziert von Jamie Wilson, mit insgesamt 15 brandneuen Titeln. "Wir haben das Gefühl, dass wir auf diesem Album viele unserer Einflüsse und Stile miteinander verschmolzen haben, ohne dabei das typische Gimp-Fist-Feeling zu verlieren", sagt Sänger und Gitarrist Jonny. Von der Auseinandersetzung mit der aktuellen Wirtschaftslage und den Kämpfen der Arbeiterklasse in Songs wie "Give Me A Reason" bis hin zu den angstgeladenen, an die frühen Rancid erinnernden Tiraden gegen Faschisten und Tyrannen in "Waiting For The Punchline". Mit einer Mischung aus Street-Punk, Ska und Dirty Reggae wird "Take The Power Back" alle alten Fans begeistern und ohne Frage neue Anhänger gewinnen. Als Digipak CD, LP klassisch schwarze (limitiert) oder zweifarbiges "Atomic" Vinyl erhältlich.

Kaum zu fassen - Gimp Fist sind nun schon seit 21 Jahren eine feste Größen der britischen Oi!-Szene. Das Trio hat sich als eine der angesehensten Street-Punk-Bands Großbritanniens etabliert, mit einem einzigartigen Songwriting-Stil fernab der üblichen Klischees, treffsicherem Gespür für mitreißende Songs und eigenem Sound, in Europa ebenso beliebt wie in Großbritannien. Und ihre Street-Punk-Hymnen füllen jedes Jahr den Empress Ballroom mit einer Kapazität von 3.000 Plätzen beim Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. Die Band stammt ursprünglich aus Bishop Auckland, County Durham, und hat seit ihren Anfängen im Jahr 2005 elf Alben, ein halbes Dutzend Singles und drei EPs veröffentlicht. Auch wenn es nicht immer leicht ist auch Anerkennung bei der größtenteils auf London fokussierten Musikpresse zu finden, haben sie doch eine treue Anhängerschaft in UK und ganz Europa gewonnen und sind vor allem dem Publikum des Rebellion Festivals bekannt, wo sie seit 2008 jedes Jahr auftreten. Zwei Jahre nach dem letzten Album "Losing Streak" erscheint nun das 12. Album "Take the Power Back", produziert von Jamie Wilson, mit insgesamt 15 brandneuen Titeln. "Wir haben das Gefühl, dass wir auf diesem Album viele unserer Einflüsse und Stile miteinander verschmolzen haben, ohne dabei das typische Gimp-Fist-Feeling zu verlieren", sagt Sänger und Gitarrist Jonny. Von der Auseinandersetzung mit der aktuellen Wirtschaftslage und den Kämpfen der Arbeiterklasse in Songs wie "Give Me A Reason" bis hin zu den angstgeladenen, an die frühen Rancid erinnernden Tiraden gegen Faschisten und Tyrannen in "Waiting For The Punchline". Mit einer Mischung aus Street-Punk, Ska und Dirty Reggae wird "Take The Power Back" alle alten Fans begeistern und ohne Frage neue Anhänger gewinnen. Als Digipak CD, LP klassisch schwarze (limitiert) oder zweifarbiges "Atomic" Vinyl erhältlich.

