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This album is not just a homage — it’s a gentle act of remembrance. A way of tuning in to what Lucier showed us: that listening is an art in itself. A meditation on resonance, memory, and the quiet power of pure sound. Or to quote Alvin Lucier himself: “I guess I’m trying to help people hold shells up to their ears, and listen to the ocean again.”

The influence of Alvin Lucier’s work on acoustic phenomena and the interplay between sound and space is difficult to overstate. His legacy continues to echo through the work of countless composers and sound artists today. Lucier’s music is marked by a sense of childlike wonder and sonic simplicity - shifting our perception from what we hear to how we listen.

At the heart of his compositions lies the sine wave: the purest, most elemental form of sound. Clarinetist Dries Tack pays tribute to this master of minimalism with an album centered around two works Lucier composed as intimate ‘In Memoriams’ for friends. Both pieces explore a single, elegant idea: the interaction between an instrumental tone and a sine wave.

Out of that interaction, ‘beatings’ emerge — a pulsating rhythm that accelerates or decelerates as the waves draw nearer or drift apart. Though built on the same concept, the two works are like mirrored reflections of one another: In Memoriam Jon Higgins, the sine wave glides in a slow glissando while the clarinet holds steady tones. In Memoriam Stuart Marshall, it’s the clarinet that dances around a fixed sine wave.

Dries Tack is a clarinetist specializing in contemporary performance practices. He performs with ensembles such as Nadar Ensemble, Curious Chamber Players, and Ensemble Fractales. As co-artistic director of the GLoW Collective, he explores collaborative practices across artistic disciplines in the broadest sense. In addition to his ensemble work, Dries curates solo projects that offer fresh perspectives on existing repertoire or give rise to entirely new works at the intersection of composition and improvisation.

The Weeknd's sophomore studio album Beauty Behind The Madness was released in 2015 and features the #1 hits "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills." 10th Anniversary Edition 2 LP set is pressed on standard weight transparent vinyl.

A bit of backstory behind this release, I first met Hilton (Jack Horner) at an event in 2012 that took place in a venue called Crucifix Lane (also known as Jack's, now defunct due to expansion of London Bridge station). He's good friends with Krome & Time who were performing that night and I remember chatting with him about jungle (I was still a very eager young lad that was in his first year of raving and very keen to talk about jungle/hardcore/d&b to anyone that would be willing to endure it!) and he mentioned that he used to make jungle in the 90s. I asked who he was and when he told me he was Jack Horner, I went mental because I was a big fan of the 2nd release on Spectrum Records (The Hoover & I Got This Feeling) and to actually meet the person behind those tunes was a really special situation for me to be in.

Unfortunately, I was too shy to get any contact details for him and I never saw him again or knew anyone that had a way of getting in touch with him. That was until very recently, when he had started attending Distant Planet events in London & I got the chance to meet him again, only to be shocked by him telling me that he had been following me & my music and was a fan of me & my label! This time, I made sure that I was able to get contact details for him, I was not going to make the same mistake as last time!

Last December, he messaged me asking if I would be up for doing a remix of The Hoover & I was quite unsure about doing it because of how much I really enjoy the original and feel like it does pretty much everything it needs to do with the sounds used. But, I thought it would be worth a try so I gave it a go and Hilton really liked the outcome (which was a huge relief ????), even though I was a bit too scared to change too much of it haha.

He then asked if I would be interested in releasing it on Future Retro London, which I'd never considered doing because I thought he would have had his own plans for it but I was willing to try & see if we could make a release out of this. I messaged Dwarde & Kid Lib to ask if they'd be up for doing remixes of the same tune (at the time, we only had access to the samples from The Hoover) and they both were and they did great work taking the original track in different directions, each in their own way.

Around the time of making The Hoover, Hilton made another tune with similar samples called After The Pain, which was never released, but he still had the tune. The problem is that he only had it in the form of a cassette recording, which wasn't very good quality and probably would not be easily cleaned up for release. So, I decided to remake the tune from scratch, using the samples I had from The Hoover, as well as sourcing & recreating other sounds used. I was able to remake the whole tune arrangement & then Kid Lib mixed it down to make it sound more sonically similar to how it would have sounded when it was originally made back in 94/95.

Anyway, story time over, big thanks to Hilton for his co-operation & assistance on making this release happen, to Dwarde & Kid Lib for their remix work & a special shout going out to Hughesee for going through Hilton's collection of floppy disks to find & record the samples for The Hoover.

