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"Since 2017, Thirdface has intrigued their audiences and peers alike with their raw, intense technicality. The Nashville quartet consisting of drummer Shibby Poole, guitarist David Reichley, bassist Maddy Madeira, and vocalist Kathryn Edwards bring an atypically musical approach to hardcore with release after invigorating release. Thirdface takes the most harrowing elements of punk, grindcore, and death metal and fuses them into a ferocious sound that is quite considerably their own. From their inception, Thirdface has developed consistently, culminating in their new release Ministerial Cafeteria, due through stalwart unconventional rock label Exploding in Sound Records.

Thirdface is decidedly remarkable in their dedication to Nashville DIY. Edwards runs the beloved all ages venue Drkmttr; Poole is a go-to recording engineer for local bands; and all four members have played in various other projects over the years. Within the constellation of Nashville’s DIY scene, Poole, Reichley, and Madeira were already well acquainted with each other’s playing styles through a previous band. Starting as a side project in 2017, the three shifted gears and began leaning toward a more intense sound requiring a vocal presence unburdened by an instrument. Since then, the release of 2021’s self-recorded Do It With A Smile led Thirdface to regional tours with the likes of Touché Amoré and City of Caterpillar.

On Ministerial Cafeteria, Thirdface loosens the reins only a little more than on Do It With A Smile, but the small change makes a profound difference. Thirdface’s onslaught of blasts and D-beats are no less present than ever, but now ‘grooves’ are allowed a little more life, stretching for an extra measure or for a full repetition before they’re snatched away. Simply, Ministerial Cafeteria gives more space for the dancers, but their faces will still be on the ground as they try to process what they’re hearing."

Als Höhepunkt einer bemerkenswerten Reise – vom Busking auf den Straßen Torontos bis hin Auftritten
mit Künstlern wie Orville Peck und Sierra Ferrell – schlägt Albino mit „Our Time In The Sun“ sein nächstes
musikalisches Kapitel auf.
Für die zwölf Songs hat er sich mit Dan Auerbach - Leadsänger der Black Keys, Gründer von Easy Eye
Sound und GRAMMY®-prämierter Produzent - zusammengetan, nachdem dieser zufällig auf Albinos Musik
gestoßen und direkt fasziniert war. In Nashville, wo das Album entstand, stellte Auerbach Albino einigen der
besten Session-Spieler und Songwriter der Stadt vor, darunter Pat McLaughlin (u.a. John Prine, Johnny
Cash).
Albinos Geschichte begann auf einem Bauernhof im ländlichen Ontario. Aus dem Verkauf von Obst und
Gemüse in Toronto wurde schnell das Musizieren auf den Straßen der Stadt und schließlich mitreißende
Live-Shows mit Größen wie Shovels & Rope, St. Paul & The Broken Bones und Shakey Graves in den USA
und Kanada.
Als er die Arbeit an „Our Time In The Sun“ aufnahm, war es das Ziel, diese packende Live-Energie auch im
Studio einzufangen: Das Album besteht aus tief empfundenen Eigenkompositionen, geprägt von cleveren
Wendungen. Albino greift auf die Südstaaten-Psychedelik und den Blues-Rock der 60er Jahre zurück, um
Geschichten über eine gescheiterte Liebe, den Kampf mit der Flasche und ein von der Arbeit bestimmtes
Leben zu erzählen.