Kaum zu fassen - Gimp Fist sind nun schon seit 21 Jahren eine feste Größen der britischen Oi!-Szene. Das Trio hat sich als eine der angesehensten Street-Punk-Bands Großbritanniens etabliert, mit einem einzigartigen Songwriting-Stil fernab der üblichen Klischees, treffsicherem Gespür für mitreißende Songs und eigenem Sound, in Europa ebenso beliebt wie in Großbritannien. Und ihre Street-Punk-Hymnen füllen jedes Jahr den Empress Ballroom mit einer Kapazität von 3.000 Plätzen beim Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. Die Band stammt ursprünglich aus Bishop Auckland, County Durham, und hat seit ihren Anfängen im Jahr 2005 elf Alben, ein halbes Dutzend Singles und drei EPs veröffentlicht. Auch wenn es nicht immer leicht ist auch Anerkennung bei der größtenteils auf London fokussierten Musikpresse zu finden, haben sie doch eine treue Anhängerschaft in UK und ganz Europa gewonnen und sind vor allem dem Publikum des Rebellion Festivals bekannt, wo sie seit 2008 jedes Jahr auftreten. Zwei Jahre nach dem letzten Album "Losing Streak" erscheint nun das 12. Album "Take the Power Back", produziert von Jamie Wilson, mit insgesamt 15 brandneuen Titeln. "Wir haben das Gefühl, dass wir auf diesem Album viele unserer Einflüsse und Stile miteinander verschmolzen haben, ohne dabei das typische Gimp-Fist-Feeling zu verlieren", sagt Sänger und Gitarrist Jonny. Von der Auseinandersetzung mit der aktuellen Wirtschaftslage und den Kämpfen der Arbeiterklasse in Songs wie "Give Me A Reason" bis hin zu den angstgeladenen, an die frühen Rancid erinnernden Tiraden gegen Faschisten und Tyrannen in "Waiting For The Punchline". Mit einer Mischung aus Street-Punk, Ska und Dirty Reggae wird "Take The Power Back" alle alten Fans begeistern und ohne Frage neue Anhänger gewinnen. Als Digipak CD, LP klassisch schwarze (limitiert) oder zweifarbiges "Atomic" Vinyl erhältlich.

BLUE & WHITE COLOUR IN COLOUR VINYL

In the culinary arts, it’s easy to overcomplicate the final product. Theme, presentation, texture…they’re important but should work to complement the raison d'etre of any food. At the end of cooking a dish, it should taste good and feed people. Some dishes, like barbeque or provoleta, resist the tendency towards hollow showmanship. One of their expressions can be more or less aesthetic, but the first purpose is to be simple and tasteful. Argentinian provoleta goes so far as to blur the line between ingredient and dish. It relies on the inherent flavor of provolone being heated at the right speed for the perfect amount of time. You can add garlic or chives or red pepper to the slice, but ultimately they serve to bring out an essence that’s already there.

Los Angeles’ Cousin Feo has developed his rapping acumen in the five years since releasing Provoleta, but returning to the project today shows that he always had the penmanship, grit and delivery that christens an emcee worthy of remembrance. Like the bubbles rising up in the appetizer that is the album’s namesake, Feo showed that true profundity is found in the simple gestures.

Since dropping the project in 2019, Cousin Feo has expanded his vision of a world where hip-hop and football, two proletarian art forms, mingle in creative and compelling ways. He has collaborated across multiple continents, chronicled football histories, aided in canonizing legends, kept the flames high in age-old rivalries and constantly forced his audience to search for the last time they heard bars this hard. In anyone else’s hands it would be too great a task.

The maturity he showed on Provoleta wasn’t nascent, it was an inherent quality forcing itself to the surface. The songs refract his experience as a working class Angeleno through the archetypes of Argentinian football legends. The kernel that unites the two worlds is hustle. When Feo was coming up, missteps had greater consequences than crashing out in the group stage and street deals had the weight of a Boca-River Plate match.

Each track uses slightly different ingredients to let Feo’s underlying talent shine. “Maradona” feels salvific, fitting for a football legend canonized from the Andes to the Alps and a Los Angeles rapper looking to inspire similar hope in the neighborhoods that raised him. On “Di Stefano” Feo massages the instrumental with the same composure of the late forward, until he pierces through the headphones like one of Di Stefano’s arrows. It’s also refreshing to hear a song celebrating Messi before his meme-ification, focusing on the universal truths contained in his footballing talent instead of using number 10 as a stand-in to make a point in a fruitless argument. And he still finds space to show deference to Batistuta, Kempes and other members of the Argentinian pantheon who’ve been erased from the popular imagination by the national team's contemporary success.

Real ones know that true players, true rappers, and true artists will always stand the attacks of time and consensus. In Provoleta’s first verse, Cousin Feo says he moves with the hand of God. Maybe one day he’ll tell the whole truth and let us know how he was able to wrestle the pen away too. Limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies.

Maybe it was inevitable that Vilhelm Bromander and Fredrik Rasten would find each other. A symbiotic musical alliance of suggestive combinatory magic that stretches back to the interstitial two day space that separates their dates of birth and manifests here as the movement between ‘perfect’ or ‘just’ intonation and the ragged, psychoactive energy of the slippages from and towards that togetherness that render otherwise simple patterns or generally understood repetitions as wildly other and alive.

