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Released in 1998, THE CHRISTMAS ATTIC earned double-platinum certification and continues to captivate audiences with fan favorites like “Music Box Blues,” “Boughs Of Holly,” and “Ghosts Of Christmas Eve.” The album also introduced “Christmas Canon,” which has become one of the band’s most popular songs and a modern holiday classic. THE CHRISTMAS ATTIC tells the heartwarming tale of a little girl’s magical night spent in an attic filled with yuletide memories, accompanied by spellbinding guitar solos and soaring choral vocals set against a rock orchestral backdrop. The record serves as the second installment in TSO’s celebrated Christmas trilogy, which also includes Christmas Eve and Other Stories (1996) and The Lost Christmas Eve (2004).

TSO was conceived by the group’s late founder, composer, and lyricist Paul O’Neill. His ambitious vision was to create a progressive rock band that combined rock opera and classical rock with a dazzling live show that featured lights, lasers, and pyrotechnics. In the 1980s and 1990s, O’Neill produced several albums for the influential heavy metal band Savatage, which is how he connected with longtime collaborators Jon Oliva (vocals), Al Pitrelli (guitar), and Robert Kinkel (keyboards/producer).

With more than 10 million albums sold, TSO has inspired generations of fans to rediscover the multi-dimensional art form of rock opera. Since its touring debut in 1999, the band has emerged as one of the world’s top live acts, performing for over 10 million people across the globe, selling more than $280 million worth of tickets, and donating $11 million to charity.

Schallplattensammler haben sie eifersüchtig gehütet, die Original-LP „Träume heißen Du“, so der damalige Titel des Cole-Porter-Albums von Hildegard Knef. 28 Wochen hielt es sich auf den vorderen Rängen der Charts. Heute ist die Scheibe ein absoluter Klassiker. "Sei mal verliebt" ("Let's Do It), "Nichts haut mich um ­aber du" ("I Get A Kick Out Of You") und "Ich bin leider viel zu faul" sind aufgrund ihrer humorvollen, aber auch emotional-nachdenklichen Übertragungen unübertroffene deutsche Versionen aus dem American Songbook. Hildegard Knef singt Cole Porter wurde nun wieder neu aufgelegt und erscheint als Gatefold-2LP auf rotem Vinyl und als 1CD.

GAF are back!!! This time under their Estrella de la Muerte configuration and with a gateway musical behemoth double album into the cosmic unknown.
The prolific project, helmed by local Canarian anchorman Mladen Kurajica, dwells deep into esoteric rock genres and this time, they waste no time in plunging the listener into their brave new type of cosmic rock with a deeply influenced krautrock voyage of 70’s jamming and psychonautic exploration.
Recorded over three days in the cultural space of El Tanque, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, at the height of the covid pandemic of 2020 and during one of the hottest summers to date, the band entered the space with no plan in mind deciding instead to approach the recording sessions without any preconceived ideas or pre-composed songs. Clean out of external influences and ready to experiment they loaded in all their available gear, including an array of modular synths, in order to create a new approach to song writing and flesh out some ideas for a future album in situ. The very process of that search, through pure improvisation and jamming, became the album we’re presenting here.
No overdubs or subsequent edits were done, except for cutting some songs so that they could fit on the album. Almost 5 hours of recordings in total, finally reaching a 7 track, 69-minute double LP. All the reverb heard on the record is the natural reverb of El Tanque, a 16 second tail natural reverb recorded with several room mics at different locations in the venue. Eventually this became the first fully instrumental album by the Estrella de la Muerte configuration, with a line up of 7 musicians (Gaf y Estrella de la Muerte are normally a sextet).
Enter then, this inspired selection of psychedelically damaged tunes, 70’s space rock, psychoacoustics and Kosmishe inspired jamming. This is healing music for your mind altering journeys. The titled Pyramids here serving not only as a gateway to the cosmic unknown but also as an exploratory symbol of the bands willingness to freely embrace their subconscious inner flows into a cosmic collective. Ecstatic music for our times!

It would be insufficient to call Rory McPike “prolific”; it does a disservice to the depth and breadth of his oeuvre as Rings Around Saturn, Cactus Head, Bleekman, 2200, Dan White, and as one half of Turner St. Sound. His work can be broken into a litany of different genres, but at the heart of it all lies an endlessly explorative spirit with a restless desire for expression. This impulse spans his diverse body of work and all the different facets of his musical practice.

‘All Things Shining’ touches on ambient, electroacoustic studies and filmic/VGM composition, but outside of these references, it stands as a beautiful suite of songs and a testament to the power of the creative impulse. Best Effort is proud to present the realization of Rory's vision.

Vinyl mit Downloadcode. Die LP und CD Versionen dieses Albums unterscheiden sich in einigen Details: Nicht mit an Bord bei der LP-Version sind die Songs "Intro" und "Ends", die sich auf der CD finden lassen. Dafür gibt es auf der LP den Track ,Body And Blood" in einer längeren Version. Außerdem tummeln sich auf der D-Seite 100 Locked Groove Audio Loops, die exklusiv nur auf dem Vinyl auftauchen. ,CLIPPING. machen Partymusik für den Club, bei dem man sich wünscht, nie in ihm gelandet zu sein; das Auto, bei dem du dich nicht erinnerst, wie du eingestiegen bist und die Straßen, auf denen man sich nicht sicher fühlt." (Aus der Pressemitteilung für das CLIPPING. Debüt ,Midcity", das im September 2012 veröffentlicht wurde). Seit das verfasst wurde, hat sich einiges geändert für CLIPPING. Die Band fand heraus, dass die potentiellen Hörer bereiter für sie waren, als sie es erwartet hatten. Vor ,Midcity" erwartete keins der Mitglieder (Rapper Daveed Diggs und die Produzenten Jonathan Snipes und William Hutson), dass ihr kantiger Rap ein Publikum finden würde. Die Band war ursprünglich als Remixprojekt und Fußnote im wahren Leben der Mitglieder gedacht: Diggs ist ein Bühnenschauspieler; Snipes komponiert Filmmusik und Hutson ist ein etabliert Noise Musiker (Snipe und Hutson kollaborierten beim Soundtrack zur IFC Dokumentaion ,Room 237"). Doch seit der Gründung von CLIPPING. weitete sich das Feld der kommerziellen Musik leicht aus, so dass plötzlich Platz für mehr Noise und mehr Abenteuer in der elektronischen Produktion war (obwohl CLIPPING. selbst natürlich darauf bestehen, dass sie Rap Musik machen). ,Clppng" ist ambitionierter als ,Midcity". Das Album wartet mit Gästen wie Gangsta Boo (Ex-THREE 6 MAFIA und momentan bei DA MAFIA 6IX), Guce (Veteran der Bay Area; Mitglied von BULLYS WIT FULLYS), King T (Gangster Rap Legende der Westküste; Gründer der Likwit Crew; Mentor von XZIBIT und THA ALKAHOLIKS) und COCC PISTOL CREE (Newcomerin aus Compton, bekannt vom DJ MUSTARD Mixtape ,Ketchup"). ,Clppng" weitet die experimentellen Sounds der Band aus, um eine größere emotionale Palette zu bedienen. Doch die Band ist nicht zum Softie geworden; das Intro des Albums ist eins der brutalsten Stücke, das die Band je aufgenommen hat und ,Or Die" (feat. Guce) ist so bitterböse wie alles auf ,Midcity". ,CLPPNG" ist ein Album, das unter Beweis stellt, wie vielschichtig Sound sein kann, wenn die Regeln eines Genres mutwillig in Frage gestellt werden.

”Guess Who’s Back” - Hip-Hop is! Das beliebte Genre ist aus der Musiklandschaft nicht mehr wegzudenken und feiert dieses Jahr sein 50-jähriges Jubiläum! Zu diesem Anlass erscheint das brandneue Album „HipHop At Fifty (50 Jahre Hip-Hop)“ mit vielen Hits aus den Anfangsjahren des Genres sowie zahlreichen deutschen und internationalen Chartstürmern. Eins ist sicher – dieses Album kommt ”Straight Outta Compton”!
Mit Oldschool-Pionier*innen wie Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, LL COOL J, 50 Cent, DMX, Lil’ Kim, Fugees als auch mit deutschen Rap-Größen wie Die Fantastischen Vier, Luciano, Sido, Apache 207, Seeed oder Deichkind hat das Album einiges zu bieten.

Ob die groovigen Sounds von ”Super Freaky Girl”, die explosive Rap Power von ”Bamba”, der weltweite Club-Klassiker ”In Da Club” oder der funky Vibe mit harschen Lyrics des Klassikers von ”The Real Slim Shady” – diese Mischung sorgt für die volle Ladung Hip-Hop!

Erhältlich als 4LP, 3CD, eAlbum und im Streaming ab dem 29. September 2023!

Raz started working on the album Tyrants in 2017 and
mixed the finished version in 2021. The writing process
began with listening to sketches and sound-files he
had collected throughout the past years, which he had
not yet given up on. The album is thus a natural
continuation of his previous works and showcases
Raz’s unique sound design coherently. His increased
focus into composition and arrangement is highlighted
even further in this release.


