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Death Is Not The End reissue Mark Vernon's sought-after 2013 collection Sounds of a Modern Hospital on vinyl & cassette formats.

Whilst every effort has been made to record the subject in as great a degree of isolation as possible, the sound recordings you will hear on this record were made in a real working hospital and not under controlled conditions. Therefore, on occasion, you may hear some unavoidable background noise, conversations and other extraneous sounds.

All recordings were made by Mark Vernon at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, Stirling Community Hospital and Falkirk Community Hospital between 2011 and 2013.

New Zealand–born, Melbourne-based guitarist, producer, songwriter, DJ and recording artist Lance Ferguson returns with a killer follow-up: two new 7" releases from his third instalment of the acclaimed Rare Groove Spectrum series, offering a fresh set of reimagined and reworked classics. From '70s Australian jazz-funk and Latin-fusion to big-band soul and golden-era funk, Ferguson blends crate-digger sensibilities with modern studio craft.

The "Dominoes / Cold Bear" 7" features the exclusive track "Cold Bear", a fiery reinterpretation of The Gaturs' New Orleans funk classic. Sitting alongside it is a fan favourite among modern funk and soul lovers: Jungle's "Dominoes", stripped back, amped up and played live with an unpolished, authentic feel that pays homage to the essence of the original.

Uw energieboost in plaatvorm: zo klinkt de nieuwe Admiral Freebee. Geboren uit een oerdrive om samen met zijn vrienden slash helden muziek te maken en de studio in te duiken. Openingstrack Seeking A Friend zet meteen de toon: drums zwellen aan, een snedige riff valt in en Tom Van Laere giet er een rauw ‘Armageddooon’ over uit. De wereld staat in brand en Admiral Freebee is er niet blind voor, maar het spelplezier staat voorop. Uptempo, groovy, dansbaar zelfs, met synths en welgemikte opzwepende HEY’s: negen songs lang spatten good times uit de muziek, van eerste single Q&A With Myself over knallers als Future Fathers Of Utopia en The Hunger. Zoals we van Admiral Freebee gewend zijn, is er ook ruimte voor humor en een introspectieve blik. Maar vergis je niet, een schoothondje is hij niet (No One’s Puppy). In slottrack Dog That Never Dies gaat de voet van het gaspedaal en legt het enige ingetogen nummer het album neer, als een synthese van alle thema’s die aan bod komen. En we mogen gerust zijn: met Admiral Freebee gaat het goed, en zowel hij als zijn muziek lopen over van het plezier. Even alle zorgen vergeten en genieten van pure fun.

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Your energy boost in record form: that’s how the new Admiral Freebee album sounds. Born from a primal desire to make music with his friends aka heroes and dive into the studio. Opening track Seeking A Friend sets the tone: drums swell, a sharp riff takes centre stage and Van Laere lets out a raw ‘Armageddooon’. The world is on fire and Admiral Freebee does not turn a blind eye, but first we have some fun. Uptempo, groovy, danceable even, with funky synths and a bunch of infectious HEYs: for nine songs good times are all over the place, from first single Q&A With Myself to bangers like Future Fathers Of Utopia and The Hunger. As always with Admiral Freebee, there’s also room for humor and he doesn’t shy away from introspection either. And make no mistake: Tom Van Laere is no lapdog (No One’s Puppy). Closing track Dog That Never Dies is the only intimate song on the album and sounds like a synthesis of all the album’s themes. And rest assured: Admiral Freebee is doing fine, and both him and his music are bursting with joy. So leave your worries behind for a moment and have some raw fun.

Picture by Ed Templeton/ Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery

Artwork by Jelle Jespers

Admiral Freebee is Tom Van Laere – Tim Coene, Senne Guns en Laurens Billiet. Recorded in summer 2025.