Astral Twins shares ‘twin’ works by each composer. The patiently unfolding real time retuning of Fredrik Rasten’s guitars on the a-side’s Sojourns and Vilhelm Bromander’s quickened steps and spry looping melodies on the flip’s Partially Dancing.

Both artists have history of going deep into the aesthetic and acoustic impact of intonation (how you think about what is ‘in tune’). Where their first LP (...for some reason that escapes us, 2019, Differ Records) shared a gorgeous set of sustained tone colour fields, this time they lean more explicitly into the folk music traditions of Scandinavia and further afield, whilst echoing the zoned minimalist atmosphere of Arthur Russell’s classic Instrumentals.

Recorded up close and in real time at Fylkingen’s soon-to-be-abandoned temporary location in Stockholm’s southern suburb of Bredäng, Astral Twins sings with the possibility that one plus one can equal more than two.

Fredrik Rasten:
 Sojourns explores the live retuning of guitar and double bass in a sequence of just intonation harmonies. A guitar ostinato runs throughout the piece where the retuning becomes an integral part of the composition. The slow pace reveals every detail in the transition from one harmonic arpeggio to another — how interfering waves emerge and disappear as the tonal interactions settle in electric clarity. The double bass shadows the guitar's process and comments with occasional pizzicato tones and register jumps, at times providing a low foundation for the sound and sometimes soaring together with the guitar. This is music that is deeply listening; experimental and at the same time humbly inviting many kinds of being with sound.

Vilhelm Bromander: 
As the title suggests, this song has a partially dancing character. The title also has a double meaning with reference to the partials and harmonics that dance together. The basic idea was to write music in just intonation that instead of being drone-based is reminiscent of a lightly dancing folk music, where the joyous feeling of just being in the music — “musicking" — is allowed to lead the way.

The double bass plays repeated overtone double stops in an open harmonic progression with subtle modulations that is inspired in equal parts by Steve Lacy's persistent repetition of phrases as east-asian khaen music. The guitars and mandolin have a freer role, with plucked retuned strings that enhance the bass's modulations and provide forward movement. The music invites to both melodic and spectral listening, suddenly halting so that other focal points can reveal themselves. For example, a chord sequence suddenly transitions to a more spectral part where Fredrik is playing a bowed guitar with a chain, several plucking guitars, voices, and pitch pipes. I wanted to make something ‘orchestral’ with just two people and no overdubs: a dance of overtones and open resonant strings, where we seamlessly take turns standing in the foreground.

Back in 2023, Bruce was approached by a band of young and ambitious lads, who wanted him to mix their debut album 'Nacre'. Being fans of his music, they hoped to utilise his renowned, club-informed and emotive sound design to add a shade of hypnotism and psychedelia to their singular strand of post-rock. The band of course were Quade, and the union proved to make perfect sense: Bruce excelled in gracefully fulfilling the band's vision, sealing their relationship for projects to come.

A couple years on, both Quade and Bruce had really proved the scope of their abilities: the sophomore album 'The Foel Tower' won the hearts of fans and critics across the board, who celebrated its "gorgeous" and "tender" sound to great acclaim. The world they had built clearly stood defined and dignified, though at the same time, Bruce couldn't help but wonder if there was more to be said. Besides, the sheer abundance of emotion and rich textures therein, suggested a great deal of potential for further exploring. So with the band’s blessing, he embarked on versioning the album.

Bruce was off the leash: total freedom leant him the ability to dub in wild style, weaving and wrestling with drum, bass et al, connecting to the arrangements' true feelings and expanding them to full frame. The "doomer sad boy, ambient-dub, folk, experimental post-rock" of the original, was blown into a whole new, hypnotic realm: through rattling analogue distortion and huge spaced out effects, Bruce's efforts stand as an exploding supernova of dub and noise, refracted through the band's themes of grief, beauty and the great British countryside.

To be released on his label Poorly Knit, this remix album once again proves Bruce's deft of touch and skill in reworking material. Maximising the sonic potential of such a promising and talented band he marks his personal contribution towards what will surely continue to be a fulfilling and illustrious musical journey for Quade.