Alternative Jazz. This is a 5 track EP of brand new, previously unreleased material from The Near Jazz Experience (Terry Edwards, Mark Bedford and Simon Charterton). Whilst recording the new album Terry asked pianist Mike Garson (best known for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins) - whom Terry has toured with if he'd like to play on a track. Mike said yes, recorded a stupendous solo for Character Actor at his home studio and sent it over. All in the space of 24 hours! On hearing the piano part NJE bassist Mark Bedford came up with the idea of having the piano mixed with the original track (as intended) but also using it as the basis for a completely new recording with the piano leading rather than complementing the band. Side 1 of the EP has these two very different versions from the same seed. Unidentical twins indeed. Side 2 of the EP contains 4 outliers from the album sessions. These aren't out-takes or unfinished pieces. They simply couldn't find a place for themselves within the album - along the lines of the tunes Tom Waits put together for his Orphans compilation of 2006. They are standalone tunes which have found a home together on this EP because in some way they all have filmic qualities. Side 1 contains 2 takes on Character Actor (the title being a nod to Cracked Actor, a tune on Aladdin Sane, the album that introduced Bowie fans to Mike Garson), and Side 2 has The Loping Four; Projector; MacGuffin and Lockstep, all titles which contain strong cinematic elements, MacGuffin in particular. It was Alfred Hitchcock's favourite word for a red herring in the plot. The musical cast on this release has a remarkable pedigree. The NJE consists of Terry Edwards (solo artist and session player with PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand, Siouxsie, Jimi Tenor, Piroshka, Tindersticks etc); Mark Bedford (Madness, Robert Wyatt, Robyn Hitchcock, Nightingales etc); Simon Charterton (The Higsons, Alex Harvey, Zook, Serious Drinking etc). Alongside featured guest Mike Garson there is an appearance by Oliver Cherer (Aircooled, Miki Berenyi Band) on keys and synth. This is an RSD exclusive, 500 copies on black vinyl in full colour sleeve which reflects the filmic quality of the recorded material. No download. The title track will appear on the next Near Jazz Experience studio album. The 4 additional tracks, however, will remain exclusive to Record Store Day.

Allt wurde 2020 gegründet und ist eine progressive Metalcore-Band aus Karlskoga, Schweden, die für ihr audiovisuelles Storytelling und ihre innovative Herangehensweise an Metalcore bekannt ist. Nach ihrer zweiten EP "The Seed Of Self-Destruction" aus dem Jahr 2022, die als genreübergreifende Metalcore-Veröffentlichung gefeiert wurde, sind Allt nun dabei, ihren charakteristischen Sound mit ihrem Debütalbum "From The New World" zu festigen. "From The New World" ist eine akribisch ausgearbeitete musikalische Reise der Selbstfindung nach der Zerstörung. Das Album ist inspiriert von den Spannungen und Ängsten in der Welt und erforscht Themen wie Zusammenbruch und Widerstandsfähigkeit in der Folge eines nuklearen Ereignisses und der emotionalen und philosophischen Landschaft, die darauffolgen würde. Um sich voll und ganz auf den kreativen Prozess und die Themen des Albums einzulassen, verbrachte die Band einige Zeit isoliert in einer Waldhütte. Jeder der 10 Tracks von FTNW erzählt eine einzigartige Geschichte von Verlust, Hoffnung und menschlichem Durchhaltevermögen, eingerahmt vom kosmischen Mysterium des Fermi-Paradoxons. Vom ersten Track, "A Flash of Light", bis zum letzten Track, "Cycles", geht es darum, sich durch das Chaos zu bewegen und in einer chaotischen Welt Sinn und menschliche Verbindung zu finden. "Über solche Themen zu schreiben, erlaubt es uns, unsere Gedanken und Gefühle zu verarbeiten, während wir unseren Zuhörern einen Raum bieten, ihre eigenen zu erkunden. Es geht darum, mit unserem Publikum auf einer zutiefst persönlichen und universell relevanten Ebene in Verbindung zu treten". Das Album vermischt mechanische und organische Klänge und beschwört sowohl die Trostlosigkeit als auch die stille Schönheit des Lebens inmitten der Nachwehen. Der Sound ist eine Mischung aus raumgreifenden Synthesizern, die alles von den unheimlichen Qualitäten von Radiowellen bis hin zu riesigen Maschinen mit immenser Rechenleistung nachahmen. Die dynamische Instrumentierung, der kraftvolle Gesang und die organischen Elemente verankern die Musik zusätzlich in einer greifbaren Realität. "Dieses Album ist eine Reise, und wir laden jeden ein, mitzukommen. Es geht darum, Empathie und Verbundenheit zu finden, selbst angesichts all dessen, was passiert ist. Es ist ein großer Schritt in unserer Entwicklung als Band, der zeigt, wo wir gewesen sind und wohin wir gehen. "From The New World" ist als CD Digipak, schwarzes Vinyl und digitale Version erhältlich.

