quête:fen x

The guitarist and composer, Trond Kallevåg, sets sail and explores the stories and mystique of American music and culture. With a cinematic quality reminiscent of Ry Cooder and Bill Frisell, that could serve as the soundtrack of a Cohen Brothers movie, it draws inspiration from transformative journeys of hundreds of thousands of Norwegians who embarked on transformative journeys across the vast ocean."Amerikabåten," (“The American boat” in English) is Trond Kallevåg’s highly anticipated third album following the critical success of "Bedehus & Hawaii" (2019) and "Fengselsfugl" (2021). To bring his stories to life, Trond has assembled a stellar ensemble of esteemed young Norwegian musicians, including Selma French, Daniela Reyes, Håkon Aase, Jo Berger Myhre, and Ola Øverby. These talented individuals, who also boast successful solo careers, are revered figures in today's vibrant Norwegian music scene. Drawing from Norwegian hymns, old broadside ballads and Americana, "Amerikabåten" builds upon Trond's unique sound, incorporating the vast expanse of American folk music. Trond's guitar serves as a tool for musical expression, providing a melodic foundation and narrative quality that allows fellow musicians to shine. Trond expands his sonic palette, complementing his masterful guitar skills with the haunting melodies of the pedal steel guitar. As with his previous albums, Trond's compositions and meticulous production are integral to his creative process, bringing his artistic vision to life. Composing and mixing all the music himself, Trond's honest and lyrical instrumental expression earning him praise from critics worldwide."Fengselsfugl" (2021) unveiled Trond's evocative guitar mastery and compositions, which drew inspiration from traditional Norwegian prison ballads and his own firsthand experiences within the walls of Oslo Prison. The album garnered significant acclaim from critics worldwide, further solidifying Trond's artistic prowess. Trond Kallevåg's "Amerikabåten", merges traditional Norwegian and American music into a fresh, contemplative and thrilling ride across the ocean with some of Norway’s finest young musicians."

Verdammt, es ist schon wieder passiert! Nicht nur haben ADAM ANGST ein neues Album aufgenommen, ihr drittes, nein, sie haben auch schon wieder Songs geschrieben, die so gnadenlos perfekt ins gesellschaftliche, deutsche Jetzt passen, dass es wirklich wehtut. Denn sagen wir mal so: Es sieht nicht gut aus. Für uns alle. Das dritte Album von Felix Schönfuss, David Frings, Roman Hartmann, Christian Kruse und Johannes Koster hört auf den Namen "TWIST" und erscheint am 17.11.2023 über Grand Hotel van Cleef. Die erste Single aus dem Album heißt "Die Lösung für deine Probleme", und ist leider, leider, leider heute aktueller als 2021, als der Song ursprünglich geschrieben wurde.

Verdammt, es ist schon wieder passiert! Nicht nur haben ADAM ANGST ein neues Album aufgenommen, ihr drittes, nein, sie haben auch schon wieder Songs geschrieben, die so gnadenlos perfekt ins gesellschaftliche, deutsche Jetzt passen, dass es wirklich wehtut. Denn sagen wir mal so: Es sieht nicht gut aus. Für uns alle. Das dritte Album von Felix Schönfuss, David Frings, Roman Hartmann, Christian Kruse und Johannes Koster hört auf den Namen "TWIST" und erscheint am 17.11.2023 über Grand Hotel van Cleef. Die erste Single aus dem Album heißt "Die Lösung für deine Probleme", und ist leider, leider, leider heute aktueller als 2021, als der Song ursprünglich geschrieben wurde.

StriIn 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North
Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring drummers Gracie Clements, Tim
McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first
professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to
Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy,
short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.
During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio.
While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the
following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature
ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.

StriIn 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North
Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring drummers Gracie Clements, Tim
McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first
professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to
Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy,
short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.
During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio.
While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the
following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature
ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.

In 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring
rummers Gracie Clements, Tim McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy, short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.

During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio. While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.

In 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring
rummers Gracie Clements, Tim McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy, short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.

During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio. While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.

I want to introduce this work ‘Halos of Perception’ to you in the way Lisa introduced me to it, through the sharing of experiences.