Available digitally and on super limited cassette (50 copies)

Singer/Songwriter Joshua Ray Walker’s made a name for himself with poignant, human portraits of flawed, fascinating characters. Now, on his latest album, Ain’t Dead Yet, Walker’s telling a more personal story – his own. “Human beings are super multi-faceted, and part of the reason I wrote about characters in the first place was because I could explore things about myself that I didn't feel comfortable exploring if I were to admit that it was really about me,” Walker says. “All my songs are about parts of me, I just didn't try to stick them on another fictional character this time.” Beneath the album’s flippant title resides some of Walker’s heaviest storytelling yet. Three years ago, when he started writing Ain’t Dead Yet (his sixth studio album, to be released May 29 via Thirty Tigers/East Dallas Records), Walker hadn’t yet received the cancer diagnosis that rearranged and threatened his life (he currently has a clean bill of health). But that year was still uncommonly fraught with mental, physical, and career stresses. Pulling the songs out of the can to finalize them for the album – including re-writing and re-working almost all the songs – Walker, who was then undergoing and recovering from cancer treatment, was surprised by their prescience.

Porgy and Bess is a stunning orchestral collaboration where Miles Davis brings depth, blues feeling, and lyricism to George Gershwin's opera. Arranged and conducted by Gil Evans , the album features a large ensemble that frames Miles' trumpet with rich, cinematic textures. Highlights like 'Summertime', 'Buzzard Song', and 'It Ain't Necessarily So' highlight its dramatic scope and emotional power

Ten years ago, Anderson .Paak didn't just release an album; he staged a full-scale takeover of the soul and hip-hop landscape. Released on January 15, 2016, Malibu served as the definitive arrival of an artist who had spent years grinding in the underground before a star-making turn on Dr. Dre’s Compton. While his previous work hinted at his potential, Malibu was the moment the world met the "Cheeky Andy" persona in full—a virtuosic drummer, a raspy-voiced crooner, and a sharp-witted rapper all rolled into one. The album is a sprawling, sun-drenched journey through the Southern California coast, blending 1970s funk, church-reared gospel, and gritty boom-bap into something that feels both nostalgic and entirely futuristic. With a heavyweight production lineup including 9th Wonder, Madlib, Kaytranada, and Hi-Tek, the record maintains a warm, analog texture that was a breath of fresh air in an increasingly digital era. It’s an album that breathes, full of intentional imperfections and the kind of "in-the-pocket" groove that can only come from a seasoned live performer. Beyond the infectious, dance-floor-ready energy of tracks like "Am I Wrong" and "Come Down," the album is a deeply autobiographical masterwork. .Paak uses the 65-minute runtime to unpack his life story with startling clarity, touching on his mother’s gambling addiction, his father’s incarceration, and his own brushes with homelessness with a sense of resilience that never feels heavy-handed. He weaves these heavy themes through a lens of triumph, grounded by vintage surfing documentary samples that give the project its cinematic, coastal atmosphere. It’s a celebratory record born out of struggle, anchored by his impeccable technicality on the drums and a guest list—featuring ScHoolboy Q, Rapsody, and The Game—that feels hand-picked to complement his specific brand of West Coast swagger. A decade later, Malibu stands as a modern classic and the blueprint for the soulful revivalism that would eventually lead .Paak to global superstardom and Grammy-winning heights. It remains a testament to the idea that the most profound music often comes from the most personal places, proving ten years on that the best way to move forward is to stay rooted in the groove.

A dynamic DJ and producer, the Galway-born, Berlin-based artist is driven by mood not genre, gleefully scribbling outside the lines to craft rhythmic, high-vibration dancefloor cuts that make them a delicious match for the Chunkers. Just reference their pin-sharp releases on Radiant, Punctuality, Planet Euphorique and their own World of Worlds imprint. While anyone who’s caught their throwdowns at Draaimolen’s legendary forest stage, Horst Festival or London’s infamous queer party Club Are already knows what’s up.

Their contribution to the BSC catalogue is bang on. Lead cut ‘Track Like’ is a straight-up Chunker. Beginning life as an instrumental, it’s a pumping house cut marked by a grooving bassline, tight drums and a contained ravey energy, before Eoin DJ added that vocal that took the production into peak-time party territory.