In the oblivious environment surrounding his hideaway
lake cabin he produced an album that is rich and
diverse in its sonic palette, ranging from harshly
distorted synth-peaks, cinematic soundscapes, all the
way to avant-garde contemporary classical, and jazz
music. It is an album that invites the listener to explore
and discover not just the intimate self: it is also a very
personal, intuitive observation and reflection on the
world that we are living in today.


Certain instruments are very prominent. An old piano
that was left in Raz’ apartment by a friend that he
found joy in playing.

One can hear a certain curiosity in
the performance of this newly found, dust layered
treasure (Bardot). Sonically the album is an attempt to
blend acoustic sound recordings with synthesized
sounds, and to blend musical genres into one. It is an
acoustic expression of the transformative times we are
living in, a realm of mankind being mastered by
technology.

The gap of this transformational process is
a glitchy moment of time. It is portrayed on the front
cover image of the album, by glitch artist Azamat
Akhmadbaev.

The only album to soundtrack both late-'70s Minneapolis lounges and a Travis Scott x Dior fashion show. Recorded in a host of living rooms with only a Fender Rhodes piano, a Donca Matic Mini Pops drum machine, and Senrick's wide-eyed, 20-year-old voice, the 1977 LP disappeared into the wild and joined the Wendigo in Minnesota lore. A provocative mix of marina soul, easy listening, and loner folk, Dreamin' is a sanguine sliver of the American private mind garden. Harsh winters coupled with a relative lack of interest amongst siblings allowed Chuck Senrick years of unfettered access to the family piano in their Farmington, Minnesota, home. Learning both by ear and by instruction, Senrick began gigging professionally at age 15, joining John Zimmer and the CR4 for a weekly rundown of Allman Brothers, Blind Faith, and Cream covers at the Sea Girt Inn in Lake Orchard. Tapping into James Taylor's pop-chart achievements in songwriting and enunciation, Senrick composed the bulk of the songs featured on Dreamin' before graduating from Farmington High School. At 20, Senrick migrated 30 miles north to the Twin Cities to pursue music full-time. Using borrowed equipment and borrowed living rooms, a string of informal recording sessions generated the quarter-inch tape for Dreamin'. "I didn't know how to do it," Senrick says about producing an album. "I just knew it could be done." Constructed with vocals, Fender Rhodes, and an assortment of rhythm presets on his Donca Matic Mini Pops drum machine, a mere 200 copies of the private-press masterpiece were stamped and sleeved and sold hand-to-hand at performances. Chuck's wife Lesli illustrated the album cover_a pen-to-paper portrait of her husband against the backdrop of the Minneapolis Skyline, she and their newborn son situated on a nearby knoll. Any plans for a re-press were quashed when producer Bruce W. Hansen lost the reels during a messy divorce. "I was a kid with big ideas and not much hope to do anything but play," Senrick said of the Dreamin' era. "It still amazes me that people are interested in it."

Heavenly Recordings release the next two volumes in their series of remixed classics and unreleased versions. ‘Heavenly Remixes 7 & 8’ sees the label going back into the archive, as well as picking off some more recent remixes, and both albums primarily feature either previously unreleased versions or re-workings available for the first time on vinyl and CD.

Heavenly have always seen immense value in the remix, a value way beyond what it might bring commercially. Since their first release in 1990 (where Andrew Weatherall overhauled a one-off single by club kids Sly and Lovechild) Heavenly remixes have been carefully curated and treated as a key part of the A&R process. It’s an opportunity to view an artist through a different prism, to play out a musical ‘what if’ scenario. It’s the kind of exploration that’s happened consistently through the thirty plus years the label has released music.



The ‘Heavenly remixes’ series continues to showcase the very best remixes, versions, meditations, re-rubs and dubs from all around the world of artists right across the roster of the country’s most exciting record label. In most cases, the albums offer the first physical release for a remix, elevating them from streaming playlists to their rightful, spiritual home on super heavy vinyl (or shiny, super-packed compact disc).



‘Heavenly remixes 7’ heads to Belfast, where David Holmes - a producer who first appeared on Heavenly in 1994 amping up the acid on Saint Etienne’s ‘Like A Motorway’ - appears as solo artist and as one third of Unloved, who get a lift right to the heart of a Vauxhall sweatbox by Horse Meat Disco. It draws a line between Amsterdam and Frankfurt as Ludwig A.F. amps up the electronics on Pip Blom’s ‘Keep It Together’. It stops off in a south London studio where super producer Dan Carey plays the desk with Toy, then relocates LA psych rock band Fever The Ghost to an Ibizan shoreline as the sun sets on the horizon. It cements Sheffield’s reputation as the home of modern British techno with the return of true originators Forgemasters. And it pitches up in front of a renegade soundsystem late night at Glastonbury as Erol Alkan’s mighty rework of Con Man gets its third rewind of the night.



‘Heavenly remixes 8’ opens with Space Afrika’s lush, ambient reimagining of the Orielles’ ‘BEAM/S’ before Justin Robertson stretches Amber Arcades’ ‘Turning Light’ into eight minutes of electronic dub. Elsewhere, Baxter Dury’s peerless ‘Miami’ becomes a string-laden electro skank in the hands of French producer Pilooski; Edinburgh’s bedroom techno genius Eyes of Others’ ‘Safehouse’ turns into an East End bathhouse courtesy of disco deviants Decius; Ashley Beedle’s Black Science Orchestra turns Unloved’s heartworn torch song into seven minutes of glimmering dreamlike percussive house and Katy J. Pearson’s freak flag is flown high thanks to The Umlauts’ throbbing filtered electro mix. It ends similarly to how it began as TONE takes

Fran Lobo’s ‘All I Want’ on a gorgeous slow motion spacewalk.

Ed Sheeran’s brand-new album Autumn Variations will be available for pre-order on the 24th August at 5pm before a worldwide release on the 29th September. It will be available to stream on all platforms as well as purchase physically as a CD or various limited Vinyl editions.

Ed Sheeran is an era-defining artist who has sold over 52 million albums and 150 million singles across the world. Through his fusion of thought-provoking songwriting, universal pop and multi-genre influence, his rich tapestry is not only perfectly suited to his audience but it’s something that transcends generations.

Since surfacing on the UK circuit in 2010 with his ‘No.5 Collaborations Project’ – an eight-track EP featuring his favourite grime artists of the time – the Suffolk-raised recording artist has resonated with fans across the world through his peerless songcraft and versatility. And now, with six consecutive UK No.1 albums to his name – ‘+’ (2011), ‘x’ (2014), ‘÷’ (2017), ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’ (2019), ‘=’ (2021) and ‘-‘ (2023) – Sheeran continues to reaffirm his status as one of the most in-demand pop stars on the planet.

Prior to the release of ‘=’ (October 2021) – an album that’s now surpassed five million global sales - Sheeran secured two UK No.1 singles in the UK with ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Shivers’, which sat atop the UK’s Official Singles Chart for a combined total of 15 weeks. Moreover, the LP saw him take home 2 x EMA’s for ‘Best Artist’ and ‘Best Song’; an American Music Award for ‘Favourite Male Pop Artist’; British GQ’s ‘Solo Artist of the Year’; 4 x Los40 Awards; a BRIT Award for ‘Songwriter of the Year’ alongside a nomination for ‘Song of the Year’ at the 2022 GRAMMY’s.

Sheeran’s most recent album, Subtract, secured Ed his sixth No.1 album. Produced by Aaron Dessner, the album was anchored in his love of singer/songwriter compositions and written against a backdrop of personal grief and hope. Ed’s most critically-acclaimed album to date, it housed the heart wrenching UK No.1 single ‘Eyes Closed’ – a song about his late friend, Jamal Edwards.

But it’s not just his recorded music that’s seen the former Glastonbury headliner become one of the sought-after artists of the 21st century. Possessing a mystical ability to turn 90,000 capacity venues into the pub back-rooms that he first started playing in, Ed made history in 2015 after becoming the first-ever artist to play Wembley Stadium solo - without a band, just with his guitar and loop pedal - over three, consecutive sold out nights. Move forward to the summer of 2019 and Ed would re-enter history books after the completion of his mammoth two-year Divide tour, officially becoming the most-attended tour of all time after it culminated with special homecoming shows in Ipswich, Suffolk. Beginning last summer, Ed is currently travelling the world on his ‘+ - = ÷ x Tour’ (pronounced ‘The Mathematics Tour’), which saw him return to Wembley Stadium for a five-night run last June.

Ed Sheeran, who was awarded an MBE for his services to music and charity in 2017, is the proud recipient of 1 x IFPI Award (best-selling global artist of 2017); 4 x Grammys; 4 x Ivor Novello’s; 7 x BRIT Awards (including two consecutive wins for ‘Global Success’ in 2018 and 2019); 7 x Billboard Awards + more. Moreover, to this day, his blockbusting third studio album ‘÷’ remains the fastest-selling album, ever, by a male artist in the UK, while the LP’s lead single, ‘Shape of You’, maintains its status as the most-streamed song in Spotify’s history.

At the end of 2019, Sheeran was presented with the Official Chart Company’s first-ever ‘No.1 Artist of the Decade’ award following a host of accomplishments in his native UK including the most No.1’s across the UK’s Official Singles and Albums chart from the years 2010-2019. Most recently, Ed scored two more feats with the OCC after becoming the first British Solo Artist to claim 52 weeks – an entire year – at No.1 on the Official UK Singles Chart, with only Elvis Presley and The Beatles achieving more overall weeks at the top, as well as becoming the first-ever artist with four albums spending an entire year or more in the UK Top 10.

