Search:for now

"Soundz of Freedom" is a classic album in Bob Sinclar"s discography. Certified gold, it"s now being reissued for the fist time as a double vinyl. Featuring : Axwell, Tocadisco, Ron Caroll, Jamie Lewis, Mousse T...

Cut-Line Records proudly unveils its inaugural release, featuring a collection of euphoric, minimal, and
breaky tracks that resonate deeply within the realm of house music. Launched by lifelong mates and
production partners Maják and Diego Knows, this label aims to capture the essence of dancefloor
energy while pushing creative boundaries across an endless soundscape of alien vibes.
Setting the stage, Pedro Goya’s “Celeste” opens the EP with a euphoric minimal groove that perfectly
encapsulates the magic of house, taking you on an emotional journey that sweeps you away into
sound. Next, we dive headfirst into "Alien Vision" by Francula & St. Xose—a gritty, breaky banger
loaded with gnarly vocals and a tight groove, punctuated by an uplifting euphoric break that keeps the
energy flowing on the dancefloor.

At the heart of this release lies the highly anticipated "Warning Bells" from Digital Pimps, which opens
the B-side. This classic '90s break track, once long lost and now reborn, roars back to life thanks to a
brilliant remaster that is sure to evoke nostalgia. Collaborating with the original artist, New York local
Fonseca 72, we’ve breathed new life into this beloved classic, ensuring it grooves on vinyl for a whole
new generation of listeners.

To round off this sonic journey, our label heads deliver their own signature flavor on B2. Expect pure
pumping grooves with a dash of funk, wrapped in their iconic psychedelic minimal vibe that will keep
you hooked. With this debut, Cut-Line Records invites you to embark on a journey filled with rich
textures, infectious rhythms, and the vibrant spirit of house music. This EP is an absolute must-have!
Grab it before it's gone!

This is how it all started. Refused debut studiorecording from January -94. The released as Cd-single as the first ever release on Startracks. A classic single who is now released on vinyl for the first time. A-side with music and b-side with etched art. Comes with sticker with text and picture of the etchning. Limited edition

It’s a decidedly busy time at INVINC HQ at the moment with the 10-year anniversary looming in May.
The six months preceding this date are peppered with a flurry of releases every couple of months, which started with the Mondo Ritmo EP that came in October, the Gamma Knife LP in December and now this brand new album by Sordid Sound System, which lands early March before a rather promising sounding 2xLP compilation lands in May to mark the occasion. 


It’s been a good few years since something by Sordid Sound System aka Stuart Evans has been released on the label and it’s a welcome return. In our opinion it's some of Evans’ best work and so it’s a pleasure to have him back on board the good ship Inc. 


Remarkably, this music is even harder to pigeon-hole than usual...even for Stu, who’s known for his raw, analogue, live takes that veer between dub and post-kraut this is definitely quite "different": part surf acid, part dub, part psych-exotica, part motorik...and that's just the A-side. The B-side leans more towards ambience but of the oddball experimental soundtrack variety...a thoroughly enjoyable ride.
Enjoy the trip.

Mesmeric, confessional alt-folk with hints of americana - weaving beautiful stories with deep and poignant lyricism and relatable storytelling, creating a sense of familiarity even in the ambiguous, leaving no choice but to feel everything with her. Mann’s debut album,

- Clara Mann’s evocative debut album Rift navigates the fractured environment of the in-between—those liminal spaces exposed between light and dark, growth and remorse, loss and reclamation. It is a record that makes a strong case for hope, those luminescent silver linings in the dark. With Rift, Clara Mann acknowledges the cracks through which both despair and hope can seep. It is a deeply personal record, yet it is universally resonant, holding the mirror up to herself and to the world around her. It is a record that reflects on embracing our fault lines, navigating the ruptures that can erupt from them and moving forwards, in motion, with a renewed sense of self and aliveness. Mann’s debut album, Rift is all of her—her past, her present, her emotions, her experiences—and now, it is for you.

- Influenced by artists like Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Judee Sill, and Tom Waits, Mann has a deep love and care for songwriting

- The album was primarily recorded at the 4AD Studios in London, produced and mixed by Fabian Prynn (Martha Skye Murphy, Ex:Re, Fabiana Palladino) who carefully facilitated an imaginative space for Mann to express the playful, strange and real parts of herself

- She has previously toured and collaborated with the likes of Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear), Billie Marten, Skullcrusher, Bill Ryder-Jones, Youth Lagoon and Willie J Healey

NOW Music proudly presents NOW That’s What I Call Gold – The Ultimate Hits – this essential 3-LP set brings together 46 tracks by legendary artists with timeless anthems, celebrating some of the greatest hits of all time, including chart-topping classics and enduring favourites.



LP1 sets the stage with Queen’s electrifying ‘A Kind Of Magic’, followed by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins’ #1 ‘Easy Lover’. The Police feature with their #1 smash ‘Message In A Bottle’, while The Killers follow with their record-breaking anthem ‘Mr. Brightside’. The massive ‘Stick Season’ from Noah Kahan is up next before the first side finishes with Lana Del Rey’s stunning ‘Video Games’. Flip the LP over for contemporary classics from Coldplay and Duran Duran. Sinéad O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ still sounds raw and breath-taking and is followed by classics from the Pretenders, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, and Soft Cell’s ‘Tainted Love’, one of the best-selling UK singles of the ‘80s, whilst another of those closes out the first LP: Ultravox with their masterpiece, ‘Vienna’.



LP2 delivers a legendary lineup, including Billy Joel with his Grammy-winning ‘Just The Way You Are’ and Céline Dion’s powerful version of ‘All By Myself’. John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ and Paul Simon’s groundbreaking ‘Graceland’ are featured along with the pop genius of Electric Light Orchestra with ‘Last Train To London’. While on the other side timeless ballads from Elton John with ‘Tiny Dancer’ and Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Someone You Loved’ come ahead of Wings, Simply Red and ‘60s gems from Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and the peerless ‘Walk On By’ from Dionne Warwick.



LP3 opens with Neil Diamond’s universally beloved singalong anthem, ‘Sweet Caroline’ and Cliff Richard’s mid-70s classic, ‘Devil Woman’. Disco legends Donna Summer (‘MacArthur Park’) and Gloria Gaynor (‘I Will Survive’), lead into Sophie Ellis Bextor’s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ which became a smash for the second time recently. Ed Sheeran and Pharrell Williams had enduringly popular hits with ‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Happy’, and the side closes with the harmonic vocals of All-4-One and their beautiful signature song ‘I Swear’. The final side is packed with anthemic and uplifting classics kicking off with Spandau Ballet’s ‘Gold’, Survivor’s ‘Eye Of The Tiger’, and Take That’s soaring ‘Rule The World’. The remainder of the collection celebrates and showcases some of the ‘70s greatest tracks including Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Lost In France’, Marianne Faithfull’s poignant ‘The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan’ and Blondie’s era-defining and genre-defying #1 ‘Heart Of Glass’.



NOW That’s What I Call Gold is a must-have for all music lovers —packed with legendary artists, timeless hits, and unforgettable moments in pop. Don’t miss out on this golden treasure trove of musical brilliance!

Fifteen years after releasing two exceptional postpunk-meets-shoegazemeets-dream pop albums on Caroline Records, New York-based outfit
Springhouse (Mitch Friedland, Larry Heinemann, Jack Rabid) reconvened to
record a third album, From Now to OK, co-released on CD with Independent
Project Records in 2008
Now appearing for the very first time on vinyl, the record captures the three piece
exploring a more acoustic, folk rock- indebted sound: still showing their trademark
flair for dreamy melodic textures, the ever Anglophile Springhouse can be heard
embracing the late 60s influence of Nick Drake and The Beatles. This newlyexpanded edition of From Now to OK comes with a bonus CD of previously unreleased
demos and live recordings. Preserved in a beautiful package from master designer
Bruce Licher, this custom-cut metallic ink jacket is sure to be a collector's highlight.

Repressed! Archival reissue of the garage-psych Zamrock masterpiece (1974)

PRESSED ON OPAQUE GREEN VINYL

“Electrified by a diet of James Brown, the Stones and Deep Purple, WITCH were the stadium-filling kings of 70s Zamrock.” - MOJO
This landmark recording from Now-Again’s comprehensive overview of Zambia’s premier garage-, psych-, prog-, funk-,afro-rock ensemble WITCH, We Intend To Cause Havoc! is now available in a never before seen color variant. The audio is nigh-perfect – restored and remastered from the original master tapes. WITCH’s musical arc is contained to a five year span and, in retrospect, is a logical one. The band’s first two, self-produced albums - released in unison with the birth of the commercial Zambian recording industry – are exuberant experiments in garage rock, and are as influenced by the Rolling Stones as they are James Brown. In The Past, their second album, is the perfect follow-up for anyone exposed to the WITCH band through their landmark Introduction.

*Repress*

180gr) 10 YEARS ON, ARTHUR VEROCAI'S ENCORE GETS A VINYL RELEASE. The highly anticipated follow up to Arthur's eponymous debut album from 1972, Encore saw Arthur joining the dots over 35 years to createa modern classic of Brazilian music that, like his debut, combined Brazilian influences with his take on American soul and cinematic experimentation, and shows Arthur's sound is as poignant now as it ever was.
To celebrate the album's 10th anniversary, Far Out Recordings announces the first ever vinyl edition of Arthur Verocai's 2007 masterpiece Encore. Remastered from the original tapes, Encore features 11 original compositions from Arthur with guest musicians including Azymuth, Ivan Lins and a nine-piece string section. The highly anticipated follow up to Arthur's eponymous debut album from 1972, Encore saw Arthur joining the dots over 35 years to create a modern classic of Brazilian music that, like his debut, combined Brazilian influences with his take on American soul and cinematic experimentation, and shows Arthur's sound is as poignant now as it ever was.

In the mid-2000's, following on from Marcos Valle, Joyce and of course Azymuth, Arthur Verocai joined the long-line of Brazilian musicians whose music was to be introduced to a whole new legion of fans by Far Out. The story of 'Encore' of course begins with Joe Davis, Far Out's head honcho who stumbled upon Arthur's debut in a dusty record store in downtown Rio in the late 80s. At the time of its release in 1972 critics panned Arthur's debut and both the album and artist subsequently vanished into obscurity. Fast forward to winter 2004 and Joe's at the studio of Far Out Recording artists Harmonic 313 - aka production duo Mark 'Troubleman' Pritchard and Dave Brinkworth - playing them some of his favourite Brazilian albums. Dave recalls the moment Joe put on Arthur's debut, 'As soon as the needle hit the record and we heard the fantastic arrangements, songs and sounds, Arthur completely blew our minds'.

Three months later and Dave was in Brazil with Arthur Verocai, and the plans for what was to become 'Encore' were being laid down. Produced by Dave, 'Encore' sees Arthur on incredible form, the 35 plus years between the recording of his debut and this the follow-up just melting away as Arthur picked up the (conductor's) baton once again to create 11 epic tracks of stirring samba-soul and experimental cinematic movements that sees him creating a record to rival his debut.


Born in Rio de Janeiro on 17 June 1945, Arthur Verocai began his professional music career in 1969 and over the next few years he was responsible for the orchestration of albums by Ivan Lins, Jorge Benjor, Elizeth Cardoso, Gal Costa, Quarteto em Cy, MPB 4 and Marcos Valle, among others. In the 1970s he was hired by Brazil's biggest TV station, TV Globo, as musical director and wrote the arrangements for many of the stations biggest shows. In 1972, following the success Arthur had with the production of Ivan Lins 1971 album "Agora", Arthur recorded his self-titled debut album on Continental Records. 'Arthur Verocai' challenged the musical conventions of the day, combining Brazilian influences with folksy soul and lo-fi electronic experimentations of American artists like Shuggie Otis or the orchestration of producer Charles Stepney.

Repress as neon green vinyl!

Non Phixion drops a re-realse n of the group’s classic debut “The Future Is Now.” Available exclusively through Fat Beats. “Utilizing beats that would do Dr. Octagon-era Dan “The Automator” proud and rhyming schemes that bring to mind early Wu-Tang Clan or mid-’90s Gang Starr, Non Phixion exposes the sound of true underground hip-hop. This is music that reflects the sound and attitude of countless rappers selling their albums out of the back of their cars or in booths on the street, cutting together dirty and disjointed sounds with a confidence and quality that is unique to this particular genre. This would all be for nothing if it wasn’t for the excellent raps from Ill Bill, Goretex, and Sabac Red, a trio of rappers who have a Tribe Called Quest-like chemistry. Their clever lyrics, respectable skills, and rough voices make this an intense and dark landmark in alternative rap.”