Auf ihrem achten Album "Nothing's About to Happen to Me" erzählt Mitski, musikalisch unterstützt von ihrer Band und einem Orchester, eine vielschichtige, verrätselte Geschichte, in deren Mittelpunkt eine Frau steht, die zurückgezogen in einem verwahrlosten Haus lebt. Außerhalb ihres Zuhauses ist sie eine Außenseiterin; innerhalb ihres Zuhauses ist sie frei. Mitski schrieb alle Stücke auf "Nothing's About to Happen to Me". Das Album, produziert und aufgenommen von Patrick Hyland und gemastert von Bob Weston, setzt die musikalische Linie von "The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We" (2023) fort. Eingespielt wurde es live von Mitskis Tourband The Land. Die Orchesteraufnahmen, arrangiert von Drew Erickson fanden in den Sunset Sound und TTG Studios statt, die Tontechnik übernahm Michael Harris. Mitski ist "die faszinierendste und geheimnisvollste Musikerin des Indie-Rock" (Rolling Stone), die sich "immer wieder auf brillante und wunderbare Weise weiterentwickelt" (NPR Music). Im Laufe ihrer Karriere hat sie bislang sieben Alben veröffentlicht, vier davon erreichten Goldstatus. Ihr Stück "My Love Mine All Mine" ist ein Welthit und erreichte Vierfach-Platin. Zu Mitskis vielfältigen Kollaborationen mit anderen Künstler:innen zählen zwei Co-Writing-Beiträge für das aktuelle Florence and the Machine-Album "Everybody Scream", sowie eine Zusammenarbeit mit David Byrne und Son Lux für den Oscar-nominierten Film "This Is A Life". Derzeit schreibt sie Musik und Texte für die Musical-Adaption von "Das Damengambit". Ihre Konzerte, die Variety als "faszinierende Bewegungsstudie" bezeichnet hat, wurden auch als "hochstilisiert, brillant umgesetzt, supercool" (Philadelphia Inquirer) und "ungewöhnlich, rätselhaft und absolut fesselnd" (The Guardian) beschrieben. Ihr erster Konzertfilm "Mitski: The Land" lief im Oktober 2025 in über 600 Kinos weltweit und festigte ihren Ruf als "eine der wenigen Indie-Stars, die sich den großen Durchbruch verdient haben" (Uproxx). Er erschien zeitgleich mit dem Live-Album "The Land".

Hotel Fiction is an indie rock band from Athens, Georgia comprised of Jade Long (vocals, keys, guitar), Jessica Thompson (vocals, lead guitar), Aaron Daugherty (lead guitar, synth), Aidan Hill (bass), and Gideon Johnston (drums). Their sound has often been described as genre-fluid, with indie, pop, folk, and rock influences. They have become known for their honest lyricism, haunting harmonies, and electric live shows.

Deluxe edition of Hotel Fiction's 2023 release Staring At The Sun. Features two new songs as well as alternate versions of album tracks, including a guest appearance from Hey, Nothing. LP pressed on limited edition coke bottle clear vinyl.

Single Coke Bottle Clear Color LP w/ printed inner sleeve + insert and updated artwork

"And what about you? What are you looking for?" - René Daumal

This musical journey pays tribute to René Daumal and his enchanting world of mysteries and magic. The album shares its title with Daumal's novel, Mount Analogue: A Novel of Symbolically Authentic Non-Euclidean Adventures in Mountain Climbing, published posthumously in 1952, eight years after the author's untimely death.

Mount Analogue is a classic allegorical adventure novel. The novel describes an expedition undertaken by a group of mountaineers to travel to and climb the titular Mount Analogue an enormous mountain on a surreal continent, that is invisible and inaccessible to the outside world and can be perceived only by the application of obscure knowledge. The central theme of mountaineering is extensively explored through literary and philosophical lenses. Daumal died before the novel was completed, providing an uncanny one-way quality to the story, which ends abruptly in the middle of a sentence.

The first disc features a fifty-minute composition divided into six chapters: Introduction, Meeting, Supposition, Crossing, Arrival, and Conclusion. This album weavestogether a rich tapestry of diverse instruments, sounds, and voices that collectively tell the story of this conceptual work, loaded with a synesthetic multitude of colors, aromas, meanings, textures, and moods.

Contributors to this musical poem include Bill Laswell (bass), Henry Kaiser (guitar), Anna Clementi (vocals), Percy Howard (voice), Hideo Yamaki (percussion), Graham Haynes (cornet), Dorian Cheah (violin), Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet), Peter Apfelbaum (keyboard), and P.ST (concept, electronics), who all lend their talents to a series of excerpts from Daumal's text.

A truly global project, the recordings took place across various locations in Europe, North America, and South America, culminating at Orange Music Studio in New York, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bill Laswell, James Dellatacoma, and Michael Fossenkemper.

The second disc presents five improvisations for solo electric guitar by Henry Kaiser. The first solo, Jodorowsky's Peradam, draws its inspiration from Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain, which was inspired by the Daumal novel. Kaiser's initial forty-eight-minute guitar solo serves as a foundational guide for his four subsequent, Rashomon-esque, solo musical interpretations of Mount Analogue, as seen through the psychedelic labyrinth of Jorodrowsky's cinematic masterpiece.

"And what about you? What are you looking for?" - René Daumal

This musical journey pays tribute to René Daumal and his enchanting world of mysteries and magic. The album shares its title with Daumal's novel, Mount Analogue: A Novel of Symbolically Authentic Non-Euclidean Adventures in Mountain Climbing, published posthumously in 1952, eight years after the author's untimely death.

Mount Analogue is a classic allegorical adventure novel. The novel describes an expedition undertaken by a group of mountaineers to travel to and climb the titular Mount Analogue an enormous mountain on a surreal continent, that is invisible and inaccessible to the outside world and can be perceived only by the application of obscure knowledge. The central theme of mountaineering is extensively explored through literary and philosophical lenses. Daumal died before the novel was completed, providing an uncanny one-way quality to the story, which ends abruptly in the middle of a sentence.

