“Even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while.”
Dialling up Bristol for a nearly-missed hard drive scoop from a moment back in the middle-distant past, Bruk proudly presents the sound of Blind Pigs. Snaffling up eight nuggets of open-format beats recorded over a 24-hour creative spurt, this record captures a moment in time and celebrates the magic that happens when seasoned heads cut loose in the studio without an Agenda.
The sound of Blind Pigs is steeped in many things, conjured as it is by two venerable wizards with all kinds of skin in the game. There are snatches of trap’ sharp contours, LA beat scene storytelling, grime immediacy, soundtrack atmospherics and the pervading influence of soundsystem-spirited low end. Those are all just hints really — the resulting spell is its own blend that manifests free of any conceit. The production is raw and impactful, cold to the touch but charged with emotional weight in the haunted polysynth shapes peeling out across the tracks. Re-discovered by chance and stripped of contextual baggage, Blind Pigs is what happens when music is allowed to happen naturally. No arch concept, no stylistic posturing, just properly crafted beats stumbled upon by chance from two real ones who maybe never entered the studio together Again.
"We're in the joy business," says frontman Ketch Secor, who launched the Grammywinning band in 1998. "From the very start, a lot of the virtues of Christmas -- the revelry, the singalongs, the happiness -- have been present in our show." Nowhere is that more apparent than OCMS XMAS , the group's first holiday album. Decorated with seasonal spirit and string-band stomp, it's the rare breed of Christmas record that packs a punch all year long, shining new light on the band's chart-topping version of American roots music. Old Crow Medicine Show aren't just reinterpreting their favorite yuletide standards; they're adding new songs to the canon, too, from "Jolly Man" -- a country-blues number inspired by Mississippi John Hurt and laced with harmonica, sleigh bells, and resonator guitar -- to the Zydeco- flavored "All About A Baby." They're telling fresh stories, too. On "Corn Whiskey Christmas," a bootlegger drives his Chevrolet through the snow on Christmas Eve, bringing moonshine to those craving a cup of cheer. On the John Prine-worthy "Bethlehem, PA" -- a sly reimagining of Jesus' birth story, with lyrics that substitute Steel Country for Jerusalem -- the band heads to the Keystone State to witness the Nativity, making stops at Wawa and Motel 6 along the way.
"Grandpa's Gone" grapples with the loss of a family figure during the holiday season, while the wicked "Krampus Night" puts a minor- key spin on the Christmas catalog, paying tribute to a folkloric creature who, according to Secor, "just might leave ya coal and steal your soul." Old Crow have thrived for more than a quarter century. Like many of their heroes, they've become torchbearers of classic folk music, reshaping those sounds for the modern world. They're creators, not replicators, and OCMS XMAS finds them tackling another tradition -- the time- honored Christmas album -- with humor, hillbilly twang, and novel ideas. Supported by the band's first-ever "Holiday Hootenanny" tour, OCMS XMAS just might be the start of a new tradition itself: a celebration of the seasonal sounds, shared joy, and holiday rituals that bring us all together. Christmas just got a new soundtrack.
Mathew takes inspiration from the weirdness of Aldous Harding and Amen Dunes while embracing the songcraft of greats like Neil Young and Jeff Buckley. Due for release on 3rd October 2025 via Tip Top Recordings (Mandrake Handshake, Japanese Television, Pearl & The Oysters), EP 'Full Weight' is a six track offering of emotionally driven, lyrically agile, eccentrically produced indie- rock. Released on limited edition (300) heavyweight white coloured vinyl.
Mathew's journey began with a childhood guitar and quietly grew into a private archive of hundreds of songs, never meant for anyone but himself. After stints with local outfits The Velotones and Violet May, he broke away to carve out his own space, one where every note and word belonged to him. Stepping into the studio with friends and trusted collaborators, he found the freedom and confidence to let the world in. The result is 'Full Weight', a bold new chapter in Mathew's musical story. '5:32' is the natural way to introduce Mathew's gloriously unique voice and songwriting, evoking Sheffield's musical royalty such as Richard Hawley.
As the single artwork depicts, '5:32' was conceived by Mathew "in bed, during COVID, eating cereal and taking my meds. As Thom Yorke once said, 'no one is really a solo artist'". The surging, cathartic anthem 'Weight Of Love' is about a simple case of unrequited love. Mathew says, "In my case, it's a story of my dad leaving. The cover artwork is of me and my brother around the age he left" . Further tracks like 'Lady Luck' lean into a slowburning groove of shimmer and snarl, while the fully exposed 'Creature Of Comfort' is built on skeletal instrumentation. 'Full Weight' captures the duality of refusing to choose between fragility and force. It's music that aches, bleeds, and ultimately triumphs: a testament to the strength in showing your cracks. Mathew J Hall celebrates the EP with a live show on 24th October at Hallamshire Hotel, Sheffield.