Lisa and I met for a walk near South Yarra station to talk about this work, when inclement weather made it too wet to visit the tunnels. Moving almost seamlessly from a world of leisurewear, infinite milk alternatives and blaring neons to stretches of green by the water that brimmed with sounds and life, we saw a few people climbing the Burnley bouldering wall, butterflies suspended in the hot wind and lots of plants I wish I knew the names of. Overhead the cars rumbled like a ceaseless animal as we talked about hidden ecosystems, imagined spaces and networks of care.

Stemming from a serendipitous encounter with an original Cave Clan member that led to many underground adventures, this work explores the worlds that exist outside of our perceptions. By the river, I leafed through a selection of tunnel photos Lisa had printed off at Officeworks, revealing alien textures, tunnels that stretch on into abysses of their own, underground flowing streams. Light is sparse and delicate, something reflected by the flickering and wavering in Lisa’s piano compositions.

As we walked, we noticed the ways in which infrastructure is often designed to keep people out—cut doors into fencing and clipped wires show an active and ongoing defiance of this. We spoke about how her Cave Clan friend used to go down to this painted room and read in solitude, using candles for light. The way sound exists underground, encased in these hollow cement tunnels, a painted room with its own deep hum. How people used to hold underground shows, how there were rules for safety (no exploring after rain, never alone) that was shared with each other. This warmth and absorption of other’s experiences is present in Lisa’s work—it’s immersive, like wading in water.

We paused on the walk to eat berries and talk about how The Caretaker creates transitory worlds with recorded sound, how this technology captures memory, and the exploratory pursuits of Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening Band. These citations of memory and deep listening inform Lisa’s use of analogue and classical instruments, playback artefacts and acoustic feedback in her own world-building. When speaking about ‘Halos of Perception’, she describes it as a fascination with timbre and acoustic artefacts.

Ideas of networks and enmeshment are felt deeply in Lisa’s compositions, motifs overlaid over each other evoking the image of many hands interlinking playfully, tenderly, softly. The way her compositions delve into refraction and echo makes me think about the tunnels and the way they splinter off into many possibilities. Manipulated textures reminiscent of the chalky, earthy, moss air that perfumes the tunnels’ subterranean air. Tactile details that gesture towards close attention, verging on obsession.

This work is also about imagining ecosystems of potential. Lisa shared with me that during this project, she has been reimagining subterranean networks in dreams, thinking about oral traditions, and the way water moves—from the sky to the earth, through the ground, connecting all these spheres. Realised in collaboration with hyperreal video artist Tristan Jalleh, Lisa’s dream landscape melds waterfalls, leaks, flower graffiti, and hidden messages lit up by imagined light sources with existing subterranean networks. There’s a real sense of wonder in this world she has built, how the city can reveal itself to you with some patience and care, how the city and its secrets can find its way into your dreams.

— Panda Wong

There's no denying Marcel Fengler's profound impact on the ever-changing techno landscape. A pioneer in his own right, Fengler's works have flooded dancefloors and set lists worldwide for decades, and that shows no sign of changing anytime soon. His latest work is an all-encompassing four-track EP titled "Unleashed", including a remix from sought-after Stuttgart duo SHDW & Obscure Shape.

Kicking off with the title track, "Unleashed" introduces the EP with high-octane rhythms, pulsating low frequency sonics and rave like harmonic layers. An unrelenting onslaught of fast paced thumping techno, built around long, sweeping notes, vocal injections and a piston-like bassline, this one was made for the height of the party. "Caution" is next to feature, presenting itself as a robust industrial number with harsh percussive drive and endless layers of cadence throughout the mix. Weighty yet groovy in a unique up-tempo way, its robotic vocal splashes make the perfect accomplice for its potent warehouse vibes.

"Cypher" pulls you into the second half of the EP with rattling rhythms and more gritty sweeping musicality. Exhibiting the depth in his production skills, Fengler loads up the mix with a kaleidoscope of percussive elements alongside thumping kicks, surging synths, and another haunting robotic vox before SHDW & Obscure Shape get their teeth into a signature remix. Taking it deeper and darker, the duo's emphasis on subtle progressions and increasing intensity throughout the mix with offbeat trickery and creative unpredictability make their remix of "Cypher" a certified peak-time bomb.

