Suche:friends band

Welcome to the first release on Acid Lamour
A sub label for Lamour Records started in 2018 with a focus on techno and acid dedicated DJs. Releases are limited to 303 vinyls, no re-press.
Anders Ilar and John H are no newcomers to the electronic music scene.
Born in 1973, Anders Ilar began his explorations of electronic music in the mid 80s. Growing up in the small town of Ludvika in Sweden, Ilar spent all of his spare time playing with synthesizers, drum machines, keyboards and sequencers, learning the ins and outs of analogue and digital sound and music creation. Inspired by the early industrial and EBM wave he formed several bands with friends, started playing live shows
at smaller local parties, and released several demo tapes in very limited quantities. In the 90's he gradually shifted his creative influences towards ambient techno and acid and also started to DJ. He started using computer software to produce his music around 1999 and his first vinyl EP was released in 2001 on the german label Plong!, soon to be followed by
many more releases on labels such as Shitkatapult, Audio.nl and Echocord.
Developing his own flavor of deep minimal dub techno and ambient he gained critical acclaim with his album Nightwidth (2006) for Narita Records in the USA. Followed by highly appraised album Sworn on the german label Level Records in 2008. Ilar has also made remixes for celebrated artists such as Apparat, Mikkel Metal and Ripperton and has
appeared on numerous compilations and DJ-mixes. He's performed live on stage through-out most European countries and Japan, as well as doing a small tour with Notch Festival in China in 2008.
Up to 2018 Anders Ilar has produced 13 albums and 25 vinyl EP's and performed in over 15 countries.
Born in 1984 and based in Gothenburg. John H has been DJing, as well as producing tracks, since the late 90s, with Anders as his mentor and teacher, giving John early musical influences spanning across a wide range of genres, from Swedish techno to IDM, Cologne acid craziness and
the sound of Chicago house tracks. The musical output of his DJ-sets usually varies between techno, house, acid, electro and everything in between, depending on the time and location. John has performed on several locations all around Sweden, but also done appreciated gigs in other European countries at clubs like Tresor and Culture Box, and his music has been featured in sets by DJs such as Sven Väth, Adam Beyer,
Joris Voorn, Dense & Pika, Cari Lekebusch, Alan Fitzpatrick, Karotte,
Gregor Tresher, The Hacker and many more.
Coming For Your Tongue EP is Anders and John's 4th collab release, after
acclaimed releases on Flight Recorder and New York Haunted, recorded
during a jam session at John's studio in Bergsjön outside of Gothenburg,
Sweden, using a small setup of analogue synths and drum machines such as
the Roland TR-606, TR-808, a Devil Fish modified TB-303, Minimoog Voyager
and the Arturia Microbrute. After recording Anders spiced things up by
cutting and puzzling loops as well as adding extra effects and drums.

Limited edition of 303, no repress. Vinyl exklusive for 3 months

A DJ, producer and prolific collaborator, Greg Paulus’s musical career has led to a truly enviable discography. Born in Minnesota and now an essential part of New York’s sprawling musical landscape, Paulus has taken the foundations of an organic childhood education by his father, the composer Stephen Paulus, and seen it blossom into an unpredictable musical journey encompassing house, soul, jazz and hip-hop.

While touring as a trumpet player with indie band Beirut, as well as in Matthew Dear’s live ensemble, back home he was helping to redefine New York’s underground dance scene as one half of No Regular Play. Alongside childhood friend Nick DeBruyn, the pair brought their deeply musical sound to no less than fifty countries across the world. A decade on, and Paulus arrives on Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85 imprint for his long-awaited debut solo LP, ‘Close To Home’, a deeply felt long-play celebration of his personal cornerstones; family, trust and hope.

From the opening, organic swell of ‘Perot’, arranged with Seth Troxler himself alongside John Camp, ‘Close To Home’ introduces itself as a focused, conscious trip, it’s languid trumpet spilling over into the reflective ‘World Keeps Changing’, which introduces Paulus’s philosophy of music as a constant. ‘Midtown Mirage’ meanwhile leans into the idea of the city itself as a collaborator, resisting pressure and finding its own restful groove. Back over the river, ‘Bond’ roots itself in Brooklyn with a contribution from resident Dillon Cooper, flipping rap standards amid psychedelic flourishes.

Paulus nods toward his dancefloor form on ‘NRG’, a slinky, lo-slung club groove that seamlessly evolves to meld the artist’s nocturnal and studio instincts. In contrast, ‘Real Job’ switches the tempo on Paulus’s MPC to embody an old-school, beatdown flavour, subtly teased out alongside composer and sound designer, Taylor Bense. Doubling down on this languorous groove, ‘Hat Down’ introduces a full-scale No Regular Play reunion, the first of two collaborative tracks that recall the duo’s imperial phase of confidently minimal productions, while evolving their craft.

Following a few missed calls made with love taken from Paulus’s answering machine on ‘$1000’ the minimal, reflective arrangement of ‘Hold Dear’ finds the artist stripping back his layered sound for a skittering, vulnerable exploration of intimacy and life’s devotions.