Italian leftfield funk heat reissued on Best Record, with artwork by famous cartoonist Jacovitti! The link between music and art has always been constantly renewed! Even when the union between these profound expressions of the soul manifests itself in an eccentric, surreal way, as happened in 1978 with Kamasultra a downtempo, vaguely funky that only the courageous record producer, talented musician and conductor Aldo Pagani had the courage to release. Nando De Luca, a Milanese composer and acclaimed jazz musician, who 10 years earlier, had arranged Paolo Conte's Azzurro for Adriano Celentano, accepted the strange recording project as a joke, or rather for fun, strongly influenced, like co-author Roberto Rizzo, by Jacovitti' s cheeky and impertinent artwork. Danilo Braca' s restoration and editing work, well supported by talented musicians, reestablishes the balance between music and art. It is also worth his respect for the two original versions of Kamasultra and Kama Kama just extended for the DJ's work in the club. Then the New York-based Italian DJ - known to his friends as Danyb - performs two robust house-style arrangements, evoking memories and emotions, making this reissue unique and rich. Best Record 's main aim is to make us smile and reflect on the talent of Jacovitti, able to assert his own style without indulging in conformism.

Longtime label friends Peter and Lukas Visti return with a stunning long player rich in authentic Balearic sounds. It opens with the percussive nu-disco groove of 'Ocean View' then drifts into flamenco-tinged reflections on 'Invisible Sun' and 'Kathmandu.' Acoustic guitars feature prominently throughout, from the uplifting 'A New World' to the dreamy, sunset-ready title track. 'Eternal Love' brings us back to the dance floor while 'Lazy' leans into late-night Balearic house. The album closes with the serene, acoustic beauty of 'The Last Supper.' Fair Wind indeed.

DJ Feedback

Pete Herbert:
"Outstanding, and featured on radio show"

Faze Action:
"Lovely album full of beautiful melodies and calming atmospheres"

Chris Coco:
"Super-sunny, top quality Balearic gear from start to finish"

Max Essa:
"Absolutely superb!"

Bill Brewster:
"Cool beans!"

Richard Dorfmeister:
"Cool release!"

Sally Rogers/A Man Called Adam:
"Very Sunset set friendly collection, I'll be playing :)"

Nude Disco/Altra Moda Music :
"A really nice selection here"

Justin Robertson:
"Love these"

Peek of Normal is the new label from disco veteran Stevie Kotey, whose productions have graced the Bear Funk, Ambassador's Reception, Strut, Electric Minds and many more labels in the past. Pretty much its first move was to ink a deal with Dutch master Mark du Mosch, who'd been friends with Kotey since the latter moved to Rotterdam in 2005 and discovered his neighbour had similar tastes in disco. This new label's inaugural release, Sterling Melody, is quite the labour of love, and with eight tracks spread across a double vinyl pack collection lean more towards the coldwave, electro and synthpop of the early 80s rather than 70s disco. There are echoes of some pretty classic sounds here, from the Vince Clarke-esque throb of '77777st' and 'A5G Neowise' - not unlike the soundtrack work of mid period Tangerine Dream - to the slower motioning Italo-tinged shininess of 'Soluzio'. Our favourite is the title track itself, perky and full of sparkle, like the incidental music for a lost series about a mullet-clad, white linen suited detective who doesn't play by the rules, only much, much better. Definitely worth a Peek.

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.

Braiden, an artist synonymous with the UK’s underground continuum, makes a powerful return after his hiatus with Raindance, a four-track EP of original productions on his own Off Out imprint. First emerging during the post-dubstep era with standout releases on Joy Orbison’s Doldrums and iconic Dutch imprint Rush Hour, Braiden carved a unique path as both DJ and producer through long-standing residencies on Rinse FM and NTS, where his boundary-pushing selections became essential listening.

The record channels the energy of the club and the scene he emerged from, blending freshly explored influences into a focused yet diverse body of work.

The EP opens with its title track, an unruly and visceral cut that channels early grime’s skeletal power into a hypnotic techno landscape. Clattering claps, cascading strings and a guttural bassline drive it forward, shimmering with movement and wired with an unpredictable edge. Touch The Sky, featuring a vocal contribution from multidisciplinary artist KESH, follows as a meditative centrepiece — a weightless, emotional interlude hovering with restrained melancholy and awe. X5x ramps up the energy again, urgent, euphoric, and devastatingly effective, its acid-licked synth line and thunderous kicks recalling the vastness of late-night warehouse catharsis. Lagrangian Point closes the EP on a different axis altogether; a time-dilating drone that strips away the percussion entirely while retaining the physicality and ethereal tone that runs through the EP.