"It has been quite a journey with this EP, as I've been exceptionally discerning about the sound and the entire production process. My goal was to create a release tailored for the dance floor, with the right amount of energy for peak-time moments, while also ensuring a profound and well-structured sonic experience. After testing potential tracks in my DJ sets, I distilled what I believe captures the essence I want to share with the audience. Furthermore, I'm thrilled to have SHDW & Obscure Shape on board for a formidable remix. Their work carries echoes of the raw and forceful sonic textures from earlier times, which I hold in high regard. I'm genuinely delighted with how everything has come together, and I hope you enjoy it!" - Marcel Fengler
Order IMF012 now

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Henry Counsell and Louis Curran, the men who make up Joy (Anonymous). Having established themselves during the Covid-19 era by playing impromptu meet-ups on London’s South Bank, they have graduated to bigger venues, travelled to far-flung locales and recorded their second album, Cult Classics, while maintaining the spontaneous energy and irrepressible joy that made their name. Their music revels in the euphoria of being alive and all the feelings, good or bad, that come with it. It invites us into a community, draws us close and promises the night of our lives.

Recorded over the course of a year, the blueprint for Cult Classics was laid down over a two-week span at Imogen Heap’s Round House in east London. Joy (Anonymous) invited friends old and new to visit - they’d record live instruments in jam sessions upstairs and then retreat to a second room to flip and loop and generally mess with the sounds, moulding them into sizzling dance tracks. “Loads of people were coming up to me like ‘I thought this was going to be a dance record?’” Louis says, remembering the quietly beautiful music they’d be recording. “I’d be like, don’t worry about that, just keep playing.” He’d send it back to people later and they’d be floored - “That was my bit and you’ve made it... jungle!”

It was an organic and creatively fulfilling approach, one that didn’t allow any of the music to get stale or stagnate. As they built the tracks from the sounds they’d collected, Joy (Anonymous) would weave the new songs into their famously improvised live sets, testing them, refining them, taking note of the audiences’ reactions. In a year punctuated by a lot of travel, they’d also incorporate the voices of people they met along the way - “Beazley’s Poem”, which opens the record, features the words of a man who was working security at a Fred Again show at New York’s Terminal Five. “He was basically doing the opposite of his job and being a hype man, climbing on the fence and ramping up the crowd - we ended up hanging out with him - like, who’s this legend?” Louis explains. “He just speaks really amazingly about his life, all these amazing thoughts and opinions - he started jumping on the mic when we were playing, preaching these amazing messages to the crowd, like that we all need to be nicer to each other. The first time we played the record in its entirety, he introduced us and that’s the recording we’ve used.”

Joy (Anonymous) remain dedicated to the spirit of spontaneity. They shut a street down with a surprise waterside party in New York. On a trip to Copenhagen they played an impromptu set in a cafe, which turned into a house party and a night-long good time. In Lithuania, they ended up playing in a decommissioned prison. It’s harder, perhaps, to keep that spirit alive now that they are operating more within the confines of the music industry but they will keep lugging their kit to wherever the party calls for as long as they can. “I think if we lose that, we’ve kind of lost what makes us us,” Henry says.

Bursting with multi-genre reference points and disparate influences, Cult Classics is very much a dance album. The samples we made ourselves or we took from music that is quite different to dance music, but we definitely wanted to shout out a lot of the dance influences that we love,” Henry says. They listened to a lot of Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx as well as The Prodigy (“more rage stuff”), taking songwriting tips from their dance forebears, but also recording bits that felt more like jazz and motown (see: A Place I Belong and the lovely album closer, You’re In Or You’re Out). Emir Taha’s gentle classical guitar runs like a thread throughout Cult Classics, washing into the undertones of the record, tying it all together.