For a memorable finale, Paulus recruits jazz prodigy Michael Feinberg to deliver upright funk on the deliciously rich ‘Sometimes It’s About Us’. A purely celebratory collage of bopping rhythms and vocals, sharply plucked guitars and archive samples, ‘Close To Home’ concludes with Paulus leading his friends, ensemble and many influences in rare harmony.

“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone

“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt

“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy

“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood

“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson

Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.

In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.

The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”

His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.

"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."

Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!

The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!

The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.

The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.

The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."

With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.

Bringing together the elder statesman of the Zulu guitar Madala Kunene and internationally acclaimed Sibusile Xaba, kwaNTU pulls two generations of South African guitar mastery into a single point of focus. Under-represented on recordings outside of South Africa, Madala Kunene (b. 1951), the ‘King of the Zulu Guitar’, is revered as the greatest living master of the Zulu guitar tradition. Sibusile Xaba, whose collaboration with Mushroom Hour Half Hour reaches back to his first recording in 2017 (Open Letter To Adoniah/Unlearning), has garnered international acclaim for his unique voice and virtuoso guitar stylings, which bring together multiple South African guitar lineages in an original, spiritualised fusion. Collaborating with Mushroom Hour and New Soil for kwaNTU, the two players come together to weave a filigree sonic fabric which reaches down to the heartwood of Zulu guitar music but moves resolutely outward, building on the past to create a deeply rooted statement about present conditions and future travels. kwaNTU – which can be roughly translated ‘the place of the life-spirit’ – is also conclave of teacher and student, as Xaba has been taught by Kunene for the last decade. Meditative, rich and sonically sui generis, kwaNTU finds these two musicians linking up within the inimitable space of sound and spirit that they share through Kunene’s teaching.

The great masters of South African music have not all had equal exposure. For many years the generation of musicians who were exiled during apartheid took centre stage, as the regime made it very difficult for those at home to be heard. More recently, a new cohort of important voices, especially in jazz, has broken through to international consciousness. But for the generation of musicians in between – those who shone like beacons in the most difficult final years of apartheid and immediately afterward – international recognition has been slow in coming.

Madala Kunene, ‘the King of the Zulu Guitar’, is among this number. A revered figure for current generations of South African musicians, Kunene began his recording career in 1990, at the bitter end of apartheid, with a now classic self-titled LP for David Marks’ storied Third Ear imprint. Born in 1951 in Cato Manor, near Durban, he had determined to be a musician from early childhood, and by the time he first entered a recording studio he had already had a long career as a popular performer. His virtuoso absorption and transformation of the venerable Zulu maskanda guitar tradition and his richly spiritualised approach to music immediately marked him out as someone special, and in the years that followed, Kunene cemented his position as one of South Africa’s musical elders. He is without doubt the grand master of the Zulu guitar tradition, but his sound and sensibility ranges far beyond it into varied sonic terrain, and he has collaborated with a wide range of musicians both at home and abroad. Now in his mid-seventies, he remains a shining light for those that are making music in contemporary South Africa.

‘He is really an amazing person,’ says the guitarist Sibusile Xaba, who has been mentored by Kunene for over a decade, and now invites a collaboration with him on kwaNTU. ‘As a mentor, he's really powerful in showing us the way. For us to have this opportunity to make music together and have a project together is really a blessing to me.’

Xaba himself grew up in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, where his mother had been in a band and his father sang in a church choir, and from early childhood Xaba played homemade tin guitars. He only later realised that music was his calling. ‘I just loved music. I was fortunate. My parents loved music. And when it was time for me to leave home and go to study outside Newcastle, I knew that music was what I wanted to do. There was no second option. It was just music.’ Moving to Pretoria to study music formally, Xaba committed himself to his craft, developing a unique style that draws on both US jazz masters such as Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall, and the rich and varied heritage of the South African guitar, from inspirational jazz players such as Allen Kwela and Enoch Mthalane, to the music of the Malombo groups and Dr. Philip Tabane (Xaba has previously collaborated with Dr. Tabane’s late son, Thabang), and the Zulu guitar tradition embodied by Kunene.

‘I was really in love with the jazz guitar, I really admired it, and I was digging a lot in that direction,’ says Xaba, recalling his first encounter with Kunene’s music, over a decade ago. ‘And then one day on my timeline, Kunene popped up, and I was like – “What's this sound?” I was so connected to it. It really touched me deep. I started checking out his records, and then I found out he's from the same region as I am, which is Zululand.’ After Kunene played a show at the Afrikan Freedom Station in Johannesburg, Xaba make contact with him, and visited him at home in Durban. They struck up a friendship, and Xaba became the elder’s student, as Kunene began to pass on his knowledge and his inimitable way of playing.

kwaNTU is a tribute to this relationship and the deep learning that has defined it. The album was recorded in Zululand in the town of Utrecht, at a cultural centre called Kwantu Village, which gives its name to the album. ‘It's such a broad word,’ Xaba says, ‘but the elders teach us that Ntu is basically an energy, almost chi, an energy, a force that all living beings have within them. It's a living energy, so kwaNTU is like, almost the place of this energy.’ The two men sequestered themselves for five days of jamming, improvising and planning, and then the session was recorded in one take over a single night, with Gontse Makhene joining on percussion and backing vocals and Fakazile on vocals. Other voices and overdubs were later added in the studio in Johannesburg.