Next up on Feral Child, sees not only a second ever release from New Zealand based VOR-STELLEN but a teaming up with one of label head dom’s favourite ever labels, the mighty Flying Nun. Despite some patchy European distribution the first VS release “Parallelograms”, was a constant player at FC HQ; 4 superb tracks of super laid back, kraut flavoured slow burners, (lead track “Voyager” especially, comes hugely recommended with its accompanying film clip), so when the band OK’d a second release for Feral Child, we were stoked. Vor-stellen is the experimental project of Brendan Moran, which blends fixated guitars and drums with ad-hoc electronic layers producing perforated waves of sustain which echoes off the fourth wall. Brendan has released work previously as part of avoid!avoid (their album “Particle and Wave” was released by Flying Nun in 2016) and The Subliminals, of which Flying Nun re-released -in 2021- a vinyl edition of their highly acclaimed album “United State”. With Vor-stellen he picks up where those other projects have left off as a foray into 'kraut' inspired compositions “which seek to transform pre-determined ideas of music into open-ended sound objects, untethered from any sense of conventional outcomes”. On this, second VS record, he teams up with his Subliminal buddies once again to continue on an exploration, “folding the weird and the eerie into a dark ecology of long-sound via indefatigable environments of modulation and improvisation, creating sonic counterpoints that hinge on a reanimation of musical gestures”. The record features two side long slow builders and are released in a beautiful Brendan Moran designed sleeve.

Latin funk at its finest. A kingpin player of Miami’s Cuban music scene, Ray Fernandez, brought together his ‘court’ for this sensational Afro-Cuban funk triumph. Largely a family affair, the album features his wife, two sons and a range of other talented musicians including Rickey Washington on saxophone, father of the contemporary jazz maestro Kamasi Washington. Originally released in 1973 on Manuel J. Mato’s iconic and collectible Sound Triangle Records, Ray & His Court is a dose of Miami heat fuelled by a Cuban fire, taking in salsa, soul, funk, calypso and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

A kaleidoscopic album that draws influence from a range of different genres and scenes blended together in true Ray Fernandez style. Side A, showcases an array of traditional Latin workouts including the addictive enticing opener 'La Señorita Lola' and the pulsating 'Lo Sabia' with its punchy horns and Ray’s wonderful, quirky bubbling organ groove. The tantalising ‘Venimos Acabando’ and bouncing organ stabs of ‘El Alacran’ are two further tickets to get a dancefloor vibing.

The B-side then steps things up, slipping a hit of heavy-weight Miami funk into the mix. Take the DJ favourite ‘Cookie Crumbs’ with its fiery bassline, tripped-out voiceovers and breakbeat drums. Or the amazing, memorable and truly unique funk instrumental ‘Soul Freedom’ with some mighty fine bass clarinet work courtesy of Gary Gottfried. Also featured is a seductive organ-led Cuban funk rework of Bobby Hebb's 'Sunny' (are there any bad versions of this song?), with a sumptuous female vocal that combine to serve up a seductive take us this much-loved classic.

'Ray And His Court' is a brilliant blend of Afro-Cuban gems and Miami funk heat from an influential group on Miami’s Latin music scene. A majestic and magnetic classic where every track is a surefire winner.