The album follows the beat of a night out, from frenetic, sweaty movement to the gentler winding down as the dawn breaks. At times it is euphoric, celebratory and pure, whirling fun, at others it seeks the joy in the darker emotions that life throws our way. 404 is designed to encapsulate everything about the Joy (Anonymous) journey so far. Skittering beats and ghostly vocals give way to vibrating house chords: sirens blare as we approach a dubstep drop. It’s dramatic and wild, ratcheting up, seeming to settle then hitting you with an intense and frantic breakdown before the ghostly vocal returns to lull us back into the world. It has the feel of a hungry cat playing with a mouse, toying with it before letting it get away.

What sounds like someone playing the spoons on playful, housey How We End Up Here is actually Louis’ restless habit of clicking his rings on everything, one of a myriad of calling cards and easter eggs that day one fans will recognise. They rework Miley Cyrus and Swae Lee’s Party Up The Street into a French-electro-inspired future classic, adding a note of melancholy to a tune that you can imagine hearing blaring from every car on a summer drive. The lyrics on Cult Classic are generally reassuring, inspirational, originally drawn from Henry in stream-of-consciousness freestyles. You’re fine the way you are, they seem to say - the repeated “No need to try” of A Place I Belong, the assurance that “It’s in me all the time” on In Me All The Time. Even the summery but regretful Did You Wrong hints at the growth that is possible from less than ideal behaviour. For Joy (Anonymous), joy isn’t about just being “happy” all the time - it’s about relishing every element of your being.

The name ‘Joy (Anonymous)’ is taken from the work Henry did with Alcoholics Anonymous groups: it is a way to build a community around sharing joy. Their impromptu live sets are known as ‘meetings’; they encourage fans to share moments of joy to their website. They care deeply about the scene they’ve come up in and are determined not to leave it behind. Every show is another chance to reach out and connect with people who love to come together and revel in music as loud as it can go.

Support slots for Fred Again and The Streets, wild B2Bs with Fred and Skrillex, and a set at Four Tet’s Finsbury Park all-dayer this summer have given the duo the opportunity to live out childhood dreams and introduced their infectious live shows to new audiences at huge venues.

With an album as assured and joyful as Cult Classics on the horizon (and a killer collab with The Blessed Madonna coming up), they’re only going to reach higher heights. But the essence of Joy (Anonymous) remains on the South Bank. Between shows at Ally Pally in September, they dragged their camping chairs and gear back down to the banks of the Thames: and it just felt right.

Foundation Music is proud to present ‘The Flowers EP’ by Foremost Poets aka Johnny Dangerous. Back in the news after being featured on the Grammy winning Alien Superstar from Beyonce’s latest album - but for those that know - he has never gone away as he is always on someone’s dance floor.

Foremost Poets productions and his vocals are simply devastating and label head, Ross Allen, has been a fan since he first heard the Nu Groove classic ‘Reason’s to Be Dismal’ on the reworked Richard Long Edition. It was a record that blew him away then and now, recently played by Pete Tong on Radio One, with Sven Vath including it on his anniversary compilation too. Ross signed this record when he hooked up with Johnny in New York 3 years, but wanted to wait until the time was right. That time is now.

‘Flowers In the Attic’ is no normal dance record, clocking in at thirteen minutes. It’s an epic Johnny D production, falling into that place where funk and house come together in the most magical, danceable way. It’s long but enticing, taking you through different phases and surprises you as it sucks you in, twists you up, and pulls you out.

‘Escape From Dubai’ is almost trance like but with that New York lean that keeps it very much on the right side of the Foundation Music fence. Full of funk, it has a deepness that builds and swells into an epic journey that takes you to another dimension.

The broken beat of ‘Don’t Shut Your Eyes’ closes out and is another piece of New York/ New Jersey up-tempo funk, syncopated and grooving with a repetitive hook, that goes deep via its Hammond organ solo and jazzy vocal.

Public Enemy's frontman swings for the fences with his tribute to Baseball Public Enemy's Chuck D proudly presents his ode to the great American pastime: baseball! A collection of songs that were originally written as MLB-TV promos, We Wreck Stadiums pays homage and salute to some of the baseball greats and the undeniable impact they've had on the game and the world. Featuring the title track which debuts the Hall of Famers: Chuck, DMC, and Rahiem & Kidd Creole of The Furious Five, all four of them members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Produced by C-Doc for The SpitSLAM Record Label Group. Vinyl mastered by the legendary Phil Nicolo for Studio 4 Vinyl & Ruffnation Entertainment. CHUCK D as MISTACHUCK!