The first disc features a fifty-minute composition divided into six chapters: Introduction, Meeting, Supposition, Crossing, Arrival, and Conclusion. This album weavestogether a rich tapestry of diverse instruments, sounds, and voices that collectively tell the story of this conceptual work, loaded with a synesthetic multitude of colors, aromas, meanings, textures, and moods.

Contributors to this musical poem include Bill Laswell (bass), Henry Kaiser (guitar), Anna Clementi (vocals), Percy Howard (voice), Hideo Yamaki (percussion), Graham Haynes (cornet), Dorian Cheah (violin), Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet), Peter Apfelbaum (keyboard), and P.ST (concept, electronics), who all lend their talents to a series of excerpts from Daumal's text.

A truly global project, the recordings took place across various locations in Europe, North America, and South America, culminating at Orange Music Studio in New York, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bill Laswell, James Dellatacoma, and Michael Fossenkemper.

The second disc presents five improvisations for solo electric guitar by Henry Kaiser. The first solo, Jodorowsky's Peradam, draws its inspiration from Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain, which was inspired by the Daumal novel. Kaiser's initial forty-eight-minute guitar solo serves as a foundational guide for his four subsequent, Rashomon-esque, solo musical interpretations of Mount Analogue, as seen through the psychedelic labyrinth of Jorodrowsky's cinematic masterpiece.

With `The devil's door' And Also The Trees, one true original Post-Punk/New Wave band, presents a quiet storm of an album. At times filmic, poetic and intense with an undercurrent of dark psychedelia. It completes a trilogy of works `The Bone Carver', `Mother-of-pearl Moon' and now `The devil's door' created by the current line-up. Here there are signature `And also the trees' poetic lyrics, orchestral guitar and soundtrack influenced songs inspired by newsreel, oil paintings and folklore. But with this work we have the addition of some surprising instruments that skew the album towards a world where John Barry meets Bela Bartok. And also the trees (AATT) formed during the original post-punk era in rural Worcestershire, an environment that has provided a constant inspiration to a group whose music has often explored the dark underbelly as well as the beauty of the British countryside. They are renowned for their captivating live performances, a unique style of mandolin-like electric guitar, evocative lyrics and dark jazz rhythms - not to mention a creative independence fiercely preserved for over four decades. Back then AATT immediately caught the attention of Robert Smith of The Cure, who invited them to tour with his group on several occasions. Smith was also involved with their early recordings alongside his bandmate Lol Tolhurst, who produced their first records. This longterm friendship and mutual respect was further solidified when AATT were invited to perform at the Robert Smith curated 2018 Meltdown festival in London. This July AATT appear as The Cure's special guests at the Nimes festival. Founded by singer Simon Jones and his guitarist brother Justin, AATT have maintained a continuous presence on the post-punk, and alternative rock scenes worldwide, with a solid fanbase e.g. in Germany.

Premium first edition Kane West - western beats. Heavyweight vinyl, heavyweight sleeves, heavyweight design.
1xLP
12” Vinyl Records (180g, Black), Black and White Labels
12”Jacket 3mm Spine, 350gsm, Print 1/0 K, Gloss Machine Varnish + Hot Foil with Emboss on Front Cover, Hot Foil on Rear Cover
Full Colour 12” Board Sleeves
Creative Direction by Kane West
Design by Jacob Hulmston
Pencil Guy Artwork by Daniel Swan