We are now offering a 30% discount to all UK Indie stores on the £6.75 CD price. They blend the voices of the past with the music of the present to astounding effect' Independent // Genuinely original, innovating and amazing' Artrocker Best Electro Act 2013 // Time Out's Top Tips for 2013: Inspirational stuff' // John Kennedy XFM: Absolutely brilliant' // PSB's debut album entered the UK charts at #21 and has gone on to sell over 40,000 copies worldwide. It received widespread critical acclaim, including 5* Album of the Month from Artrocker plus 4* reviews from The Guardian, The Independent and many more. It was also picked by BBC 6Music DJs & staff as the 9th best album of the year and appeared in many best of the year lists.Track listing : Inform - Educate - Entertain, spitfire, Theme from PSB, signal 30, Night Mail, Qomolangma, ROYGBIV, The Now Generation, Lit Up, Everest, Late Night Final.

compiled by tsunaki kadowaki
artwork by yoshirotten
mastering by kuniyuki takahashi

Tsunaki Kadowaki, a staff member at Kyoto’s record store Meditations, the supervisor of "New Age Music Disc Guide", and the founder of Sad Disco, curates the fourth installment of "Midnight in Tokyo" themed around Ambient Kayō.

The Midnight in Tokyo series by Studio Mule focuses on Japanese music, serving as a soundtrack for Tokyo nights—whether for home listening, club play, or as a driving BGM, transcending location and space. After a six-year hiatus, the fourth volume takes "Ambient Kayō" as its new perspective, compiling genre-defying tracks released between 1977 and 1999 to explore the intersection of Japanese ambient and pop music.

For this long-awaited fourth installment, selections were made regardless of record label status (major or independent), era, format (vinyl or CD), original release price, or prior reissues. Instead, the focus was on music that deeply moves the listener, is open-minded and evocative, brims with inspiration and spiritual insight, and embodies the "utagokoro" (singing heart) of Japanese artists.

Opening the compilation is "Umi e Kinasai" by Yōsui Inoue, a legendary Japanese singer-songwriter whose works have recently gained renewed interest as hidden gems of Walearic and ambient pop

Composed and arranged by Katsu Hoshi—who is also known for his arrangements on Inoue’s masterpiece Ice World—the track features renowned players such as Masayoshi Takanaka, Hiroki Inui, and Shigeru Inoue. The song embodies a yearning for Balearic horizons, tinged with youthful vibrancy and sentimentality.

Next, "Oritatamu Umi", compiled from Keiko Nosaka, a 20-string koto player, and George Murasaki, a pioneer of Okinawan rock, is an instrumental track from their album "Niraikanai Requiem 1945". As the title suggests, it carries themes of requiem and remembrance, conveying poetic lyricism even without words. Blending Ryukyuan/Okinawan harmonies and indigenous elements, it unfolds as an intimate and nostalgic piece of progressive rock.

Also featured is "Natsu no Kowareru Koro" by Higurashi, a folk-rock band led by Seiichi Takeda, formerly a guitarist of The Remainders of The Clover, the predecessor of RC Succession. Like the opening track "Umi e Kinasai", this song was also produced by Katsu Hoshi. It stands as a folk/new music piece that takes a step into an "otherworldly" realm, recommended for fans of Twin Cosmos and Masumi Hara.

From the enigmatic Blue, the only work left by the mysterious composer S.R. Kinoshita, comes "Mangrove", a hidden treasure of Japan's ambient/new age scene from the CD era. With an oriental and enigmatic atmosphere, the track evokes a mystical world of deep, uncharted jungles, unfolding as an otherworldly New Age Kayō.

"Yaponesia Sakura", selected from Rehabilual’s sole album New Child, is a masterpiece of Japanese new age music. Produced by Swami Dhyan Akamo, a disciple of Indian meditation teacher Osho and a renowned balafon player, the track features Michio Ogawa (Chakra) and Atsuo Fujimoto (Colored Music). Their collective artistry creates an exquisite spiritual ambient pop sound.

"Asa no Hitoshizuku", the opening folk song from Sachiko Kanenobu’s album Sachiko, is also included. Known for her legendary folk album Misora, produced by Haruomi Hosono, Kanenobu’s fourth album after resuming her career was inspired by her experiences living in San Francisco and revolves around the theme of "love." This track carries the same intimate poetic world as Misora, imbued with a pure, crystalline innocence.

From the synth-pop band E.S. Island, known for the Haruomi Hosono-produced *Teku Teku Mami", comes "Yume Fūrin ", selected from their long-lost new age classic Nanpū from Hachijo. Created while the band’s core duo was living in Hachijō Island, the album aimed to sonically capture "the high and happy vibrations of everyday island life." This track offers a dynamic, tribal-infused New Age Kayō experience.

Dubbed "the world's first Min’yō House Mix" "Esashi Oiwake (Maeuta) " comes from Kanazawa Akiko HOUSE MIX Ⅰ, a collaboration between Japanese house music pioneer Soichi Terada and Akiko Kanazawa, a renowned min’yō singer. Through the prism of club music, Hokkaido's Esashi Oiwake, one of Japan’s most iconic folk songs, is transformed into a futuristic ambient pop piece with intricate sound design.

The compilation also includes "Sweet Ong Choh", a track from Voice From Asia, a group active between 1989 and 1992 featuring vocal artist Shizuru Ohtaka. Taken from their imaginative minimal work Voice From Asia, released under Aoyama Spiral’s music label Newsic, the song presents a tranquil, tribal-minimal soundscape enriched by ethnic instruments.

Hailed by Haruomi Hosono as having “a shaman residing in her voice,” singer-songwriter Nami Hōdatsu also appears in the selection. Known for her collaborations with Henry Kawahara, her debut album featured "Asa-Hikari-Ame-Yume", a track that now stands as a precursor to modern vocaloid/synthesized vocal music—a hidden gem of post-choir aesthetics that deserves rediscovery.

Likewise, "Tennessee Waltz", from Naomi Akimoto’s album One Night Stand, supported by members of Mariah, serves as another early prototype of vocaloid/synthesized vocal music. The track weaves fragmented vocal samples, pastoral yet sweetly minimal synth sounds, and mechanical beats into a strikingly unconventional piece in the history of Japanese music.

Closing the compilation is "Heaven Electric", a track from Nav Katze’s album Gentle & Elegance, which featured remixes by Autechre, Seefeel, and Sun Electric. Merging elements of IDM, ambient techno, and chillout, the song embodies an optimism reminiscent of space music while seamlessly blending a mystical Japanese aesthetic—an ambient pop masterpiece.

---

The album presents 12 exquisite pop tracks infused with an ambient feeling, resonating deeply with the evolving landscape of the mid-2020s—a time of post-hyperpop and Y2K revival.

Tsunaki Kadowaki (Compiler)

Born in 1993 in Yonago, Tottori, Tsunaki Kadowaki is a staff member and buyer at Kyoto’s Meditations record store. He is the editor of New Age Music Disc Guide (DU BOOKS) and a contributor to Music Magazine, Record Collectors' Magazine, ele-king, and more. Kadowaki has written liner notes for multiple Japanese releases (Brian Eno, Masahiro Sugaya etc.) and runs the Sad Disco music label under Disk Union. He also curates Spotify’s official New Age Music playlist and performed as a DJ at YCAM’s Audio Base Camp #3 in 2024.

Five for Fighting achieved a hit record with "Superman (It's Not Easy)" in 2001 leading to his America Town album going Platinum.

For the follow-up, The Battle Of Everything, John Ondrasik went into the studio with Bill Bottrell, best known for his production work with Sheryl Crow.

On the influences behind Battle and its recording, Ondrasik said, "When I was a kid I could put on Dark Side of the Moon, turn up the sound in my headphones, lie down in the dark, and go away. I wanted that experience again, and so Bill and I were ambitious to the point of absurdity. If we wanted drama, we'd get a thirty-piece orchestra. If we wanted a rock edge, we went after it with reckless abandonment. It was like doing my own private Quadrophenia."

The Battle for Everything was released in 2004. The first single, "100 Years" was a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album itself was certified Platinum in 2009. and is now finally available on vinyl for the first time.

This is a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on gold coloured vinyl. The LP contains a 4-page booklet with lyrics and pictures.

Joni Void, the artistic persona of Montréal-based French-British producer Jean Néant (he/them) returns to songcraft on their warmest and most welcoming record yet, where the acclaimed sampledelic sound collagist chills out with an emotionally resonant song cycle tinged by downtempo, lo-fi, avant-pop, and trip-hop. Guests include Haco, Ytamo, Sook-Yin Lee, Pink Navel and N NAO. Every Life Is A Light expands on Void's recent stylistic turn towards more languorous and mellow lo-fi production, foreshadowed by the drifting looseness and ambient bricolage of their preceding experimental sound-art record. This transitional sensibility now shapes more defined song structures and styles, with loops are given time and space to unspool, and rhythms shot through the softer-focus lens of trip-hop and dub. Every Life Is A Light swaps the twitchy insistence of Void's acclaimed early albums for a newfound lightness and suppleness, still imbued with all the restlessness, sonic detailing, and emotional resonance that made their name. The neurotic brokenmachine kinetics of earlier Void, summarized by Sasha Geffen as "drawing despair and wonder from within the vast unfeeling of digital communication" in an 8.0 Pitchfork review, may be chilling out, but Void is becoming an ever better conjurer of hauntological feeling. Every Life Is A Light summons this in a comparatively buoyant, benevolent, head-nodding journey more open to tenderness and modest joys. Perhaps it's the sound of Void at greater peace with themselves and the world, despite the bittersweet cost: even as it channels grief, memorializing comrades and companions recently deceased, this album wants light. Void's raw materials continue to draw heavily from samples (their own Walkman cassette fieldrecordings and songs by others) and from a wide community of musical guests. Vocalists Haco on "Time Zone" and Ytamo on "Cloud Level" help levitate what could be lost tracks from a mid-90s Too Pure Records compilation of skewed-lounge electronica. Canadian musician Sook-Yin Lee sings on lead single "Vertigo," a sinewy 80bpm tape-loop and bassline groove propelled by psychedelically-layered lyrics that eventually turn the song in on itself entirely, like Grace Jones' "Nightclubbing" covered by Animal Collective. One of Void's greatest hip-hop loves is the Ruby Yacht collective; charter member Pink Navel drops some brilliant verses on "Story Board." The album's two minimal tracks, an extended piano loop set to a slow beat and shimmering electronics on "Muffin-A Song For My Cat" and the languid sampled bass riff and breakbeat of "Event Flow," are perhaps most overtly `lofi chill.' Indeed the whole album could be said to sit adjacent to those viral (if not already AI-generated) genre trends, which maybe begs the question on a lot of our minds: can specificity and authenticity of musical materials still be heard, still meaningfully signify substance and difference, still matter? Perhaps a question that fades in comparison to the career break Void could catch by landing on generic streaming playlists. More likely, these tracks remain too off-kilter, too genuinely lo-fi and ineffable, and too disqualified by the status of its peasant rights-holders, to catch the algos. Context remains the poor cousin of content. Meanwhile Void marches on, as a tireless organizer of local music events, bouncing around and often living in DIY venue, depending on the latest apartment eviction. With an ubiquitous polaroid camera in tow, they also document each communal happening with a single shot (and often a blinding flash bulb): a memory and metaphor for lives illuminated preciously, singularly, `imperfectly' in the moment. Dozens of these polaroids adorn the album's back cover and inner sleeve art in grid-like montages, as a fitting analog for the careful construction, grainy intimate materiality, and ephemeral feeling of these songs. Every Life Is A Light is Joni Void's most coherent and congenial record while relinquishing none of their experimentalist acumen as a producer or emotional attunement as a composer. Instead these qualities flourish, on an album that lights a humble flame for the fragile promise of homespun creative collaboration as unalienated labour and therapeutic communion, making an enchantingly idiosyncratic contribution to downtempo sample music along the way. Thanks for listening.

The debut recording from one of jazz music's most revered pianists! First U.S. vinyl release!

All-analog remastering by Bernie Grundman.
"Byard is absolutely brilliant...highly recommended." - All Music

Originally recorded in 1960, briefly released in Japan in the early ’70s, it wasn’t until 1988 that Jaki Byard’s solo debut, Blues For Smoke, was widely released. Even then it was more of a secret handshake among fans than the catalog cornerstone it should have always been. Now, Candid has finally created the definitive edition of this lost masterpiece for all to experience.

Byard backed generations of jazz icons, including Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Roland Kirk, and Quincy Jones.

As a bandleader and soloist, he went on to build his own catalog of iconic recordings across three decades while establishing himself as an educator and mentor to the next generation of artists, most notably, Grayson Hugh, Fred Hersch, and Jason Moran. Blues For Smoke is where it all began.