Also a visual artist and photographer, Braiden’s finely tuned aesthetic runs through the record, with him self-designing and photographing the artwork printed on a full colour sleeve. Raindance arrives as a meticulously crafted statement: fierce and cinematic, a notable evolution from his earlier single-led releases, with additional mix engineering support from friends Joy Orbison and Objekt.


b A2. Touch The Sky ft. KESH

Since opening the shop, we’ve become good friends with the Club Glow gang, so much so - it seemed silly not to ask for some demos to form a collective EP. This record is the result, you can thank us later!
If you’ve not checked out any of this lot’s music yet, you need your head examined...

Four tasty bangers, exploring the realms of UK Breakbeat, Dub, Jungle and beyond..bel and bought the wax, we’ve got plenty more in the works.

The always hard working Emotional Rescue now unveils the electronic disco project Exo Fender, helmed by esteemed New York producer Eric Calvi and featuring the legendary Steve D'Acquisto. The remastered songs 'Big Mood' and 'Music In My Mind' span two new EPs, with updated edited versions by NYC producer Justin Van Der Volgen. Calvi's journey from Paris to New York's music scene in the 1980s when he engineered hits for artists like Cameo and Africa Bambaataa, and laid the groundwork for Exo Fenders. Inspired by clubbing friendships, the project's infectious grooves and tongue-in-cheek nature gained club play and collector's acclaim, with Van Der Volgen's remix enhancing their timeless appeal for today's dancefloors.

"Hayden James is an LA-based Australian producer and DJ who makes electronic music that speaks to a wide range of audiences. From late night clubs to festival main stages, from sunrise to sunset, Hayden's music has soundtracked moments with friends around the world for the past decade.
It took award-winning music producer Hayden James one song to become a sound of the Australian summer. ‘Something About You’, released in the heat of December 2014 by Future Classic, lit up the pop music scene and gained Gold Certification in Australia. Today the artist’s electronic pop music has hooked a global audience on his sound, with a collection that has amassed over half a billion streams."

We met Volen through a tip from our friends at Cyclone as a Los Angeles-based DJ who was also a natural with production. In 2021 we released Volen's Distortion mini-album on Rhizome Forms. Those heady productions stuck with us and we knew a vinyl would soon be ready. Four years later, with countless hours spent in his Arizona desert sound lab, we present four acidic dancefloor interventions on wax.

“Validation” is immediately lively with a cascading acid groove. Spinning through inversions, the vocal refrains frame the kaleidoscopic dance floor energy of the title track.

The record's a-side finds completeness with the twisted anthem “I've Got to Shower".
Wobbly chords simmer under that famous sample while a slick breakbeat delivers the rhythm.

Side-b arrives with swagger as "Left & Right” rolls in with a mental acid and breakbeat powerplant of a groove.The track's breakdown billows atmosphere while the lower frequencies growl.

Volen saves the starry ecstasy for the final track. “Pump Their Dump” is an upbeat and dreamy acid house journey evolving into a collage of ear candy samples that'll satisfy dancers looking for that positive vibration release.

‘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.

‘BORN LIKE THIS.’ is MF DOOM’s last solo album. Featuring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and seminal American poet and writer Charles Bukowski with beats from J Dilla, Madlib and ol’ Metal Fingers himself. “I’ve been a fan of Bukowski for a while. It was a friend of mine – damn, I forget the n*gga name – from Life Sucks Die, it’s a graffiti magazine but it’s real kinda edgy, out of Minneapolis. They did an interview with me and then me and Andrew Broder was friends ever since then. He said, ‘Your shit reminds me of this dude Bukowski, you gotta read his stuff.’ I was a little apprehensive at first, ‘cos I was like, ‘What kinda weird shit is this?’ Then he gave me a book, The Most Beautiful Woman In Town, and after that I just got into it. “So for this album, to celebrate all us writers, emcees, if you look at it, it’s a lot of words that we say, and we all write those words: if it was written down on a piece of paper it could be a short story or like a good book. So I saw where Andrew was coming from where he sees the similarities. In tribute to Bukowski I said let me get him as a guest appear ance…” DOOM as quoted in HHC. “Whatever caused DOOM to scale back his output and go off the grid, he’s only come back from it sharper, stronger, and more powerful than before.” Pitchfork “DOOM still has the sickest vocabulary, broadest frame of reference, and densest, most quotable rhymes in hip-hop… he has created an album of sublimely half-assed super-genius.” Onion AV Club

More Rice and Jugaar Records – Two Bangkok-affiliated labels – bring together an assemblage of their mutual friends for a heady, floor-focused VA with moods to soundtrack peak flow, after-hours rabbit holes, and just about everything in between.