Das vierte Album und Sub Pop-Debüt von Lala Lala, alias Lillie West, ist ein kraftvoller, warmer und mit Ohrwürmern gespickter Indie-Pop-Kracher für Fans von Jay Som, Porches, Dehd, Angel Olsen und Alex G. Lillie West hat ihre Musik immer aus dem Bedürfnis heraus gemacht, ständig in Bewegung zu sein. Als sie aber kürzlich den Wunsch verspürte, sich niederzulassen, hat sie gemerkt, dass Beständigkeit Kreativität fördern kann. Diese Entwicklung ist der Antrieb für einen Großteil ihres neuen Albums "Heaven 2". Viele Jahre lang lebte West in Chicago, wo sie Lala Lala als Teil der Indie-Szene der Stadt etablierte und mehrere Alben auf Hardly Art veröffentlichte. Diese Alben, "The Lamb" und "I Want the Door to Open", waren kraftvolle Statements einer neugierigen Künstlerin: eingängige Gitarren-Pop-Songs über das Feststecken in den Höhen und Tiefen des Lebens, den Kampf, nüchtern zu bleiben, die Stadt zu verlassen, sein Leben in die Luft zu jagen. West verließ Chicago, um nach mehr zu suchen, und schrieb dabei ihr neues Album "Heaven 2". Auf ihrer Reise landete sie in New Mexico, wo sie in Taos fernab der Zivilisation lebte. "Es war sehr herausfordernd, eiskalt und voller giftiger Tiere. Aber es ist immer noch der schönste und magischste Ort, an dem ich je gewesen bin, und ich träume ständig davon", sagt West. Anschließend zog sie nach Island, wo sie zwei Jahre lang mit Unterbrechungen lebte, wobei sie die Unterbrechungen in London verbrachte, wo sie aufgewachsen war. Schließlich kam sie nach Reykjavik, wo sie sich in der Musikszene einlebte und ein Instrumentalalbum ("If I Were A Real Man I Would Be Able To Break The Neck Of A Suffering Bird") veröffentlichte, bevor sie nach Los Angeles ging, wo sie sich verliebte und sich niederließ. L.A. ist ein guter Ort zum Leben, schon allein deshalb, weil, wie West sagt: "Wo auch immer du hingehst, dort bist du. Ich wünschte, es gäbe eine coolere Art, das auszudrücken." Zum Glück gibt es die: Dieses Thema, überall Schönheit und Erfüllung zu finden, zieht sich durch "Heaven 2". In ,Even Mountains Erode" singt West: , "There are symbols and signs, you're missing your life". West ermutigt sich selbst und uns, langsamer zu werden. Innezuhalten und den Duft der Blumen zu genießen. West hat das Album zusammen mit Melina Duterte von Jay Som produziert, die mit ihrer kraftvollen Stimme einen starken Kontrast zu Wests warmem, rundem Gesang bildet. Die Beziehung zwischen den beiden war telepathisch, und das Ergebnis ist ein mutiges und selbstbewusstes Album. Duterte und West spielten fast alle Instrumente des Albums selbst, mit ein paar wichtigen Gästen wie Sen Morimoto am Saxophon im Eröffnungstrack "Car Anymore" und einer Bridge, die Aaron Maine von Porches für den Titeltrack ,Heaven 2" geschrieben hat. Bei "Catharsis" geht es nicht nur um den Schmerz, sondern auch um die Befreiung, die man erlebt, wenn man sich davon befreit. Und so gibt es auch Momente kühner Freude auf dem Album. "Arrow", das Samples der französischen Electro-Pop-Band La Femme enthält, ist schnell, und seine Schnelligkeit und Freude fühlen sich an, als würde man auf etwas zulaufen und nicht davonlaufen. "None of this was supposed to happen", singt West. Aber es ist passiert. "Es ist so eine grundlegende spirituelle Sache", sagt West, ,Widerstand ist die Wurzel allen Leidens, und ich dachte, ich könnte den Verlauf meines Lebens bestimmen." Natürlich konnte sie das, wie alle anderen auch, nicht. Wohin man auch geht, man ist immer da.

Seit ihrem Durchbruch im Jahr 2016 ist Söderqvists ShitKid eine der interessantesten Bands überhaupt, die immer wieder Erwartungen übertrifft und Konventionen bricht. Nachdem sie das Projekt 2020 plötzlich beendet hatte und komplett aus der Musikszene verschwunden war, kommt ShitKid jetzt mit Compilations und einem Live-Comeback im Jahr 2026 zurück. ,The Essential (Vol 1)" bringt die rohen, rockigen Highlights ihrer Karriere zusammen.

Seit ihrem Durchbruch im Jahr 2016 ist Söderqvists ShitKid eine der interessantesten Bands überhaupt, die immer wieder Erwartungen übertrifft und Konventionen bricht. Nachdem sie das Projekt 2020 plötzlich beendet hatte und komplett aus der Musikszene verschwunden war, kommt ShitKid jetzt mit Compilations und einem Live-Comeback im Jahr 2026 zurück. ,The Essential (Vol 1)" bringt die rohen, rockigen Highlights ihrer Karriere zusammen.