A producer who requires no introduction – Jennifer Loveless join the Chunkers fold with a full-bodied remix of ‘Track Like’. Lock in for a funky maximal re-rub with the attitude turned up to 11. Back in Eoin DJ’s corner, the crisp ‘n’ punchy ‘Pure U’ is driven by fat kick drums, euphoric chords and a chunky rolling bassline. Exquisite stuff. A tight Dub version is included in the pack. The EP rounds out with the perky ‘Feel Deeper’, which channels ‘90s New York house and circuit sounds and is built around a hooky vocal line and rhythmic drums.

Eoin DJ follows BELLA, Eliza Rose, Papa Nugs, Paperkraft and remixes Peach and CARISTA in joining the Big Saldo’s Chunkers family as Sally C delights in growing the label via a carefully curated roster of artists.

“I loved the label already, so I was super stoked when Sally asked me to do a release. Chunkers is always

so on-point and consistent with its output. All of the releases are certified party starters – fat basslines, catchy vocals, full of energy and tuned to perfection to hit on the soundsystem. I used that as a jumping off point when making the EP. You could say it’s Chunkers – Eoin DJ style.” – Eoin DJ

“I was hooked on Eoin’s sound since they released ‘Ode to Beachball’ in 2024 on Punctuality Records. I love their ability to weave emotion and groove so seamlessly. It’s been a pleasure working on this EP – I’ve been endlessly rinsing all of the tracks. Such a great producer!” – Sally C

Amateur forever? Oh yeah! “Amateur Hour” celebrates 15 years of Frank Music - still running on pure DIY energy, with Johannes Albert happily admitting he’s got no master plan, just a deep feel for House Music. And somehow, nearly 80 releases later, that instinct still hits. Volume II dives into the digital archives - bringing these cuts to wax for the very first time. Tom drops the vocal house bomb “Watch Me”; New Zealand's Eden Burns flips “Sounds” into something seriously special, and Claus Casper brings the sunshine with “Piano Italiano” (exactly what you think it is). And then there’s Amount’s “Feel You” - the one that’s been moving bodies since Fusion Festival 2023 and hasn’t really stopped since.
Let's be frank. Once again.

Ten years ago, Anderson .Paak didn't just release an album; he staged a full-scale takeover of the soul and hip-hop landscape. Released on January 15, 2016, Malibu served as the definitive arrival of an artist who had spent years grinding in the underground before a star-making turn on Dr. Dre’s Compton. While his previous work hinted at his potential, Malibu was the moment the world met the "Cheeky Andy" persona in full—a virtuosic drummer, a raspy-voiced crooner, and a sharp-witted rapper all rolled into one. The album is a sprawling, sun-drenched journey through the Southern California coast, blending 1970s funk, church-reared gospel, and gritty boom-bap into something that feels both nostalgic and entirely futuristic. With a heavyweight production lineup including 9th Wonder, Madlib, Kaytranada, and Hi-Tek, the record maintains a warm, analog texture that was a breath of fresh air in an increasingly digital era. It’s an album that breathes, full of intentional imperfections and the kind of "in-the-pocket" groove that can only come from a seasoned live performer. Beyond the infectious, dance-floor-ready energy of tracks like "Am I Wrong" and "Come Down," the album is a deeply autobiographical masterwork. .Paak uses the 65-minute runtime to unpack his life story with startling clarity, touching on his mother’s gambling addiction, his father’s incarceration, and his own brushes with homelessness with a sense of resilience that never feels heavy-handed. He weaves these heavy themes through a lens of triumph, grounded by vintage surfing documentary samples that give the project its cinematic, coastal atmosphere. It’s a celebratory record born out of struggle, anchored by his impeccable technicality on the drums and a guest list—featuring ScHoolboy Q, Rapsody, and The Game—that feels hand-picked to complement his specific brand of West Coast swagger. A decade later, Malibu stands as a modern classic and the blueprint for the soulful revivalism that would eventually lead .Paak to global superstardom and Grammy-winning heights. It remains a testament to the idea that the most profound music often comes from the most personal places, proving ten years on that the best way to move forward is to stay rooted in the groove.