Limited BioVinyl 2023 repress, which provides an ecological alternative to the conventional vinyl record with strictly no sound or visual compromises.
“We all dance away our lives to the tune of the sovereign pleasure-pain axis.” – David Pearce, The Hedonistic Imperative

Pleasure-seeking and pain-avoidance as a rave metaphor fits the music of Sam Barker. The Berghain resident and Leisure System co-founder has spent the last few years exploring the euphoric potential of altering key variables in dance music formulas.

This was especially true on his 2018 Ostgut Ton debut EP Debiasing, which was flush with unconventional rhythmic chord stabs, melody and percussion but devoid of kickdrums. What seemed like an experimental exercise on paper was in reality equally geared towards the club: tracks that worked for the floor but resisted the genre categorizations that kick drums often provide. This has come to define Barker’s sound.

Now, on his debut solo LP Utility, Barker turns his focus toward melding experimentation and dancefloor pragmatism with the psychology behind the musical decision making process. In his own words: “After ‘Debiasing’ it occurred to me that my musical decisions were often unintentionally utilitarian, following an instinct to maximize pleasure in one way or another. It’s sort of unfashionable to admit, but by removing elements that have strong genre associations, this became a natural consequence.”

Accordingly, Utility is a playful but non-ironic musical approach to a whole spectrum of utilitarian and transhumanist ideas: from models for quantifying pleasure and “gradients of bliss” to abolishing suffering for sentient beings (not just people) through the ethical use of drugs and nanotechnology. Over nine tracks, Barker’s vision ebbs and flows through waves of deeply psychedelic musical vignettes; free-floating and futuristic melodies and rhythms as targeted brain stimulation. The sound draws heavily on modular synthesis, as well as self-built mechanical instruments and plate reverbs to create atmospheres that are at once alien and emotionally recognizable, functional and utopian.

Utility is by no means a concept album. Instead, it is an honest take on music as both pleasuremaximizer and consciousness-expander.

“We all dance away our lives to the tune of the sovereign pleasure-pain axis.” – David Pearce, The Hedonistic Imperative

Vergnügungssucht und Schmerzvermeidung als Rave-Metapher – das passt zur Musik von Sam Barker. Der Berghain-Resident und Leisure System-Mitbetreiber hat im Laufe der Jahre das euphorische Potenzial der Veränderung von Variablen in der Dancefloorschablonisierung erkundet.

Das traf besonders auf sein Ostgut Ton-EP-Debüt Debiasing zu, das nur so sprudelte vor unkonventionellen rhythmischen Akkordfolgen, Melodien und Percussion – die Kickdrum aber wegließ. Was auf dem Papier wie eine experimentelle Übung wirkte, war tatsächlich gleichermaßen für den Klub gemacht: Stücke, die auf dem Dancefloor funktionieren, sich dem oft vorgegebenen Kickdrumdiktat und damit einhergehender Genrekategorisierung aber verweigerten. So hat sich Barkers Klang definiert.

Auf seinem Solodebütalbum Utility widmet Barker seine Aufmerksamkeit nun aber der Verschmelzung von Experiment und Dancefloorpragmatismus mit der Psychologie hinter dem musikalischen Entscheidungsfindungsprozess. In seinen eigenen Worten: „Nach Debiasing kam mir in den Sinn, dass meine musikalischen Entscheidungen oft unbeabsichtigt utilitaristisch sind, einem Instinkt folgen, Glück auf die eine oder andere Art zu maximalisieren. Das einzugestehen ist recht unmodisch. Aber durch die Auslassung von Elementen mit starken Genreassoziationen, wurde dies eine recht natürliche Konsequenz.“

Dementsprechend ist Utility eine spielerisch-neckische aber unironische musikalische Betrachtungsweise eines ganzen Spektrums utilitaristisch und transhumanistischer Konzepte: Von Modellen zur Quantifizierung von Wohlergehen und Verläufen von Glückseligkeit („Gradients of Bliss“) zur Abschaffung von Leid für fühlende Wesen (meint: nicht nur den Mensch) über die ethische Nutzung von Drogen und Nanotechnologie. Im Laufe von neun Stücken ebbt und schwillt Barkers Vision durch Wogen zutiefst psychedelischer Musikvignetten; freifließende und futuristische Melodien und Rhythmen als gezielte Hirnstimulation. Der Klang gründet stark auf modularer Synthese, ebenso wie selbstgebaute mechnische Klangerzeuger, Instrumente und Plate Reverbs Atmosphären schaffen, die gleichermaßen fremdartig als auch emotional vertraut wirken, funktional und utopisch.

Utility ist keinesfalls ein Konzeptalbum. Vielmehr ist es eine aufrechte Auseinandersetzung mit Musik als Freudenmaximierung und Bewusstseinserweiterung.

A month after the release of his debut album as Tambores En Benirras, 2021’s fabulous Orbe Dotodo, Graham Newby’s life changed forever. After years living with a visual impairment, his sight had deteriorated so much that he was declared “registered blind”. For a man who had spent decades dividing his time between travelling, DJing, running clubs and lengthy sessions in his own studio, it was a genuinely life-changing moment.

It was against this backdrop, and the need to alter his working methods, that Ondas Horizontales, the second Tambores En Benirras album took shape. Inspired by a mixture of daydreaming, visualisation, immersion in other people’s music (escapism that provided mood enhancement, rather than a specific set of ideas) and long periods spent soaking up the sun in Ibiza, the album is the most vividly detailed, sonically colourful, and sun-soaked collection that Newby has released to date.

Newby’s declining sight forced him to stop spending long spells staring at a screen and undoubtedly slowed down the production process. Yet it also allowed him to reconnect with his emotions, appreciate the storytelling and mood-shifting potential of music, and mine mind’s eye memories of places and spaces that have meant much to him over the years.

The results are undeniably stunning. Designed with horizontal listening in mind, the set distils a range of musical and real-life inspirations –or, as he puts it, “ambient soundtracks, cosmic journeys, Balearic rhythms and poolside sessions” – into ten mesmerising and magical tracks; an undulating, slow-motion journey that’s as breath-taking as it is beguiling.

Newby sets the tone with ‘Mi Sueno Vibe En Reverb’, a swelling, slow-burn ambient masterpiece that tiptoes between hope and melancholia, before flitting between imaginary sunset soundtracks (‘Estrellas En Mastella’, where lilting pedal steel sounds, bubbling electronics and shuffling breakbeats catch the ear), kaleidoscopic sun-up beats (the gorgeous warmth of ‘Generadora De Reyos’), enveloping beatless soundscapes (‘Templos Del Sol’, a drowsy drift in becalmed waters under the heat of the mid-afternoon sun), and dubby, loved-up lusciousness (‘Mokono’).

As the album progresses, bobbing and weaving on an ocean of vibrant chords, pulsing melodies and heart-stopping melodies, there’s no sign of Newby’s inspiration waving. ‘Alma Hablando’ channels the spirit of mid-80s ‘worldbeat’ and douses it in layers of Balearic bliss, while ‘Extrensor Entragado’ recalls the head-nodding haziness of his best Gripper productions of old while combining them with the musical equivalent of a humid summer breeze. Then there’s the mood-enhancing joy of the album’s superb title track –a mission statement of sorts – and the life-affirming post trip-hop/Balearic fusion of ‘Un Placer Celestial (Reprise)’, where the influence of his old friend Aim is clearly evident.

A serious sonic step-up from its predecessor and a future Balearic classic in its’ own right, Ondas Horizontales marks the start of a new musical and personal journey for its creator. It is, in his words, not the end of an era, but the start of a new one.

ONE OF THE RAREST MAINSTREAM ALBUMS FEATURING CLASSIC ATCQ SAMPLE GETS REISSUED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON VINYL

Jack Wilkins' highly sought-after Mainstream Records album "Windows" finally gets reissued on vinyl on Wewantsounds forty five years after its inital release. Produced by Bob Shad in 1973 the album, which is on many collectors' want-list, is especially cult for his rendition of Freddie Hubbard's classic "Red Clay," sampled by A Tribe Called Quest on ("Sucka Nigga") and Chance The Rapper. The album will be released in a deluxe gatefold sleeve featuring never-seen session photos and new liner notes by leading UK journalist Kevin Le Gendre.

UK house icon Mr. G makes his FUSE debut alongside longtime friend and collaborator Duncan Forbes, with the two partnering for their excellent ‘Time To Dip’ EP.

An artist truly regarded as one of UK house music’s greats, Colin McBean, aka Mr. G, stands today as an individual at the pinnacle of the genre as his trademark sound and legendary live sets continue to tantalise crowds across the globe. A special guest at FUSE’s final show at London’s iconic Printworks in March, the event that went on to influence the EP’s curation, the UK mainstay heads to Enzo Siragusa’s globally renowned imprint for the very first time this September as he delivers his ‘Time To Dip’ EP alongside longstanding friend and regular collaborator, Duncan Forbes. Friends for many years, having known one another since Forbes’ Animated project, their collaborations on Phoenix G and 49North and recent LP have seen the duo uncover a selection of high- quality cuts from across the house spectrum - and here they showcase their innate chemistry across four tracks loaded with quality.