Mia Zapata was the greatest rock singer of her time. She may have likely been the greatest blues singer in punk rock history, the woman who married the 78 and the '78. Tragedy did not make this true. Mia Zapata made this true, and the ferocious, spring-loaded shrapnel frame that was built around her by Andy Kessler (guitar: metronomic and furious), Matt Dresdner (bass: fluid, punching, beat-addicted and melodic), and Steve Moriarty (drums: martial and explosive) - who, with Mia, combined to form The Gits - made it true. The Gits were formed at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio in mid-1986, grabbing and swapping pieces of art, thrash, noise, punk rock, classic rock, and all the sorts of magical silly and bookish jingle bells that an old-school liberal arts education handed you; for the next few years they worked on turning it all into something tough, sensitive, both brutal and kind. Andy, Matt, Mia, and Steve moved to Seattle in middish 1989, landing in a house on Capitol Hill where they (and fellow travelers) wood-shedded and rehearsed for the next few years. The Gits put out three EPs in 1990 and '91 before signing with C/Z Records and releasing their first full-length album, Frenching the Bully. Seattle quickly claimed the quartet as their own and embraced the Gits blend of ferocious fangs and soft heart, the slug/slap of the guitars, and the gorgeous, soft underbelly of the poetic emotions. These qualities not only fit in with the doe-eyed/sharp-clawed grunge ethos but earned the Gits the respect of their peers, including Nirvana, who tapped them to open a major local show in 1990. Then other stuff happened, and their frantic, confessional barbed-heart snowball began rolling up hill very, very fast; the Gits "quickly" (hah! After half a decade learning to implode and explode hearts and stomping their boots on manifold beer-softened, Marlboro-weeded wood stages!) inspired rapture, awe, and the levitation that happened when peak emotion meets peak grindage in front of amps spitting out something that sounded like the mad marriage of Bolan swagger and Dischord tension_ all fronted by a genuinely incomparable woman who held her heart in her mouth and shared it, in all its celebration and fear, without hesitation. The Gits were an angry, inflamed slinky fully in tune with and tuned by the Bessie Patti Smith of her time, truly the only singer who could summon Joplin, Poly Styrene, Sam Cooke, Iggy Pop and Ian MacKaye all in the same goddamn song. In 1993, less than four weeks after accepting an offer from Atlantic Records, Mia died. I leave it at that, because this is not about death; it's about an extraordinary life. I do not say, "You should have been there," I say, "We are lucky so many of us were, and I am so glad we have this extraordinary evidence of the power and gifts of Mia and the Gits that you now can hold in your hands." And I note that Frenching the Bully, this extraordinary testament to the soul, shock, fury and feeling of the Gits, has been long out of print on vinyl and CD, and this new edition - remastered by legendary Seattle engineer Jack Endino - joyfully rectifies that. -Tim Sommer

Brooklyn duo The Still Brothers is a musical project of childhood friends Evan Heinze (The Shacks/Big Crown) and Andrew LeCoche (Ula Ruth). Heinze has toured with the likes of Khraungbin, Lee Fields and Cut Chemist, while LeCoche’s old band once opened for Paul Simon and Edie Brickell. A former student of Madlib’s uncle Jon Faddis, LeCoche has scored music for Netflix and Patagonia and sound design for Twitter, Patron, and Marvel. Signing to Lewis Recordings in 2020 the band’s first single ‘The Deep’ was instantly picked up by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music who regularly plays it to this day. ‘Wake Up’ featuring the vocals of Marina B. spent six weeks on the BBC 6 Music playlist gaining support from Lauren Laverne, Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Craig Charles, Huey Morgan, Cerys Matthews, Don Letts, Tom Ravenscroft and Guy Garvey. Lockdown didn’t slow down the band’s creativity with many tracks on their self-titled debut EP recorded remotely. Two such tracks were the collaborations with London based singer/songwriter Shauna Kelly aka Shoshy. ‘It’s Not Over’ and ‘Crazy’ were released on 7” and both received BBC radio support. Marina B stepped back on the mic with the upbeat hit ‘I Wanna Be With You’, a dancefloor filler mixed by St. Frances Hotel (producer for Michael Kiwanuka). The b-side ‘Sungalz’ is a hazy dream pop number that started life as an instrumental jam

Named after his grandfather's pool hall cafe in Alert Bay, British Columbia, the record connects small-town grit with the bright lights of Nashville, where Willie recorded with Grammy- winning producer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Kingfish, Susan Tedeschi). From roadhouse stompers to backseat ballads, Garret T. Willie sings of love, loss, addiction, and resilience with a voice that cuts like hi- beam headlights on a dark backroad. Bill's Cafe is alive wire of energy and soul, carrying old-soul traditions into the future with fire and truth.

We stumble, we doubt, we fall - but within those moments lies the spark of transformation. It isn't just change. It's courage. It's fire. And that same bravery is at the core of the twenty- second instalment of Armin van Buuren's annual year mix series. Opening with a powerful narration that sets the stage for transformation, this 113- track journey takes you through the sounds that breathe courage, reinvention, and unshakable energy. From uplifting anthems and emotive vocal tracks to driving, boundary-pushing tech-trance, the mix features productions from Armin van Buuren, Adam Beyer, KI/ KI, Ferry Corsten, Joris Voorn, Hardwell, Svenson & Gielen, Hannah Laing, Factor B, Mauro Picotto, and others. Collaborations with artists such as Bon Jovi, Martin Garrix, Sam Gray, and Malou highlight the spirit of connection and reinvention, while tracks such as "Set Me Free (Rising Star Remix)", "Put Your Bassline", "Holding The Light", "Marama (Moon & Stars)", and "Missing Part Of Me" demonstrate the power to transform moments into memories. Whether through soaring melodies or relentless grooves, this mix invites you to take the leap, embrace the unknown, and let the music guide your own transformation. All together, in A State of Trance.

Pink Must is the duo project by Brooklyn based sound artists and musicians Mari 'More Eaze' Rubio and Lynn Avery. This self titled album is the debut release under the Pink Must umbrella.