Neo Noir Swing! The modern Les Paul from the Dark Side! PO and his band catapult you right into a ball room filled with misfits and goons and smack you with 12 songs including the terrific cover version of Niagara's 80's disco hit L'amour a la plage Pierre Omer was born in London of an Indian father and a Swiss mother. He is a founder member of the legendary Swiss funeral Rock'n'Roll band The Dead Brothers (guitars and accordion). In 2009 he started several solo projects along with Robert Butler (the Shit, the Miracle Workers), Roland Bucher and Christian Aregger (Blind Butcher) in 2013 the Swing Revue was born, along with: Pierre Omer: vocals, guitar Julien Israelian: drums, Géraldine Schenkel: Fender Rhodes, Christoph Gantert: vocals, trumpet, and the one and only Lalla Morte: Sings Fakir and Dances. They played many shows and festivals such as: Binic Folk Blues Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Buskers Bern, Festival Les Athénéennes, Pod'Ring Biel, Vinelz, Le Cirque Electric Paris etc. This new album is recorded by the band itself in true DIY-style - Pierre already produced some Voodoo Rhythm Records (mama rosin) in the past - and was mixed in Berlin's Big Snuff Studio with Nene Baratto (movie star junkies, black lips, Heat, Jimi Tenor, King khan, Black Mass Rising. The whole album Stands out with Pierre's amazing song writing skills, the lazy laid back dark vocal and his irritating guitar playing, along with Christop Gantert's devil possessed trumpet playing. The Music of the swing era of the 30's and 40's, combined with a garage spirit and an eye for everything else make for a special album. Classic black vinyl with dlc and printed inlay, CD as gatefold wallet with 12page booklet.

The Avengers remains one of the great institutions of British television, a landmark series and the epitome of the swinging 60s.

This debut release on vinyl features highlights of music from the Tara King era series of The Avengers by composer Howard Blake,

taken from the CD release (2011). Following on from Johnny Dankworth and Laurie Johnson (whose classic theme opens this release),

Blake delivered his own distinctive musical style to the hippest show on TV. He was awarded the OBE in 1994,

after a music career covering everything from choral works and ballet to film and TV. His music for the Christmas perennial

The Snowman, with its magical Walking in the Air theme has become a seasonal standard.

Move into the Luminous is the debut album by the trio Makushin.

Double bassist Jon Thorne (Lamb, Yorkston Thorne Khan), guitarist Peter Philipson (Jane Weaver, Fenella) and singer Nancy Elizabeth (Leaf Label, James Yorkston) lead this inspiring collective whose work explores the intersection between folk, jazz and ambient music.

The album also features contributions from Andrew Wasylyk, Raz Ullah, David A Jaycock and more.

Nancy Elizabeth is a singer and multi-instrumentalist who has released three chamber folk albums under her own name on the Leaf Label. She has also previously played with James Yorkston and recorded with the late ambient composer Susumu Yokota.

Jon Thorne is a double bassist best known as a member of the pioneering electronic band Lamb and, more recently, Yorkston Thorne Khan. He has worked with many other musicians, including Jon Hopkins, Robert Fripp and his mentor Danny Thompson, as well as releasing his own music.

Peter Philipson is a guitarist who has previously performed with Jane Weaver as her guitarist for a decade and has collaborated with her and Raz Ullah on two ambient albums under the artist name of Fenella. He has also released a number of instrumental guitar albums under his PJ Philipson guise.

Shakataks neues Studioalbum 'Eyes To The World' auf CD und 180-Gramm-Vinyl inklusive Booklet mit Songtexten.

Die CD enthält gleich 6 Non-LP Bonus-Tracks!

Produziert und programmiert von Bill Sharpe, George Anderson und Jill Saward in den Fen Farm Studios UK, den Babel Studios Amsterdam und den Sunset Studios Sardinien.

Shakatak sind: Bill Sharpe: Keyboards, Jill Saward: Gesang, Roger Odell: Schlagzeug, George Anderson: Bass. Gastmusiker: Keith Winter/Fridrik Karlsson: Gitarren. Jacqui Hicks/Debby Bracknell: Hintergrundgesang. Derek Nash: Saxophone. Sid Gauld:
Trompete.