“Gotta say, this EP really is born outta standing on the stage before my set at FUSE at Printworks and listening to what was being played. When I got back I said to D that I wanted do something based around what I had heard, never really thinking Enzo or FUSE would get it, but how wrong we were. It’s another fab meeting of minds with D, which makes this joint EP so different yet special... I feel it covers many different bases and tempos, a real gem. Looking forward to see what folk make of it.” - Mr. G.

Title track ‘Time To Dip’ is classy house music that packs a punch typical of that trademark sound we’ve come to know and love. It’s heavy and tough yet stripped back and unquestionably dancefloor focused, all softened by hooky female vocals and hazy textures. Duncan’s ‘Sherbert Dip’ mix highlights the vocal and brings it to the fore as shuffling drums and sweeping melodies build around the elements. The flip welcomes ‘All Night’, a delightfully vibrant track pairing rich rhodes, swirling leads and sharp hats with an abundance of subtle jazzy textures, before Forbes’ ‘In The Zone’ remix delivers an immersive, heady and dubby late-night voyage for a mesmerising final ride.

‘Time Will Tell’ : A journey in reggae music from Bristol to Kingston JA.

Embark on the wild journey of a reggae-loving Bristolian youngster who travelled to the heart of Jamaica on intrepid mission to record a timeless reggae album in the 90s. ‘Time Will Tell’, a collaborative masterpiece uniting the extraordinary talents of Henry & Louis (Andy Scholes & Jac kLundie), Blue & Red (aka Rob Smith from Smith & Mighty) and renowned Jamaican and UK-basedv ocalists.A musical opus that infuses reggae's rich history into modern rhythms straight outta Bristol.

It all began in the summer of 1997, when Andy Scholes decided to trace the origins of reggae music straight back to its origins; armed with a 16-track reel-to-reel and an abundance of passion,he flew to Jamaica with a desire to record his reggae heroes over riddims built by Rob & Jack in Bristol.

Through a series of unexpected events Andy crossed paths with UB40 in the streets of Kingston.He built a friendship with the band and their lead singer, the legendary Ali Campbell took a ninterest in the project, generously giving Andy free access to his studio in Port Maria allowing him to bring life to ‘Time Will Tell’.

Scholes got in the studio with various Jamaican artists and recorded with Tony Tuff, Prince Green, and Johnny Clarke, each contributing their distinct voices and adding to the album's spiritual and conscious themes. The mystical vibe continued with the participation of other artists like Ghadian, Shalom, Pacey, Ben Dice, and Kerosene Oil, each bringing their own authentic style to the project.

The making of ‘Time Will Tell’ required time, dedication, and the synergy of a like-minded collective. The album embodies the warmth and transformative power of music serving as a driving force for positive change.

22 years after its initial release, the album is freshly remastered and reissued onto 12” vinyl by Dubquake Records!

‘Gentle Confrontation’, Loraine James's third Hyperdub album, opens a new chapter of her real and sonic life in which she examines her past and present. It's a positively languid, enjoyably disjointed set made while listening to her teenage favourites; math rock and emo-electronic such as DNTEL, Lusine and Telefon Tel Aviv. The album also features an ever more diverse set of peers, placing them in her unusual musical settings and drawing out sensitive and reflexive performances. At other times the album stretches out into a drifting ambience as if seeking a sense of bliss in the everyday. ‘Gentle Confrontation’ is about relationships (especially familial), understanding, and giving back a little grace and care, while the tone of the record criss-crosses watery ambience with denatured rhythm and asmr beats. These 16 tracks are Loraine's best work yet, and a personal and musical leap forward, delivering a totally unique vision of electronic pop music.

It was almost inevitable that growing up with a love for trance would eventually result in Trance Wax releasing his own interpretations of the sound. Following on from the release of his eponymous album in 2020, Trance Wax now shifts into a fresh artistic chapter with his sophomore album, ‘Open Up The Night’.

A sixteen-track journey through nostalgia-infused modern trance, ‘Open Up The Night’ symbolizes Trance Wax’s evolution from his early days of adapting trance classics for the modern dance floor. Now homing in on his own interpretation of the genre with an increase in tempo, the Belfast-born DJ and producer created an expansive sonic palette through original productions (‘Adeya’, ‘Aslan’) as well as sample-powered productions (‘Open Up The Night’, ‘Rhythm Of The Night’) that show he means business in this increasingly popular genre.

“Listeners can expect a switch-up in BPM compared with the last album,” says Garry McCartney (Trance Wax). “It’s a reflection of what I love listening to, be it trance or other genres. There’s some drum and bass influences woven in as well as a bit of breakbeat, which adds a new dimension to the whole thing. It’s the product of a good few years of experimentation that resulted in something really fast and exciting.”

Sung by I Jah, co-produced by First Eye, with guitar by James Shepherd and harmonies by Tree (a classical singer from Trinidad), this is immediately identifiable as a classic in the truest traditions of the Caribbean community. Add it to your playlists, honour the memory of the Windrush Generation and discover exactly why they had to be Tuff Like Iron

`Gentle Confrontation', Loraine James's third Hyperdub album, opens a new chapter of her real and sonic life in which she examines her past and present. It's a positively languid, enjoyably disjointed set made while listening to her teenage favourites; math rock and emo-electronic such as DNTEL, Lusine and Telefon Tel Aviv. The album also features an ever more diverse set of peers, placing them in her unusual musical settings and drawing out sensitive and reflexive performances. At other times the album stretches out into a drifting ambience as if seeking a sense of bliss in the everyday. `Gentle Confrontation' is about relationships (especially familial), understanding, and giving back a little grace and care, while the tone of the record criss-crosses watery ambience with denatured rhythm and asmr beats. These 16 tracks are Loraine's best work yet, and a personal and musical leap forward, delivering a totally unique vision of electronic pop music.

If youʼre a fan of Daptone Records, chances are youʼve read or heard the name Victor Axelrod, and even if you havenʼt, youʼve heard music from his hand. As a producer, arranger, recording and mixing engineer, and keyboardist, his creativity has extended across more than two decades of the labelʼs releases, even dating to its prehistory with Desco Records.

If You Ask Me To..., the first LP under his name for the label, is a collection of singles released between 2007-2023 as well as unreleased tracks from Sugar Minott and Binky Griptite. The genesis of which came via an 11th hour request from Daptone for a Sharon Jones remix (2007) that resulted in the reggae version of “How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?” found here.

This opened the door to additional explorations of reggae/soul synergies within the catalog, affirming the musical and cultural link between Daptoneʼs core soul sound and Axelrodʼs passion for Jamaican music. While previous projects like Ticklah Vs. Axelrod and Roots Combination (produced under the alias Ticklah) were inspired by the Jamaica of the 1970s and 80s, this set specifically channels an earlier period in the 1960s when Jamaica was both strikingly original in its continuum of genres but also closely and empathetically attuned to Black American music.

Through Axelrodʼs exceptional taste and the notable contributions of guitarist To

Das fünfte Studioalbum der polnischen Rockmeister RIVERSIDE aus dem Jahr 2013 ist endlich wieder auf Vinyl erhältlich: 10th Anniversary Re-Issue als Ltd. Edition transp. hellblau 2LP auf 180g Vinyl, inkl. 4-seitigem LP-Booklet und den beiden "Night Session" Bonustracks. "Shrine of New Generation Slaves" wurde im Serakos Studio in Warschau, Polen (wo auch die "Reality Dream"-Trilogie entstand) mit Magda Srzednicka und Robert Srzednicki aufgenommen, gemixt und gemastert. Es bietet über 50 Minuten hochklassige RIVERSIDE-Musik, aufgeteilt in 8 Songs, die nicht nur eine weiterentwickelte, moderne Sichtweise auf die charismatischen Trademark-Elemente der Band deutlich widerspiegeln, sondern auch weitere Vibes aus dem Classic-Rock-Segment sowie jazzige Art-Rock-Anteile wirkungsvoll in den immer wieder herausfordernden Mix einbringen, für den RIVERSIDE seit jeher steht, vielleicht nur weniger standardmetallisch und auch weniger komplex, ohne weniger progressiv zu sein.