For decades, Dan Penn’s mid 60s Muscle Shoals demos were the Holy Grail among southern soul fans, feted by the likes of Rick Hall and Jerry Wexler as being better than the hit versions. When they finally became accessible to all, 40-plus years after they were recorded, they turned out to be just as good as had been stated.

Further acclaim awaits the recent discovery by Soul-4-Real of two more demo masterpieces, written and performed by Dan and Spooner Oldham while working in Memphis at American Studio in 1967-68. The tape box shows who they were intended for, and it’s a real shame that James Carr never recorded either as both would have been perfect for him. At least we got to hear fine versions of “Cheaters Never Win” from Tony Borders and Bobby Boseman in due course. The lovely “I’m Believing In You” seems to exist only in the version you hear here.

New ‘old’ music from Dan is always worth hearing and having. These wonderful performances are no exception…

San Francisco hardcore stalwarts Western Addiction return with Psychedelic Munitions, a high-octane successor to Frail Bray that captures the explosive fervor and technical precision of their Bay Area roots. Recorded and mixed by Scott Evans at Sharkbite Studios and Antisleep Audio, then mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, the album delivers a massive, "live-in-the-room" sound that avoids modern polish in favor of visceral, room-shaking grit. Despite the time between releases, the band bridges the gap with a collection of songs that feel both seasoned and dangerously urgent. Psychedelic Munitions stands as a definitive masterclass in authentic California punk, honoring the legacy of the Gilman Street scene while pushing the boundaries of the genre's aggressive potential. Since forming in 2003, WA has defied easy categorization, the band crafting songs that comfortably draw from a wide swath of rock 'n' roll while retaining punk's ferocity with a hardcore feel. Fat Mike often lists WAs "Cognicide" (2005) as one of the greatest releases on the label, also calling it one of the best hardcore albums he's ever heard. Joey Cape from Lagwagon has also stated that it's his favorite album released on Fat Wreck Chords.

Formed by "Fast" Eddie Clarke (formerly of Motorhead) and Pete Way (formerly of UFO), the band delivered a raw, energetic sound driven by powerful guitar riffs and melodic hooks. With standout tracks like "Say What You Will" and "Easy Livin'," Fastway received praise for its straightforward rock appeal and infectious energy. Lead vocalist Dave King's dynamic voice adds a gritty edge to the album's heavy rhythms and bluesy influences. Fastway was a commercial success, helping the band gain a strong following and cementing their place in the hard rock and metal landscape. For fans of classic rock and early heavy metal, Fastway is a must-listen, delivering a high-energy experience from start to finish. Fastway is available on black vinyl.

Tajemnica is a transgression—too gentle for dancing, too euphoric for standing still. Sparse, scarce, and subtle, the new album by Polish performance artist, musician, and poet Wojciech Kosma, aka spalarnia, eagerly explores modern dance genres, experimental production, and nostalgic electronics to surrender to what is truest—essential song forms, melodies, harmonic and rhythmic basics, the most resonant feelings.

Sung in spalarnia’s trademark soft, low, almost tactile voice, the eight hypnotic songs tell stories of closeness and love, and their favored companions—pain and heartbreak. In “Bliżej” he sings “I love not loving you / I want to be a part of you.” And in “Jedyna”—the album's single—he states: “You are the only one / there is no other me / only the one for whom you are the only one.”

Contrary to the meaning of its Polish title (Tajemnica translates to “secret”), the album that moves between ghostly ambient pop, languid R’n’B, and Eastern European folk doesn’t reveal anything outright—the music only points to where the secrets might lie. One can choose whether to hear them or not.

“One of Berghain’s longest-serving residents, Luke Slater has been defining bleepy, polyrhythmic, industrial-strength techno as Planetary Assault Systems since the mid-nineties. P.A.S albums tend to come together in their own time:

“External signals and signs combine until the recipe feels right, both musically and from being ‘out there’,” Slater adds. “10 years since I released Arc Angel on Ostgut Ton, and it’s a fitting pleasure to combine live show ideas and studio work for the new album, served up with raw energy” That patience runs through his whole Ostgut catalogue; since Temporary Suspension brought its machine-tooled weight and alien feeling to the label in 2009, each P.A.S. release on Ostgut Ton has been its own quest for discovery, from The Messenger’s search for sounds not yet present in club music to Arc Angel’s focus on melody to the deep hypnosis of Plantae.