The result is a rich and meditative recording that finds two generations in a deeply engaged dialogue. Teaching and passing on his knowledge, the elder Kunene has brought Xaba into a space of sound and knowledge that they now share; Xaba’s own practice of deep communion with nature and his dedication to his musical craft make him the perfect interlocutor for Kunene. The result is an album that foregrounds the two musicians engaged at the highest levels of responsive listening, sympathetic unity, and collaborative concentration. Bringing an elder statesman of South African music to an international listening audience for the first time in decades by pairing him with one of South Africa’s most important new voices, kwaNTU is a meeting of generations and a powerful demonstration of musical lineage and continuity.

‘Before music, there is sound,’ Xaba observes, speaking of Kunene’s unique approach to music. ‘And sound is like a common compartment…it's not restricted to particular people or particular geographic places, you know what I mean? It's sound. Everybody can hear it. So when he constructs that sound into music, I think everybody resonates with the energy behind his construction of sound into song. Here at home, we really love him for preserving our history through the guitar, through his stories as well the music, the songs that he writes. We really, really admire him.’

East Kilbride’s Scott Fraser finally comes good on a 25 year promise to his younger self with his debut solo album on his own label DX Recordings out of London. This record represents the closing of this chapter and the opening of a new one.

A truly international and collaborative project pulling together the help and talent of friends around the world with mastering by Radioactive man Keith Tenniswood, cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery and world class US visual art and design legends, Tim Saccenti and Nick Martin on photography, artwork and design.

Limited to 300 solid red heavyweight vinyl copies, brown kraft sleeves; individually hand stencilled and numbered by the artist, printed inserts feature a collection of moments and images from the last 25 years - the studio, the equipment, the people and the places that came together to make this release. Japanese rice paper inner sleeves.

Limited edition hand printed screen print by Niall Greaves at Newbridge Print Studios in Newcastle on the first 30 copies exclusively available via the DX Recordings Bandcamp page.

Musically diverse, crossing styles, flavours and moods, threaded meticulously with razor sharp Roland TR606 programming and glued together with a Space Echo, Expanded opens with the sub aquatic funk of ‘Eden And After’. Side one takes you through banging electro on ‘Energy In Constitution’, the dark dub techno of ‘To The Letter Of My Oath’, leaves you disappearing through a black hole on ‘The Path Of Helium Rain’ and the sound of aliens talking through FM synthesis on ‘Collected Stills’. On side two: a slice of dark, heavy instrumental hip hop gets things started with ‘Where Is That Perception? ‘. Next we get into some straight 4/4 club techno with cut up drums and bumping baseline in ‘Mi Dominante’ before moving through some blissed out Detroit vibes on ‘Earth Looking Inwards’, a rough as you like TR606 driven experimental electro groover ‘Object of Life’ and finally closing out with the Ectomorph inspired stark electro of ‘Steel (NB_BLOOD cut)’.

Mastered by: Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher, Hastings

Cut By: Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London

Distributed by: Rubadub, Glasgow

Artwork by: Timothy Saccenti, Nicholas Martin, Scott Fraser

Photography by: Kate Green, Javier Gonzalez, Scott Fraser, Timothy Saccenti

Solid red vinyl (300 copies), 30 coming with a limited edition screen print designed by Timothy Saccenti, Nicholas Martin and Scott Fraser, hand screen printed by Niall Greaves at Newbridge Print studios in Newcastle.

'Find a Way' is the new album from Manchester-based pianist, composer, and producer Matt Wilde, released via his own imprint Hello World Records. The album serves as a reminder that creativity should be accessible and the importance of opening yourself to the unexpected as you 'Find a Way' through all endeavours. Digging into improvisation and jazz harmony on the LP, he crafts a sound that bridges jazz, hip hop, and electronic music, adding: "The creative act is not a matter of waiting for the perfect conditions, but of moving gently, insistently, through the imperfect".

Focus and title track "Find a Way" encapsulates this journey of process. Humans are known for adaptation and response when they face challenges, seeking solutions towards a better world. "Find a Way" leans into our instinctive reaction to improvise and reshape, taking the listener on an unexpected journey. The opening loop could as easily feel at home as part of an electronic soundscape, developing into a clock-like effect from the drums. This keeps time, allowing a duet between keys and trumpet to unfold, symbolising the individual, imperfect and non-linear paths we all carve out day to day.