Rudoh of Jugaar Records fame kicks us off with ‘Madoh’, a bendy groove that initially bares flex of early 2000s Minimal with its trimmed, rubbery percussion and obscured vocal snippets. As the track progresses, a hefty break and a catchy synth line bolster things before breakdowns unfold like little trippy slumbers rudely interrupted by bold, punchy drops.

Next up is Tokyo legend Gonno who follows up with ‘Rad’, a broad-shouldered banger propelled by a heaving kick and clap combo. A wrought synth is paired with odd shocks of acid and a sequence that flickers like a strobe. All the while a thick, gnarled bass line rumbles underneath, keeping vibes at boiling point throughout.

More Rice’s DOTT follows up with a swampy excursion propelled by a potent kick and nimble submarine tones. Drums are neatly stacked in polyrhythms as an infectious swing unfolds, one that’s decorated with ghostly synths and a generous dose of psychedelic synthesis.

Sarayu – also of More Rice fame, closes things up with ‘Fuijan Groove’, a brilliantly lean cut that lets the subs do the talking. Sharp tonal blobs flesh out a simple but highly effective march as spectral pads expand in plumes of smoke until the conclusion of a rich and varied record that unites two kindred labels perfectly.’

‘More Rice and Jugaar Records – Two Bangkok-affiliated labels – bring together an assemblage of their mutual friends for a heady, floor-focused VA with moods to soundtrack peak flow, after-hours rabbit holes, and just about everything in between.

Rudoh of Jugaar Records fame kicks us off with ‘Madoh’, a bendy groove that initially bares flex of early 2000s Minimal with its trimmed, rubbery percussion and obscured vocal snippets. As the track progresses, a hefty break and a catchy synth line bolster things before breakdowns unfold like little trippy slumbers rudely interrupted by bold, punchy drops.

Next up is Tokyo legend Gonno who follows up with ‘Rad’, a broad-shouldered banger propelled by a heaving kick and clap combo. A wrought synth is paired with odd shocks of acid and a sequence that flickers like a strobe. All the while a thick, gnarled bass line rumbles underneath, keeping vibes at boiling point throughout.

More Rice’s DOTT follows up with a swampy excursion propelled by a potent kick and nimble submarine tones. Drums are neatly stacked in polyrhythms as an infectious swing unfolds, one that’s decorated with ghostly synths and a generous dose of psychedelic synthesis.

Sarayu – also of More Rice fame, closes things up with ‘Fuijan Groove’, a brilliantly lean cut that lets the subs do the talking. Sharp tonal blobs flesh out a simple but highly effective march as spectral pads expand in plumes of smoke until the conclusion of a rich and varied record that unites two kindred labels perfectly.’

The black and white hoverbike flew out of the fog at breakneck speed and raced through the neon-lit urban jungle of the Havan metropolis. It manoeuvred steadily between the skyscrapers, trying to throw off the tail of the corporal's convoy, which was getting closer by the moment, preventing it from sneaking away with the seemingly easy-to-get Zero-G prototype. This weapon could create an anti-gravity field with a single shot and disable even the largest battle cruiser. That's why an elite squad of cyber-soldiers equipped with modified implants and gadgets was sent in pursuit not to allow them to ease off for a second.


With a sharp steering wheel jerk, Spacelunch turned off the main street and into a narrow alley. "Your turn!" – He shouted insistently over the engine's roar. Cat rose from the back seat, took aim, and deftly fired his blaster. In a pall of sparks and smoke, the pursuer's hoverbike spun out of control and crashed into the building. Gritting their teeth, the friends raced through the winding maze of obstacles and tight turns. All senses were heightened with excitement. They could see a gap ahead and a way out into the slums.


Suddenly, a heavily armed police drone blocked the road, aiming its red gun lights at them. Spacelunch decisively grabbed Cat and jumped into the so-fortunately spotted sewer manhole, barely managing to dodge the gunfire barrage. After landing in a pitch-dark narrow tunnel, they moved on, with every step feeling the growing tension in the air and realizing that they could be found out at any moment. The darkness seemed endless. The only consolation was that they had the prototype in their hands, and now all they had to do was get to the spaceship and get off this freaking planet.

Sourires is back on Saint Wax. This time with a mix of fresh sounds and disco references on one side. On the other, he delights us with the soul samples and old school beats that set him apart. To be leaving is a must-have album if you want to be transported in an instant from a dimly lit aperitif
to a sparkling dance floor.