His new album, Planetary People has the deliberate imagination and depth of a record that took its time, shaped as much by live rooms and crowds as by the studio.

“Into The Night” creates a haunting, dystopic environment of corroded acid saturated in echo, absorbing from the first second. “Labyrinth” breaks into buoyant tribal percussion, modulated chirps trading off over propulsive drums. “Quadrant 10” is clean, delay-drenched techno, buzzing with noise splatters over saturated thuds. “Sermon Of The Light Tides” scrambles metallic bell sequences that distort and evolve throughout, reminiscent of a dial-up modem crossed with a game of Frogger, squelching between percussive bursts and stripped-back kicks. “Brave Cosmo” is tormentingly menacing, eerie synths panning around buried vocal fragments over frantic percussion. “Retina Burn” rolls on fierce, cement-mixer 909 cycles, rave stabs over a ride that locks you in, the whole track stuttering and repeating before stripping back to a bare echoing kick and building itself again. “Thunder Major” barrels on open hats and reverb-drenched claps ricocheting through twisting wreaths of delay, mesmeric and relentless. “Beton Brut” marches juggernaut percussion stamping through hall reverb so vast you can visualise the room, the darkest and most unrelenting track on the record. “No Ninja” crunches in metallic and immediate, a wiry plucked lead threading through glitch with the bass held low and deep, mixed so precisely you can see every layer stacked in your mind’s eye. “Ha Jam” is danceable techno with plenty of funk and a sophisticated looseness, a vocal laugh bouncing off clanging metal blocks and rave stabs. “Lynx” lowpasses its rave stabs and crystalline beeps, chirpy hats ticking, cold metal repeats, old school and mesmeric. “Generation Slip” closes everything out, ominous and churning, skittering percussion and electrical sparks rattling through steel, a freight train barrelling on into oblivion.

Limited, 500 copies black gatefold 2LP...

Originally released in 2013, the long-awaited second album from Lulu Rouge finally returns to vinyl in its first-ever limited repress — revived after years of growing demand.

The Song Is In The Drum captures the duo at their most fearless and immersive. Known for their deep melancholia and anti-traditional pop structures, Lulu Rouge blur the lines between dark dub, cinematic electronica, and left-field songwriting. Intense, soul-cutting vocal pieces unfold alongside towering instrumentals — brooding, beautiful, and unapologetically atmospheric.

The album features standout appearances from Danish indie pop visionary Asbjørn and Icelandic-born vocalist Fanney Osk, adding further depth to an already richly textured sonic landscape.

Across 11 meticulously crafted tracks, producers Torsten “Buda” Jacobsen and Thomas “T.O.M” Bertelsen shape a world that feels both intimate and vast. Every beat is deliberate, every space intentional. This is music that doesn’t simply play — it envelops.

Fifty-three minutes that grip you by the heart and refuse to let go.

Welcome to the brightest dark place you’ve ever been.

Look out for a much anticipated new album coming later this year from Lulu Rouge - making this re-issue a timely reminder of the power of their work.

Two Piers proudly announces the upcoming release of Bridges Towards Open Spaces: Circadian Rhythms 1967–2025.

This new collection brings together a wide range of artists and styles, weaving immersive sonic landscapes that explore a connection between natural cycles and the rhythms within.

Featuring artists such as Brian Eno, Moebius, Roedelius, Meat Beat Manifesto, Fun Boy Three, Daniel Avery, and Spectrum, the compilation moves fluidly between shimmering ambient textures and raw, straight-ahead garage rock.

Bridges Towards Open Spaces: Circadian Rhythms 1967–2025 follows in the footsteps of Two Piers acclaimed previous releases, Night Train: Transcontinental Landscapes 1968–2019 and Music for the Stars: Celestial Music 1960–1979, continuing the label’s exploration of expansive, time-spanning musical journeys.

“I wanted once again to shape a compilation around a time period, this collection is a nod to my days behind the counter of a record shop, the people I met and the styles of music that was played and I was introduced to. Some are from that time, some are of the style/feeling, that I can associate & with the friends I met there; from the early shift to the late shifts as the tempo rose throughout the day and the neons of London started to buzz”

The album will be available on Limited Vinyl and CD in May, arriving just in time for the longer, warmer days and the shifting light of the Seasons Sun.