Mit einer fesselnden Zusammenstellung neu-geschriebener, klangmalerischer Arrangements für Violine und Orchester von bekannten Film- und Serien-Soundtracks und neuen Kompositionen der Oscar-prämierten Komponistinnen Rachel Portman und Anne Dudley zeigt die Geigerin Esther Abrami auf Cinéma ihre Vielseitigkeit, musikalische Sensibilität und Raffinesse. "Ich bin so stolz auf mein neues Album. Ich wollte eine abwechslungsreiche musikalischer Reise zusammenstellen, die meinen klassischen Hintergrund, mein französisch-jüdisches Erbe, meine Unterstützung für Frauen in der Musik und meine Liebe zu Filmen und Anime widerspiegelt und verschiedene Genres, Kulturen und Generationen verbindet. Ich hoffe, dass sich die Zuhörer*innen in die Musik von Cinéma genauso verlieben wie ich", erklärt Esther Abrami. Cinéma enthält neue Arrangements von Blockbuster-Hits aus Animes, Serien und Kinofilmen wie Naruto und Demon Slayer, The Witcher oder The Hunger Games, genauso wie Musik aus ikonischen französischen Filmen wie die Die fabelhafte Welt der Amelie und Die Kinder des Monsieur Mathieu. Darüber hinaus sind klassische Stücke aus Filmen mit Musik von Pjotr Tschaikowsky, Dmitri Schostakowitsch und Astor Piazzolla sowie zwei Weltpremieren der Oscar-prämierten Komponistinnen Anne Dudley und Rachel Portman enthalten, mit denen Esther Abrami persönlich bekannt ist. Besonders emotional ist die Verbindung der durch ihre Großmutter zur Geige gekommenen Musikerin jedoch zu den Filmen Das Leben ist schön und Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank. Ein ebenfalls sehr emotionales Stück auf Cinéma ist das neue Arrangement vom Thema des Protagonisten "Zeyn" aus dem Oscar-nominierten libanesischen Sozialdrama Capernaum, das Komponist und Film-Produzent Khaled Mouzanar eigens für Esther Abrami geschrieben hat. Für die Erstellung der Arrangements von Cinéma hat Esther Abrami mit einem Team von Arrangeur*Innen zusammengearbeitet. Bis auf das ursprünglich für Klavier geschriebene Stück "Comptine d'un autre été, l'après-midi" aus Die fabelhalte Welt der Amelie, das Esther Abrami mit einer Loop-Station auf der Geige neu aufgebaut hat, und "Libertango" von Astor Piazzolla aus Le Pont du Nord, für das sie nur von dem Gitarristen Marcin begleitet wird, ist jedes Stück auf dem Album mit Orchester produziert. Die Aufnahmen zu Cinéma fanden mit dem City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra unter der Leitung des Dirigenten und Arrangeurs Ben Palmer in den legendären Smecky Studios in Prag statt.

Daniel Ögren is one of the key artists in Sweden’s contemporary, underground music scene. He has already accrued quite the back catalogue, both as a member of the sensational quartet Dina Ögon and also as a solo artist with eight albums already under his belt. ‘Fastingen-92’ was originally released as a limited-edition vinyl pressing in 2020 on the independent label Sing A Song Fighter Records (the same label that first introduced us to Dina Ögon's music). The album came to our attention after hearing Daniels' solo band performing live at the Stockholm Jazz Club, Fasching. The band featured Love Örsan and Christopher Cantillo of Dina Ögon fame (who also records with the incredible Sven Wunder), and their sensational genre-busting set blew us away. It convinced us that this now out-of-print album needed to reach a wider audience.

‘Fastingen-92’ doesn't sit in one genre, it draws from Daniels's love of South American folk music, soul, Nordic folk music and film soundtracks, resulting in something unique, dreamlike and transformational.

It features 'Idag’, an epic, beautiful, cinematic song that introduces the ethereal vocalist Anna Ahnlund. ‘Idag’ has gained a cult following and Daniel has stated that it was the spark that started the Dina Ögon project. Tracks like 'Annalena' and 'Kristinehamn by Night (for Christopher)' sound like a new club sound that hasn't yet been invented (which Nicola Cruz would spin in his DJ sets), mysterious, hypnotic, and engaging. Other songs like 'Maj (for Tintin)' and 'Picasso' venture into blissed-out Scando-Balearic realms. Daniel's love of nature and the inspiration he draws from the geographic environment of the Swedish countryside can be felt in these tracks, they take you to other places and times and are simultaneously familiar, ancient and alien.


Alongside the collaborations with Anna and Christoper, the album features Josefin Runsteen playing the drums on 'Idag' and Swedish musicians Edvin Nahlin and Ulrik Ordin. The majority of the album was played, recorded and mixed by Daniel. For the Mr Bongo edition, we have added the bonus track 'April’, which was previously only available digitally. ‘Fastingen - 92’ is a truly remarkable record that gets into your soul, so please delve in!


Discrepant proudly presents the Vinyl edition of Lebanese trio Malayeen. Malayeen is the project of Lebanese musicians Raed Yassin (Keyboards, Turntables & Electronics), Charbel Haber (Electric Guitar & Electronics) and Khaled Yassine (Darbouka, Percussion). Born from Yassin and Haber's love for the music of quintessential Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, Malayeen disassembles and re-configures the work and style of the iconic guitarist innovative take on Arabic music. The final result makes for an original and unique update of Khorshid & belly dancing inspired songs from the past. Over the course of 7 compositions, appropriately named after Khorshid and famous belly dancers from the Arabic diaspora, the three musicians' varied backgrounds and techniques collide and coalesce in an experimental yet magical fashion, not actually playing Khorshid's music, but inspiring themselves from the cult guitarist's genius to create something completely new, modern and unexpected. A unique LP featuring the combined talents by key players of the Lebanese avant-garde. The Malayeen LP edition is released by Discrepant in collaboration with Lebanese exploratory label Annihaya effectively combining East and West musical strains of thought as well as conclusively deconstructing and displacing this particular form of 'popular' music. Design by Studio Safar S.A.L. Comes with full color poster painting by Omar Khouri Special vinyl one time pressing to 500 copies. "Uplifting, beat-driven pieces, often melodic, definitely Arabic, with destabilizing touches from external sounds, sound manipulations, and textural plays. The 17- minute 'Samia' is a roller-coaster ride culminating in a dizzying solo/duo between Yassine's darbouka and a darbouka track from a record played by Yassin. Great stuff. Monsieur Délire

Das neue Album, welches auf das 2018 erschienene Debüt "Embody" des dänischen Liedermachers folgt, wurde erneut in Sebbersund in der Nähe von Ross' Elternhaus mit John Wood aufgenommen. Wood, der vor allem für seine Arbeit an der Seite von John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Nico, Nick Drake, Pink Floyd und anderen bekannt ist, bat dieses Mal seinerseits um eine Zusammenarbeit mit Hjalte, nachdem dieser den legendären Produzenten vor seiner ersten Platte um Rat gebeten hatte. Nach der zerbrechlichen und zurückhaltenden Schönheit des Debüts, gibt es nun ein neues Gefühl des Selbstvertrauens, einen zusätzlichen Biss in den Texten, eine zusätzliche Tiefe in dieser besonderen Stimme. "Ich bin ein besserer Songwriter, ein besserer Sänger und ein besserer Gitarrist geworden", betont Hjalte. "Ich habe jedoch die gleiche Absicht wie beim letzten Mal beibehalten und mich darauf fokusiert, ein Album in voller Länge zu machen und mich dabei absolut und gänzlich auf die Musik zu konzentrieren. "Waves of Haste" ist eine subtile und gleichfalls mutige Erweiterung seines Sounds. Das Album besteht aus neun fesselnden Songs und wurde nach der Begegnung in New York mit Daniel Goodwin von diesem gemischt und gemastert, einem Produzenten, der für seine Arbeit mit Künstlern wie Kevin Morby und Whitney und vielen anderen bekannt ist. Diese Paarung bringt das Beste in Hjaltes Songwriting zum Vorschein, hebt die Gegensätze von Norwegen und New York hervor, gelangt dabei zu etwas gemeinsamen Größerem "Waves Of Haste" klingt gleichzeitig modern und elegant alt(modisch), erinnert an den gefühlvollen Sound der 70er Jahre und ist außergewöhnlich grandios. Die LP - gepresst bei Optimal - kommt als klassich schwarzes Vinyl in aufwendig gestaltetem Klappcover inklusive Prägedruck. Das Artwork wurde entworfen vom erfolgreichen dänischen Maler/Bildhauer Kasper Eistrup (auch ehemals von der Band Kaschmir bekannt). Für Liebhaber der Genres Singer/Songwriter, Folk, Independent, für Fans von Nick Drake, Kevin Morby, José Gonzales, Robert Wyatt, John Martyn, Leonard Cohen...

Nach mittlerweile zwölf Jahren Bandgeschichte ist es Zeit, die neue Power Metal Hoffnung WINTERSTORM auf ein neues Level zu heben. Ihr fünftes Album "Everfrost" ist ihr Debut auf AFM Records und zeigt zurecht, dass die deutsche Band mit Gruppen wie Blind Guardian und Rhapsody Of Fire verglichen wird.
Dies liegt vor allem an der Melodie, welche bei WINTERSTORM ganz klar im Vordergrund steht und sich in ohrwurmlastigen Refrains und vielen mehrstimmigen Gesängen widerspiegelt. Dabei verschmelzen markante Elemente verschiedener Metalstile miteinander und erhalten so eine ganz neue Anmutung. "Winter" steht für nordischen Viking und Folk-Metal, "Storm" für schnellen Powermetal, welche zusammen mit epischem und orchestralem Metal in einem neuen Glanz erstrahlen. "Everfrost" ist ein vielseitiges und kraftvolles Album, welches sich hinter gestandenen Genrekollegen nicht verstecken muss.
Alles in allem eine explosive Mischung, welche auf WINTERSTORMS neuestem Werk ein weiteres Highlight findet.

When South Korean balearic prodigy Mogwaa came to MM Discos with an idea for his rst full-length album, we were a bit surprised.
He said, ‘I want to do an album of bossa tracks with synths, a drum machine and my guitar’. We obviously had to take him up
on that deal.

Fresh from the recent Bandcamp feature on his own brand of danceoor-ready modern boogie, Seungyoung Lee (aka Mogwaa)
arrives back on MM Discos with his - and our - rst full length exercise. With six tracks per side of 80s inuenced synth and bossa
badness, ‘Hazy Dreams’ is an exercise in simplicity, and more proof of the ever-expanding musical horizons of one of the scene’s
most virtuosic instrumentalists.