Wie zwei Zeitlinien, die zusammenlaufen, kommen ELEPHANT TREE und LOWRIDER zusammen, um ihr gemeinsames Album ,The Long Forever" zu präsentieren, eine der am sehnlichsten erwarteten Split-Veröffentlichungen in der Geschichte des Heavy Rock.Nach zwei bahnbrechenden Veröffentlichungen im Jahr 2020 haben Elephant Tree und Lowrider die Gelegenheit ergriffen, neu zu definieren, wer sie sind und zu erklären, wohin ihre musikalische Reise mit dem gemeinsamen Album ,The Long Forever" als nächstes gehen wird. Mit The Long Forever befinden sich beide Bands an einem kritischen Punkt: Beide haben einen weitreichenden und wachsenden Einfluss, beide werden auf der Bühne und abseits davon verehrt, und beide bringen ihre erste richtige neue Veröffentlichung seit vier Jahren heraus, die mit großer Spannung erwartet wird.Diese Bands auf eine gemeinsame Platte zu bringen, wäre unabhängig von den Begleitumständen ein Ereignis, aber die Bedeutung dieses Albums ist noch größer. Der Titel des Albums stammt von dem Spitznamen für das mehrwöchige Koma, in dem sich Elephant Tree-Sänger/Gitarrist Jack Townley aus medizinischen Gründen nach einem beinahe tödlichen Fahrradunfall Anfang 2023 befand. Er träumte, ohne aufzuwachen, und verlor jegliches Zeitgefühl, während sein Geist versuchte, mit der Tortur fertig zu werden - diese lyrische Beschreibung deutet das Ausmaß von Jacks Erfahrung nur an.In dem darauf folgenden Jahr manifestierte sich eine musikalische Freiheit in den jeweiligen Ansätzen beider Bands: Elephant Tree wählten während Jacks allmählicher Rückkehr zum Spielen einen rohen, aufbauenden Ansatz, während Lowrider komplexer und ausdrucksstärker wurden, um Songs für das 2020 erschienene Album ,Refractions" zu entwickeln, das von allen Seiten bewundert wurde.,The Long Forever" ist das Vehikel, durch das sich die Bands begegnen, das die Erwartungen an sie untergräbt und übertrifft, mit einem traumatischen Nexus als Gravitationssingularität, um die die gesamte LP kreist und jede Note, die nach außen dringt, verbiegt und formt.Beharrlichkeit, Heilung und hartnäckige Leidenschaft haben The Long Forever zu einer Realität gemacht, und Fans von Elephant Tree und Lowrider werden sich über das überragende Ergebnis freuen! Like two timelines converging, ELEPHANT TREE and LOWRIDER come together to present the collaborative album "The Long Forever," easily one of the most eagerly awaited split releases in the history of heavy rock. In the wake of two landmark 2020 releases, Elephant Tree and Lowrider have seized the opportunity to redefine who they are and declare where their musical voyages will go next with the collaborative album The Long Forever. The Long Forever finds both bands at critical junctures: each has a broad and expanding influence, each is revered onstage and off, and each is delivering its first proper new release in four years to tremendous anticipation. Bringing these bands onto a shared collaborative platter would be an event regardless of the surrounding circumstances, but the significance of this album is even greater. The album's title comes from the nickname for the multi-week coma that Elephant Tree singer/guitarist Jack Townley was in for medical reasons after a near-fatal biking accident in early 2023. Dreaming without waking and losing all sense of time as his mind attempted to cope with the ordeal, that lyrical description only hints at the enormity of Jack's experience. The year or so that followed manifested a musical freedom in both bands' respective approaches, Elephant Tree choosing a raw, set-up-the-mics-and-go approach during Jack's gradual return to playing, while Lowrider grew more complex and expressive in building songs to follow up their massively adored 2020 album "Refractions." "The Long Forever" is the vehicle through which the bands meet, subverting and superseding the expectations on them, with a traumatic nexus as the gravitational singularity around which the entire LP orbits, bending and shaping every note that escapes forth. Perseverance, healing and stubbornness of passion made The Long Forever a reality, and fans of both Elephant Tree and Lowrider are certain to rejoice at the towering result!