Im Englischen gibt es den Ausdruck "to pull at one"s heartstrings". In der deutschen Sprache gibt es für dieses Bild keine direkte Übersetzung. Jetzt aber zum Glück irgendwie schon, in Form dieses Albums. Denn beim Hören von EXILE IN SPACE zupft und zuppelt, zieht und dehnt etwas im Inneren, meist in etwa da, wo bei den meisten Menschen das Herz vermutet wird. Melancholie trifft es eben nicht, ist auch ein viel zu abgenudelter Begriff in der Musik und hat hier keinen Platz. Was ENIK und das PARANORMAL STRING QUARTET auf EXILE IN SPACE in diesen acht musikalischen Kleinoden entstehen lassen, geht tiefer. Großartige Sätze wie: "Don"t pick up the Phone, it could be your mother! She wont candycrush herself out of this mess.", lässt Enik in "Electric Sheep" von einer knazigen Roboterstimme in Gedichtform vortragen, während im Hintergrund ein Omnichord und ein Cello darüber diskutieren, wer von beiden eigentlich einsamer ist als der andere. "TRUE MF", das man von ENIK Solo bisher als richtigen Dancefloor-Banger kannte, kriegt mit entschleunigten, warmen aber trotzdem nie und nimmer kitschigen Streicherparts neue Dimensionen (ziemlich viele sogar). Diese paranormalen Ergänzungen halten ENIK wenn nötig auch mal auf dem Boden - oder besser gesagt in der gemütlichen, warmen Stube am Fenster, wenn er im Titeltrack mit Cervantes im Kopf von der eher weniger gemütlichen Weltlage singt und vom Exil im Weltall träumt (EXILE IN SPACE). In KANGAROO unterhält sich Enik mit einem toten Känguru, was ihn schlagartig seiner eigenen Vergänglichkeit ermahnt und somit das exzessive Leben des Protagonisten herzzerreißend in Frage stellt. Der Song endet in einer dreiminütigen, elegischen Streicherimprovisation, die für Enik persönlich, den absoluten Höhepunkt dieses Albums darstellt. Zurückgelassen wird man als Hörer*in am Ende mit dem knarzigen BETTY LEE. Ein Lied, das gut und gerne 70 Jahre alt sei könnte, gleichzeitig aber auch nach vorne in die Zukunft weist. Alles in allem acht funkelnde, schräge, organische und liebevolle Songs, die vom Herzen bis ins Weltall reichen. Womit wir wieder bei den "heartstrings" sind und dem, was eben hier noch nicht verraten wurde: Was der englische Ausdruck "to pull at one"s heartstrings" auf Deutsch bedeutet. Aber dafür sind ENIK und das PARANORMAL STRING QUARTET die Experten.

Joe Sutkowski (Dirt Buyer)'s new album is a documentation of making it to the other side. Sutkowski grew up in New Jersey, and although he lives in Brooklyn now, he remains " an emo kid at heart ," garnering inspiration from bands like My Chemical Romance and Muse, the latter of whose theatrical, dramatic performances inspired the band's own vocal-forward, soaring takes. Initially working together as a duo while Sutkowski and Ruben Radlauer (Model/Actriz) were at school in Berklee, the band's self-titled 2019 debut album was recorded on an IPhone in their practice room on just drums and guitar, and the quietly striking, nuanced stylings earned them accolades far beyond the " fake record label " the two made up to originally release their music. The band's new album, Dirt Buyer II , was recorded in February 2020, and represents a foray into heavier material that marks a deeper shift for the band. Now working as a trio, Sutkowski is flanked by Tristan Allen on bass and Mike Costa on drums, a fellow Berklee grad who cut his teeth playing in bands across Boston including past collaborations with Sutkowski. Half-recorded while the band was on tour with Surf Curse, the record finds Sutkowski reaching out for places, people and beliefs to ground him. Throughout the album he attempts to wrap his head around the idea of fate and how you can brush up against other people and then leave them behind. The songs themselves play with this concept of light and dark intertwined. Oscillating between urgency and cathartic release and more stripped-back elegies, Sutkowski faces the reality that while the people he'd rather forget can still live on through music, he is able to move on at the same time. Half-recorded in his mother and uncle's upstate house where he turned the living room into a studio, he contemplates the beauty and disaster around him - all refracted through visceral visual imagery of how the physical earth meets the unknown to converge in something greater than ourselves. " This is all a living chronicle of all I want to do, which is feel good and be happy ," he admits. " I'm a completely different person now - a better version of myself ." Processing the past, Sutkowksi has emerged with newfound belief, fully intact and with a new path forward to the future.