Pairing a sensitivity to the construction of ambient, funk, bossa and cassette-tape 80s experiments with his own cinematic subtlety,
‘Hazy Dreams’ takes a gentle, minimalistic approach, crafting its own escapist world that oers a welcome diversion from the
steady ow of busy balearica and downtempo.

Opening track ‘Full Bloom’ paints a picture of midsummer at dawn, some clear-skied island where lush vegetation climbs through
hibiscus gardens. ‘Nacimiento’ is an AOR/bossa crossover evoking West Coast yachting in full afternoon, and A3, ‘Soothing’, adds
a touch of wistfulness with reverb-doused guitars over meandering bass motifs.
The easy kick-and-snare combo of ‘Levitation’ sets the scene for a drum machine love aair, unrequited love on the rocks, and
‘Flashback’ plays with short delay trails and o-kilter melodic sequences, where you feel the soft presence of the nebula approaching
at the break of day. Closing out the A-side, ‘Dispatching’ reaches out even further into the imagined cosmos of Mogwaa’s
picture-perfect world, portraying an ambience at dusk, observing, calmy, as pued-up pink clouds melt into the evening canvas.
On the other side, Mogwaa explores quiet corners with ‘Illusions’, a slow meditation on the nature of simple presence, and ‘Echoes
of You’, a stream of subdued brush strokes that crescendo into higher frequencies on gently undulating pads. B3, ‘Moondance’,
ups the tempo and recalls classic Mogwaa with its sideways shue and starry melodic refrain, pivoting through folk-dance
moods and surprising chord changes.
Nearing the end of the album, ‘Footprints’ wades through tall grass in search of altered states, innite and hypnotic, changing
course only to crouch down and study the landscape, and B5, ‘It always comes and goes’, pictures the to-and-fro of jetstreams and
comets in the blinding midday sky. Finally we have the closing credits of ‘Swingin’ that looks o into the horizon, jaunty and exalted,
a guitar-led tribute to an easy-going world, and ultimately mindful of the power of dreams.
We’re humbled to have such a special record for our rst full-length release on the label.

Es beherrscht ein grauer, stimmungsvoller und dichter Spätherbst-Tag das Geschehen. Viel zu früh hat der Himmel sich verdunkelt. Jetzt plätschert gleichförmig und regelmäßig Regen auf die Straßen, auf die Erde, auf die griesgrämig wirkenden Menschen herab. So stellt man sich die Atmosphäre vor, in welcher das sechste Subsignal-Studioalbum "A Poetry of Rain" entstanden ist.
Fünf endlos wirkende Jahre ließen Subsignal ihre Anhänger auf neue akustische Klang-Abenteuer warten. "Und auch das hatte wieder mit der Pandemie zu tun", offenbart Markus Steffen den Grund für die quälend lange Pause. "Existenzängste schlichen sich ein", reflektiert er. "Im Zuge dessen verließ der langjährige Bassist Ralf Schwager die Band. Mit Martijn Horsten aus Rotterdam war allerdings rasch würdiger Ersatz gefunden. Dennoch schwelgen die zehn Kompositionen vor Sehnsucht und einer gehörigen Portion Wehmut."
Der progressive Mix aus Rock, Metal und Artrock gelingt scheinbar spielerisch. Ausnahme-Drummer Dirk Brand setzt dabei eine fulminante Basis, auf die mal rockige, mal elegante Gitarren-Sounds zusammen mit den Keyboards einmalige Klangwelten zaubern. Darüber schwebt das wunderbare Timbre von Sänger Arno Menses - immer präsent, immer einnehmend, voller Leidenschaft und Kraft. Dazu trägt auch die kristallklare und druckvolle Produktion von Yogi Lang von ihrem Label Gentle Art Of Music bei.

Presse:
Rocks 9/10: "Songs wie ›Impasse‹ oder "Marigold‹ berühren, transportieren Gefühle und packen den Hörer, wie es sonst Marillion, Yes oder Kansas am besten können. Auf welch hohem Niveau die Herren musizieren, wird bei Nummern wie The Art Of Giving Ins oder ›Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)‹ klar, aber Komplexi-lät ist hier nie Mittel zum Zweck."

Deaf Forever 8.5/10: "…meistens die wie immer großartigen Refrains, die einen aufrichten. ….wie gewohnt exzellent gesungene Artrock-Stücke, die von den nach fünf Jahren Wartezeit dürstenden Anhängern nun endlich auch zu Hause genossen werden können."

Rock It - Soundcheck #6/32: "…so steht der Name Subsignal auch auf Album Nummer sechs doch für handgemachte Qualitätsarbeit mit Herz und Seele. Reinhören, eintauchen und mitfühlen!"

Break Out: "Mit "Poetry Of Rain" unterstreichen Subsignal ihre Ausnahmestellung im Rock: Scheibe unbedingt zulegen! Ich bin mir sicher, dass niemand bei diesem Longplayer enttäuscht sein wird, der sich in melodischen Bereichen mit progressiven Parts wohlfühlt."

Gäste:
David Bertok - Keyboards "Embers Part II - Water Wings)
Marek Arnold - Saxophon "The Last of its Kind"
Yogi Lang - Keyboards
Dietmar Waechtler - Pedal Steel "The Art of Giving In"
Iraklis Choraitis - Backing Vocals "Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)"

Mix & Master von Yogi Lang, Farm-Studios Freising

Es beherrscht ein grauer, stimmungsvoller und dichter Spätherbst-Tag das Geschehen. Viel zu früh hat der Himmel sich verdunkelt. Jetzt plätschert gleichförmig und regelmäßig Regen auf die Straßen, auf die Erde, auf die griesgrämig wirkenden Menschen herab. So stellt man sich die Atmosphäre vor, in welcher das sechste Subsignal-Studioalbum "A Poetry of Rain" entstanden ist.
Fünf endlos wirkende Jahre ließen Subsignal ihre Anhänger auf neue akustische Klang-Abenteuer warten. "Und auch das hatte wieder mit der Pandemie zu tun", offenbart Markus Steffen den Grund für die quälend lange Pause. "Existenzängste schlichen sich ein", reflektiert er. "Im Zuge dessen verließ der langjährige Bassist Ralf Schwager die Band. Mit Martijn Horsten aus Rotterdam war allerdings rasch würdiger Ersatz gefunden. Dennoch schwelgen die zehn Kompositionen vor Sehnsucht und einer gehörigen Portion Wehmut."
Der progressive Mix aus Rock, Metal und Artrock gelingt scheinbar spielerisch. Ausnahme-Drummer Dirk Brand setzt dabei eine fulminante Basis, auf die mal rockige, mal elegante Gitarren-Sounds zusammen mit den Keyboards einmalige Klangwelten zaubern. Darüber schwebt das wunderbare Timbre von Sänger Arno Menses - immer präsent, immer einnehmend, voller Leidenschaft und Kraft. Dazu trägt auch die kristallklare und druckvolle Produktion von Yogi Lang von ihrem Label Gentle Art Of Music bei.

Presse:
Rocks 9/10: "Songs wie ›Impasse‹ oder "Marigold‹ berühren, transportieren Gefühle und packen den Hörer, wie es sonst Marillion, Yes oder Kansas am besten können. Auf welch hohem Niveau die Herren musizieren, wird bei Nummern wie The Art Of Giving Ins oder ›Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)‹ klar, aber Komplexi-lät ist hier nie Mittel zum Zweck."

Deaf Forever 8.5/10: "…meistens die wie immer großartigen Refrains, die einen aufrichten. ….wie gewohnt exzellent gesungene Artrock-Stücke, die von den nach fünf Jahren Wartezeit dürstenden Anhängern nun endlich auch zu Hause genossen werden können."

Rock It - Soundcheck #6/32: "…so steht der Name Subsignal auch auf Album Nummer sechs doch für handgemachte Qualitätsarbeit mit Herz und Seele. Reinhören, eintauchen und mitfühlen!"

Break Out: "Mit "Poetry Of Rain" unterstreichen Subsignal ihre Ausnahmestellung im Rock: Scheibe unbedingt zulegen! Ich bin mir sicher, dass niemand bei diesem Longplayer enttäuscht sein wird, der sich in melodischen Bereichen mit progressiven Parts wohlfühlt."

Gäste:
David Bertok - Keyboards "Embers Part II - Water Wings)
Marek Arnold - Saxophon "The Last of its Kind"
Yogi Lang - Keyboards
Dietmar Waechtler - Pedal Steel "The Art of Giving In"
Iraklis Choraitis - Backing Vocals "Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)"

Ladies and gentlemen, it's 2023 and Rico Puestel doesn't get Techno anymore. What happened? They might have grown apart... So he just did his thing and after twelve months of not producing anything electronic, he just wallowed in independence of doing what he always loved...