Recorded as a solo-piano showcase for Byard’s incredible gifts as a player, composer, and jazz historian, the exquisitely engineered session is given new life by Bernie Grundman’s sensitive remastering. With this release, Candid is hoping to make Jaki Byard’s very first album the rosetta-stone of jazz piano it was intended to be.

All songs recorded and mixed by Pat Lilley at Nexus Recording Studio in Waukesha
Wisconsin between 1998-1999. Songs 1,2, and 4 originally appeared on Parallel
Chlorophyll Regions (Highwater Records 005) 1998. Song 3 originally appeared on
Akarso/Seven Days of Samsara Split 7" (Ricky Schroeder Fan Club 001) 2000. Songs
5-8 originally appeared on Akarso/Faraquet Split CD (404 Records 002) 1999.
Milwaukee's underground scene of the late 1990s harbored many hidden gems, and
Akarso is certainly one of its finest. Blending elements of post-hardcore, math rock,
screamo, and noise rock, the trio quickly made a name for themselves during their
short yet intense existence. Their chaotic and intricate sound earned them a loyal
following within math and post-hardcore circles, and they toured extensively, leaving
behind a legacy that would influence the Midwest's underground music scene for
years to come. With Leave Quietly: 1997-1999, Akarso's complete recorded catalog has
been unearthed, giving listeners a chance to experience the raw energy and innovative
sound of a band that was well ahead of its time. Released through Expert Work
Records, this LP collects Akarso's recorded output from their brief but impactful run.
Featuring Nathan Lilley on vocals and guitar (who would later gain notoriety with Call
Me Lightning), Joe Wong on drums (now a prolific composer for TV and film and host
of The Trap Set ), and Greg Roteik on bass (of Key of Evil fame), the trio's musical
chemistry is undeniable. Their dynamic interplay and knack for combining dissonance
with technical precision is immediately apparent, and this collection serves as both a
time capsule and sheer example of their musical skills.
The songs feel unpolished in the best possible way, full of jagged guitar riffs, off-kilter
rhythms, and aggressive vocals. It's easy to hear why Akarso garnered attention
during their brief career: their music demanded attention. Tracks from the collection
highlight their ability to balance complex structures with visceral energy, reflecting
their post-hardcore roots while pushing into more experimental territory. At the heart
of Akarso's sound is their seamless blending of math rock's technical precision with
the ferocity of post-hardcore and noise rock. The intricate guitar work of Nathan Lilley,
coupled with the driving rhythms of Joe Wong and the powerful basslines of Greg
Roteik, creates a tense and unpredictable musical experience. Time signatures shift
without warning, dissonant riffs collide with frenetic drumming, and Lilley's vocals
pierce through the chaos with a cathartic and desperate intensity.
It's a challenging, chaotic, and emotionally charged album that captures the intensity
of Akarso's live performances and the raw energy of their songwriting. More than two
decades later, Akarso's music remains as vital and relevant as ever, and this collection
that their legacy will continue to inspire future generations of musici

A Lost Hi-NRG Gem Returns – After 38 Years!

Another iconic diamond of German electronic disco is finally back on vinyl after 38 years! This is no ordinary reissue – it’s a Mike Mareen production, the mastermind behind the legendary “Love Spy”. Released under his Night’n’Day Records, a label that ruled the ’80s dancefloors, this track is pure Hi-NRG gold.

Enter “Roadrunner”, a high-energy banger from Jeff Harrison, this time hiding behind the alias U.K.. Packed with playful synths, an electrifying tempo, and Jeff’s dynamic vocals, this track is made for the dancefloor—like a fitness trainer hyping you up for that final rep!

But that’s not all! This special edition also includes never-before-released versions straight from the original recording session. Stored on tape, buried in a drawer for 38 years, and now – FINALLY – ready to hit your turntable.

Get it. Spin it. Feel the energy!

The complete LP + 2 bonus tracks - limited edition pressing on 180g vinyl

Although Chet Baker and Bill Evans were both highly lyrical and introspective players who could have made a fabulous partnership, they only ever recorded together on a couple or so occasions. By the time the recordings here were made, Chet Baker had been a star for less than a decade and this wholly instrumental album presents him accompanied by other great jazz stars with whom he would also rarely play and record with again.

"Chet Baker's penultimate session for Riverside produced an all-star lineup to support him, including jazz heavyweights Pepper Adams, Bill Evans, and Kenny Burrell. Each of them makes important contributions to the session. A good place to hear Baker's special way with the horn is made even more attractive with the presence and contributions of top jazz artists." - ***** Dave Nathan, AllMusic

Best known as a founder member of Submotion Orchestra, as well as Matthew Halsall’s pianist for many years & lately keyboardist for Portico Quartet, Taz Modi now returns with his long-awaited second solo album - the haunting and elegant ‘Involuntary Memories’ on Sehnsucht Records.

Recorded across the country on a number of different pianos, the album builds upon the eclectic nature of his debut ‘Reclaimed Goods’ by aiming to bring as wide a range of expression into post-classical piano music as possible, whilst also melding subtle electronic influences.

FIRST TIME EVER ON LP
LIMITED EDITION CLEAR VINYL - ONLY 1000 UNITS PRESSED
COMPACT DISC BACK IN PRINT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS - Now On 8 Panel Digi-Pak
FINAL SMITHEREENS ALBUM WITH ORIGINAL LEAD SINGER PAT DiNIZIO
PRODUCED BY DON DIXEN (REM, GIN BLOSSOMS, MARSHALL CRENSHAW)

“Crushing chronic chords with the dyne-rhythm section to fuel it all, are not only still here, but stronger than ever”. No Depression

"Everything in Smithereens' world is like a film noir shot in psychedelic colors. But this New Jersey band has a talent for creating fresh variations that prevent dust or mist from clouding their music. "Smithereens 2011" reaches a peak with the song that opens the album, the sour-tempered yet utterly transporting "Sorry.” Ken Tucker, NPR

"Wholly satisfying blast of classic Smithereens songcraft and melodicism, colored with Pat DiNizio’s impassioned vocals, Jim Babjak’s thick-toned, stinging guitar, Dennis Diken’s imaginative, powerful drum work and Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion’s stylish bass. The entire collection sounds like a return to The Smithereens’ mid-to-late ’80s glory years, both song and performance-wise.” GOLDMINE MAGAZINE

“And 2011’s songs – the songs! – vintage! Picks up where Green Thoughts left off. Pop Dose

K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria) is the ninth studio album by French rock band Magma. The album was Magma's first full-length studio release in just under 20 years. The material was largely composed by drummer Christian Vander in 1973–74, and fragments of it can be heard on Magma's 1977 live album Inédits. K.A is sung almost entirely in Magma's constructed language Kobaïan. This album is part of the Köhntarkösz cycle of albums. Christian Vander revisited an old unrecorded composition and gave it a very succesfull modern-day reinterpretation Introducing a new group sound that blends the vintage "Da Zeuhl" elements from Magma's Kohntarkosz-era material and the engrossing cosmic jazz and massed vocals of Vander's later group, Offering. The lineup featured here is very similar to the one appearing on the 2001 live CD and DVD Theusz Hamtaakh La Trilogie au Trianon. The album is a must-have for die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

K.A. is now available as a remastered 2LP in a gatefold sleeve. The record is cut at 45rpm for the ultimate audio experience.

44th Move is the combined creative force of pianist & composer Alfa Mist, alongside drummer & producer Richard Spaven. As individuals, the duo have solidified their unrivalled reputations as world class Jazz talents, as exemplified by Alfa’s hugely influential albums such as ‘Antiphon’ & ‘Variables’ and Richard's legendary drum work with the likes of Flying Lotus and Goldie. Initially causing a stir back in 2020 when their joint project first emerged with their genre busting forays into Dance and Hip Hop.

Moving into 2025, they now prepare to elevate the levels, and unleash their debut collaborative album ‘Anthem’ via trailblazing Bristolian label Black Acre. Presenting their debut LP, the pair strive to continue the tradition of adopting a mindstate centred around research and development - pushing themselves to continually learn and grow, raising the bar and uplifting the art form.

Launching with first single ‘The Move’, cascading chords elegantly pave the way for Detroit-based rapper Quelle Chris to take centre-stage and deliver purpose-driven lyrics, calling for grit and consistency through life’s challenges. Second single ‘Free Hit’ deploys a scattered junglist break, punctuated by mysterious chord progressions and an enticing, gradually unfurling brass section. Also featuring guest appearances from Bristol turntablist royalty Awkward, ‘Anthem’ moves seamlessly through diverse sonic terrains, the LP traverses Hip-Hop, Techno & DnB, whilst remaining firmly its Jazz-centric sensibilities. On the album’s creation, Richard Spaven says - "The essence of 44th Move is to take the traditional disciplines of live musicianship into electronic forms and compositions. Alfa and I have an aligned appetite to break new ground with every project we do and this is the core ethos of the album".A refined, shifting and accomplished album, it highlights the moment of magic waiting to happen when great minds meet

Best known as a founder member of Submotion Orchestra, as well as
Matthew Halsall's pianist for many years & lately keyboardist for Portico
Quartet, Taz Modi now returns with his long-awaited second solo album - the
haunting and elegant 'Involuntary Memories' on Sehnsucht Records
Recorded across the country on a number of different pianos, the album builds upon
the eclectic nature of his debut 'Reclaimed Goods' by aiming to bring as wide a range
of expression into post-classical piano music as possible, whilst also melding subtle
electronic influences

The Gramophone 'Record of the Year' winning team of Stephen Hough and
the CBSO are joined by the principle conductor Sakari Oramo in this
benchmark recording of Saint-Saens' complete concertos

Forming part of Hyperion's iconic 'Romantic Piano Concerto' series, these
performances combine all the elegance required for the Frenchman's music with the
utmost bravura. Saint- Saens himself was a formidable pianist and his rare 1904 (!)
78rpm recording of Africa has until now been matchless; finally in Stephen Hough's
performance he has a rival

These two vinyl records showcase the legacy left by the boogaloo movement in Peru between 1966 and 1975. They comprise twenty-two songs by seventeen artists who recorded on the remarkable local label MAG more than five decades ago and now invite today’s new generations to dance body and soul to these re-releases. You will find outstanding tracks by the likes of Tito Chicoma, Melcochita, Los Kintos, Otto Rojas, Coco Lagos among many others. MAG was one of the most important and prolific labels in Peru and, though it also was involved in releasing a lot of other types of music, its specialty was the tropical variety, which coincidentally, DJs and collectors seem to crave most. Peru developed a major boogaloo scene in the mid-60s, far from the genre’s place of origin, New York, where iconic songs like 'Bang Bang' and 'El Pito', fused soul and funk with Latin sounds, conquering dance halls and winning extensive radio airplay. The music trend soon spread to Caribbean countries and from there made the geographical leap to the city of Lima. 'El Pito', the collective creation of the Joe Cuba Sextet, was particularly popular. Shorn of overelaborate arrangements, the improvisation and spontaneity of the song resonated with the young generation who were avid for new music after the U.S. placed an embargo on the distribution of Cuban music. In July 1966, Rebeca Llave´s label, Disperú, released the 45 RPM of 'El Pito' (and Joe Cuba's LP), promoting the single in the most prestigious newspaper in the country: El Comercio. The press information stated that the record had sold seventy thousand copies in New York and fifty thousand in Los Angeles. That same year local dance versions by the bands of Alfredo Linares (MAG) and Lucho Macedo (El Virrey) were released, followed by another by the band of the Argentinean musician Enrique Lynch who was based in Peru (Sono Radio). These records were a hit with a new generation that embraced Lucho Macedo's band and the garage rock of Los York's with equal enthusiasm. Although Joe Bataan claimed that boogaloo was killed off at the end of the sixties by the labels and their veteran musicians (who conspired against the new generation of singers), Pete Rodriguez, Richie Ray and the Lebrón Brothers continued to release boogaloo records in Peru, but salsa music soon took over.

Milky Chance are preparing to release their first official live album, "Live From Vienna (FM4 Session)". The recording captures the magic of Milky Chance's captivating performance with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. This special release features fan favorites across all of their catalog including "Flashed Junk Mind," "Don't Let Me Down", a stunning rendition of "Tainted Love," all reimagined with breathtaking orchestral arrangements. Most recently, their global smash "Living In A Haze'" reached over 100 million streams and 1.2 Billion Tiktok views. Along with hits "Colorado" and "Synchronize", "Living In A Haze'" featured on their fourth studio album of the same name which was released in June 2023 on their own Muggelig Records. Delivering over 600 million streams, achieved Gold certification in Germany and Canada and debuted on charts across the globe including the US, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. In 2024, the band achieved the highest streams ever for some of their biggest hits including 'Stolen Dance', 'Flashed Junk Mind' and 'Down By The River' of which all songs have been reimagined on this special live release. Pre-order "Live From Vienna (FM4 Session) now and get 'Flashed Junk Mind', 'Living In A Haze', 'Cocoon' and 'Fado' instantly and experience Milky Chance like never before. Milky Chance: "After ten years of our band's journey, it was exciting to give our music a new form and let the songs shine anew. Instead of merely accompanying our tracks with an orchestra, we aimed to create a cohesive band experience. Through the new arrangements, we have built a bridge between modern electronic music and the classical orchestral world. It has exceeded our expectations, and we are very happy to have had this opportunity."