Wie zwei Zeitlinien, die zusammenlaufen, kommen ELEPHANT TREE und LOWRIDER zusammen, um ihr gemeinsames Album ,The Long Forever" zu präsentieren, eine der am sehnlichsten erwarteten Split-Veröffentlichungen in der Geschichte des Heavy Rock.Nach zwei bahnbrechenden Veröffentlichungen im Jahr 2020 haben Elephant Tree und Lowrider die Gelegenheit ergriffen, neu zu definieren, wer sie sind und zu erklären, wohin ihre musikalische Reise mit dem gemeinsamen Album ,The Long Forever" als nächstes gehen wird. Mit The Long Forever befinden sich beide Bands an einem kritischen Punkt: Beide haben einen weitreichenden und wachsenden Einfluss, beide werden auf der Bühne und abseits davon verehrt, und beide bringen ihre erste richtige neue Veröffentlichung seit vier Jahren heraus, die mit großer Spannung erwartet wird.Diese Bands auf eine gemeinsame Platte zu bringen, wäre unabhängig von den Begleitumständen ein Ereignis, aber die Bedeutung dieses Albums ist noch größer. Der Titel des Albums stammt von dem Spitznamen für das mehrwöchige Koma, in dem sich Elephant Tree-Sänger/Gitarrist Jack Townley aus medizinischen Gründen nach einem beinahe tödlichen Fahrradunfall Anfang 2023 befand. Er träumte, ohne aufzuwachen, und verlor jegliches Zeitgefühl, während sein Geist versuchte, mit der Tortur fertig zu werden - diese lyrische Beschreibung deutet das Ausmaß von Jacks Erfahrung nur an.In dem darauf folgenden Jahr manifestierte sich eine musikalische Freiheit in den jeweiligen Ansätzen beider Bands: Elephant Tree wählten während Jacks allmählicher Rückkehr zum Spielen einen rohen, aufbauenden Ansatz, während Lowrider komplexer und ausdrucksstärker wurden, um Songs für das 2020 erschienene Album ,Refractions" zu entwickeln, das von allen Seiten bewundert wurde.,The Long Forever" ist das Vehikel, durch das sich die Bands begegnen, das die Erwartungen an sie untergräbt und übertrifft, mit einem traumatischen Nexus als Gravitationssingularität, um die die gesamte LP kreist und jede Note, die nach außen dringt, verbiegt und formt.Beharrlichkeit, Heilung und hartnäckige Leidenschaft haben The Long Forever zu einer Realität gemacht, und Fans von Elephant Tree und Lowrider werden sich über das überragende Ergebnis freuen! Like two timelines converging, ELEPHANT TREE and LOWRIDER come together to present the collaborative album "The Long Forever," easily one of the most eagerly awaited split releases in the history of heavy rock. In the wake of two landmark 2020 releases, Elephant Tree and Lowrider have seized the opportunity to redefine who they are and declare where their musical voyages will go next with the collaborative album The Long Forever. The Long Forever finds both bands at critical junctures: each has a broad and expanding influence, each is revered onstage and off, and each is delivering its first proper new release in four years to tremendous anticipation. Bringing these bands onto a shared collaborative platter would be an event regardless of the surrounding circumstances, but the significance of this album is even greater. The album's title comes from the nickname for the multi-week coma that Elephant Tree singer/guitarist Jack Townley was in for medical reasons after a near-fatal biking accident in early 2023. Dreaming without waking and losing all sense of time as his mind attempted to cope with the ordeal, that lyrical description only hints at the enormity of Jack's experience. The year or so that followed manifested a musical freedom in both bands' respective approaches, Elephant Tree choosing a raw, set-up-the-mics-and-go approach during Jack's gradual return to playing, while Lowrider grew more complex and expressive in building songs to follow up their massively adored 2020 album "Refractions." "The Long Forever" is the vehicle through which the bands meet, subverting and superseding the expectations on them, with a traumatic nexus as the gravitational singularity around which the entire LP orbits, bending and shaping every note that escapes forth. Perseverance, healing and stubbornness of passion made The Long Forever a reality, and fans of both Elephant Tree and Lowrider are certain to rejoice at the towering result!

Repress!

With Robyn, South London's cktrl shares his most ambitious work yet, collaborating with the likes of Duval Timothy, Coby Sey (Micachu, Tirzah, Dean Blunt) and Purple Ferdinand to create a vital exploration of contemporary-classical from the black perspective; out via Errol and Alex Rita's Touching Bass. Spurred on by the overpowering feelings of heartbreak, Robyn impressively creates emotive and heartfelt clarinet and saxophone-led soundscapes about the all-consuming power of love. On the project, cktrl says: "'Robyn' at its core is heartbreak and is just really sentimental. It's a journey of losing a love but it ends with optimism as you find strength to love again." Born and bred in Lewisham, cktrl aka Bradley Miller is an integral part of London's pioneering musical underground. One of the only remaining original DJs on NTS, cktrl has previously worked with and played alongside the likes of Sampha, Sango, Kelela and Dean Blunt. Throughout his career to date, cktrl has also been recognised and heralded by fashion and film VIPs including Virgil Abloh, Bianca Saunders, Tremaine Emory, Nicholas Daley and Jenn Nkiru who recently secured him a cameo in Beyonce's heralded 'Black Is King'. With a shared ethos of elevating and amplifying leftfield black music, he partners with London based label, Touching Bass, themselves a key cog within the city's bubbling musical underbelly.

The LP was released during a fertile period in her early career, when she was also playing with the group The Marine Girls and just about to embark on a life-long musical and personal partnership with Ben Watt in Everything But The Girl.

Its stark minimalism made it stand out from the crowd, and the album remained on the Independent chart for many months. To this day, ‘A Distant Shore’ remains one of our proudest achievements here at Cherry Red Records. Fully supported by the artist, 'A Distant Shore' is now being represented with the addition of five hitherto unheard demo recordings, hand-picked by Tracey from her archive of cassettes. ‘Lucky Day’ was recorded during the same session as the album but somehow never made the grade; the other four tracks here were recorded during a later session but then set aside, to be re-recorded a while later with EBTG for their first album, Eden.

Freshly mastered at Abbey Road Studios with new sleeve-notes written by Tracey, this 2024 edition is available on both vinyl and CD, a beautifully presented reminder of the album’s elemental beauty.