Die japanische Band CHAI verzauberte die Welt 2017 mit ihrem Debütalbum PINK, einer Sammlung von Songs, die ihren einzigartigen, verspielten Pop vorstellten. Das enthusiastisch-feministische Nachfolgealbum PUNK wurde von der Musikpresse und anderen Künstlern hoch gelobt. Das führte zu WINK, das CHAI per Remote-Zoom-Sessions aufnahmen - eine Einschränkung, die sich als Stärke erwies, da MANA (Leadgesang und Tasten), KANA (Gitarre), YUNA (Schlagzeug) und YUUKI (Bass und Texte) mit Künstler*innen im Ausland zusammenarbeiten konnten, um ein Werk zu schaffen, das in ihrer internationalen Gemeinschaft Katharsis fand. Im Gegensatz zu WINK kehren CHAI auf ihrem neuen, selbstbetitelten Album zu ihren Wurzeln zurück und lassen sich von ihrem japanischen Erbe und der Musik, mit der sie aufgewachsen sind, inspirieren. "Alles, was sich in den Texten widerspiegelt, drückt unsere Erfahrungen als japanische Frauen aus", sagt MANA. CHAIs Ethos ist das der Inklusion, und die erste Ssingle "We The Female!" - die live aufgenommen wurde, um die krawalligen Auftritte der Band zu würdigen - lädt die Zuhörer zu dieser Mission ein. Während ihrer Tourneen nach der Pandemie, bei denen sie vor riesigen Menschenmengen in Städten wie Santiago, Buenos Aires und Sao Paulo auftraten, wurde CHAI klar, dass sie sich ein globales Publikum erschlossen hatten. CHAI schrieben das neue Album unterwegs und fanden zwischen den Auftritten im Stones Throw Studio in L.A., in der Ometusco Sound Machine in Mexico City und in der Grand Street in New York Zeit für die Aufnahmen. Als sie erkannten, dass ihre befreiende, ermächtigende Botschaft auch für Menschen außerhalb Japans gilt, überlegten CHAI, welche Facetten ihrer Erziehung beim Publikum außerhalb ihres Heimatlandes Anklang finden könnten. Auf CHAI schöpft die Band direkt aus dem City-Pop, einem in Tokio entstandenen Sound, der in den 70er und 80er Jahren populär war. City-Pop war eine japanische Interpretation westlicher Lounge-Musik, die Anleihen bei Jazz, Boogie, Funk und Yacht-Rock machte, um einen Sound zu kreieren, der sich zwischen zwei Kulturen bewegte. Während der City-Pop in letzter Zeit über TikTok und YouTube ein US-Publikum gefunden hat, sind CHAI mit diesem Genre aufgewachsen. Für die Produktion griffen sie auf ihren früheren Mitarbeiter Ryu Takahashi zurück, der ihre Vorliebe für City Pop, Eurobeat und die Melodien von J-Pop-Künstlern wie Maria Takeuchi teilte. "Sie wollten sich mit ihrer japanischen Identität auseinandersetzen, nicht im traditionellen Sinne, sondern auf diese gefilterte westliche Art", sagt Takahashi. Die Arbeit in gut ausgestatteten Studios ermöglichte es ihnen, mit einer Ästhetik zu experimentieren, die auf einem CHAI-Album noch nicht zu hören war.

Die japanische Band CHAI verzauberte die Welt 2017 mit ihrem Debütalbum PINK, einer Sammlung von Songs, die ihren einzigartigen, verspielten Pop vorstellten. Das enthusiastisch-feministische Nachfolgealbum PUNK wurde von der Musikpresse und anderen Künstlern hoch gelobt. Das führte zu WINK, das CHAI per Remote-Zoom-Sessions aufnahmen - eine Einschränkung, die sich als Stärke erwies, da MANA (Leadgesang und Tasten), KANA (Gitarre), YUNA (Schlagzeug) und YUUKI (Bass und Texte) mit Künstler*innen im Ausland zusammenarbeiten konnten, um ein Werk zu schaffen, das in ihrer internationalen Gemeinschaft Katharsis fand. Im Gegensatz zu WINK kehren CHAI auf ihrem neuen, selbstbetitelten Album zu ihren Wurzeln zurück und lassen sich von ihrem japanischen Erbe und der Musik, mit der sie aufgewachsen sind, inspirieren. "Alles, was sich in den Texten widerspiegelt, drückt unsere Erfahrungen als japanische Frauen aus", sagt MANA. CHAIs Ethos ist das der Inklusion, und die erste Ssingle "We The Female!" - die live aufgenommen wurde, um die krawalligen Auftritte der Band zu würdigen - lädt die Zuhörer zu dieser Mission ein. Während ihrer Tourneen nach der Pandemie, bei denen sie vor riesigen Menschenmengen in Städten wie Santiago, Buenos Aires und Sao Paulo auftraten, wurde CHAI klar, dass sie sich ein globales Publikum erschlossen hatten. CHAI schrieben das neue Album unterwegs und fanden zwischen den Auftritten im Stones Throw Studio in L.A., in der Ometusco Sound Machine in Mexico City und in der Grand Street in New York Zeit für die Aufnahmen. Als sie erkannten, dass ihre befreiende, ermächtigende Botschaft auch für Menschen außerhalb Japans gilt, überlegten CHAI, welche Facetten ihrer Erziehung beim Publikum außerhalb ihres Heimatlandes Anklang finden könnten. Auf CHAI schöpft die Band direkt aus dem City-Pop, einem in Tokio entstandenen Sound, der in den 70er und 80er Jahren populär war. City-Pop war eine japanische Interpretation westlicher Lounge-Musik, die Anleihen bei Jazz, Boogie, Funk und Yacht-Rock machte, um einen Sound zu kreieren, der sich zwischen zwei Kulturen bewegte. Während der City-Pop in letzter Zeit über TikTok und YouTube ein US-Publikum gefunden hat, sind CHAI mit diesem Genre aufgewachsen. Für die Produktion griffen sie auf ihren früheren Mitarbeiter Ryu Takahashi zurück, der ihre Vorliebe für City Pop, Eurobeat und die Melodien von J-Pop-Künstlern wie Maria Takeuchi teilte. "Sie wollten sich mit ihrer japanischen Identität auseinandersetzen, nicht im traditionellen Sinne, sondern auf diese gefilterte westliche Art", sagt Takahashi. Die Arbeit in gut ausgestatteten Studios ermöglichte es ihnen, mit einer Ästhetik zu experimentieren, die auf einem CHAI-Album noch nicht zu hören war.

'AVANT TRASH' ist der programmatische Titel des Debütalbums der Cousines like Shit.
Mit ihren kritischen Punchlines verlautbaren die Cousinen ihre Beobachtungen zu Gesellschaft und dem Paradoxon Mensch. In Tracks wie 'Barbie', 'Vivid Sassy' oder 'Bachelorette' kann man sich wiederfinden, ertappt fühlen, oder man muss schlicht schmunzeln, wenn einem die Komik gewisser menschlicher Verhaltensmuster bewusst wird. Mit der Wahl des Titels 'AVANT TRASH' kreieren die Cousinen nicht weniger als ein eigenes Genre für sich, für ihren unverkennbaren Stil, textfokussiert und untermalt von simplen, aber eingängigen Melodien.

Sara Dobbs and Jenny Shore used to work summer stock theater in St. Louis, Missouri. They'd do the hand jive with TV stars past and future; they'd get coldly corrected by the ancient, legendary choreographer Gemze de Lappe. Sara went on to Broadway, including a run as Anybodys in West Side Story. Jenny went on to choreograph in the independent dance scene of early 2000s Chicago. Julie Shore is Jenny's sister. She's always made music_playing Chopin, writing songs, making bands with her friends. She's had the archetypal Millennial journey of entering adulthood in the '08 financial crisis and figuring out what stupid series of jobs you have to take to pay rent while keeping an artistic life alive. Miles Francis grew up in New York City with Backstreet Boys posters covering their walls. An extraordinary drummer since youth, Miles thrives in collaboration_ whether producing artists in their West Village studio, performing with artists like Angelique Kidjo, or powering protests with a big marching drum. These four_Miles, Julie, Jenny, and Sara_are Sister Squares. What made them a musical unit was working with Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Will Butler. They've all just finished a new record together: Will Butler + Sister Squares. "After Generations, I considered making a weird solo record. Me alone in the basement, etc., etc. Mostly I realized that what I wanted was the opposite," says Will. He increasingly turned to the band for feedback on lyrics and song structures. He asked Miles if they'd produce the record. The band played a run of shows in August 2022, airing out studio ideas in live rooms. After coming home, the band regrouped at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn. "I had quit my band Arcade Fire very recently, after 20 years_maybe the most complex decision of my life. I had spent the preceding two years at home with my three children. I was 39 years old. I was waking up every morning and reading Emily Dickinson, until I had read every Emily Dickinson poem. I was listening to Morrissey, to Shostakovich, to the Spotify top 50. I had unformed questions with inchoate answers," says Will. "But, honestly, I was feeling great about the record." The album projects widescreen emotional landscapes. Lead-off single "Long Grass" is like a Harry Styles song with 20 more years of life behind it. Standout track "Saturday Night" has a beat, according to Miles, "with that robot-alien-dancing-at-a-haunted- dive-bar feeling that we were going for." The back half of the album is a danceable, weird choral record with harmonies both beautiful and dissonant. Closing song "The Window" is the comedown after the party_Julie playing a Chopin Nocturne on a three-years-out-of-tune piano, slowed to half-speed on tape with Will singing over it in a voice exactly as tired as he was. It's a record with a warm, humane soul.