"Later Than You Think" erscheint bei seinem neuen Label YOUNG und beschäftigt sich mit Themen wie Trauer, Gerechtigkeit, Wiedergeburt, Transformation und spirituellem Kampf. Es ist ein Werk von Bekenntnis und Konfrontation, für das sich Affekt, Intellekt und Geist auf der Suche nach dem Schönen, der Wahrheit und dem Realen zusammenschließen. Entstanden ist das Album in den Ozarks von Missouri. Die 16 Tracks vereinen Elemente und Gegensätze wie Üppigkeit und rohe Reduziertheit, das Heilige und das Profane, minimalistische Disziplin und maximale Schwelgerei, Kontrapunkt und simple Popharmonien. Im Kern unterstreicht das Album aber vor allem Maus" Hingabe an radikale Aufrichtigkeit und emotionale Wahrhaftigkeit in einem Zeitalter der Entfremdung - angetrieben von Konfrontation, Glauben und der tiefen Überzeugung, dass Sinn und Bedeutung noch immer etwas meinen. Maus, der einen Abschluss in Experimental Music und einen Doktortitel in Politikwissenschaft hat, wurde für die Art und Weise, auf die er akademische Sorgfalt und Lo-Fi Synthpop-Ästhetik verbindet, mal als "philosopher pop star" mal als "analog futurist" bezeichnet. Sein Wirken zieht sich dabei quer durch die Popkultur - von der Grime-Ikone Skepta, der seinen Track "I"m Only Human" sampelte bis zum Gen-Z-Rapper nettspend, von Filmemacher Josh Safdie ("Uncut Gems") bis zum Fotografen Wolfgang Tillmans. Sein Track "Cop Killer" ist im 2025er Film "Friendship" mit Tim Robinson und Paul Rudd enthalten. Mit exzessiven Liveshows und seinen bislang erschienenen Alben, auf denen Ironie, Trauer, Freude und Absurdität stets dicht beieinander liegen, hat Maus einen einzigartigen Weg beschritten und sich eine ergebene Fanbase erspielt.

Call Sender is the collaborative brainchild that unites the talents of Paul Elliott, a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and recording engineer from Suffolk/UK and Michael Reed, a multi-talented instrumentalist, recording engineer, and drummer residing in the Bay Area/USA. Despite working together for the past four years, the pair are yet to meet in person!

After connecting on social media over their love of drum breaks and vintage reverbs Elliott and Reed fostered their creative partnership by bouncing recordings back and forth via email and this virtual collaboration resulted in their first album, the jazz-funk inspired “Lost To The Storm” (Tru Thoughts, 2023). With four singles from the album gaining radio play and becoming a favourite for tastemakers and DJs, the pair began work on the follow up “Golden Langur”. With this new record, the aim was to retain their signature Call Sender sound, a heady mix of B-movie soundtracks, classic library music and psychedelic funk and soul, but also introduce elements of lo-fi soul as well as collaborating with some of their talented friends as featured artists.

These features include fantastic instrumental contributions from the incomparable funkmaster Shawn Lee (Ping Pong Orchestra/Young Gun Silver Fox) on “Brainforests” and the legendary JJ Whitefield (Poets Of Rhythm/Whitefield Brothers) who kicks ass in two tempos on “Two Tails”. Not to mention the silky-smooth vocals from the Bay Area’s Andre Cruz, vocal duet from Lucid Paradise that is reminiscent of Gil Scott Heron and Paul Elliott’s seven year old son Buddy drops a vocal on the future B-boy classic “Rainbow”. Together Call Sender has an old-school vintage foundation with a modern perspective. Influenced by iconic acts such as Klaus Weiss, Miles Davis and Nino Nardini and with a hip and funky sonic aesthetic, Call Sender’s music is nostalgic without being pastiche, has a sense of travelling at its core, having been recorded in different parts of the globe, while never hesitating on the direction of the music.