THE DYNAMICS • DRAG’N'FLY
by VINCENT HELLO.

Jamaica, 1960s. Ska artists, rock steady and reggae take back some soul songs of the United States, thus giving their versions that will in turn become future classics. The hits of the moment are also seasoned with Jamaican sauce, no matter where it comes from Original, pop, country, jazz... The rhythms of the island permanently transform the tracks of origin. In 2024, with their third album called Dragn'fly and decorated with a beautiful dragonfly (a "dragonfly" so in the language of King Tubby) the Dynamics honour Jamaican tradition and dynamite 10 versions of hits from yesterday and today. The Dragonfly spread his wings reggae, soul, funk to land in all headsets at the heart of good stereos and on spicy dancefloors. Because this dragonfly is a true superfly that speaks to the heart... and legs.

After two albums whose success led them to walk the globe of Glastonbury in Tokyo, honoured by the large elders (the first part of Lee Perry here, a regular dj support of Don Letts over there) the Dynamics are alive so their 'soul reggae vocal sound system” in front of audiences specializing in Jamaican or to those who are who were lucky enough to meet them by chance in Chemical Brothers... or Lady Gaga.

The Dynamics have forgotten the weight of ancestors to make their own recipe. They proclaim it, they are Sound System! The voices of Mounam, Steve Levi and Mr Day are in the front row, so making lovers, preachers, crooners and crooners to Turns of Duty, while Fab Master Flab all in one of the roots and futuristic echos. But if the mind is a sound system, the dynamics sounds also as a group through instruments live performances that plunge the tracks into a fervor unique. And then there are the hits, so, from all times and of all styles.
The low rider becomes toaster and leaves the road a American carried by these vocal harmonies Sky to take the exit Kingston. On the roadside, the joker delivers his lovers soft rock after a small detour to Muscle Shoal, The time to borrow a guitar from Duane Allman. In the south again, Mounam “Mrs Dynamics” meets the spirit of «Mr Dynamite» and tells him his radical, soul version. “ man’s world...” inna digital style! The spiritual anthem “you got to have freedom” by Master Pharoah Sanders becomes a universal skank, pop and dub who sends resounding high its universal message Dance! The dynamics are mutating the classic of ESG into a small, minimal pop bomb that is not without resemblance to the Neptunes of Mr Pharell Williams. On the edge of the track, Peter Gabriel sees his “Sledgehammer” groover as he does could imagine it and dissolve into sublime soul scrolls. Later, “After laughter...” soul classic celebrated and sampled Born into a rock steady air promised also to eternity. JJ Cale’s "cocaine," leaves its on the dancefloor for a reggae disco version, necessarily! And then, we must conclude. So it’s time to send an original title. It will be "Rubba Sub", to the aromas of sleng teng, which proves that far from the hits, the Dynamics deploys same layouts to deliver fresh and authentic sounds. And when the dub echoes evaporated, that the riddims have been silent, only remains an album majestic, in turn a future classic, full of unique Dynamics sound that mixes with instinct the echoes of yesterday to its own voices today.

The Amsterdam-based group NAUSYQA consists of six musicians from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. They are influenced by movie soundtracks (such as Hayao Miyazaki's _'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind_'), electronic music, post-rock, drum&bass, flamenco and contemporary jazz. Engaging grooves, evocative melodies and visceral improvisation, this young band brings you to visual places with their music.

A RADICAL HORIZON is comprised of a series of duets between cellist Lori Goldston and pianist Stefan Christoff, recorded on a late Fall afternoon in Brooklyn, NY. A conversation between friends, these improvised excursions reflect a willingness to be open to the spirits in the space and between the notes; a spirit of communion that, as Stefan writes, "guides and dances with our dialogue together".

Stefan Christoff is a Canadian musician, community organizer, and journalist based in Montreal, Quebec. He has collaborated with artists such as Sam Shalabi and Adriana Camacho, performs with his brother Jordan as a duo in Anarchist Mountains, and has released music on labels such as Moon Villain, Shimmering Moods, and Aural Canyon.

A lifelong community activist, he helped establish the Musicians For Palestine project and has engaged in street-level solidarity work in Lebanon and The Philippines as well as closer to home in Montreal. This is his second appearance on Beacon Sound after 'In Sofia', an album of piano improvisations recorded in Bulgaria, was released on the label in 2023.