‘Workaround’ is the lucidly playful and ambitious solo debut album by rhythm-obsessive musician and DJ, Beatrice Dillon for PAN. It combines her love of UK club music’s syncopated suss and Afro-Caribbean influences with a gamely experimental approach to modern composition and stylistic fusion, using inventive sampling and luminous mixing techniques adapted from modern pop to express fresh ideas about groove-driven music and perpetuate its form with timeless, future-proofed clarity. Recorded over 2017-19 between studios in London, Berlin and New York, ‘Workaround’ renders a hypnotic series of polymetric permutations at a fixed 150bpm tempo.
Mixing meticulous FM synthesis and harmonics with crisply edited acoustic samples from a wide range of guests including UK Bhangra pioneer Kuljit Bhamra (tabla); Pharoah Sanders Band’s Jonny Lam (pedal steel guitar); techno innovators Laurel Halo (synth/vocal) and Batu (samples); Senegalese Griot Kadialy Kouyaté (Kora), Hemlock’s Untold and new music specialist Lucy Railton (cello); amongst others, Dillon deftly absorbs their distinct instrumental colours and melody into 14 bright and spacious computerised frameworks that suggest immersive, nuanced options for dancers, DJs and domestic play. ‘Workaround’ evolves Dillon’s notions in a coolly unfolding manner that speaks directly to the album’s literary and visual inspirations, ranging from James P. Carse’s book ‘Finite And Infinite Games’ to the abstract drawings of Tomma Abts or Jorinde Voigt as well as painter Bridget Riley’s essays on grids and colour. Operating inside this rooted but mutable theoretical wireframe, Dillon’s ideas come to life as interrelated, efficient patterns in a self-sufficient system.
With a naturally fractal-not-fractional logic, Dillon’s rhythms unfold between unresolved 5/4 tresillo patterns, complex tabla strokes and spark-jumping tics in a fluid, tactile dance of dynamic contrasts between strong/light, sudden/restrained, and bound/free made in reference to the notational instructions of choreographer Rudolf Laban. Working in and around the beat and philosophy, the album’s freehand physics contract and expand between the lissom rolls of Bhamra’s tabla in the first, to a harmonious balance of hard drum angles and swooping FM synth cadence featuring additional synth and vocal from Laurel Halo in ‘Workaround Two’, while the extruded strings of Lucy Railton create a sublime tension at the album’s palatecleansing denouement, triggering a scintillating run of technoid pieces that riff on the kind of swung physics found in Artwork’s seminal ‘Basic G’, or Rian Treanor’s disruptive flux with a singularly tight yet loose motion and infectious joy. Crucially, the album sees Dillon focus on dub music’s pliable emptiness, rather than the moody dematerialisation of reverb and echo. The substance of her music is rematerialised in supple, concise emotional curves
and soberly freed to enact its ideas in balletic plies, rugged parries and sweeping, capoeira-like floor action. Applying deeply canny insight drawn from her years of practice as sound designer, musician and hugely knowledgable/intuitive DJ, ‘Workaround’ can be heard as Dillon’s ingenious solution or key to unlocking to perceptions of stiffness, darkness or grid-locked rigidity in electronic music. And as such it speaks to an ideal of rhythm-based and experimental music ranging from the hypnotic senegalese mbalax of Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force, through SND and, more currently, the hard drum torque of DJ Plead; to adroitly exert the sensation of weightlessness and freedom in the dance and personal headspace.
Lettuce serves up a full-course groove experience with Cook, a 16-track feast of classic funk, rich instrumentation, and deep- pocket rhythm. The album features 12 full-length tracks, including two vocal cuts, with a standout cover of Keni Burke’s “Rising to the Top” leading the charge at radio. More than just a record, Cook is a multisensory experience: the vinyl includes a recipe book of original dishes crafted by the band, each paired with a song and one of their two new wines launched alongside the album. From front to back, Cook is Lettuce at their most flavorful—soulful, funky, and made to be savored.
The debut single from Tompkins Square’s latest signing, 22 yo Nashville born and based Maisy Owen. Maisy plays all the instruments on this song. Produced by Robin Eaton." “My Youth is All For You” Mono and stereo versions.