The album was funded by Arts Council England and created in close collaboration with trumpeter and composer Aaron Wood, with the pair recording in Aaron's rural DIY studio in Huddersfield. Through improvising upright piano, Rhodes and trumpet over intricately programmed beats, the duo captured the spontaneity that makes jazz feel alive, but with the forward-facing touch of Ableton live production. "I actually had live drums recorded for this project and then deleted all of them and instead programmed intricate drums on Ableton live myself to create the kinds of drum sounds I could hear in my head," Matt adds, explaining the onerous process that truly made 'Find a Way' a labour of love.

Matt Wilde discovered jazz through an unconventional journey, and 'Find a Way' is an introspective map of this musical development. Starting out as a self-taught beatmaker, growing up Matt made tracks for friends in the grime scene before falling in love with jazz through the sample-heavy works of Madlib, J Dilla, and Pete Rock. Hints of this influence can be found on "Windup", driven by a deeper bass and a glitchy intensity not commonly associated with jazz. There are also nods to the weekly DJ residencies Matt had in his late teens, establishing a love for club music at iconic Manchester venues like Sankeys. "It's Ok, Feel it" incorporates pitched-up kicks and crisp, papery snares that pay tribute to UK dance culture and the foundation of connection in this world.

Guided by values of accessibility and creativity, Matt has become a key voice in the UK's boundary-pushing jazz and beats scene. His debut album 'Hello World' alongside EPs and single releases, have been championed by the likes of BBC Radio 1, Jamie Cullum and Soweto Kinch (BBC Radio 2), 'Round Midnight (BBC Radio 3), and across BBC 6Music, Jazz FM and Worldwide FM. He has performed headline shows at Band on the Wall (Manchester) and The Lower Third (London) and showcased his music at Brick Lane Jazz Festival and London's iconic Jazz Café.

A proud Mancunian with Polish roots, Matt's values-driven approach reflects his passion for community and empowering others through the arts. Matt founded the UK's first youth-led charity and is a trustee of Manchester music charity Brighter Sound. Driven by these values of equality and inclusion, Hello World Records strives to champion grassroots music with a backbone of fairness built into the business model. The imprint is named after Matt's debut album, released via Band on the Wall Recordings; simultaneously championing the music scene and global musical footprint of Manchester and highlighting the importance of artists reminding people: Hello World, I've made it. I'm still here.

- Martha Cleary, Glow Artists

SCALER are the electrifying Bristol-based band hailed as the city’s “next national breakthrough” thanks to their pulverising live show and meticulous, mind-warping sound. Now they’re back with ‘Endlessly’, a sublime and stylistically expansive new album. 10 potent tracks written and recorded more collaboratively than ever before, as SCALER explore what it means to make music with no ceiling.


Building on what they know and taking it in new directions has been a constant throughout the three-year journey behind ‘Endlessly’, which came together in the studio beneath Bristol’s legendary The Louisiana. Inspired by time apart, the album finds them reconnecting with their diverse sonic touchpoints – many tangled in their city’s much-mused-on musical heritage – and the creative energy of collaborators around them. Close friends and long-admired peers, including Akiko Haruna, Art School Girlfriend, Tlya X An, Shadow Stevie, Thomas Ridley and Cold Light’s ELDON add colour to SCALER’s darkened palette and point to the left-turns they’re leaning into. The intense softens into introspection. The blistering becomes a balm.


‘Endlessly’ is the second album from SCALER, a.k.a. Alex Hill, Isaac Jones, James Rushforth and Nick Berthoud, alongside visual artist Jason Baker. The record follows 2022’s acclaimed ‘Void’ and marks their debut for Bristol’s revered Black Acre, a longtime champion of genre-defying electronic music.

‘When The 2000s Clashed: Machine Music For A New Millenium’ is the story of how, 25 years ago, a new form of electronic music – known as electroclash - reignited a tired clubland and gave the indie scene and mainstream pop a shot in the arm in the process. Over this 3LP highlights set, carefully curated from the 5CD box of the same name (also released, 3rd October) the collection showcases the back-to-basics electronic beats that heralded in a new generation of exciting and innovative new artists - Hot Chip, Peaches, LCD Soundystem, and Ladytron, to name a handful. It also shows how the sound and attitude of electroclash plugged into the decade’s cutting-edge indie bands, (Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party), and became intrinsic to the way chart pop would sound in the first decade of the 2000s (Kylie, Goldfrapp).

The collection also shows how the scene’s underground DIY ethos evolved and inspired the next generation of electronic buccaneers (Simian Mobile Disco, Justice Vs. Simian). ‘When The 2000s Clashed’ brings together a dazzling, diverse selection of artists, producers and remixers from right across the 2000s zeitgeist – from The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk, from M.I.A. to Soulwax and many points in-between. For good measure, there’s also one side of LP3 given over to the original post punk and electronic sounds (including Kraftwerk, The Human League and Cabaret Voltaire) who’d played such a big influence on the electroclash sound. ‘

When The 2000s Clashed’ was compiled and sequenced for Demon / Edsel by Jonny Slut, founder of London’s electroclash citadel Nag Nag Nag. Established in 2002, in a small Soho venue called Ghetto, ‘Nag’ quickly became THE hottest club, first in London and then in the whole world. A glorious mess and hedonists’ hotspot, a night at ‘Nag Nag Nag’ (if you could get in!) saw the capital’s club kids, students and creatives rub up alongside names from the fashion and music worlds - Björk, Pet Shop Boys, Kate Moss, Boy George, Alexander McQueen, and Pam Hogg were among the regulars. Madonna visited, so did John Peel, Yoko Ono asked to perform and did, Throbbing Gristle’s Chris and Cosey DJ’d, so did Marc Almond, and Too Many DJ’s.