Classically trained and rigorously de-trained, possessor of a restless, semi-feral spirit, Lori Goldston is a cellist, composer, improvisor, producer, writer and teacher from Seattle. Her voice as a cellist, amplified or acoustic, is full, textured, committed and original. A relentless inquirer, her work drifts freely across borders that separate genre, discipline, time and geography.

Current and former collaborators and/or bosses include Earth, Nirvana, Mirah, Jessika Kenney, Ilan Volkov, Eyvind Kang, Stuart Dempster, David Byrne, Terry Riley, Jherek Bischoff, Malcom Goldstein, Steve Von Till, Lonnie Holley, Cat Power, Ellen Fullman, Maya Dunietz, Mik Quantius, Embryo, O Paon, Tara Jane O’Neil, Natacha Atlas, Broken Water, Ed Pias, Christian Rizzo and Sophie Laly, Threnody Ensemble, Cynthia Hopkins, 33 Fainting Spells, Vanessa Renwick, Mark Mitchell, Lynn Shelton, and many more.

Her work has been commissioned by and/or performed at the Kennedy Center, Sydney Festival, Cineteca Nacional de México, Tectonics Festival, Frye Art Museum, Time Based Art Festival (TBA), WNYC, The New Foundation, Paris Fashion Week, Northwest Film Forum, On the Boards, Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle Jewish Film Festival, Bumbershoot, Crossing Border Festival, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Joe’s Pub, the Stone, University of Chicago, and venues large and small throughout North America, Mexico, Australia, and Europe.

lp wiBola’s music melds sheer force of spirit with a sound not often heard by ears outside the remote Upper East Region of Ghana. This man who grew up herding livestock in the savannah, far away from the tropical coast and cosmopolitan cities of Accra and Kumasi, has aligned himself with national and international means of expression to transform his hometown sound into something downright avant-garde. His bold fury stems from the kologo—a two-stringed lute with a calabash gourd resonator—and Frafra language vocals, emitted in raspy bursts.

Traditionally, kologo performances occur at pito (local beer made from fermented millet or sorghum) bars, weddings, funerals, festivals or spontaneous jams on the street, which are the environments where Bola honed his craft as a solo musician. In recent years, he came into contact with people like his mentor Guy One who helped him get into the studio to document what is some of the most dynamic music to come out of Ghana since the emergence of hiplife in the mid-'90s.

Volume 7, which came out in 2009, is just one entry in a brilliant series of recordings Bola has released on CD and cassette. Although he employs a traditional instrument and the age-old mode of griot story-telling, Bola embraces elements of up-to-the-minute mainstream Ghanaian music—drum machines, synths, bone-shaking bass. Inspired by pioneering kologo greats like King Ayisoba, Bola has taken a dynamic instrument used by traditional healers and herbalists to sing to god in search of advice and taken it to futuristic heights.

It's a pleasure, a labour of love and a yearly highlight to present a new volume of the Mr Bongo Record Club series. In this collection, we have curated new finds alongside old, treasured tracks that hold a special place in our hearts, selecting music inspiring us from the Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo genres. We have chosen a diverse array of artists, including Os Panteras from Brazil, stomping underground disco by Claude Jay, the Danish soul sounds of Gitte & Inger and the gospel excellence of Truth & Devotion, to name a few.

Most of the selections in this volume are older vintage productions, however, there is one very special contemporary production, recorded exclusively for Mr Bongo Record Club 7. For ‘Spring Has Sprung’, we linked three of our cherished musical family together; the legendary cult artist Asha Puthli, the wonderous band SOYUZ and Swedish maestro Sven Wunder. The result, as you’d expect, is completely breathtaking.

Reflecting on Volume 7, it now feels like a record comprised of two themes. Firstly, we have gone quite heavy on the Brazilian selections. This saw us searching further afield and digging into other areas of the endlessly rich Brazilian musical tapestry. The reflection of a more folk / Afro-Brazilian sound than presented in previous volumes in the series, can be heard in the songs of As Sublimes, Romeu Fernandes and Conjunto de Percussão Dora Pinto. The second theme is a representation of the tracks that we have been playing in our club DJ sets and are aimed more at the dancefloor. Disco tracks such as 'Come Inside' by The Shades of Love and The Duncans' 'Too Damn Hot' have been firmly tested favourites in recent years.

We hope these songs, by the sensational artists on display, inspire you as much as they do us. Music is the gift that keeps giving and there is so much more to learn, find, and share.