Based on a long-standing artistic chemistry and shared love of genre-defying sounds, Pink Must started off as a remote grunge collaboration, with demos shared long-distance between New York and Texas. Over time, and especially since uniting in Brooklyn in 2023, the project evolved into its own animated soundspace, connecting raw imperfect textures with classic songwriting and a playful approach to both track instrumentation and lyrics.

The duo's production blends richness, glitches, and dissonant layers with drum and string arrangements in ways that subtly hint at influences like Stina Nordenstam and PJ Harvey. The record is tangled yet direct: fictional sketches of various situations, songs about love, change, decay, and even Mari's dog, Keith—all wrapped in signature guitar dreams and deadpan vocal lines.

Hailing from the diverse California “DIY” music scene, San Jose's SUPERWORLD (Brandon Holder, Dan Vo, Drew Satterlund, Francisco Duarte, Cameron MacBain) is a hi-energy screamo act whose music is a celebration of friendship, and whose friendship is a celebration of music. Getting together and writing under the radar for some years, the group would play a handful of sets at local house shows before ever deciding to release a song. Performed with a trademark looseness of feel, their tracks bridge maximalist aggression with the low-key and melancholy, somehow collaging the careful intricacy and sentimentality of early 2010's math rock with subtle pop sensibilities of classic guitar-driven music from the latter half of the 20th century. SUPERWORLD's tonal unpredictability is neither forced nor abashed, and remains tightly bound by each member's approach to the arrangements in whole.

black vinyl

Innerhalb seiner umfangreichen Diskografie präsentiert Both Worlds eine Innovation und rückt das Werk des Pianisten in ein neues Licht. Zum ersten Mal stellt Michel Petrucciani auch eine echte Gruppe zusammen und bildet eine homogene Formation, in der seine Präsenz und Rolle nicht mehr als dominierende Elemente wahrgenommen werden. Während in vielen seiner früheren Aufnahmen das Klavier aus der Rhythmusgruppe herauszustechen schien, um es deutlich hervorzuheben, platziert Both Worlds Petrucciani bewusst innerhalb der Gruppe und macht den Pianisten zu einem integrierten Element des Ensembles, wodurch er der Anführer sein kann, ohne sich wie ein Anführer zu verhalten. Eine weitere Neuerung: Michel Petrucciani setzt die Bläser hier wie nie zuvor ein; sie treten nicht mehr nur als Solisten in Erscheinung, sondern in einem neuen Kontext, als Begleitung und Kontrapunkt. Diese Platte konnte zwar nur dank einer intensiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen Komponist und Arrangeur entstehen, doch auch die unerwartete Produktionsarbeit des Schlagzeugers Steve Gadd trug sicherlich zu ihrer Entstehung bei.

Sundays is the debut full length from Oakland-based Tanukichan, aka multi-instrumentalist Hannah van Loon. At surface level, the album sounds just how the title describes: hazy, dreamy, reflective, just like a lazy Sunday afternoon. Upon second and third listens, the dreamy music unveils a deeper world: an ever present sense of longing, an endless state of summer and a period of instability that plagues us all at one point or another in our lives.
Raised in San Francisco, van Loon started out making classical, bluegrass and jazz music as well as playing in numerous bands in the area before deciding to make something more personal. What started with a few unfocused demos, with van Loon playing all the instruments herself in her house, became a studio experience and viable collection of music after her friend Anthony Ferraro of Astronauts, Etc. introduced her to Company Records founder Chaz Bear (Toro Y Moi, Les Sins). After collaborating on her 2016 EP Radiolove, van Loon and Bear set out to make a much more sonically cohesive release, with both the producer and artist playing all the instruments on the record. The result is a slice of dream pop that could only come from the combination of the laid back atmosphere of California and the nostalgic and often difficult memories that are generally associated with coming of age.
To van Loon, the tracks of Sundays are a form of contemplation and approaching life’s issues from a different and less complicated perspective. “Sometimes for me, it feels easier to write songs about things than to talk. A lot of things in life are layered and paradoxical, but with songs it always seems simpler.”
Opening track “Lazy Love” sets the stage, sonically and lyrically, for the rest of the album, combining vulnerable lyrics with gorgeous, fuzzy tones. Above pummeling synths and guitar tones, van Loon sings “you know I'd do anything/don't you know I try my best/if I could wake up when the sun is rising” showing the album’s constant theme of balancing always wanting to be the best person you can be, while also feeling a low level joy at letting life play out as it wants to. “Natural” is a track that feels perfect for a road trip, a track that hums away with a driving beat, culminating in the sheer excitement of finally having a night alone with someone you’ve loved for a while, among many highs and lows: “a window too bright/it's natural sunlight/grey fades to white lie/kiss you tonight/it's natural delight/help me feel right.” The tracks collectively address a deep rooted sense of yearning for someone, something new, while also feeling content with your life; a realization that maybe the places you’ve always belonged aren’t where you should be anymore, that suddenly you might be looking for something completely different.
“I settled on the name Sundays as the title of the record because it encapsulated how the record felt to me,“ van Loon says. “I was thinking about the laziness, and dreamy clarity that you can feel after a late night, waking up having to face the world with a new perspective.” Sundays encapsulates this feeling, a nostalgic way of looking at the world, waking up feeling like a slightly different person than before, looking back on life, not sure if you can tackle what’s next, but doing your best, day in and day out