Justin Timberlake was refused entry (too many bodyguards)… even Cilla Black was spotted getting down! Jonny shares these reminisces – and many more - in the collection’s sleevenotes. Named after the 1979 Cabaret Voltaire classic, ‘Nag, Nag, Nag’ became the first place to hear the seemingly endless flow of thrilling new tunes coming from every direction during that decade of dance. Many of them are included on this collection.

Odessey One is probably one of the hottest, most appreciated and sought-after bands when it comes to caribbean funky Disco and Boogie music from Trinidad and Tobago.
These super talented musicians recorded a few incredibly good grooves in the Caribbean Sound Studio in the early 80s, which were long considered lost or very hard to find.
It was a bunch of friends around the composer, guitarist and singer Arnold Shuffler, like Nicholas Rostant, Carla Fauche and Colleen Grant, who came together in Port of Spain for a few jam sessions as a studioband.
Only a handful of vinyl copies were pressed from the tapes at KH studios pressing plant, which did not have much airplay at the time.
Sound Essence is more than happy about a renewed collaboration with mastermind Arnold Shuffler and to present this soulful island, disco, boogie synth funk to the music-lovers
community worldwide!

Exit were a five-piece ensemble of journeymen musicians from the lone star state of Texas who came together in the early 1980’s to record a handful of popular local 45’s including two Football-mania songs. The groups line-up consisted of lead guitarist and vocalist Clennis High, rhythm guitarist Lonnie Jones, his brother Johnny K. Jones the groups keyboardist, bassist Frank Houston Jr and George Oliver on Drums.

Clennis High, a promising Football player with a flair for playing the guitar began his early musical career while attending Wheatley High school. Aged 17, Clennis played on several Crazy Cajun, Huey P Meaux’s recording sessions for Eugene Gamble and Barbara Lynn. Further recording sessions on Roy Head followed before he accepted an invitation by his neighborhood friend Willie Parnell to play alongside a group of fellow students in a band called ‘The Drells’. ‘The Drells’ had been founded by Archie Bell in 1966 pulling together neighborhood friends James Wise, base singer Cornelius Fuller, Billy Butler, Willie Parnell joined later by Archie’s brother Lee Bell. Clennis would play with ‘Archie & The Drells’ through their time on Skipper Lee Frazier’s Ovide label often accompanied by the ‘Texas Southern University Toronadoes’ where they scored a hit with the dance instruction song “Tighten Up” which on the strength of Atlantic Records picked the group up. Clennis played on all 3 of the Drells studio albums “Tighten Up”, “I Can’t Stop Dancing” and There’s Gonna Be A Showdown” under Gamble and Huff’s tutelage before quitting to return home to complete his degree. He continued to play with several local Houston bands including the Cold Four who recorded the sort after “Love And Care/Low Riden” (Drells).

Clennis later formed ‘The Reality Band’ with his friend Jerald Grey which introduced him to George Oliver and Frank Houston Jr. Occasionally ‘The Reality Band’ played with other groups, one group in particular (which Jerald previously knew) being an outfit from Conroe, Texas called the ’58 Engineers.

‘The 58 Engineers’ were founded by Johnny and Lonnie Jones, taking their name from the Army unit Johnny served with during his time in the service. By 1973 having grown to 8 members the group entered the studio to record the highly collectable and popular funk outing “The Funky Fly (Part1 & 2)” on their own Bryant Records label (Bryant being the Jones brother’s mother’s maiden name).

As members of the ‘58 Engineers’ moved on, the Jones brothers found themselves working more and more with the ‘Reality Band’ so when Jerald Grey too later moved on the remaining ‘Reality Band’ members Clennis, George and Frank having grown fond of the two “Country Brothers from Conroe” as they affectionally called the Jones’s made the decision to continue working with them, which led to the foundation of the group, Exit.

During 1980 the recently formed Exit recorded the first of their two Football -mania songs but it is from the groups 1981 release “Success/One More Hour” (Dat-Tex 105) that Soul Junction have taken the splendid ballad “One More Hour” to pair with the flipside of the groups third release “The Little Green Monster” (Dal-Tex 106) which is now highly regarded and sort after by sweet soul/lowrider connoisseurs alike. Both of these songs have been put back-to-back to feature on Soul Junction’s forthcoming September 45 release.