WHO IS ULTAN O’BRIEN? Ultan O’Brien is a fiddle player and composer from the wilds of County Clare in the West of Ireland. Ultan is a performer as well as a regular at sessions all of Ireland and can be found by chance in any pub in Dublin, Cork or some remote village on the edge of nowhere, flying jigs and reels around the room. Ultan was reared in the rich tradition of Irish music which is so commonly found and heard in Co Clare, but he also delves deep into sound art and experimental music. He has often been heard in the back of a car after a few pints quoting lines from Alvin Lucier or speaking at length about improvisation and its place in modern Irish music. Ultan O’Brien is a fresh and vital player who has much to offer with his unique approach and technique to a tradition so old and ever ready for a subtle change every 100 years or so. Ultan has played and recorded with people and bands such as Skipper’s Alley, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, John Francis Flynn, Slow Moving Clouds, Cuar, Laura Jurd, Martin Green, Natalia Beylis, Paul Roe and Nic Gareiss. ‘in its Ultan’s fiddle playing sincerity of tone it reminds me somewhat of those great caoineadh which were played with such elusive grandeur by Denis Murphy and Pádraig O’Keefe’ Adrian Scahill ‘lets the heart brighten and the feet tap’ Richard Hollingum -KlofMag


ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL ALBUM: ‘This album, Dancing the Line, is my first solo album of music played on an alternatively-tune alto fiddle. I found that the resonance and growl of this lower tuned instrument sat me perfectly into the sound-world I wanted to be in, giving vibrancy to my own compositions and nestling into the traditional music I grew up with.’

A new pressing of last years, end of year poll favourite album THE COURETTES `The Soul Of_' LP on ORANGE VINYL! "Ultra-catchy. A wicked side of garage soul" - CLASH // "One of their catchiest pieces yet, Sassy, groovy, toe-tapping" - CLASSIC ROCK // "A giddying rush of noise" - MOJO // "The real sound of now busting through my door, new songs that keep kicking the history forward. I can't imagine my turntable without The Courettes" - David Fricke, ROLLING STONE // And features SHINDIG MAGAZINES Single of the year 2024 `Keep Dancin'.

Words from the label:

Dark moody vocals meet super disco beats: This is what it sounds like when pioneering DJ and producer Jens Mahlstedt invites Saâda Bonaire over to his studio.

Stephanie Lange and Claudia Hossfeld, the original singers of legendary Eighties band Saâda Bonaire, plus founding member Ralph “von” Richthoven are teaming up four decades later for two very special takes on “You Could Be More As You Are”. Out now, exclusively on twelve inch vinyl.

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY has had more than its share of out-of-nowhere bands following from the second big bang that was punk rock. The Babylon Dance Band, Circle X, Your Food, Squirrel Bait, Bastro...these are but some of the exceptional music acts originating in Louisville after 1977. Now it"s time for the great secret of the Louisville first-wave punk scene to be revealed: The Endtables. The Endtables were the crazed brainchild of guitarist Alex Durig, brooding chess-master of the amplified freak-out, and singer Steve Rigot, a flamboyant transgender giant from the shores of southern Indiana who reinvented himself as a Warhol Factory superstar. Like Scarlett O"Hara wrapped in a green velvet curtain, Rigot crafted his own glamorous reality from what was available in the blasted cultural landscape of 1970"s Kentucky. Gold spray paint, duct tape, Ace bandages ... a spectacularly other trailblazer who caused folks to toss their received ideas of beauty and go with the new thing instead. The band first took the stage in late 1978 and was finished by the summer of 1980. In the fall of 1979 they recorded six tracks at a Louisville studio, four of which came out on a 7" EP on their own Tuesday Records. The two remaining tracks ("White Glove Test" and "Trick or Treat") were issued as a single on Self Destruct records in 1991. Both records are among the rarest of any American punk release - more sought after than seen, passed on disintegrating cassette tapes and shouted over upon impact. The music of The Endtables is another chapter in pure American weirdness, as jaw-locking today as the day it was recorded. The scent of modern can be detected in Steve Rigot"s remote vocalese, set against Alex Durig"s guitar outbursts, while drummer Steven Jan Humphrey and bassist Albert Durig (age fifteen!) supply frenzied rhythm. The band rocks its fevered vision to a ferocious degree while Rigot grimly rhymes the truths that remained locked out of the public"s pop tastes in "79-"80. Thirty years of rap and roll later, The Endtables seem inevitable.

Die experimentelle LP Krazy Karl von NNAMDI aus dem Jahr 2020 wurde von dem Looney Tunes und Merrie Melodies Komponisten Carl Stalling inspiriert. Eine fast komplett instrumentale Reihe von surrealen, jazzigen, cartoonhaften Drehungen und Wendungen, die daran erinnern sollen, wie es ist "wenn dein Gehirn versucht deinen Schädel zu verlassen, du es aber immer wieder in deine Nase zurückstößt". Es ist eine weitere Reizüberflutung von einem Künstler, der zu erfinderisch ist, um ignoriert zu werden. Nicht als Streaming verfügbar und ursprünglich in einer kleinen Auflage von 300 LPs veröffentlicht, die sofort ausverkauft waren. Hier die 2025 Nachpressung.

Clear marble vinyl. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Shooting Star made history as the first American band signed to Virgin Records. Their 1980 self-titled debut, produced by Gus Dudgeon (renowned for his work with Elton John), showcased a powerful blend of melodic rock, soaring harmonies, and violin-infused arrangements. Recorded in England in 1979, the album gained national attention with AOR radio staples like "You Got What I Need," "Bring It On," and "Tonight." However, it was "Last Chance" that truly stood out_later praised by AllMusic as "one of the finest songs ever." With a lineup featuring Van McLain, Gary West, Charles Waltz, Bill Guffey, Ron Verlin, and Steve Thomas, Shooting Star blended classic rock with orchestral textures, crafting a unique and memorable sound. Though they never reached mainstream superstardom, their debut album remains a hidden gem of heartland rock, capturing the energy and ambition of a band on the rise.

Clear Vinyl. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Shooting Star made history as the first American band signed to Virgin Records. Their 1980 self-titled debut, produced by Gus Dudgeon (renowned for his work with Elton John), showcased a powerful blend of melodic rock, soaring harmonies, and violin-infused arrangements. Recorded in England in 1979, the album gained national attention with AOR radio staples like "You Got What I Need," "Bring It On," and "Tonight." However, it was "Last Chance" that truly stood out_later praised by AllMusic as "one of the finest songs ever." With a lineup featuring Van McLain, Gary West, Charles Waltz, Bill Guffey, Ron Verlin, and Steve Thomas, Shooting Star blended classic rock with orchestral textures, crafting a unique and memorable sound. Though they never reached mainstream superstardom, their debut album remains a hidden gem of heartland rock, capturing the energy and ambition of a band on the rise.

Falling Ethics welcomes Berlin based Nastia Reigel with a first full EP for the label. Having contributed one track to last year's label anniversary compilation, she now delivers four of her excellent forceful techno jams to form the Over And EP. Over the course of four tracks there's a constant tension that combines sturdy drum patterns and propulsive grooves. The kick drums are playful and the thundering bass lines strengthen this impeccable outburst of energy even more. It's a high intensity pack of dancefloor focussed techno with many mischievous details that stand out.

Sonny Boy Williamson (Alex Miller 1912 - 1965) was one of the most inspiring
harmonica players in blues history. Though he took his name from another well-known
harmonica player, no one really sounded like him. Williamson developed his own
signature harmonica style, always showing a metronome like timing and an endlessly
inventive technique.
This release consists of Sonny Boy's complete debut LP, Down And Out Blues ,
originally released in 1959 on the Chess Records subsidiary label, Checker. Featuring
Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Willie Dixon, and Otis Spann, among others.
Sonny Boy Williamson toured England with American Folk Blues Festival in 1963 and
1965 and appeared on the iconic tv music show Ready Steady Go (8 January 1965)
backed by UK band,The T-Bones with Gary Farr.

Felix's impassioned F minor quartet was the fiercely personal response to his
sister's death in 1847, only a few months before his own
The Takacs Quartet frames it with equally committed accounts of a much earlier
work, and Fanny's own important contribution to the genre.

Now available on LP for the first time

Known for his indie-folk-inspired singer-songwriter music that envelops emotions and
moods in intimate, breathtakingly beautiful soundscapes, Cunningham has built a
massive following over the years, amassing more than half a billion streams.
With 'In Light', he wanted to push boundaries. Inspired - and unsettled - by the rapid
development of artificial intelligence, he sought to capture the essence of raw human
creativity. The result is a collection of ten tracks, recorded over five weeks in
Tottenham, North London. These songs-- captured as single takes with minimal
editing-- immerse the listener in a profound stream of consciousness. Cunningham
explores personal truths and reflects on the world's complexities, from the unsettling
grip of big data to the hope that genuine human connection still offers. As he sings in
'This I Know', "The best is yet to be / I believe." The album's title, 'In Light', reflects
Cunningham's optimism, shining through even in darker moments. "We're here right
now / Let's be here again tomorrow," he urges in New Symmetry, concluding with the
poignant affirmation, "I am leaving a light on".

The complete LP + 4 bonus tracks - limited edition pressing on 180g vinyl

As one of the most sensual singers in the history of jazz, Julie London's risque album covers were as much a part of her legend as her sultry and husky vocals.

Like many of her albums, London by Night brings together songs that form a narrative of a lovelorn woman finding true love, getting dumped, and wandering around sadly until finding romantic redemption in the final song.

As highlighted in the AllMusic review by Nick Dedina -"It also shows how 1950s audiences were dealing with the same issues of self-worth and esteem that modern ones are grappling with, and why classic albums such as 'London By Night' still have a place in music collections".

Members went on to Sinkane, and Pompeii, This Morning. Originally recorded in the
summer of 2005 out west, while on tour, by Vince Tennant. The recording had been
shelved and unreleased. In 2023, Expert Work Records reached out to Sweetheart and
got the recording re-mastered. It will be released on limited vinyl and digital.
This is also a companion piece/ record with EW018 (Sweetheart- The Process of
Making Us Well). We highly suggest getting both records.
Sweetheart's "The Unbearable Tightness Of Being" is one of those records you should
put on your radar as soon as possible. A rediscovered artifact from 2005, the album is
a sonic panorama that intricately incorporates post- hardcore, noise rock, punk,
screamo, and indie elements into an innovative and complex sonic landscape. The
guitars, wielded with finesse, serve as the driving force behind Sweetheart's sonic
assault. From the opening chords to the closing refrains, they deliver a relentless
barrage of riffs that defy predictability. The interplay between the two guitarists
manifests as a dynamic dialogue - a musical conversation that seamlessly transitions
from chaotic dissonance to moments of clarity. Catchy, intricate, and hypnotic chord
progressions unfold, evoking the spirit of At The Drive-In and Fugazi while carving a
distinct sonic identity.
However, it's not merely about sonic assault; Sweetheart infuses the album with a
nuanced approach to melody. Amidst the aggressive riffage, this material treats
listeners with moments of harmonic beauty and unexpected melodic twists. Themes,
leads, melodies, and harmonies intermingle, creating a rich auditory experience that
transcends the boundaries of conventional post-hardcore.
The production quality of this long- lost gem further accentuates its brilliance.
Recorded in 2005 but kept in the shadows due to financial constraints and a desire for
perfection, the album has now found its moment in the sun. Expert Work's decision to
release the LP in 2024 has allowed audiences to appreciate the intelligent
craftsmanship that went into its creation.
"The Unbearable Tightness Of Being" is more than a musical journey; it's a sonic
exploration transcending all the possible sonic boundaries. Sweetheart's commitment
to experimentation and honesty, as emphasized by band members reflecting on their
creative process, is palpable. The act of listening, treated as a discipline, is evident in
the careful construction of each track - a result of repetitive practice, internalization,
and an unwavering dedication to their craft. In the grander narrative of the album's
release, the band's reflections on the passage of time and the meaning of their work
imbue the music with a poignant depth.
"The Unbearable Tightness Of Being" is a mandatory addition to any record collection.
It's not just a revival of the early 2000s scene; it's a sheer example of Sweetheart's
enduring brilliance and a celebration of a significant part of their musical legacy.