On September 26th, 2025, two decades and seven albums into his career, American musician, composer, and academic John Maus will release his most transcendent work yet: Later Than You Think. Arriving via his new label YOUNG, the album explores themes of grief, justice, rebirth, transformation, and spiritual warfare - coalescing into a work of confession and confrontation: an aural metaphysics where affect, intellect, and spirit converge in search of the beautiful, the truth and the real. Written, produced, and recorded in the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri, Later Than You Think spans 16 tracks and contains multitudes - the lush and the bare, the sacred and the profane, minimalist discipline and maximalist indulgence, counterpoint and simple pop harmony. At its core, the album reaffirms John Maus’ commitment to radical sincerity and emotional truth in an age of alienation. Powered by confrontation, faith and transformation - driven by the urgent belief that meaning still matters, and time is of the essence. Holding a degree in experimental music from CalArts and a PhD in political science from the University of Hawaii, Maus has been dubbed a “philosopher pop star” and “analog futurist” for the way he merges academic rigor with lo-fi synth-pop aesthetics. His influence spans genres and generations—from UK grime icon Skepta, who sampled his track “I’m Only Human,” and Gen-Z rapper nettspend, to filmmaker Josh Safdie, actor Natasha Lyonne, and photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. His track “Cop Killer” features in the 2025 film Friendship, underscoring his continued relevance across high and low culture. With five previous albums under his belt - Songs (2006), Love Is Real (2007), We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (2011), Screen Memories (2017) and Addendum (2018) - Maus has carved out a singular path where irony, grief, joy, and absurdity can coexist and gained a cult following along the way. On Late r Than You Think Maus doesn’t just return—he confronts, confesses, and transforms. The result is not only a career-defining work, but a rare artistic offering: one that dares to believe in meaning, beauty, and the possibility of transcendence

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!

An independent label by DJs, for DJs, and of DJs based in Tokyo since 2024. Run by YAMADAtheGIANT and his friends, our passion lies in updating the classic house style through modern underground artists. All our tracks are designed for the dance floor and for slow mixing by house DJs. Each track has been curated and played at underground parties by underground DJs before its 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.

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.

The second release on Ben Kaczor and Lb Honne's new imprint "St. Odes" features Ben Oyefeso from Hamburg with a deep, glitchy 2x12" vinyl-only LP!

Ben Kaczor: “After a gig at the Golden Pudel in Hamburg last year, I stopped by Remoto Records the next day. The music playing in the shop struck me immediately — delicate, unusual, and soothing all at once. As I kept listening, I even noticed my headache fading away. Behind the counter was Ben Oyefeso, quietly playing his unreleased tracks. Since that moment, the rest is history.”

St. Odes emerges from the depths of Switzerland, born out of the friendship and shared sonic vision of Lb Honne and Ben Kaczor. Driven by a precise yet fearless approach to creative expression, the label embraces what they call “elegant punk” — a refusal to follow convention. While its roots lie in ambient, house, and techno, the focus remains singular: not on meaning, but on feeling.

The first release "Various Minds 001" sold out very quickly.

The second release features Ben Oyefeso from Hamburg with a deep, glitchy 2x12" vinyl-only LP!

Ben Kaczor: “After a gig at the Golden Pudel in Hamburg last year, I stopped by Remoto Records the next day. The music playing in the shop struck me immediately — delicate, unusual, and soothing all at once. As I kept listening, I even noticed my headache fading away. Behind the counter was Ben Oyefeso, quietly playing his unreleased tracks. Since that moment, the rest is history.”

Linval Thompson is one of the great roots vocalists that ruled the dancehalls of Jamaica in the mid 1970’s. His distinctive vocal style and roots lyrics, that spoke of the struggles that faced the Rastas, hit a chord with the people of Jamaica, and provided a string of hits for him in the dancehalls. This in turn, would set a tone that he carried on through his musical career and future production work. Linval Thompson (b.1959, Kingston, Jamaica) was actually raised in Queens, New York. He cut his first record there at the age of 16 ‘No Other Woman’ with future Third World singer Bunny Ruggs. He also cut a couple of tracks for a US producer E Martin ‘’Jah Jah Deh’and ‘Weeping and Wailing’. In 1974 he returned to Jamaica and cut ‘Mama Say’ and a version of D Brown’s ‘Westbound Train’ for producer K Hobson which got Thompson noticed by producer Phil Pratt. Pratt took him to Lee Perry’s Black Ark studio’s where he cut ‘Kung Fu Man’. Thompson’s friendship with fellow singer Johnny Clarke led to a meeting with producer Bunny Lee. His first track cut for Lee was ‘Don’t Cut Off Your Dreadlocks’ and it became a big hit in Jamaica. Bunny Lee was the producer of the moment and Linval added to his long list of hit singles with ‘A Big Big Girl’, ‘Cool Down Your Temper’, ‘Ride On Dreadlocks’ and the title of this compilation ‘Jah Jah Is The Conqueror’. He seemed to hit a musical height working for Bunny Lee (who as he has done with many of his singers) encouraged Linval into production work himself. Which has led to another chapter in Linval’s story. Working with an array of artists including, Freddie McGregor, Johnny Osbourne, Barry Brown, Rod Taylor and many more. But it is his singing career that we focus on here and that great period in reggaes history the mid 1970’s where Linval delivered a string of classic hits that we have compiled for you here. Hope you enjoy the set.