It began with a cassette tape entitled 'Pleased To Meet You' gifted to us at Sessa's Fasching, Stockholm show by Yann Dardenne, the multi-tasking tour manager/sound engineer/producer/merch stall worker and co-owner of Seloki Records. On first listen, the selection of underground Brazilian artists from the Seloki's roster was superb, however, one song stopped us in our tracks. The hauntingly captivating ' GOSTO MEIO DOCE' by Nina Maia and Francisca Barreto, gave us a taste of Nina's ethereal, addictive voice and we knew we needed to hear more. Born in Minas Gerais but now based in Sao Paulo, the 22-year-old has already packed a lot into a relatively short space of time. The singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer, has already collaborated on the soundtracks for six Brazilian feature films, including a track with the vocalists Maria Gadu, Iza, and Liniker. But things enter a new exciting era with this, her remarkable debut album entitled 'INTEIRA', which translates to English as 'whole'.

As much inspired by Billie Eilish and Rosalia, as Milton Nascimento and Toninho Horta and not sounding like other records coming out of Brazil, 'INTEIRA' is unique. Though rich in its Brazilian heritage, inspired by samba cancao, MPB, and the Clube da Esquina movement, it also channels influence from bands such as Portishead and Massive Attack, mixed with jazz, contemporary leftfield and electronic pop artists. Musically, it is not easily pigeonholed, with beautiful, well-crafted songs, sophisticated arrangements, eloquent vocals and intimate lyrics. Each track reflects different moments and stories from Nina's youth but with dialogues, feelings, and questions that span generations and resonate with all. This ambitious debut album is Nina's vision and sound, expressing herself without constraints and making music with her friends. Featuring a lineup of Thalin (drums), Valentim Frateschi (bass), Francisca Barreto (cello and vocals), Thales Hashiguti (viola and violin), Yann Dardenne (acoustic guitar and co-producer) and Nina on piano, Rhodes, guitar and production. The album led to a nomination in Paulista Association of Art Critics (APCA) award's 'Breakthrough Artist' category, who also listed 'INTEIRA' as one of the 50 best albums of 2024.

It also received support from Bandcamp Weekly and Jamz Supernova on BBC 6 Music. Released digitally by Seloki Records in Brazil in 2024, Mr Bongo in partnership with Seloki Records now present this new, deluxe worldwide edition that includes four additional songs. These comprise the brand-new exquisite 'MANHA', as well as an original twist on Vinicius de Moraes' classic 'Serenata Do Adeus'. Elsewhere you'll find a live recording showcasing Nina's remarkable energy on stage courtesy of 'DE DENTRO' and 'GOSTO MEIO DOCE' with the amazing musician/vocalist Francisca Barreto, where our whole story began. Here at Mr Bongo, we are honoured to release music by such a remarkable new talent - one whose musical trajectory is most certainly about to soar.

The 7:45s are an original soul collective from Manchester, UK – the brainchild of songwriter and bassist Sam Flynn. Inspired by the house bands of soul labels from Motown to Big Crown, the young collective spotlights guest vocalists such as Martin Connor and Nicole Battick. Named after 7-inch vinyl, The 7:45s write snappy singles that blend the vintage feel of rare groove with the songcraft of perfect pop.The 7:45s have been played on BBC Radio 6 Music by Craig Charles, Stuart Maconie and Chris Hawkins and on Jazz FM by Simon Phillips.

A concept album for the soul, Spinning is a retro-soul love story. Side A is sunshine soul about the dizziness of an on-off relationship, as heard in the Charles Bradley-inspired opener 'The Way That I Love You'. Side B is nocturnal. Head-spinning heartbreak is the subject of rare groove-influenced 'The Writing's on the Wall' while dancing to a new dawn is the theme of Prince-inspired disco number 'We Will Be Friends'. The album also features a reimagination of The Beatles' 'Don't Let Me Down'.

An expanded and remastered reissue of the 2009 debut album the collaborative musical project. Vocals and songs from Julianne Regan (All About Eve), Monica Richards (Faith & the Muse), Evi Vine and Amandine Ferrari. Enhanced by violin from Van Morrison/ Penguin Café"s Bob Loveday, Steve Carey on guitars, Fields of the Nephilim"s Tony Pettitt on bass, plus many friends. The album came about from Carey & Pettitt exploring music they enjoyed, and deciding on a revolving line-up of female voices. The result was an amalgam of trip-hop, prog rock and exotic goth-rock, enriched by lyrics and vocals from four exceptional female artists. The album now includes an additional six songs recorded around the same sessions as the original album. The band subsequently had five more releases and regularly toured the UK & Europe.

An extremely rare Northern Soul 45 RPM single originally released in 1965 on the Holly label, Billy Arnell And The Sparkles "Tough Girl" was the product of two childhood friends that lived less than a block apart in suburban Fairlawn, New Jersey in the early 1960s - Billy Smith and Lou Hemsey.