Radhika Meera Dade: “Ever since I entered this realm, music has surrounded me in every way possible. The sounds of magic have been nourishing my soul since birth, the first memories I have as a young child are listening to my dad’s eclectic vinyl collection. I feel so lucky to have been exposed to such a range of music at a really young age: artists from Alice Coltrane to The Go-Betweens, all of these musicians have subconsciously and consciously inspired me musically in many different ways”.

Glass Modern is very proud to present the debut album by Radhika Meera Dade. Cine-Pop is a collection of songs that flow gently and easily in and out of each other - a suite, a short film, everything an album should be. Coming in at 33.3 minutes, it’s the perfect length for an album, it doesn’t short change you, it doesn’t stay too long - it’s designed to be played in one sitting. It’s like being in a friend’s house and noticing the things that are most important in their life - objects, family portraits, records, musical equipment, their curated accumulation. It reflects so many things - culture, community, fandom and the incredible bond between Radhika and her father, Sushil, the Future Pilot AKA. The record spans generations and continents but its home is always Radhika and the family jams she made with Sushil in various garages, bedrooms and garden dens - her soaring voice and love of all kinds of music from Bollywood to Goth Pop to The Glasgow School. The songs are collected from memory and the immediacy of time - one goes all the way back to her 10 year old self penning Future Me, an eco anthem. In different moments other musicians appear - most notably key collaborator, Eric MacDonald, on hazy synth and keys, and Radhika’s mother Vinita, who has a gorgeous voice too. The Glasgow School is very present - Mitch Mitchell (The Pastels) , Gerard Love (Lightships/ ex-Teenage Fanclub) and Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura) all bring their casual magic to the table. Cine-Pop, mostly made in Glasgow at La Chunky Studio with the excellent Colin McGeogh (who also contributes flute, keys and electronics) is a one-off. It’s unrepeatable - there, gone. It’s the world through the eyes of a dazzling young Indo-Scottish woman. Everything she is has gone into it, is part of it and is there for a reason. Following on from the first single, Starry Eyes, which was played multiple times on BBC 6Music and other stations, other singles to be released from the album include Feline Bandits plus a version of the Strawberry Switchblade classic Since Yesterday. Radhika will also be collaborating with Glasgow-based film maker, Laura Meek, on promos and the plan is to play live throughout the year.

Studiomaster Digipack Vol. 2 sees Marco Passarani back with another serving of unique club sounds straight from Rome. Following the vibe of the first volume,
this new edition delivers his unmistakable blend of house pressure and pure techno, featuring two brand new gems: “Hypercuatro” and “Locked In A Trance.” Both are wired for late hours and low ceilings, where acid grooves meet hypnotic drum programming and forward leaning intent.
Completing the set are three remastered tracks from his Bandcamp vault, making their first appearance on vinyl: Analog Fingerprints (“Unusual Behaviour”, “Motion 5”) and PSS2099 (“Kir’Shara”). Together, these digitalonly transmissions sketch a lean map of Passarani’s studio practice: tactile, direct, and crafted with that in the moment feel.
No nostalgia trip here, just functional futurism with character. Whether you know these tunes from online drops or the first 12”, Vol. 2 delivers real deal dancefloor tools ready for heavy rotation. No fillers, just groove for dancers who still believe the floor is a testing ground for what comes next.

On the new concept album Honest Work, ten songs tell stories from the adult lives of working people in the middle and lower classes. They work night shifts in hospitals, pump breast milk in storage rooms, wonder whether they should get a prescription for Ritalin, are summoned to the boss’s office for wearing the wrong clothes, or take a day off just to walk barefoot by a lake. Lyrically, Honest Work can best be described as “petty-bourgeois surrealism.” It’s an album about people trying – and often failing – to navigate systems that reduce them to anonymous data points, employees, and consumers. The album is full of desperate prayers: “Doctor, I think that I’ve got a disease” (Focus Disease), “Taking a day off… don’t even remember my own name” (Remind Me), “I serenade on company time” (Lean Dreams). In these lines, you can feel the dull ache of a generation whose emotional lives are filtered through corporate HR language and online shopping carts.