Dass es jede Menge deutsche Thrash-Legenden gibt ist ja nun kein Geheimnis ... Aber statt sich immer nur die alten Standards reinzutun, sollte man sich lieber mal mit einer Underground-Perle beschäftigen, die der eine oder andere von euch kennen sollte: Necronomicon! Noch nie gehört? Tja... Das Leben als Thrasher hätte so schön sein können, wenn...ja, wenn Necronomicon Mitte der 80er nicht so ein Pech mit ihrem Label Scratchcore gehabt hätten... „Apocalyptic Nightmare“ von 1987 wurde hierzulande erstmal großflächig und schändlich ignoriert. In den Staaten, in Südamerika und in allen Skandinavischen Ländern wurde das zweite Album der Baden-Württemberger dagegen mächtig abgefeiert – und dass man in diesen Ländern was von guter Musik versteht, ist ja wohl klar. Sänger Freddy braucht den Vergleich mit Destructions Schmier nicht zu scheuen, und der Gitarrensound auf „Apocalyptic Nightmare“ ist schon des Öfteren mit den frühen Celtic Frost verglichen worden. Während ein kleines, obskures Label Necronomicon damals den Start versaut hat, werden High Roller Records es besser machen – und zwar mit der Deluxe-Re-Edition von „Apocalyptic Nightmare“! Mit dem Signing bei High Roller geht für die Band endlich eine echte Odyssee zu Ende!

Rick James Blends Brazen Attitude, Fearless Sexuality, and Shrewd Charisma on Street Songs:

Punk-Funk Album Aims for the Hips and Head, Includes the Timeless Hit “Super Freak”
Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies:

Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Presents 1981 Smash in Audiophile Sound for the First Time
1/4” / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe


“Punk funk” was a relatively unknown concept before 1981. But once Street Songs took the charts by storm that year, the world soon knew about what became Rick James’ signature style. And how. True to its name, Street Songs blends outspoken sexuality, brazen attitude, and edgy commentary amid contagious R&B-fueled arrangements that simultaneously aim for the hips, head, and various nether regions. And it’s never sounded better.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents James’ platinum-certified effort in audiophile quality for the first time. Playing with crisp dynamics, lively textures, airy headroom, and revealing clarity, this collectible edition of the record that stayed at the No. 1 spot on the R&B Album Charts for 20 weeks invites you to get closer to music that beckons you to turn your space into a private dance floor.

Then again, you’ll likely be so taken by how the taut bass lines, snappy rhythms, and four-on-the-floor beats — all rendered in stunning detail and with full-bodied architecture — come across with such accuracy and presence, you might stay pinned to your seat. On this pressing, the soundstaging, imaging, and lit-fuse energy of Street Songs reach new heights. Everything from the rubbery feel of the guitar lines to the depth of James’ temperature-raising vocals to the scale of the horn charts emerges as if James and his ace session crew set up in your room.

The Buffalo native and his ensemble waste no time getting their message across. On the album-opening “Give It to Me Baby,” James and company lay down a mix of sleek funk and pulsing disco that practically activates the bright lights of a discotheque and stimulates the libido of anyone within earshot. Having reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul charts, the song is pure sex — and just one of the carnal delights on a record that embraces the subject as fearlessly as James does his identity.

Of course, the most famous of James’ erotic excursions — the timeless “Super Freak” — hit No. 1 on Hot Dance Club Play charts, No. 16 on the Hot 100, and, later, No. 153 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time. Bolstered by a quavering keyboard theme and electro riffs, the much-sampled track worms itself inside your muscles with smile-inducing subject matter, gliding vocals, nimble movements, a hot tenor-saxophone solo, and backing vocals by the Temptations.

The iconic Motown group isn’t the only celebrated guest artist on the Grammy-nominated Street Songs. James’ then-labelmate, Stevie Wonder, lends harmonica to the frank sociopolitical narrative on “Mr. Policeman,” a protest tune that also manages to stroll ’n’ strut via simmering organ, staggering brass accents, and James’ gritty vocal performance. In addition to contributing backing vocals on several cuts, Teena Marie turns in one of the album’s signature moments on “Fire and Desire,” a romantic old-school duet with James that impresses with smoothness, sensitivity, and smokiness.