Elvis' debut LP, titled Elvis Presley, was the first rock album to reach number one on
the US charts. It was recorded for the RCA label, which had paid what was then a
king's ransom to buy his contract from Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis. The
album was produced by Steve Sholes, head of RCA's Country & Western and Rhythm &
Blues division, and released in March 1956.
"This was as startling a debut record as any ever made, representing every side of
Elvis' musical influences except gospel - rockabilly, blues, R&B, country, and pop were
all here in an explosive and seductive combination. Elvis Presley became the first rock
& roll album to reach the number one spot on the national charts, and RCA's first
million dollar-earning pop album." - ***** Bruce Eder, AllMusic

After forming a friendship with Japanese hip-hop talent DJ Motive, Hell Yeah is releasing his previously CD-only album Sunset Sunrise. After initially being released as a promo to support the 7 inch lead single 'Sunrise,' it now comes on 2 x 12 inch for the first time with fresh mastering by Justin Drake. DJ Motive hails from Gifu, a small and charming city 30 minutes from Nagoya. From there he has built up a cult following for his blend of Latin, jazz and hip-hop beats over a number of albums and EPs in the last 20 years. He is also the producer behind the DeadBundy outfit that was previously remixed by countryman Calm on this label's Calm Reworks EP back in 2020. Thanks to a link from Calm, Hell Yeah founder Marco first hooked up with Motive in the pre-Covid days, twice playing his Alffo event in Gifu and hanging out to chat music. One of the many things that came up was a CD of Sunset Sunrise which has remained on firm rotation on Marco's stereo ever since and is a worldly trip into sample-heavy sounds, indie rock, hip-hop and jazz. Opener 'Sunrise' ft. Deadbundy & Chemical Codex opens with drums that lap like gentle waves on a beach as thoughtful strings and filtered vocals add to the sense of bliss. From there, DJ Motive lays down lazy broken beats and twinkling melodies that take your head above the clouds amongst lush pads and nostalgic samples. 'Chill On A Lotus' sounds like a damaged old tape as vocals, chords and strings all get smudged and smeared into a heavenly ambient soundscape, and there are plenty of loose mixes of dusty drums and jazzy keys, 'Howling 2 You' is a fusion of jazz drums and Balearic energy that slowly sweeps you off your feet and 'Walker' has squelch synth bass and heat damaged keys.

This escapist trip carries on through more broken beats and yacht rock, inquisitive jazz interludes and sunset grooves that all come with a heavy sense of inward reflection. The fragments of vocal are like half-remembered dreams, and the hooks remind of a forgotten lover while the louche beats move things forward with subtle optimism. Sunset Sunrise takes you through a full day in the life of DJ Motive and it makes for a vibrant collage of sound that reveals something new with every listen.

"Stoned Immaculate" (1991) ist das wohl bekannteste Dub Syndicate-Album, aufgenommen zwischen Jamaika und London. Zu den rockigen Rhythms des Bandleaders Style Scott gesellen sich weitere Topmusiker wie Skip McDonald (git), Lee "Scratch" Perry und Akabu on vocals, Leith Levene (keys), sowie Samples des verstorbenen, großartigen Prince Far I. Es markiert eine Zeit, in der das Label von Acid-House-Fans ebenso angenommen wurde wie von Hardcore-Dub-Fans, und diese LP zum festen Bestandteil der "Comedown"-Session nach dem Rave wurde. Der Titeltrack ist eine wahre On-U-Sound-Hymne, die Reggae, ausgeflippte Electronica, The Doors und Motown zu einem epischen Groove vermischt. Das seit Jahren vergriffene Vinylformat wurde von Frank Merritt im The Carvery neu geschnitten und enthält rare Fotos von Coneyl Jay und neue Linernotes von Rob Harris (Testpressung).

A match made in dancefloor heaven, as two worlds collide with LDN partystarters Make A Dance committing their official remix of indie rock four-piece, Django Django’s percussive bumper ‘Don't Touch That Dial’ to vinyl for a limited pressing, complete with vinyl only dub mix on the flip.

Already squarely aimed at the club, the Make A Dance duo take the original to stratospheric heights, flipping it into a body-popping, electro bomb which sits Japanese singer Yuuko’s vocals centre stage intertwined with glitching synth lines and acid armoury to turn this into a full frontal, downright infectious firecracker.

On the B, the vinyl only exclusive dub mix let’s those juiced up, electro grooves fly as deft hints of Yuuko’s vocals bounce around your brain.

Cop now or forever hold your peace.

Introducing the ultimate Rock and Power Ballads collection - NOW That’s What I Call Rock Anthems – Out 31st May! Get ready to crank up the volume and let the music take you on a journey through 79 epic hits, spread across 4 CDs.and with 45 epic hits on 3-LP’s pressed in stunning Neon Violet Vinyl

I wrote The Shit Punx Hate for Realicide in 2005. This version was made for Decide Today around a decade later, maybe 2015? It was about the pathetic narrow-minded dogmas that were common in Cincinnati punk, being discriminated against when our approach defied dominant aesthetic criteria, chronically misunderstood and rejected without consideration.

This experience in my formative years led to a long path of thought as I entered adulthood. Those feelings of being "other"ed, treated poorly based on who I was, started to seem less significant compared to the prejudices I saw friends faced with. Targets of bigotry due not to a subcultural choice, but aspects of themselves they were born into. Of course I mean things like race, gender, class, abilities. If being dissed by punk rockers sucked for me, imagine what it must feel like being the only black kid in a social circle that can't even recognize its own racism, the only woman in places misogyny is the celebrated standard, having a non-white family at risk of deportation, growing up "male" or "female" when you've always known they are wrong about you, etc. This was my mental gateway into prioritizing these struggles, wanting to become an ally, then even more so an accomplice.

Revolutionary Reason was written in 2018 during my time working with Mass Action for Black Liberation, and revised abruptly this year while recording for this record, as it was inconceivable not to address the epitome of merciless colonial atrocity orchestrated by the state of Israel. While I write this, the IOF is massacring families in the West Bank. The death toll in Palestine is currently estimated at around 41,000 and it hasn't even been a year since this modern Nakba began. I hope these songs help make apparent that whatever you said you "would do" during Jim Crow America, Nazi Germany, Apartheid South Africa, any archetypal history now synonymous with wrongness, yes I can confirm NOW IS THAT TIME to do it ...if you were for real about it that is.

Big respect to my Arab friends who are so patient while I learn the stuff my school conveniently omitted, to my Jewish friends tirelessly combating the violence of their ethnicity being shackled to a cult of Zionism, to native resistance across Turtle Island that articulates so well that this fight is also still/always very domestic, to contemporary hiphop telling today's stories while rock music often merely offers retro fashion, and of course to Kieren and Borg my homies in OZ.

All my love to intifada direct action everywhere dismantling the imposed global suicide pact that is white supremacist capitalism.

~ Robert Inhuman 28 August 2024

Eurorack tweaker, 8-bit master, king of carnival madness, Dutch producer Solo Moderna is back with his female alter ego singer Krage, for a perfect fusion of Afro-Latin and Caribbean rhythms with modern synth pop. Highly entertaining, Clever and unique blend of organic sounds, samples and vintage synths tweaking, "Daïsm" is a fun and enjoyable journey to the frontiers between electro, mento, dub, rocksteady, contemporary African rhythms and cumbia with a twist.

Certainly not your average tropical music. This new album is definitely a step up for the eccentric artist, as he's now reached the next level of mastering the fusion of genres and the art of blending organic sounds with electronic elements. Solo Moderna is one of the few “electro” artists you can immediately recognise when you hear one of his songs. In the creative process of “Daïsm”, Solo Moderna met his soulmate singer, Krage, who sings in a delightful mixture of English, French, Spanish and Jamaican Patois. Together, they found their very own way of expressing their love for nature and diversity through universal language.

UK-born DJ, producer and label boss Jimpster debuts on cult label Nu Groove in 2025 with a fresh set of four originals, The Phoenix EP, now on wax. Across this four-track collection, Jimpster showcases over two decades of production expertise, starting with a title track that showcases a club-ready sound built for the underground; ‘The Phoenix’ builds a tight groove through the ebb and flow of overlapping rhythmic patterns. What follows is ‘Lightening In Me’ featuring vocals from East London’s Oliver Night, an electronic artist and songwriter whose work has been supported by the likes of tastemakers Kerri Chandler, Gilles Peterson and Honey Dijon.

Rounding off the EP is ‘Beat Of An Era’ and ‘You Got My Love’, two select cuts that demonstrate Jimpster’s mastery of the deep house scene, complete with dreamy synthwork and jazz inflections. With vinyl alive and well in 2025, The Phoenix EP is a must-have for the modern wax aficionado.

Sharpening his modernist, hybridised club sound with the restless energy he’s made his name on, Breaka returns with Aeoui. Nodding to the vowel-only vocal samples he scatters throughout his tracks, this much-anticipated second album reaffirms Charlie Baker’s reputation as a many-sided bass music innovator.

Since 2019, Breaka has been primarily shaping his own destiny by self-releasing most of his music, and it’s afforded him the space to evolve his sound on his own terms. In the wake of his 2022 debut LP We Move, the consistently prolific producer had been looking for a fitting window to channel his work into a second full-length. The opportunity arose when he struck on a fit of jet-lagged inspiration in late 2023 and laid down two of the new album’s key tunes, ‘squashy track’ and ‘yolo bass rewind’. Jutting out at a distinct angle from his other work, Breaka knew he’d found the anchor point around which to build out the next phase of his sonic evolution.

This productive period also aligned with a new studio space to work in, leading to the album’s striking double-dose opening of ‘Aeoui’ and ‘Are We There’. With the flavour of his new album established, Breaka was able to comb back through his reams of existing ideas and find the remaining pieces that fit the emerging puzzle. There are enduring influences which bind together the Breaka sound — footwork, techno and dancehall continue to guide the infectious floor-ready pressure of the record, but he worked free of stylistic concerns to find a vibe that remained true to his independent spirit.

It’s clear the Breaka DNA reaches beyond purist club music — his roots as a jazz drummer from an early age guide the expressive flair in his beat programming, while he took a more direct influence from a mind-blowing Sons Of Kemet gig in 2022 to make psychedelic centre-piece ‘Roundhouse’. Elsewhere ‘Cascara’ pays tribute to the Afro-Cuban rhythm of the same name, which he fused with amapiano’s lithe log drums and shakers, Brazilian percussion and edgy sound design to create a maverick soundsystem wrecker.

The collision of organic and synthetic, crisp forms and chaotic energy are captured perfectly in the cover artwork created with Jordan Core. It’s a savvy sum-up of where Breaka is at right now, continually building out with clear intentions while embracing the unpredictable energy of lived experiences and the ideas that get sparked along the way. That’s why Aeoui sounds like no one else out there but Breaka.

'A Toda Cuba le Gusta', the classic debut album by the Afro-Cuban All Stars. The frst in a trilogy of extraordinary albums recorded by World Circuit in a single two-week session
at Havana's EGREM studios, 1996. The other albums, which share many of the same personnel, were 'Buena Vista Social Club' and 'Introducing Rubén González'. Remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analogue tapes and now available
for the frst tme on double 180gm heavyweight vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve and presented alongside a 32 page booklet as part of World Circuit's classic album series. Plays at 45rpm.

Zy The Way hail from Taiwan and are recognised as pioneers of the jazz scene in Asia. Their signature style is to infuse their work with ancient Chinese poetry and their first outing 'A Different Destiny,' reimagined 3,000-year-old poems curated by Confucius and earned them plenty of plaudits. Now, they unveil two EPs as a prelude to their upcoming album. Collaborating with renowned remixers who operate at the jazz-electronic crossroads, they present 'Ten Acres' with a remarkable remix by Mark de Clive Lowe. Maintaining jazz's essence while igniting the dancefloor, this EP bridges East and West, past and present and shows Zy The Way as a transformative musical force who are pushing boundaries.

Robot84 is a master of blending Italo disco and Balearic house into perfectly escapist sounds for grown-up dancefloors and now he returns with Promo Vol 5, another vital drop in his celebrated limited edition vinyl series. This one has four more standout tracks including the lead 'Let's Do It' (Vocal) and its dub counterpart, 'Let's Do It' (Dub) alongside the Balearic-inspired 'Beats From the Far East' (which has already been hammered by the likes of Bill Brewster, Chris Coco and Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy) and the more calming sonic waters of the blissful 'Ambient Love'.

The complete iconic Bill Evans LP Sunday at the Village Vanguard, featuring Scott LaFaro on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. LaFaro would die in a car accident shortly after this LP was recorded. Contains perennial versions of "Solar," "Gloria's Step," and "Alice in Wonderland." This edition also offers an exclusive collector's item consisting of a replica of the very rare Japanese 7" disc Riverside single SR-3033, containing Evans' readings of "My Foolish Heart" and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams."