The re-release of 'Flamma Flamma' by the Intuition Music labe was to mark the 30th anniversary and featured a remastered and re- edited version of the original album released worldwide in 1994. It's appearing for the first time on double vinyl, as well as on CD. The composer himself supervised the remastering and re-editing. After its initial release on CD in 1994, 'Flamma Flamma' climbed numerous international charts and quickly developed from an insider tip to a major bestseller and has been compared with Orff's'Carmina Burana'. The gothic world - both romantic gothic and trash gothic - also embraced the work during long 'Flamma Flamma theme weekends' in castles across Europe.
Nicholas Lens began his trilogy 'The Accacha Chronicles' (Flamma Flamma / Terra Terra / Amor Aeternus) with the first part, 'Flamma Flamma', as a search for harmony between the contradictory elements in nature and human nature. The fusion of nonEuropean musical cultures with Western classical music has been described and appreciated as highly unique. Finally, unlike almost every other requiem, 'Flamma Flamma' not only deals with grief and pain, but also presents death as anatural part of the cosmic life process.
Formed in 1993 & hailing from Monaco, Godkiller was the vision of multiinstrumentalist & sole founding member, Duke Satanael, who between 1996 & 2000 released an EP & 2 studio albums under the Godkiller name, commencing with the black metal cult classic debut 'The Rebirth Of The Middle Ages'. Though initially more a death metal inspired act in the formative years, Godkiller quickly developed into a project fully engulfed in the spirit of 1990s black metal, bringing to mind acts like Emperor & Satyricon for the implementation of such strong atmospherics, though on later releases Godkiller incorporated more industrial & electronic elements into the compositions as part of its creative evolution. 'Deliverance' was Godkiller's second studio album & final release before the project was laid to rest & ventured into a more electronic & industrially metallic direction for what could be considered a more contemporary & expressive take on Godkiller's established brand of darkness.
The album 'Sueno', produced by Kip Hanrahan, was originally released in 1989 and is one of Palmieri's more introspective and harmonically rich projects. The album seamlessly blends salsa and Latin jazz with modern jazz elements and features an outstanding line-up of musicians such as David Sanborn, Brian Lynch and Francisco Aguabella. Tracks such as 'Azucar' (a reinterpreted classic) and 'Just a Little Dream' once again showcase Palmieris genius for composition and improvisation. 'Sueno' has been remastered in excellent quality by Intuition Music for the Master Series, highlighting the album's multi- layered arrangements and rhythmic complexity. This reissue honours Palmieri's musical legacy and underscores the timelessness of his sound
Featuring the otherworldly vocals of the legendary jazz singer Norma Winstone whose vocals were recently sampled in Drake's 2023 chart topping single IDGAF (feat. Yeat) and Leo Taylor (Floating Points, Hot Chip, Joy Crookes) on drums, the EP is the amalgamation of Barrott's long term fascination with sunset music, and the ways the change of seasons impact the way we co-exist with the sun. As winter draws closer and we move on from the Autumn equinox to Winter solstice, Barrott's latest release captures the transformative yet paradoxical feeling of melancholy over the end of Summer and the start of winter while creating an eerie sensation of serenity.
The EP follows from the release of Barrott's critically acclaimed and deeply personal 2024 album Everything Changes, Nothing Ends.
The new EP sees Barrott return to his beloved sunset music, as he continues his eternal quest to find new ways to soundtrack this sacred Ibiza moment.
Crowned as the"master of sunset music"by Pitchfork, Barrott's new EP is filled with celestial grandeur that stops you in your tracks. A profound musical meditation and an homage to the sunsets of the Autumn months, the EP captures the sonic poetry of the changing skies and the seasons.
The haunting combination of Barrott's production & arrangement skills, Taylor's jazz drums and Winstone's endlessly ethereal vocals soar in a harmonious union across the title track of the EP while the openerI Am The Starssummons you in for a brief respite from the cacophony of the modern world. The wistful second trackMy Blue Heartlingers with you with its melancholic jazz horns swelling side by side with Winstone's vocals while the closing trackI Am The Airfloats through your ears with its sublime contemplativeness. I Am The Sun, You Are The Moonsees Barrott returning to his sonic ruminations on sunsets, however they are more profound and life affirming than ever.
"At the end of the summer, on a clear bright starry night I climbed to the top of a mountain in Ibiza with a pair of headphones and listened to these tracks and lost myself in the vastness of the night sky and the endlessness of Norma's voice. At that moment everything made sense in my world for the first time in a long while and it just felt right",Mark Barrott says.
"I was surprised and delighted to be asked to participate in this very musical project and to be given such a free hand. Trying to integrate the voice into what were already beautifully formed pieces was creatively very interesting", Norma Winstone says
There are two versions - limited transparent (glass) hand numbered 100 copies or classic black wax. Both 180g.