Die schwedische Produzentin und DJ La Fleur bricht drei Jahre musikalischer Stille mit ihrem bevorstehenden und lang erwarteten Debütalbum 'Väsen', das am 18. Oktober bei PIAS Électronique erscheint. Ihr unverkennbarer Stil ist technisch hervorragend ausgearbeitet und zu gleich hochemotional. Ihre neuen Songs, die ständig überarbeitet wurden, haben eine optimistische, positive Kraft und melodische Schönheit über komplexen Perkussionsschichten, die so mit Hooks geschmückt sind, dass man die Ohren nicht davon abwenden kann.

Während der Pandemiejahre zog La Fleur von Berlin zurück nach Schweden und arbeitete als leitende Angestellte in einem Stockholmer Krankenhaus. Eine krasse Veränderung nach einem Jahrzehnt mit ihrem eigenen Label Power Plant, zahlreichen Kollaborationen und gefeierten DJ Set und Auftritten. Die gezwungene Pause nutzte sie, weiter an ihrem Debütalbum zu feilen, das 2020 eigentlich schon fertig war, doch ihre geänderten Lebensumstände sollten noch einen Einfluss darauf haben: „I’ve always drawn inspiration not only from music, but changing elements in my life. It’s only now I feel I have the tracks ready for the world to hear.“

- Col. LP: (Green Bio-Vinyl)

It's official! Post Malone is finally releasing his long-awaited country album. This marks his concrete foray into country music. He ensures us this isn't just a few fleeting off-hand singles. Rather, he's doubling down on his excursion into Nashville. Includes the single ft. Morgan Wallen “I Had Some Help”. A 9x diamond-certified GRAMMY® Award-nominated phenomenon, Dallas, TX artist Post Malone regularly rewrites history, blurs boundaries, and incites internet-breaking conversation with every move.

Coming together as Raz & Afla, Raz Olsher and Afla Sackey converge worlds through their dynamic fusion of electronic and traditional African rhythms, forging a path that is as bold as it is innovative. Rooted in their deep-seated passion for music and cultural exploration, they seamlessly blend their distinct musical backgrounds to create a unique sonic landscape that captivates audiences worldwide.

Raz Olsher is a visionary producer and composer known for his boundary-pushing electronic soundscapes, bringing his expertise in blending diverse musical elements to the duo. His meticulous attention to detail and penchant for experimentation form the foundation upon which Raz & Afla's sound thrives.

Already part of the Wah Wah 45s family with his band Afrik Bawantu, Afla Sackey is an esteemed percussionist and vocalist with roots tracing back to Ghana. He infuses the duo's music with rich traditional African rhythms and melodies. Afla's virtuosity on percussion instruments and his soulful vocals add a visceral, organic dimension to their compositions, creating a mesmerising auditory experience that transcends cultural boundaries.

Together, Raz & Afla defy genre limitations, seamlessly weaving together electronic beats, Afrobeat grooves, and intricate percussive textures. Their music resonates with a deep sense of cultural authenticity and a forward-thinking approach that pushes the boundaries of contemporary music.

Following on from their critically acclaimed full length debut The Cycle, and its subsequent remix project, their sophomore LP, Echoes Of Resistance, finds the duo remaining committed to exploring new sonic territories and creating music that speaks to the universal language of rhythm and melody. Once again, they invite listeners on a journey that celebrates the beauty of cultural exchange and the power of music to inspire and unite.

From more politically conscious cuts like the singles What's Going On? and We Taya, and On Da Phone, which deals with addiction to social media, to dealing with more personal and social issues on songs like ENo Be Me and Ano Be Mumu, Raz & Afla's music is something for the mind, body and spirit, as well as the feet.

There are moments of pure euphoria and unadulterated joy too though, as tracks like Mon Ni Fere, Voodoo Zeezee and Baby Moo inspire elated, tribal dance floor pleasure, and there's still time for a little, good old fashioned loving as Shikor Shikor conjures up the raw emotions of care and affection whilst delivering a hypnotic beat and instantly irresistible vocals from Afla Sackey.

With a growing discography that includes critically acclaimed releases and collaborations with musicians from around the globe, Raz & Afla continue to carve out their place in the international music scene. Their electrifying live performances are celebrated for their energy and the profound connection they forge with audiences, making every show a vibrant celebration of musical diversity and harmony.