THE COMPLETE LP + 1 BONUS TRACK - PLUS 7" BONUS SINGLE ON COLORED VINYL INCLUDED INSIDE - 180-GRAM VIRGIN VINYL - LIMITED EDITION

Limited vinyl release for aya's 2021 Hyperdub-debut album, a one-time pressing on Ecomix random colour-mix recycled vinyl. Originally released in 2021 as a book and digital album, im hole is now presented on ecomix splatter-effect vinyl. A welcome reminder ahead of new aya music in 2025. On im hole, aya distilled the incisive sonic experimentation of her early run of releases, the tongue-in-cheek giggles of her DJ sets and edits, and the identity-fluxing lyricism of her live shows. The album was immediately championed from all corners, 'Best New Music' in Pitchfork to DJ Mary Anne Hobbs Album of the Year, followed by incredible live shows which drew new listeners further into the net. Contorting language, dialect, gender and sexuality between intermittently controlled bursts of rhythm, noise and aural goop, aya sculpted a set of autobiographical vignettes that challenge established norms, question supposed truths, and affirm a spectrum of interlocking experiences. But while it's wide open and personal, im hole also challenges queer art's tendency to veer towards repetitive solipsism. Even the title itself references the unwieldy mix of self-actualization and sexualization that bogs down cultural perceptions of the trans experience. It's neither one thing nor t'other, just as much a sly nod to dissociative afterparty sloppiness as it is any self-congratulatory pinkwashed grandstanding. The music follows suit, fragmenting familiar sounds, twinned with familiar words, assembled in unfamiliar ways, full of sharp humour, even in the middle of despair. Stories are muddled with phonetics just as dubstep is macrodosed with microtonal drone.










j B4. If [redacted] Thinks He's Having This As A Remix He Can Frankly Do One

Pieter Van Dessel is not one to stand still when it comes to music: the driving force behind Marble Sounds keeps challenging himself, exploring new horizons on every album. After the more melancholic eponymous fifth album, synths and drums take centre stage for a pure and almost electronic pop sound on sixth effort ‘Core Memory’. The result is sparkling and epic indie pop, often with driving synths and delicious melodies, like on opening track and first single An Emotional High, or If You Would Prove Me Wrong Now, which did very well in The Netherlands too: Marble Sounds made the cover of Spotify's leading ‘New Alternative’ playlist and played a live session for popular NPO Radio 2 show ‘Blokhuis’. Third single Give Or Take A Few is Van Dessel's answer to A Thousand Miles, Vanessa Carlton's smash hit from the beginning of this millennium. “And your thousand miles, I'd walk ’em too”, he sings in a touching ballad reminiscent of Eels and Tom Waits. Like with previous Marble Sounds records, Core Memory was produced by Van Dessel himself. It’s out on 7 March, followed by a release tour in Belgium and The Netherlands, playing lovely venues from Antwerp to Bruges and Utrecht to Maastricht.

Polands Acid Techno maestro Ciuciek remixes 4 classic SUF tracks in to bouncy 303 monsters, these being Magnum Forces A Right Bunch Of Charlies, Rozzers Dogs Now Im Going To Repeat That For Those Of You On Drugs, Carbines SeeSaw, and Timestretch Armstrongs Silver Surfer.

Since its release in March 2024 Perc's album 'The Cut Off' hascontinued to rise in stature with glowing reviews including an 'RA Recommends' award from Resident Advisor , 'Best of 2024' list appearances and tracks such as 'Static' featuring Sissel Wincent and 'Imperial Leather' becoming dance floor hits around the world. The album also spawned a 26 date album tour with shows at festivals and clubs across Europe, USA and South America.
Now 'The Cut Off' returns as two remix EPs containing reworks from a wide range of artists all operating at the cutting edge of forward facing electronic music, with this first EP taking in everything from tough industrial hardcore through deeper sounds all the way to London acid techno.
Opening up the EP is Dutch legend Ophidian, who transforms 'Static' from grinding techno into an epic fusion of hard edged techno and industrial hardcore. Already one of the most requested tracks from Perc's recent sets, this Ophidian remix once heard is never forgotten.
Staying with the Netherlands, Vera Grace shows a relatively new side to her sound moulding Perc's 'Fett23' into a echoing slice of hypnotic techno. Heavy on sound design with a driving synthesised pulse leading the charge Vera's remix constantly builds momentum without ever getting repetitive.
On the B-side Acerbic (aka London acid techno hero Ant) pumps 'Imperial Leather' full of caustic acid with a huge arrangement that never sits still for long. Perc is known as a key supporter of this classic London sound and this remix has been his biggest acid track recently.
Finally Argentina's Zisko becomes the first ever South American artist to appear on Perc Trax. A breakout star of the new wave of groove led percussive techno with multiple recent appearances
at Berghain, Zisko takes deep cut 'Milk Snatcher's Return' and adds swinging hihats and rides and just a touch of dub techno for a perfect example of why his sound is so in demand right now.

Ajay Saggar is BHAJAN BHOY. "With BHAJAN BHOY, Saggar synthesizes all of the stylistic approaches he’s explored over the years, swirling them into an intoxicating musical blend, with an earthy spirituality. Even the project’s name reflects the dual aspects of Saggar’s upbringing coming together in harmony. In Hindi, a “bhajan” is a devotional song, sung in the mandir, or temple, while “bhoy” is a Scottish and Irish derivation for a young man. There’s a searching quality to Bhajan Bhoy, as if Saggar is still hunting for transcendence with each track, whether through an expansive drone, an orchestral facility on the piano, or an electronics-augmented raga that threatens to dip into noise” (Erick Bradshaw / writer and WFMU DJ). This album presents a rich and varied set of compositions that showcase Saggar’s skills as an incredibly talented and accomplished composer and musician. With each and every Bhajan Bhoy LP, you are are carried to a higher place. With ‘Bhoy On The Wire’, the 35 minutes laid out unfolds like a cosmic tapestry, an extraordinary exploration that shimmers and reverberates with newfound vibrancy. The songs were broadcast as part of a session on Steve Barker’s “On The Wire” radio show in April 2024. They were a gift to Steve and his team for 40 years of broadcasting. “On The Wire” is simply the greatest radio show in the world. As Ajay explains in his own words : “In September 1984, I started a degree course at the University of Lancaster. On a wet and soggy Sunday afternoon towards the end of September, I sat in my room staring out at the grey Lancashire landscape, and decided to alleviate the boredom by seeing if there was anything to listen to on the radio. Most of the stations I tuned into were as dull as the weather outside. However, as I neared the end of the FM dial (and was about to give up hope), I chanced upon a station where I was taken by the music being played. That show was “On The Wire”, introduced by Steve Barker. From there on in, every Sunday, between 2-5pm, I tuned into Radio Lancashire to listen. Steve’s shows had an incredible and wide reaching selection of music and genres, that thrilled your ears and left you wanting more. Tied to that, his deep knowledge of the material he played helped the listener dig into the sounds even more, and also left you in admiration of this trait. In 1985, I started putting on DIY shows in Lancaster (inviting the likes of Bog-Shed, bIG fLAME, The Membranes, The Wedding Present, etc etc) and Steve was kind enough to mention the shows on-air, which helped in getting people from different parts of the county to come to the shows. At the tail-end of 1985, he invited me to the studio to come and hang out. When in 1988, the group I was in, Dandelion Adventure, released our first (demo) cassette, it was Steve, who not only played tracks off it, but invited the group to the studio for an interview. Now if you’re a young band, that is a massive thrill! And in 1990, when Dandelion Adventure did a John Peel session, I actually used “On The Wire” jingles (that Steve had put on a cassette and given to me a few years before) on the track “All the World’s A Lounge”. Since then, the show has been a mainstay for me, and so many others around the world, to get turned onto incredible sounds from around the world. And over the course of 40 years, Steve has always supported my music. These six tracks are a 40th birthday gift to the “On The Wire” team (Steve, Michael “Fenny” Fenton (an absolutely critical part of the show), and Jim Ingham (engineer who keeps the technical side of things going)) for sharing so much amazing music, and making the world a better place. They were originally broadcast as an exclusive session in April 2024 on “On The Wire", and are here for your listening pleasure. Music like shower”. Artwork by Jake Blanchard

Im Juni 2023 teilten sich Lust For Youth und Croatian Amor während des Vivid Live Festivals die Bühne im kultigen Sydney Opera House. Diese Begegnung hat ihre kreative Partnerschaft wiederbelebt und den Grundstein für ihr gemeinsames neues Album "All Worlds" gelegt. Inspiriert von der Goldenen Schallplatte, die als Botschaft der Menschheit an das Unbekannte ins All geschickt wurde, spiegelt "All Worlds" diese Sehnsucht nach Verbindung und Verständnis wider. Jeder Track fängt ein Fragment eines Gefühls, einer Kultur oder einer Erinnerung ein und bietet einen kaleidoskopischen Blick auf die menschliche Erfahrung. Der Titel des Albums spiegelt die Idee wider, Fragmente von unterschiedlichen Orten, Gefühlen und Geschichten zu sammeln. Jeder Song enthüllt für sich eine einzigartige Welt, die zu den übergreifenden Themen der Erforschung und Selbstbeobachtung beiträgt. Diese Welten repräsentieren die inneren Landschaften, die wir in uns tragen und die unsere Identität formen. Der Titel ist auch eine Geste der Verbindung - als ob diese Welten durch den Raum schweben und darauf warten, entdeckt und verstanden zu werden. Letztlich verkörpert "All Worlds" die Suche nach Zugehörigkeit und Bedeutung. Auf einer klanglichen Reise durch Isolation, Widerstandsfähigkeit und Wunder verflechten sich introspektive Texte mit üppigen, beschwörenden Klanglandschaften. Die träumerische Atmosphäre, die sowohl für Lust For Youth als auch für Croatian Amor charakteristisch ist, wird durch die hallgetränkte Produktion des Albums beibehalten und verleiht ihm eine ätherische, nostalgische Qualität. Während Themen wie Melancholie und Sehnsucht im Mittelpunkt stehen, sorgen energiegeladene Beats und aufmunternde Arrangements für eine bittersüße Harmonie, die zwischen Verletzlichkeit und Euphorie oszilliert. Das Album markiert einen Wechsel im Tonfall und entfernt sich von den synthiegetriebenen Post-Punk-Wurzeln von Lust For Youth. Stattdessen setzt "All Worlds" auf eine tanzbare Ästhetik, die pulsierende Rhythmen und von Techno inspirierte Motive mit überlagerten Gesangssamples verwebt. Das Ergebnis ist eine strukturierte Klanglandschaft - eine Erkundung der emotionalen Zerbrechlichkeit durch schimmernde Produktion und introspektive Melodien. Zwölf Jahre nach ihrem 2013 erschienenen Ambient-Industrial-Album "Pomegranate" spiegelt "All Worlds" die Entwicklung von Lust For Youth und Croatian Amor wider. Dieses Album ist sowohl eine Antwort auf ihre früheren Arbeiten als auch eine Weiterentwicklung, die von einem Jahrzehnt des Wachstums und der Veränderung geprägt ist. Es vertieft ihre Erforschung von Klang und Bedeutung und spricht direkt zum gegenwärtigen Moment. Wie die Goldene Schallplatte, die im Weltraum treibt, ist "All Worlds" eine Sammlung von Momenten, die darauf warten, sich mit denjenigen zu verbinden, die zuhören wollen.

"There is great power in secrecy. Detached from the world, brewed under a strict code of confidentiality, a new lifeform came into existence. Led by none other than Sonata Arctica frontman Tony Kakko, this new beast of his gained momentum in the massive shadow of his wildly successful power metal superheroes, slowly, steadily, biding its time, waiting for the right moment. This moment is now: With his self-titled debut, Tony Kakko opens the curtains into this strange new world of his just enough to take a first peek – and instantly hunger for more. A master story teller and a wizard of conjuring musical emotions, Himmelkraft stages Kakkos trademark talents in a wholly new, unexpected and thrilling way. To him, the sky truly is the limit, bestowing upon us an album that sounds like nothing else out there – brooding and dark, menacing and eerie, stomping and monumental.




This project sees Tony Kakko enter a fascinating new era. Much like the legendary Elven smiths of old, forging away in solemn silence, Kakko has stopped the wheel of time to reinvent himself and his bold musical vision. Shrouded in mystery, a new being appears in the fog, barely discernible and yet distinct the very moment Tony Kakko starts to sing.