Sara Dobbs and Jenny Shore used to work summer stock theater in St. Louis, Missouri. They'd do the hand jive with TV stars past and future; they'd get coldly corrected by the ancient, legendary choreographer Gemze de Lappe. Sara went on to Broadway, including a run as Anybodys in West Side Story. Jenny went on to choreograph in the independent dance scene of early 2000s Chicago. Julie Shore is Jenny's sister. She's always made music_playing Chopin, writing songs, making bands with her friends. She's had the archetypal Millennial journey of entering adulthood in the '08 financial crisis and figuring out what stupid series of jobs you have to take to pay rent while keeping an artistic life alive. Miles Francis grew up in New York City with Backstreet Boys posters covering their walls. An extraordinary drummer since youth, Miles thrives in collaboration_ whether producing artists in their West Village studio, performing with artists like Angelique Kidjo, or powering protests with a big marching drum. These four_Miles, Julie, Jenny, and Sara_are Sister Squares. What made them a musical unit was working with Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Will Butler. They've all just finished a new record together: Will Butler + Sister Squares. "After Generations, I considered making a weird solo record. Me alone in the basement, etc., etc. Mostly I realized that what I wanted was the opposite," says Will. He increasingly turned to the band for feedback on lyrics and song structures. He asked Miles if they'd produce the record. The band played a run of shows in August 2022, airing out studio ideas in live rooms. After coming home, the band regrouped at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn. "I had quit my band Arcade Fire very recently, after 20 years_maybe the most complex decision of my life. I had spent the preceding two years at home with my three children. I was 39 years old. I was waking up every morning and reading Emily Dickinson, until I had read every Emily Dickinson poem. I was listening to Morrissey, to Shostakovich, to the Spotify top 50. I had unformed questions with inchoate answers," says Will. "But, honestly, I was feeling great about the record." The album projects widescreen emotional landscapes. Lead-off single "Long Grass" is like a Harry Styles song with 20 more years of life behind it. Standout track "Saturday Night" has a beat, according to Miles, "with that robot-alien-dancing-at-a-haunted- dive-bar feeling that we were going for." The back half of the album is a danceable, weird choral record with harmonies both beautiful and dissonant. Closing song "The Window" is the comedown after the party_Julie playing a Chopin Nocturne on a three-years-out-of-tune piano, slowed to half-speed on tape with Will singing over it in a voice exactly as tired as he was. It's a record with a warm, humane soul.

180 g black Vinyl, Gatefold, DLC, Insert
Seit 1988 stehen Cannibal Corpse an der Spitze des Death Metal und haben das Genre geprägt und definiert. Im Jahr 2021 setzten sie mit ihrem 15. Album Violence Unimagined die Messlatte erneut höher. 2023 kehren sie mit dessen Nachfolger, dem ebenso monströsen Chaos Horrific, zurück und schlagen damit ein neues Kapitel ihres Vermächtnisses auf. Kurz nach Abschluss der Violence Unimagined-Sessions geschrieben, finden sich in Chaos Horrific Anklänge an jenes Album. "Für mich fühlt sich dieses Album wie eine Art Fortsetzung von Violence Unimagined an. Der Stil ist ziemlich ähnlich, aber im Einzelnen klingt keiner der Songs auf Chaos Horrific wie die Songs auf Violence Unimagined", sagt Bassist Alex Webster. "Es ist ein vollwertiges Death-Metal-Album im Stil von Cannibal Corpse."

Ltd. Ltd.burned flesh marbled Vinyl, Gatefold, DLC, Insert

Seit 1988 stehen Cannibal Corpse an der Spitze des Death Metal und haben das Genre geprägt und definiert. Im Jahr 2021 setzten sie mit ihrem 15. Album Violence Unimagined die Messlatte erneut höher. 2023 kehren sie mit dessen Nachfolger, dem ebenso monströsen Chaos Horrific, zurück und schlagen damit ein neues Kapitel ihres Vermächtnisses auf. Kurz nach Abschluss der Violence Unimagined-Sessions geschrieben, finden sich in Chaos Horrific Anklänge an jenes Album. "Für mich fühlt sich dieses Album wie eine Art Fortsetzung von Violence Unimagined an. Der Stil ist ziemlich ähnlich, aber im Einzelnen klingt keiner der Songs auf Chaos Horrific wie die Songs auf Violence Unimagined", sagt Bassist Alex Webster. "Es ist ein vollwertiges Death-Metal-Album im Stil von Cannibal Corpse."

Four years after they went all the way to Antarctica, Flat Worms are back in gen pop with the rest of us - but, as intoned on the album opener "Sigalert," "back again like I never was." Is this a nod to the way time passes over our sorely vexed synapses? Or are we to believe that there"s hope to be found in this broken world? Kick back with Witness Marks and see what other traces Flat Worms have left us in the dust. The album title alone leaves a foreboding impression. But look closer - "witness marks" aren"t something out of a forensic analysis - they"re actually practical; scratches placed in old clocks designed to aid continued maintenance further in time. Sure, there"s big questions and more on the board; primarily if we"re at all distinct from the absurdity coming down around us, or just another character in the mirror? Flat Worms are looking inward this time, outlining personal space in relation to themselves and others - sometimes even people they barely know. Among the slabs of slategrey outrage, the flowers of compassion are blooming, and the simmering power of their trio grows exponentially. Working once again with Ty Segall, Flat Worms continue to find new answers by digging into themselves and playing their kind of rock: hard and flat, bass and drums thrusting stalwartly forward with conviction, guitar twisting and spinning in outrage, deadpan vocals decrying a dire set of circumstances. The democracy of working together, so often messy and frustrating, was found to be a powerful release for Justin, Tim and Will. Acting as one, Flat Worms navigated challenging times by coming together, finding release in the clockwork repetitions of practice and the shared creative space they occupied together against the encroaching world. In the short century of their existence, Flat Worms have agitated against the status quo with a disquieting lyric bent, to emphasize the psychosis of the times. These are positions taken within songs, sung out to individuals in the world. As evidenced by the lyrics, "But I know I can always see you at the show Even though it"s only temporary and it"s time to go." . . .Witness Marks surveys an evolving sense of community. Flat Worms are dedicated to persevering and using the power of their collective. Come witness!

Four years after they went all the way to Antarctica, Flat Worms are back in gen pop with the rest of us - but, as intoned on the album opener "Sigalert," "back again like I never was." Is this a nod to the way time passes over our sorely vexed synapses? Or are we to believe that there"s hope to be found in this broken world? Kick back with Witness Marks and see what other traces Flat Worms have left us in the dust. The album title alone leaves a foreboding impression. But look closer - "witness marks" aren"t something out of a forensic analysis - they"re actually practical; scratches placed in old clocks designed to aid continued maintenance further in time. Sure, there"s big questions and more on the board; primarily if we"re at all distinct from the absurdity coming down around us, or just another character in the mirror? Flat Worms are looking inward this time, outlining personal space in relation to themselves and others - sometimes even people they barely know. Among the slabs of slategrey outrage, the flowers of compassion are blooming, and the simmering power of their trio grows exponentially. Working once again with Ty Segall, Flat Worms continue to find new answers by digging into themselves and playing their kind of rock: hard and flat, bass and drums thrusting stalwartly forward with conviction, guitar twisting and spinning in outrage, deadpan vocals decrying a dire set of circumstances. The democracy of working together, so often messy and frustrating, was found to be a powerful release for Justin, Tim and Will. Acting as one, Flat Worms navigated challenging times by coming together, finding release in the clockwork repetitions of practice and the shared creative space they occupied together against the encroaching world. In the short century of their existence, Flat Worms have agitated against the status quo with a disquieting lyric bent, to emphasize the psychosis of the times. These are positions taken within songs, sung out to individuals in the world. As evidenced by the lyrics, "But I know I can always see you at the show Even though it"s only temporary and it"s time to go." . . .Witness Marks surveys an evolving sense of community. Flat Worms are dedicated to persevering and using the power of their collective. Come witness!

Quand mon travail de compositeur fut terminé et qu'il ne me restait plus qu'à mixer et mastériser mon nouvel album, une pensée m'est apparue : Je l'aime trop et ne souhaite le partager avec personne. » - Ryuichi Sakamoto Membre fondateur du Yellow Magic Orchestra, lauréat de l'Oscar de la meilleure musique de film pour Le Dernier Empereur, l'innovateur synth pop Ryuichi Sakamoto est l'un des artistes les plus révolutionnaires depuis la fin des années 70. Acclamé et respecté par la critique comme par le public et par les musiciens, Ryuichi Sakamoto a créé de fascinantes unions musicales avec des artistes tels que David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, Tony Williams, Bootsy Collins, Jacques Morelenbaum et bien d'autres. async est le premier album de Ryuichi Sakamoto en huit ans. C'est son travail le plus personnel car il succède à un long combat contre le cancer, duquel Ryuichi Sakamoto émergeait avec une énergie créative renouvelée et passionnée. « Quel genre de « sons/musique » ai-je envie d'entendre ? » async est la réponse à cette question que Ryuichi Sakamoto s'est posé ces dernières années. C'est l'album dont il est le plus fier, et qui synthétise le mieux ses intérêts sonores et musicaux. C'est un voyage à travers le synthétiseur analogique, les sons des choses et des endroits, la bande originale imaginaire d'un film d'Andrei Tarkovsky, et bien d'autres surprises musicales...