Quiet Village collaborate with Vanessa Daou on 'Naked Hunger’ Legendary New York artist and The Daou front-woman Vanessa Daou lends vocals to Matt 'Radio Slave' Edwards and Joel Martin's second release on the ‘The Quiet Village’ imprint.

Matt ‘Radio Slave' Edwards and Joel Martin's critically acclaimed Quiet Village project follow-up, 2024's 'Reunion' with the Vanessa Daou collaboration, 'Naked Hunger' on September 5th, '25. 'Naked Hunger', which comes in 'Vocal Mix' and 'Spoken Word Mix' versions, sees Quiet Village employ their hypnotic sensibilities to one of house music's most tantalising vocal talents in Daou, resulting in a mid-tempo house cut that completely envelops.

While the vocal mix of 'Naked Hunger' leans into the interplay between Vanessa Daou's cosseting song voice and spoken vocals, with the rest of the track embracing a subtly dubby ethereal musicality, Quiet Village ramp up the instrumentation on the' Spoken Vocal' version with bass guitar and piano flourishes accompanying her sultry poetic delivery.

'Naked Hunger', Daou's first collaboration with Quiet Village, marks her first release since 2019's 'Little Black Dress'. Throughout her illustrious career, the acclaimed three-time #1 Billboard Dance Chart topper has collaborated with Danny Tenaglia, David Morales, Mood II Swing, Ralphi Rosario, Terry Farley (Farley & Heller), Charles Webster, Horse Meat Disco's Severino Panzetta, Hifi Sean, and Eli Escobar.

Friends since meeting at Goldie's legendary MetalHeadz sessions at London's Blue Note in the '90s, Quiet Village, aka Matt Edwards and Joel Martin, began releasing their brand of dubbed-out, balearic-and-beyond tracks in 2005 via NYC's Whatever We Want Records. The duo's 2008 'Silent Movie' LP was a critical smash hit that resulted in remix commissions for the likes of Bryan Ferry, The Gorillas, Leftfi eld, Francois K, Massive Attack and many more. After a few years in the wilderness, unable to use their nom de plume due to contractual restrictions, the pair launched The Quiet Village label in 2024 with 'Reunion', a stunning 6/8-time urban jazz odyssey, a favourite of the likes of Luke Una, Gilles Peterson and Ryan Elliott.

Finally, I was able to devote some time to actually getting some collaborations completed for a new release of the Meeting Of The Minds series, with some brand new names arriving to Future Retro London!

Nebula is one of my favourite artists making new jungle atm, his versatility in music on the darker & lighter sides of the spectrum, the richness of his atmospherics and melodies & the way his drum edits flow throughout his tracks, I consider him a big inspiration in what I make. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to work with him on "Without Fear".

I've been enjoying some of what Stekker's been doing in his music, representing the ruffer lo-fi side of production and he's been putting out some great stuff on his own label Ruff 'n' Tuff as well as on a release he did for Coco Bryce's label Myor. I reached out to him about a collaboration and he had started something, which I was really into and that led to "The Quest".

I owe a lot to DJ Trace, as he was one of the first big names in jungle/d&b to really show me support for what I was doing. He gave me my debut vinyl release when he asked me to remix an old classic of his called "Final Chapta", which he released in 2011 on his label DSCI4. I also had music released on a label he started a few years after that called 117 (which I also helped design artwork for), so we go way back. He's been making more music than ever before recently and I was lucky enough to be able to get a collaboration in with him and "Patterns Of Thought" is the end result of that.

I've known Ark X & Duburban for a number of years, I would see them at a lot of events up north, as well as at events in London that they'd travel down for. They also were good friends with Kid Lib and would drive down with him whenever he was visiting/DJing in London & I was becoming familiar with their music through him, through Ark X's labels Supercharger & Hypercharger (where some of Ark X's music was being released under his previous alias of Black Orchid) & through Duburban's collaborations with Jahganaut. Big up to both of them for collaborating with me on "Come A Dance"

This EP is dedicated to and inspired by a dearly special friend of this label: Graham Kerr, aka Kerso, our pal. His passions in life were friends, records, clothes and his beloved football team, Motherwell FC. It's the first anniversary of his passing in September 2025 and this is just a wee reminder of his presence, and his dancing, all these years. For Kerso.