Yet, everything else remains just what it was from the very start – a mystery. Call them songs for a dying world or songs for a world reborn – either way, you will be intrigued how this extraordinary project will develop. And that’s a promise
"

Profile 1
KONISHI yasuharu
Band leader, songwriter, arranger and producer of the now disbanded Pizzicato Five (1985- 2001). Although having 2 successful world tours and 5 international albums under his belt, with fans ranging from London’s Karminsky Experience to Karl Lagerfeld, many of his fans know him as a DJ, spinning in Tokyo’s hotspots such as Shibuya’s ‘Organ Bar’. He tours regularly throughout Japan and abroad. In the Jackson 5 Remix Album, his remix ‘I want you back (readymade 524 mix)’ received an extraordinary amount of national radio play.
The remix album itself has scored healthy rankings in major record stores. In 1998, his own project ‘Punch the Monkey!’ (in which he remixes the theme tune of a popular Japanese cartoon series ‘Lupin the Third’) sold over 700,000 records, and this, some say, began Japan’s remix rush. His achievements truly invaded the mainstream when in 2000, he produced the No.1 single ‘Oha-Rock’ which became a social phenomenon in itself. Most
recently, he set up his own record label, ‘readymade international inc.’ from he which he plans to release new exciting solo works.
His talents also embrace film and photography and he is well known as a director in promotional videos, shows and advertisements. T-shirts and original goods which Konishi personally designed are sold in select shops such as BEAMS of Shibuya.
He is also a writer having regular columns in various magazines, and has also written several books. A collection of his essays have been published under the title ‘Kore wa koi de wa nai’ (’This is not love’
)
Profile 2
IKEDA masanori (Mansfield)
Began his DJ career in London, 1991, while working in Soho’s Soul Jazz Records. After becoming resident DJ at ‘Blow-Up’ in London’s Wag Club, he has toured the country and the rest of Europe. With his friends Karminsky Experience and Gentle People, he has also organised numerous club events, compiled CDs and produced radio programs. Returning to Japan in 1997, as the DJ with the rarest records in the East, he immediately made his name Djing at many popular events up and down the country. He is recognised for rocking dancefloors on a global scale having completed a very well-received European tour in 2000.
Apart from his DJ work, he has contributed remixes for Konishi Yasuharu’s ‘Punch the Monkey!’. His solo releases include his mix CD series ‘Spin Out’ , ‘Spin Out 2’ (V2 Records Japan). His albums ‘6 Complexions of Mansfield’ and ‘It’s a mans’s man’s field’ (readymade records) released under his alias Mansfield have established his name as a sound creator. He is expecting to release a new album from readymade international early 2002. This
is the DJ/composer that everyone’s talking about.

Band leader, songwriter, arranger and producer of the now disbanded Pizzicato Five (1985-2001). Although having 2 successful world tours and 5 international albums under his belt, with fans ranging from London’s Karminsky Experience to Karl Lagerfeld, many of his fans know him as a DJ, spinning in Tokyo’s hotspots such as Shibuya’s ‘Organ Bar’. He tours regularly throughout Japan and abroad. In the Jackson 5 Remix Album, his remix ‘I want you back (readymade 524 mix)’ received an extraordinary amount of national radio play.
The remix album itself has scored healthy rankings in major record stores. In 1998, his own project ‘Punch the Monkey!’ (in which he remixes the theme tune of a popular Japanese cartoon series ‘Lupin the Third’) sold over 700,000 records, and this, some say, began Japan’s remix rush. His achievements truly invaded the mainstream when in 2000, he produced the No.1 single ‘Oha-Rock’ which became a social phenomenon in itself. Most
recently, he set up his own record label, ‘readymade international inc.’ from he which he plans to release new exciting solo works.
His talents also embrace film and photography and he is well known as a director in promotional videos, shows and advertisements. T-shirts and original goods which Konishi personally designed are sold in select shops such as BEAMS of Shibuya.
He is also a writer having regular columns in various magazines, and has also written several books. A collection of his essays have been published under the title ‘Kore wa koi de wa nai’ (’This is not love’)

SUNAGA tatsuo (sunaga t'experience)
DJ and Music Producer. Basing his activities around his own club ‘Shibuya Organ Bar’, holds regular club nights throughout Japan. Apart from his own mix CDs such as the ‘Organ b. SUITE’ which many say is in a class of its own, has produced remixes for the ‘Soul Source 2: Jackson 5 Remix’ and Yasuharu Konishi’s ‘Punch the Monkey’. He began his own label ‘AFTERS OR’ in 1998,acting both as artist and producer. Releasing records under the alias of ‘Sunaga t experience’ on avex/cutting edge records, the ‘It’s you’ 12 inch made record sales of 7,000 records, an incredibly large number in the vinyl market. His name is known in Europe through such labels as IRMA and SCHEMA records, and has remained in the forefront of the industry since the beginning of the Tokyo club scene.

Twenty years after its original release, Kool Keith’s very own mixtape "The Personal Album" is finally making its debut on vinyl. Originally only available on CD, this one-of-a-kind mixtape is a deep dive into the eccentric mind of one of hip-hop’s most enigmatic figures. Known for his outlandish alter egos and boundary-pushing lyrics, Kool Keith delivers his trademark extravaganza of sexual and erotic innuendos, surreal storytelling, and unfiltered rawness that makes this album an essential piece of his discography.

The long-awaited vinyl release features brand-new, exclusive artwork by Dutch artist Rob Worst, capturing the essence of Kool Keith’s provocative and unpredictable style. Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer to Kool Keith’s world, this first-ever vinyl edition of “The Personal Album” is a must-have for collectors and lovers of unconventional hip-hop. Dive into the bizarre, unapologetic genius that only Kool Keith can deliver—now, finally, on wax.

Emanuela Hutter and Oliver Baroni front this Anglo-Italian masterly, modern rockabilly band, making worldwide waves from their home base of Zurich. Highlights of this 2011 relaunch album Buy Beg or Steal include a rockabilly cover of Enola Gay and their classic hit duet between Demented Are Go"s Sparky and Emanuela: My Love For Evermore. The song"s murder ballad viral video now has over 25,000,000 views. An international cult hit, it has also inspired myriad tattoos, multiple 7" pressings and well over fifty cover versions. The LP version features an exclusive extra track.

Waxwork Records is proud to release THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE Original Motion Picture Score by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell.

In celebration of the iconic film’s 50th Anniversary, the long-awaited score album is now available for the very first time in any format.
The film’s original score by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell is an experimental exercise in music compo- sing and performance that utilizes
non-traditional instruments such as suspended cymbals, aluminium saucepans, a children’s toy percussion set, various wildlife calls, whistles, shakers, and more. Waxwork Records’ release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell marks the first time the official score will be made available anywhere.

Waxwork Records is proud to release THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE Original Motion Picture Score by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell.

In celebration of the iconic film’s 50th Anniversary, the long-awaited score album is now available for the very first time in any format.
The film’s original score by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell is an experimental exercise in music compo- sing and performance that utilizes
non-traditional instruments such as suspended cymbals, aluminium saucepans, a children’s toy percussion set, various wildlife calls, whistles, shakers, and more. Waxwork Records’ release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell marks the first time the official score will be made available anywhere.

Fumio Itabashi is a jazz pianist who has garnered global recognition from jazz enthusiasts around the world. Following the success of Watarase ECHO, which compiled previously unreleased takes of his signature work Watarase through the lens of Minoru Wakasugi, a pioneer of the Japanese jazz scene, the second installment of the series, Watarase VOICE, is now being released by P-VINE. This new album focuses on the "voice" aspect, compiling previously unreleased tracks that feature a diverse array of vocalists who participated in Watarase.

Looking back on a remarkable 40-year career, the series carefully selects and presents the Watarase compositions that are most deserving of being heard today. Through this series, listeners can experience a glimpse into Fumio Itabashi’s life and his ongoing passion for expressing the pinnacle of jazz as an art form, a passion that continues to this day. The Watarase series offers a unique opportunity to savor not just the music, but the essence of Itabashi’s dedication to jazz.

Actual Earth Music - Volume 1 & 2’ presents two caustic, yet alluringly unreal live sets from Canadian noise-rock entropy hunters Earth Ball. Following on from the group’s critically appraised ‘It’s Yours’ LP (released 2024 on Upset The Rhythm - UTR164) this release captures the band at the peak of their powers, playing live, composing spontaneously.
Side A features Earth Ball live at The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, supporting Wolf Eyes on August 4, 2023. Jeremy Van Wyck from the band considers this “the gig that sent us into orbit, really. Causing Olson & Young to wax poetic about our interstellar jams to a fine bloke across the big sea. Upsetting our casual rhythm and forcing our hand. All that talk led to an LP, ‘It’s Yours’, and a full UK tour the following spring”.
Now, with the birth of this live series ‘Actual Earth Music’, it seems only fitting that Volume 1 should be this gig. It’s a doozy. Listening back is a pure revelation. Earth Ball whip up a vortex of thrashing wild energy, the ecstatic release is off the charts. “You don’t always catch every nuance of the jams as they come down. I mean, this one felt good, but upon listening back to the tapes, it sounded very good” confides Jeremy. “It reminded me of Von Trier’s Melancholia: the sound of a large sphere coming toward you to bring doom. However, this one reverses course, heading away to some other shore, bathing you in reflective bliss before saying goodbye—instead of ending humanity as we know it”.
Volume 2 occupies Side B of this LP, showcasing a collaborative summit from the second night of their recent Café OTO residency on May 21, 2024. This event featured Earth Ball laying down three separate sets—all collaborations. This second recording presents their opening performance and features pivotal UK improv luminary Steve Beresford on piano and free-jazz phenomenon Chris Corsano on drums.
Running Time: 42 mins

Das Trio aus Mike Alvord, dem Gitarristen und Mitbegründer der legendären Holy Terror, dem italienischen Schlagzeuger Roby Vitari und Bassist Rick Zaccaro, spielt eine Mischung aus klassischem Thrash mit etlichen Killer-Riffs und inhaltlichem Tiefgang. MindWarsn wurde 2013 gegründet, wobei sich ihr Name natürlich auf das zweite Holy-Terror-Album "Mind Wars" (1988) bezieht, doch das Projekt stellt für den Gitarristen ein neues Kapitel dar. "Ich wollte nicht, dass jemand denkt, dies sei eine Fortsetzung von Holy Terror", stellt er klar. "Ich habe es immer als Anhängsel oder Erweiterung betrachtet, und es ist nur natürlich, dass es in unserer Musik Anklänge an Holy Terror gibt." MindWars haben schon einiges an Aufmerksamkeit mit ihren Shows erregt, darunter Auftritte im Vorprogramm von Raven und Mordred sowie Gigs bei Festivals wie Long Live the Loud (USA), Storm Crusher (Deutschland) oder True Thrash (Japan). Mit "V" blickt die Gruppe zuversichtlich nach vorne. "Ich habe Phasen, in denen mir Riffs und Songs in den Sinn kommen, und arbeite schon an neuen Songs", kündigt Mike an. "Aber jetzt freuen wir uns zunächst einmal, eine neue Label-Partnerschaft eingegangen zu sein, und gehen mit etwas Glück in naher Zukunft auf Tour beziehungsweise spielen auf dem einen oder anderen Festival."

Waxwork Records is thrilled to release PHANTASM Original Motion Picture Score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave. In celebration of the iconic Horror film's 45th Anniversary, this special triple LP features the complete score sourced from the original 1979 master tapes for the first time in any format, a full LP of never before released cues from the Phantasm score recordings sessions, and the newly re-mastered original 1979 score album.

Directed by Don Coscarelli, Phantasm has become a horror classic due to its surreal and unconventional storytelling. Filming on weekends over the span of a year, and working with a budget of only $300,000, Coscarelli and his crew created a bizarre, gorey, and entirely original horror film. Some of the most famous aspects of the film, like the floating silver orb, come directly from Coscarelli’s dreams, which give the film an even more ethereal feel. Composers Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave were inspired by the horror scores of Goblin (Suspiria) and Mike Oldfield (The Exorcist) to create the haunting sounds of Phantasm. Myrow and Seagrave were working with synthesizers in the early days of the instrument. Says Coscarelli, “The synthesizers we used back then were so primitive that you couldn't repeat something; you would program the synthesizer, which means setting all of these dials to create a sound, and you went back and tried to get it again and forget it - it was impossible.

"I recently received notice that our long-term film storage vault in the basement of the historic Howard Hughes Headquarters building on the corner of Romaine and Sycamore in Hollywood was being permanently closed. During the process of moving out our negative materials, I came across the original three reels of Ampex 456 analog tape used in the Phantasm score recording sessions. Listening now to the score, including the outtake tracks, I am impressed with how inventive and adventurous Fred and Malcolm were in their approach to scoring Phantasm."