Joe Sutkowski (Dirt Buyer)'s new album is a documentation of making it to the other side. Sutkowski grew up in New Jersey, and although he lives in Brooklyn now, he remains " an emo kid at heart ," garnering inspiration from bands like My Chemical Romance and Muse, the latter of whose theatrical, dramatic performances inspired the band's own vocal-forward, soaring takes. Initially working together as a duo while Sutkowski and Ruben Radlauer (Model/Actriz) were at school in Berklee, the band's self-titled 2019 debut album was recorded on an IPhone in their practice room on just drums and guitar, and the quietly striking, nuanced stylings earned them accolades far beyond the " fake record label " the two made up to originally release their music. The band's new album, Dirt Buyer II , was recorded in February 2020, and represents a foray into heavier material that marks a deeper shift for the band. Now working as a trio, Sutkowski is flanked by Tristan Allen on bass and Mike Costa on drums, a fellow Berklee grad who cut his teeth playing in bands across Boston including past collaborations with Sutkowski. Half-recorded while the band was on tour with Surf Curse, the record finds Sutkowski reaching out for places, people and beliefs to ground him. Throughout the album he attempts to wrap his head around the idea of fate and how you can brush up against other people and then leave them behind. The songs themselves play with this concept of light and dark intertwined. Oscillating between urgency and cathartic release and more stripped-back elegies, Sutkowski faces the reality that while the people he'd rather forget can still live on through music, he is able to move on at the same time. Half-recorded in his mother and uncle's upstate house where he turned the living room into a studio, he contemplates the beauty and disaster around him - all refracted through visceral visual imagery of how the physical earth meets the unknown to converge in something greater than ourselves. " This is all a living chronicle of all I want to do, which is feel good and be happy ," he admits. " I'm a completely different person now - a better version of myself ." Processing the past, Sutkowksi has emerged with newfound belief, fully intact and with a new path forward to the future.

Mit "Nectar Of The Gods" heben The Spacelords ihren unverwechselbaren Sound in neue, astrale Höhen. The Spacelords - die galaktisch groovenden Spacerocker im Stoner Raum-Zeit Kontinuum - beehren unser Sonnen-Soundsystem mit ihrem neuesten Album. "Nectar Of The Gods" ist das 6. Studioalbum auf dem Tonzonen Records Label der 2008 gegründeten Ausnahmeformation, die seit Mai 2014 in der perfekten Besetzung eine stets wachsende Fangemeinde weltweit begeistert. Nach überschwänglichen Reaktionen auf die bisherigen Studioalben schlagen die Spacelords ein weiteres, unerhörtes Kapitel in ihrem originellen, magischen All-Atlas auf. Das sich stets neu erfindende, tief ineinander verwobene Zusammenspiel des Trios, zieht mit seiner hingebungsvollen Spielfreude, wie sie nur echte Freunde aufzubringen vermögen, die Stoner,- Space- und Kraut- Rock - Gemeinde in ihren Bann. Bei einem der vier epischem neuen Tracks hat die gigantische Anziehungskraft des massereichen Spacelords Sterns erneut einen sympathischen Sendboten aus dem benachbarten Tastenuniversum angezogen: "Lost Sound of Lemuria" wird vom befreundeten Guest Lord Jens Eberhard (Jewelled Moon) mit fulminanten Fender Rhodes- und Organ-Sounds veredelt. So entstanden im heimischen Studio vier beeindruckende neue Songs, die mit hohem Wiedererkennungswert, als auch atmosphärisch zu überzeugen wissen.