Billy played guitar and sang; Lou played guitar and wrote songs, so they decided to form a band. They added friends Eddie Hoffman on organ and Jack Gullone on drums and began playing lots of gigs locally as Little Willie & The Sparkles. They were young, ambitious, and imagined themselves as the next Beatles. By a stroke of fate, they met Joe Martin of Apex-Martin Distributors in Newark, NJ, who caught the band's live show and was duly impressed. That meeting led to the recording session for the "Tough Girl" single. When they recorded the first version of the song, the producer wasn't happy, nor was Joe Martin - so he fired that producer and brought in the young, up and coming producer, George Kerr. Kerr didn't care much for the band, so they redid the entire thing without Hoffman and Guilone - with just Billy singing and Lou playing guitar.

The pair of old friends were buoyed by session aces Eric Gale on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, Bobbie Banks on organ, as well as a bass player whose name has been lost to time. In addition to those changes, they used the studio horn section that Hemsey arranged for, plus two trumpets, two saxes and two vibes players. The resulting single was an infectious amalgamation of rock and soul. Billy changed his surname to Arnell for the 45 release (because he thought it sounded more "show-biz") and the rest is pop history. Arnell later started a record company (Fire Sign Records) and purchased a recording studio (112 Greene Street Recording) in the trendy SoHo section of Manhattan with Steve Loeb.

As for the rest of The Sparkles, Hoffman became a teacher somewhere on Long Island, Guilone graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Massachusetts and ended up living in Northern New Jersey. Hemsey became a well-known recording engineer, composer (Lou was the one who wrote "Tough Girl"), guitarist, arranger, orchestrator, editor, film director and producer for records and commercials.

Planning For Burial is the solo project of Thom Wasluck, emerging from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It’s Closeness, It’s Easy is the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Below The House. If Below The House was about returning home, following in the footsteps of one’s father and joining a union, and leaving behind youth’s wild days, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy embraces what comes next—the weight of all years, the quiet shifts, the reckoning with what remains. This record is many things. It captures the slow drift of time, the unnoticed shifts in a loved one—the creeping changes in mental health, the quiet pull of addiction, the kind of grief that settles in the bones rather than announces itself.
At its core, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy is about stepping into middle age and taking stock. It confronts the reality of living with the hand that’s been dealt and searching for meaning in what remains. It speaks to loss—the crushing weight of saying goodbye to a beloved 17-year old cat, the slow-motion grief of watching friends self-destruct, the inescapable passage of time as it bears down on aging parents and the self. But it also reflects the warmth of reconnection, the kind of love that never burns out but instead deepens. The feeling of picking up where things left off, untouched by the years in between.

While written over the course of two years, the recording process reflects a sense of immediacy. Rather than assembling songs piece by piece over time, the album took shape in singular, immersive sessions—less an act of construction, more an unveiling of something already waiting to take shape.
Rooted in a staunch DIY ethos, Wasluck handles every aspect of Planning For Burial project himself—recording the music, designing the artwork, and performing live as a one-man band. He books his own tours, ever and independent creative. This hands-on approach has led Planning For Burial to play hundreds of shows solidifying his place in the underground music scene. A defining moment came in 2018 when he performed at the Meltdown Festival in London, curated by Robert Smith of The Cure.

Limited Super Sound 12" Single out in June 2025

The Chairman of Acid Norwich debuts on Offen with The Caustic Wymondham EP.
Four much beloved tunes to impress your friends.

AI for the Zoomers:

MOY, the groundbreaking artist/band/group, has set a new milestone in the music/entertainment industry with their latest record-breaking achievement. His/Her/Their newest [album/single/track], titled [Album/Single Name], has officially become the [fastest-selling/highest-streamed/most-awarded/etc.] [album/single] in [genre/category], cementing MOY’s status as a global phenomenon.

A1 Phaseacid
A2 Outburst
B1 Strange Geometry
B2 Platonic Solid

All tracks written and produced by Jonny Moy

Betino’s Records is taking pride in releasing Lucas Moinet Trio debut album. Entitled "Time Travel", it takes us on a deep journey into Jazz Fusion, Funk, Boogie, and 70's inspired vocoder love songs. Lucas Moinet invited his music friends to be a part of the project : Camille Frillex, on bass and Lulu Jems on drums plus a few guests like Illa on vocals, Donald Devienne on trumpet, Lucas Piette on saxophone and Stupid Flash for some additional production. Being a multitalented musician, he composed, arranged the music and recorded the Fender Rhodes piano, guitars, Korg MS20, string machine & vocoder parts in the studio. Through the vocoder, he turned Jazz Fusion into love songs, from the funky "Close to You" to the organic "Crescendolls Are Missing", paying tribute to the Rhodes and vocoder masters from the 70's. Herbie Hancock, Patrice Rushen and Alain Mion to name a few…
The album explores a lot of different styles with the downtempo bossa nova track "Soupir de Caracole" or the deep and atmospheric "New Morning".
Everything was composed, recorded, arranged and mixed at Lucas Moinet's Studio 937 in Paris. The production and recording process took a long time and after many years, the band is really proud to introduce "Time Travel".

INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOP AND LABEL KLANG TONE RECORDS RE-ISSUE DEBUT ALBUM BY 8 PIECE INSTRUMENTAL EHTIOPIAN JAZZ/AFRO-BEAT/PROG COLLECTIVE;
TEZETA

“Absolutley gorgeous from start to finish…”
- Deb Grant, BBC 6 Music

“An instant obsession. Impeccable rhythms and hypnotic melodies—Tezeta crafts a spellbinding fusion of Addis and Avon that takes you on a journey."
- Don Leisure

“Gorgeous mood music with more than a nod to Addis. Lovely tapestries and textures”
- Matt Temple, Matsuli Music


'Formed in Bristol back in2014 Tezeta were an experimental 8 piece instrumental group effortlessly combining Ethiopian jazz, Afrobeat, prog and improvisation. The band spawned out of the much loved Bloom Collective - a collective of musicians and friends from an experimental corner of the city’s buzzing music scene.

Led by composer, pianist and bandleader Daniel Inzani (Spindle Ensemble, Cosmo Sheldrake) the band also featured tenor saxophonists Andrew Neil Hayes (Run Logan Run) and Lorenzo Prati (Count Bobo, the Evil Usses, Itchigo Evil), Harriet Riley (Spindle Ensemble, Paraorchestra) on Marimba, vibraphone and percussion, Pete Gibbs (Count Bobo) on bass, Conrad Singh (Alabaster dePlume, the Evil Usses) on electric guitar and finally two(!) drummers Matthew Jones (The Brackish, Slate Trio) and Daniel Truen (Yama Warashi, The Evil Usses, Rozi Plain, Count Bobo).

They initially got together to play music from ‘The Ethiopiques Volumes’, in particular, the work of Mulatu Astatke, hence the name Tezeta (Ethiopian for nostalgia) but quickly evolved into their own style with all original material, incorporating many other influences along the way. Their much loved, debut album 'Seventh Place' was released in Sept 2016.

“We at Klang Tone have been admirers of Daniel Inzani’s work with Spindle Ensemble and I was fortunate to catch Tezeta perform before they disbanded. I bought one of the last available copies of their home released cdr at their gig at local Stroud venue The Prince Albert. It became a firm favourite - a recording I keep playing and never got tired of. It’s such a beguiling mix of styles - always evolving and resolving in different ways to what you might expect - some thrilling ensemble playing rhythmically propelled by two drummers and a percussionist with Daniel’s evocative melodies at the centre. I was convinced this was a recording that deserved a bigger audience and felt it needed to be heard on vinyl so I started a conversation with Daniel about releasing it on Klang Tone as it perfectly encapsulated the raison d'être of the shop and label. We didn’t want this recording to languish online barely listened to - I felt it was in danger of becoming a lost classic. I hope that this vinyl release is a worthy testament to this great band and helps draw attention to the creative genius of composer Daniel Inzani and the talented ensemble of players featured on the recording.” - Sean Roe, Klang Tone Records

Tezeta had a cult following among other musicians and were known for their wild group solo wig outs, virtuoso musicianship and creative use of unusual rhythm, harmony and melody. They toured across the UK at various venues and festivals including Glastonbury, Shambala and Green Man, and subsequently released an EP named ‘Curious Bubble’ in 2020.

In 2023 Tezeta performed a sold out final show at Strange Brew, Bristol as Inzani decided to pursue solo releases, notably his critically acclaimed triple vinyl album ‘Selected Worlds’ released on Hidden Notes Records which landed in the Guardian Top 10 Contemporary Albums of the Year in 20204. The third disc ‘Play’ was a clear continuation and development of the music Inzani had developed with Tezeta and featured many of the same musicians.'

The cover image is from ‘Project Rewind’, a double exposure photography collaboration between Karen Dews and Paul Blakemore.
Graphic design by Adam Hinks.

Featuring: Coby Sey, Mica Levi and Mark Pell (Good Sad Happy Bad / Micachu & The Shapes)

‘Affectionately’ is the debut album by London based songwriter and musician Raisa K. With self produced instrumentals supporting Raisa’s signature vocal performance, the record delves into the intricate emotional cycles of relationships with heartfelt sincerity. Melodies appear simple and direct, while the themes explored present a great level of complexity. Whether about trust, kindness, doubt, frustration, annoyance, regret, honesty, insecurity, loneliness or friendship, each of the album’s twelve songs lie somewhere in between a diary and a letter.‘Affectionately’ is almost entirely produced on Raisa’s laptop and written in her home in London, as well as finding small pockets of time on trains and buses, during breaks at work, during the kids' nap-times, at the playground, in the park. The production's backbone is formed by a synthesiser sample, weaving together a range of recordings and sonic textures.

This creates a consistent expression where diverse electronic styles merge with Raisa's crisp, candid vocals in unique and personal songwriting. Some listeners might recognise Raisa’s voice and musical language from records by the band Good Sad Happy Bad, which she is a part of. While ‘Affectionately’ certainly moves in its own space, a kinship with fellow London artists is also present, as the record includes a feature with Coby Sey as well as instrumental contributions from long-time collaborators Marc Pell and Mica Levi.