Himalaya Collective is (probably) the biggest Polish beatmakers association. "Parantele 2" is their 4th album released by U Know Me Records.
A year after the first installment of the "Parantele" project (which involved inviting artists from outside the collective to collaborate), we have a dozen new tracks for you from members of the Himalaya Collective who didn't make it onto last year's album.
This time, you can once again hear the diversity of this largest Polish beatmaking crew. The album features classic beats, plenty of jazz, and live instruments, but fans of fresh, danceable electronica will also find something to enjoy.
"Parantele 2" is an album that deserves the attention of every fan of modern music. Himalaya Collective proves that collaboration and creativity can lead to incredible results. ✨
We encourage you to discover this extraordinary album and immerse yourself in its sounds!
[a] 01: New grounds/Hollow (pt.1) [feat. fravaer & Szymon Zdunek]
It was in Studio 4 of WDR in January 2022 when Simon Oslender first met Steve Gadd during the recording session for the album 'Centerstage'. Guitarist Bruno Muller was also there. The chemistry between the musicians was right from the very first time they played together. At the end of the session, Steve Gadd said to Simon and Bruno: "We'll do more together." And that's exactly what happened! Simon Oslender's highly successful studio album 'All That Matters' was recorded at the end of 2023.
Will Lee was also there on bass, who together with Steve Gadd has been one of the most famous rhythm sections in pop and jazz history for almost 40 years. At the end of the recording session, it was clear to everyone involved: this band had to go on tour to present this music to fans live. In December 2024, the time had come. The band, joined here and there by guests Jakob Manz on alto saxophone and Nils Landgren on trombone, went on tour. All concerts were sold out; the atmosphere in the respective venues was magnificent; thunderous applause and encores in every club or concert hall. Every concert was recorded. Now the result is here. An album full of joy, musicality, spontaneity, creativity, and incredible grooves! 'On A Roll - Live', a concert to take home with you. It doesn't get any better than this!
Written in the Scottish Highlands, recorded on the West Coast in Largs and pressed on vinyl in East Lothian. Rapture Party was mixed and mastered by Jason Shaw and Fuzz Face Studios and is released by Last Night From Glasgow. ; The Joshua Hotel are an indie- pop trio from Inverness led by producer Joshua Mackenzie with Louis Slorach on guitar/ drones and Joshua Gilbert on drums/ percussion. Single Easy Feeling is released on Friday 21 March.
With great albums you can enjoy them many times and still hear new things. So how about when a great album is re-imagined and you can hear even more new twists? Chris Pope has taken the classic 1980 album by The Chords and taken a new slant on the amazing songs he wrote on it which will see the album in a new light. When re- working older songs in your back catalogue you musn't miss any of the energy and swagger that made the songs so exciting to hear the first time around and Chris, along with the other members of the band: Sandy Michie on guitar, Mic Stoner on bass and Ken Cooper on drums, have brought a new power to the songs that energised a Fred Perry wearing movement in '79 and '80. Enjoy this album and the clever way it looks at each moment on that record and a few other choice cuts
Amazing rarity - unreleased tracks from the band that produced some of the hardest 45s of the mid 60s R&B beat boom - "Anytime At All" and "Get Yourself Home" "You Win" is another moody Mod R&B rave-up with the flip being a great UK cover of the Stax 45. Fantastic shot of the band on the cover with Paul Orwells art shining through.....Only 250 pressed.
Mellow Drunk led by Leigh Gregory on vocals and guitar with co-founding member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Ricky Maymi and Stephen Scott Cavoretto (ex-Dora Flood). Mellow Drunk quickly established themselves as "purveyors of finely arranged melodic pop songs", as well as becoming favourites on the West Coast club circuit. Supergrass, Luna, trashcan sinatras, The Church, The Clientele, The Morning After Girls, LILYSand Gorky's Zygotic Mynci have all had the band open for them when they've passed through San Francisco.
Following their two previous releases, the group--led by the charismatic vocalist Ms. Kennedy and her brilliant musical partner Ondre J (known as Gregory Porter's longtime Hammond organist) - presents a work that fuses funk, soul, and jazz with gripping pop songs and heartfelt ballads, all driven by groove, depth, and Ms. Kennedy's unmistakable voice. The album will be released on CD and LP via Leopard Records. Born from genuine conversations, spontaneous ideas, and a desire to move people through authenticity, 'Humanity' was recorded in the band's Brooklyn home base. The album tells stories of joy and sorrow, self- doubt and self- love, loneliness and connection.