Waxwork Records is excited to release the definitive PHANTASM Original Motion Picture Score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave as a deluxe 3xLP with features including the expanded and complete score sourced from the original 1979 master tapes, never before released score cues from the Phantasm recording sessions, and the newly re-mastered original 1979 score album. Each disc is pressed to "Silver Sphere" metallic silver colored vinyl and housed in a heavyweight triple gatefold jacket. Also included are exclusive liner notes by Phantasm writer, director, and producer Don Coscarelli, an 11""x11"" insert, and full album artwork by Graham Humphreys.

After a five-year absence following 2020’s creative elevator-punk explosion Roundelay, Ashley Eriksson, Eli Moore, and Andrew Dorsett of LAKE return with Bucolic Gone, a mature and polished album that is at once groovy, upbeat, meditative, and slow-rolled. As LAKE’s 10th official full-length release, Bucolic Gone is a cohesive work of sophisti-pop that embodies an adult, contemporary sound—intimate, serene, mournful, and hopeful in equal measure.

The multi-instrumental trio is joined by an impressive lineup of collaborators, including guest vocalists Nicholas Krgovich on “Glad Rags” and Daisy Jaberi of Suver with original lyrics on “Love Is Deeper.” Frequent contributors also make appearances: Karl Blau delivers standout shredding on “Ferrari,” Mark Buzard of The Format provides guitar textures across multiple tracks, and New York jazz musician Eric Vanderbuilt-Matthews contributes intricate woodwind arrangements. Steve Moore (Earth, Sunn O))),

First Aid Kit, Sufjan Stevens) adds trombone to “Love Is Deeper,” while legendary Canadian singer Jenn Grant lends her unique vocals to the outro of “Ferrari.” Recorded at The Anacortes Unknown Recording Studio by longtime collaborator Nicholas Wilbur and in the band’s own home studios, Bucolic Gone marks another step forward for Eli Moore in production and mixing. His meticulous attention to arrangement and balance—alongside an arsenal of distorted “whatchamacallits”—creates a rich, layered sound. Celebrating 20 years of ethereal, yearning pop songs, LAKE’s latest effort is their most produced but also most intimate album. Now signed to Don Giovanni Records, the band is ready to continue delivering jams. While the world has changed since LAKE’s last official release, Bucolic Gone shows that time has been on their side.

Limited amount of part 44 of the Herdersmat series available now. This vinyl was previously available only by purchasing the full MORDH011. Generic black sleeve.

"At the end of the day, a new one begins. Sometimes dust covers the wounded human spirits, nebulizing their ambitious world with melancholy from some far place. Today we met and melded our emotions. Improvisation is the art of becoming sound. Loose lyrics on Hollywood dreams, galaxy economy, and algorithm poetry, banned and warped in drama industrial, synth-journey-music, ghost pop, anger electronics, and analogue deserts. Improvised recording sessions for epochs where head liquefies the concrete. It’s all about fashion, now, that we have recession. Dressed to kill with murder fabrics. The anger of the machines. The happiness in their language. Inkasso & ML asked themselves"

Repress!

In the latest of a series of albums that have mirrored the exceptional story of the band itself, Cornershop return with a new album ‘England Is A Garden’ on March 6th 2020 on Ample Play Records. It is an album that strides in an upbeat fashion, to deliver a full listening experience, bringing songs of experience, empire, protest and humour, steeped in the way only Tjinder Singh would come with. Listen to a first taste of the album now, ‘No Rock: Save In Roll’, that is to say that there is not one without the other, that rock, for all its focus on death is the saviour of life. The anvil here is music itself, and a celebration of Tjinder’s birth place - The Black Country, which also gave birth to heavy metal that has gone on to influence the world to dirty rock, whether the streets are lined with pylons or palm trees, the Black Country has allowed us to see things differently. So the sound here goes back to Englands’ Midlands with two thumbs up to the feeling of hearing heavy metal from the back of a stage, as we all ride on and await the female backing vocals of our song to come in.

A reggae cover of Marvin Gaye's '60s soul classic and The Police's '80s hit!

Australia's reggae dub unit, Springtones, has reimagined two massive hits from Marvin Gaye and The Police through the lens of reggae fusion and dubwise, now released on a 7-inch vinyl!

Side A features a dubby and masterful cover of Marvin Gaye's 1967 soul classic, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," with vocals by Gayl, brought to life by the Springtones. Side B showcases "Walking On The Moon," The Police's 1979 smash hit, covered by drummer Dubbin' Darryl?renowned for his unique reggae sound infused with funky soul?alongside the Springtones and Jamaican vocalist Noya. This track blends dubbed-out horns, deep electro basslines, and Noya's ethereal vocals in perfect harmony. The artwork, which pays homage to the Japanese edition of Marvin Gaye's singles, is also a must-see!

Baby Rose makes healing music for the aimless and heartbroken. The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter and producer's uniquely rich voice naturally lends itself to her powerful, smoke-filled ballads lamenting lost loves and broken futures. "I make music to help myself get through things," she says. The piercing honesty and vulnerability she brings to her lyrics in turn helps others process their feelings and find a place of healing. For Rose, it's a journey that's still ongoing. "If I'm going to leave anything behind, it's going to be getting people back to themselves," she says. "As I get back to myself, it's a constant reset: Remember who you are, remember who you want to be." You can hear the impact of this approach in Baby Rose's upcoming second album, Through and Through. Take the hypnotic "Fight Club." Over the track's simmering baseline and crashing cymbals, she declares, "I don't need no one else to show me the way." She describes the song as a "breaking of the shell. It encourages me to just go for it and not care about what anyone else thinks." Therein lies Baby Rose's strength: a determination to live, love, and create on her own terms. "I'm not just a singer with a unique voice," she says. "I'm somebody that has something to say." In the years since releasing her last album, To Myself, Rose has been painstakingly piecing together its sequel. Started almost immediately after its release, her new body of work finds her in a state of musical and personal transition. It's a subtle merging of new sounds_stirring rock, upbeat r&b, psychedelic funk, pop, and soulful ballads_, all mastered through analog tape to make the music feel warmer and all-encompassing. It's also a journey inward as she battles past fear and self-doubt to finally discover_and love_who she is, where she is. Finishing an album with such peace and firm resolution is a first for Rose, but she makes it clear: She's nowhere near done writing her story. "I think as long as I'm being raw and trying to push past my comfort zone, it will feel rewarding," she says. "I don't want to be the type that doesn't take risks because I'm afraid. I have to trust that as long as the music is honest and innovative, it'll be timeless."

"The title track here ebbs and flows in and out of Amen break cascades, as the drones hovering beneath give a sense of flying through an electrical storm. Dooky' is better still, its sparser rhythm recalling Reinforced stalwart Paradox in its ability to be simultaneously woody and ultra-digital, human and alien." THE WIRE

Those who are aware of dgoHn will by now be familiar with his sound and those who aren't should be. Back with his third single on Love Love, the drum maestro makes skin prickle once again with two shining original tracks laced with impeccable moments. Only dgoHn can create the kind of drum and bass that sounds like the tightest of ensembles playing meticulously rehearsed arrangements, painting intricate shapes with the percussion.

The title track takes a fresh look at the amen break, finding ways to breathe new life into it. Soaring above the clouds on thick warm pads, the drums thunder with a blissful rage propelled forwards by a rumbling bassline.

On the B-side 'Dooky' serves up a dgoHn masterclass in spatial control that could well be a future-classic of his. A formidable groove with serious punch, hi-hats skip along as the delicate balance of frequencies gives the listener just enough headspace not to get lost in the deep, dark world it creates. A subtle demonstration of tension and release, this single floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee whilst dripping with funk.

Lastly, Rognvald switches up the title track with a jam that triples the edits and doubles the bass, tipping the scales from the side of restraint to that of chaos without losing the feel of the original. Artwork once again provided by Colin 'Snublic' McCallister.

After the release of their highly successful self-titled album in summer 2021 (#1 in Germany and Spain etc.), HELLOWEEN -- one of the most respectable German metal exports and pioneers of German melodic speed metal -- are finally bringing their new anthems to the packed arenas, leading them all around the globe with their »United Forces« tour. The creators of the albums »Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. I & II« (87‘/88‘), which are considered to be among the most successful German metal records of all time and are reckoned internationally as absolute milestones of power metal, haven’t only cemented but even expanded their status as giants of the scene. Caused by the pumpkinheads‘ aforementioned triumphant wave of success, the group’s back catalogue albums are also more in demand than ever which is why Atomic Fire are now set to release a series of brand new vinyl editions including the following hot HELLOWEEN records: »The Dark Ride« (2000), »Rabbit Don’t Come Easy« (2003), »Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy« (2005), »Gambling With The Devil« (2007), »Straight Out Of Hell« (2013), »My God-Given Right« (2015), and last but not least their latest offering »Helloween« (2021).

After the success of Volume One, Jamie 3:26 returns for the second volume in the Dancefloor Damage series! Personal exclusives from his collection, these have damaged dancefloors around the world for years and are now available on vinyl for the first time ever. From the Southside of Chicago to the world. Three killer disco classics re-worked by a legend. No one does it like Jamie! Buy or cry.

Following his contribution to FUSE’s Various Artist release last summer with the standout ‘Life’s A Bleep’, Melbourne-born, Berlin-based DJ/producer Reflex Blue returns to Enzo Siragusa’s renowned imprint with his first full EP on the label, ‘Fragments’.

His fusion of deep, sub-heavy house, heavily influenced by turn-of-the-90s UK tech house and forward-thinking electronic spheres, has welcomed releases on labels such as Limousine Dream, Kalahari Oyster Cult, and Craigie Knowes, while making appearances at the likes of Slapfunk, S.A.S.H. and more.

Now, with ‘Fragments’, he takes his sonic explorations to FUSE once more, delivering a high-energy selection primed for dancefloor impact. ‘Ruff City Dub’ brings heavyweight low-ends, shimmering textures, and UKG touches to kick things off , setting the tone for the EP’s dynamic and versatile feel. ‘Tightening The Screw’ follows with crisp drum programming and hypnotic, off-kilter synth work, offering a clever balance of wonk and precision. On the B-side, ‘Love 2 Rhythm’ oozes funk and fluidity with its rolling percussion, soulful vocals and rubbery bass licks, while ‘Freakin’ In The Neighbourhood’ merges influences from rave, electro and more with a modern, high-energy twist for a no-nonsense, late hours hitter.

“Where is this? It looks like the grounds of a shrine. Like a deep, dark, forest. I'm wandering around. I can't get over the feeling that I've been to this place before. The temple and the tower look much bigger than usual, and I feel as if I were lost in a world of immensity. It's very dark with no sky up above, like being in the depths of the Earth. Anyway, it's a world I know.” - Leisure, the Sonorous Dream

For schuttle’s next unearthly contribution, we invite you to slip into the reassuring comforts of the simulated realm. Herein lies an open invitation to all of those tentative travellers willing to join us as we revel in four slices of post-biological optimism.

The world building begins with “Splan”. schuttle’s navigation vessel hovers steadily above a fractal landscape until a divine arp propels us skywards. We burst through the latent cloudsphere to marvel at the boundless synergy of the interlocking polygons. The sunburst gradient barely has time to load before an oscillating wriggle plunges us into a strangely familiar stomping ground. Hedonistic NPCs begin spawning at random, splurging joyful machine funk at each other before walking gleefully into walls. Finally, with a little help from a well known toad, schuttle unleashes the full might of his Mana on the nascent gathering.

We dock next in ‘Melonweed Musick’. Our vessel gently stirring the reeds as we descend into the marshland. The potent aroma of the swamp fills our nostrils, various apparitions seem to wriggle into view. What have we been inhaling? No time to consider, the loose murk of the breakbeat is starting to take effect and it’s all we can do to keep one foot squelching after the other. As we submit wholeheartedly to the sheer depth and clarity of the bassline, a kindly angel sweeps above the sphagnum, spraying a succession of cleansing chords over our slimy bodies. Refreshed with some useful navigation advice we continue.

In ‘Kitchen Sync’ our craft’s speedometer is tickled up to a cruising 120bpm. The world outside our window begins to swim with colour, prickly forms materialise then dissipate around us. The familiar shape of our old friend, the high priest 303 appears before us, steadying the ship. Its resonant flame warming our hearth, and our hearts too. Then begins a beautiful communion of the domestic and the otherworldly, through the interplay of acid under glimmering keys. Provoking within us an uncontrollable desire to open our curtains, to cast off our slippers and embrace the infinite morrow.

Our voyage concludes with ‘Inspo 2000’. Scintillating landing lights guide us toward our destination, our descent beckoned by woody and playful percussion. We tumble through the troposphere, our landing cushioned by the buoyancy of the gated chords, the kicks juicing what's left of our dwindling fuel supply. A luxurious breakdown brings the ground into focus. Perhaps this is home? The simulation is now so accurate that it seems pointless to question it, it is a world we have always known.