Muzik & Friendz Records is absolutely thrilled to announce a momentous milestone: we are celebrating our 10th anniversary! To mark a full decade of music, community, and friendship, we are incredibly proud to present a special various artists vinyl compilation.
This celebratory record sees us reunite with some of our closest friends and talented artists who have been integral to the Muzik & Friendz journey. We are so happy to come back with this new release featuring captivating contributions from JR From Dallas, Pat Lezizmo, Rawdio, Franksen, and an exciting, previously secret collaboration project known as Padeera. Each track has been carefully selected to deliver genuinely groovy, infectious, and compelling house cuts that embody the sound and spirit of the label.
Join us in celebrating ten years of passion for music with this essential vinyl release, packed with fresh tracks from the family.

A multidisciplinary artist, and avant-garde icon in her own right, Little Annie leaves little room for an introduction that is worthy of her prolific career. She has remained relevant for over four decades through her innate spirit of experimentation and the multiplicity of her genre-bending collaborations with artists traversing the globe such as Adrian Sherwood, Swans, The Wolfgang Press, Kid Congo, Current 93—the list goes on!

For this release, Noir Age is proud to present a 7” single of new material from Little Annie in collaboration with South Florida-based producer and label owner Richard Vergez, recording here under the moniker of Night Foundation. Annie and Richard met back in 2016 after a gig at the ICA in Miami through their mutual friend: Drew McDowall of Coil.

Sharing a requited spirit for visual art and music, they became fast friends and began collaborating, conjuring what you hear on this release: Inertia.

Edition of 300 records, each housed in a silkscreened, custom black 7" envelope jacket with newsprint insert.

Reviewed in The Wire magazine:

"Night Foundation is one of the current electronic projects envisioned by Florida's Richard Vergez. In this instance, his work is smooth and bassoid enough to have a vague dancefloor-friendly feel without being overtly prancy. This notion is enhanced by the presence of a dub B side, so things are not as dark as with most of Verge's projects. But they're still not sunny. Of course, Little Annie's lyrics and casual vocals have more in common with urban menace than sunshine pop, so the pairing works quite well."

2025 Repress


Australian music devotees András and Instant Peterson hold a candle to overlooked avant-pop and electronic works by antipodean artists and outsiders working through the 80s and 90s. Through co-presenting weekly radio show Strange Holiday, the duo slowly upturned their locale for inspiration - archives, country bookstores, private collections and convenience stores, searching for a place to anchor their own identities in the oceans of the island continent. The 10 tracks acknowledge a minor history, passed on via a network of friends, friends of friends, the libraries of radio station 3RRR and more often than not, the artists themselves. Renowned mixed media artist Maria Kozic enters with the mysterious downbeat of Trust Me, her husband Philip Brophy responsible for digital and analogue sonic construction. A recurring character in András and Instant Peterson's investigations, Brophy reappears with a score piece from his divisive feature film Salt, Saliva, Sperm and Sweat, recorded as (pronounced 'Tch Tch Tch"). Other links are thread under the surface. Melbourne inner north experimentalist David Chesworth explores his Australiana songcraft leading Whadya Want. The short lived project also featured Philip Jackson, whose husband-wife duo The Couch is restored from Fast Forward's dance issue - a pioneering cassette fanzine published by early-80s 3RRR personality Bruce Milne.

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.

VINYL ONLY. 25HRS-008 GO TO THE AIRPORT, Giacomo Silvestri, owner of the 25hours Records label, invites his talented friends IVAN IACOBUCCI with his superb remix, making this vinyl perfect for a dancefloor situation. The style of this release looks in a more different direction, to a new format including 4 tracks with completely different nuances until touching an experimental breakbeat groove, remaining faithful to the quality of his minimal underground house sound. This vinyl is in limited edition, don't miss it

Shawn Rudiman returns to Pittsburgh Tracks with his first full length since 2021’s Flow State.

“Reality in Quotes” is a complete statement from beginning to end... in the artist’s own words:

"Our perception, rational thought and intellect are the only way we discern what we even dare call reality. You can use any information you like, but we make our own realities from moment to moment.

Thank you to: my lady for understanding me; Pittsburgh Tracks for the friendship and wanting to release this album; Chase Smith for the great equipment help; Angie Linder / DTM for the live gig help and representation.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this release, and any release I've done over the last 27 years. It's humbling to still be able to make music and to play out.

Reality is the only word in the language that should always be used in quotes."

Utopia Music welcomes genre veterans, taste makers, torch bearers and close friends, Loxy and Resound to the fold.

Two pieces of music that only these two know how; weighty, thoughtful, menacing and emotive, “Shuriken Shock” and “Blossom” continue to solidify why Loxy and Resound are consistently at the top of their game.

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.