With 'Humanity', Kennedy Administration deliver a record that feels like a soul party, an embrace, and an existential reflection all at once. It's music for overthinkers, outsiders, smartphone scrollers, dancers, and anyone who wants to feel a little less alone. Highlights include Mark Lettieri's (Snarky Puppy) fiery guitar solo and a moving duet with US gospel singer Doobie Powell. Having herself overcome a period of homelessness during the pandemic and rediscovered her voice through music, Ms. Kennedy turns this album into a profoundly personal yet universal statement.
2LP, 9mm spine gatefold sleeve with silver hot foil & metallic inks. Printed inner sleeves. Engraving on Side D, the vinyl here is of silvery colour. Pelagic reissued THE OCEAN's 2010 albums "Heliocentric" and "Anthropocentric" on vinyl! "Heliocentric" was the first album with current vocalist Loïc Rossetti, a game changer in the band's history. The album is characterized by his shimmering cleans alongside abrasive, powerful screams. "Heliocentric" sees the band venture into calmer territories as compared to its predecessors: the album is defined not solely by walls of guitars, but also by careful orchestrations of piano, upright bass, strings and textural electronics. Conceptually "Heliocentric" is a comprehensive critique of the legacy of christianity: the iconic opening track "Firmament", still a fan's favourite, starts off with original text from the bible; while "Ptolemy Was Wrong" and "Catharsis of A Heretic" tackle Gallilei's and Copernicus' discoveries that Earth is not at the center of the universe, for which Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake. The album concludes with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and considerations by Richard Dawkins', the spearhead of modern day's aetheism, in the epic 14 minutes closing track duality "The Origin Of Species" and "The Origin Of God". For fans of BREACH TOOL THRICE NINE INCH NAILS CULT OF LUNA ISIS KARNIVOOL ROSETTA RUSSIAN CIRCLES MONO MASTODON OPETH BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME PINK FLOYD
What We Do When in Silence is the trio of Nicola Ratti, Alessandra Novaga and Enrico Malatesta.
Imagine a series of small movements in an empty space. Imagine their shadows on the floor, there’s a natural light sliding in from the 3 windows on your right side. There’s no silence here. There are people outside waiting for others, waiting for the people since what we do is not visible, since we do it when in silence and there is no silence here. Synthesizer, piano, whistling, electric guitar and percussions.
Nicola Ratti is a versatile musician and sound designer who has long been active across diverse experimental fields. His sound production creates systems shaped by repetition and expansion, with a particular focus on building environments that resonate with the spaces and architectures we inhabit, and on balancing the emotional and perceptual orientations to which we are accustomed.
Alessandra Novaga is a guitarist who has been exploring, for years, the possible territories her instrument can lead her to. She has crossed through the most classical worlds, reaching into intangible abstractions without setting boundaries between the two. Sound, meanings, encounters, and narratives are the elements that guide her path.
Enrico Malatesta is a percussionist and independent researcher working within experimental contexts that intersect music, performance, and territorial investigation. His practice explores the relationship between sound, space, and movement, and the vitality of materials, with a particular focus on surfaces, listening modes, and the articulation of multiple layers of information through an ecological and sustainable approach to percussion instruments.
Xexa is still undefined, gliding over her origins, influences, and points of reference. Her music is informed by uploads from all that, processing heritage and future in much the same democratic way, sure of its (her!) path. Synthetic as it may sound, »Kissom« contains the very human element of Xexa's presence, not only through her instantly recognizable ethereal vocals but also manifest in the web of grooves stopping short of »dance«. »Kizomba 003« is the closest she comes to the dancefloor, a reduced take on the popular style of kizomba, a low-key interpretation but with the vocals atypically high in the mix. A brief breath of nostalgia. »Kissom« (title track) prolongs the slow pace, almost as an extended mix of »Kizomba 003«, stretching the sexy bounce for close to 4 extra-delightful minutes.
Everything seems to dissolve into space, as if every track gently expires only to be reconfigured somewhere else, molecule by molecule, perhaps in a different location within our mind. The artist somehow corroborates the feeling, particularly regarding »Será«, »Xtinti«, and »Txe«, which she says »finish exactly where I wanted. They all end with an EQ that mutes the frequencies until they cease to exist«. Here, there, sparse beats, successive waves of ambience, half-machine lips singing close to our ears, a blend of classic 4AD and a metallic environment warmly wrapping around the music. Extra-long, »Quem és tu?« poses the question – Who are we? Who is she? And the title »Kissom« stems from another question Xexa often hears from people, »Ki som é este?« (What is this music?). The answer might well be the artist's own paste of the words »kiss« and »som«. Lovely.