High-profile colleagues aside, James remains the undisputed star, a figure whose leather-and-latex attire, braided hair, and natural swagger made him misunderstood by some in the mainstream and embraced by everyone in the know as a true original. As a testament to his magnetism and skills, his charisma and rawness seemingly seep through every note, whether on the balladic sweep of the risqué “Make Love to Me” or strident, poke-and-prod persuasion of the moonwalking “Call Me Up.”

On the closing “Below the Funk (Pass the J),” an uptempo autobiographical tale that addresses the visionary musician’s second-favorite love, the singer acknowledges his upbringing and inseparable connection with his roots — an homage to where he began and a toast to where he’s gone.

Rick James, keepin’ it real on Street Songs, still as real as it gets.

The Mountain is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, a collection of 15 new tracks featuring a stellar list of artists and collaborators. Jamie Hewlett’s album artwork captures the four much-loved animated band members - Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D – in a series of beautifully intricate, hand-drawn illustrations.

The Mountain is Gorillaz 9th studio album. The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded in London, Devon, Miami, Jaipur, Mumbai, New Delhi and Rishikesh; and features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. The artwork for The Mountain sees Jamie Hewlett’s distinct, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with an ever more detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn illustrations. Circumstances find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, where our heroes are immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.

Hidden away amidst the bustle of Rio de Janeiro’s Catete neighbourhood is a small alleyway behind a cast iron gate. At its end is Bairro Saavedra, the courtyard surrounded by Neo-colonial houses where Brazilian guitar virtuoso Fabiano do Nascimento spent much of his childhood. Built in 1928, this secluded neighbourhood with its wooden shutters, tiled floors and tranquil benches, provides the inspiration for the title of Do Nascimento’s new album VILA, a collaborative project with a sixteen piece orchestra led by trombonist and arranger Vittor Santos.

Recorded between Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles, VILA is grand, tender, warm, playful and nostalgic. On this stunningly ambitious work, the delicate compositions led by Nascimento's guitar, which sits central in the mix, are surrounded by Santos’ breathtaking orchestral arrangements which swirl in all directions: complimenting, questioning, responding; in constant conversation.

Like the eclecticism of the architecture Do Nascimento grew up surrounded by, his music straddles many worlds at once. He is known as a Brazilian acoustic guitar master and as such has collaborated with Arthur Verocai, Airto Moreira and Itibere Zwarg. But equally at home in Los Angeles's jazz and experimental music scenes, Do Nascimento is also known for his work with artists like Sam Gendel and Carlos Nino.

Vittor Santos is an arranger and Trombonist who has worked extensively with many of the greats of Brazilian music, including João Donato, Marcos Valle, Toninho Horta, and Elza Soares.

=====================================
Credits:

Fabiano do Nascimento – 6, 7 and soprano guitars.
All orchestral arrangements and production by Vitor Santos.
Recorded at Electro-Sound studio, Los Angeles and Estúdio Fibra, Rio de Janeiro
Engineered by Jason Hiller and Garbiel Lucchini
Mastered by Mike Bozzi

Oboe – Francisco Gonçalves
Contrabaixo – Rodrigo Villa
Drums – Márcio Bahia
Violino - Ricardo Amado
Violino – Thiago Teixeira
Violin – Daniel Albuquerque
Violin – Márcio Sanches
Viola – Ivan Zandonade
Viola – Dhyan Toffolo
Cello - Hugo Pilger
Cello – Janaína Salles
Double Bass – Rômulo Gomes
Clarinet – José Batista
French Horn – Philip Doyle
Trombones - Vittor Santos
Violin – Daniel Guedes

Don’t believe your ears - Pepper’s Ghost is the latest offering from NYC project Nuke Watch.

Whatever you think it is - it is not. By the same token it really can be whatever you want - electronica, jazz, improv, noise, new age, ambient - it’s none and all of these. Like the primitive visual illusion it’s named for - Pepper’s Ghost is a projection of a thing, it’s not the thing.

The Nuke Watch method - like that of Aaron Anderson and Chris Hontos’ other primary project Beat Detectives - leans almost entirely on live improvisation, with some advanced studio alchemy in post. Where the Beat Detectives palette draws from club music tropes, Nuke Watch blends recognizable tones (hand drums, woodwinds, keys, fretless bass) with sounds of providence unknown, the line between organic and synthesized instrumentation unintelligibly smudged. What is real and what is projection? It’s hard to say. What do our ears tell us? This is where we arrive at Pepper’s Ghost.

Warped as the sounds may be, the playing belies a crew of deeply expressive, learned improvisers who have their craft honed. Their friendship and psychic connection enhances the ritualistic rhythms, mutant modular synthesis, nimble keyboard runs, absurdist sampling and unidentified skronk. They’re wonderfully complemented across several tracks on this set by Cole Pulice’s levitational, sublime saxophone.

As unhinged as this might all appear, once the mind and music meet on the same wavelength this is profoundly moving, energizing and uplifting Alive Music that recalibrates the sense of what music can be.

Nuke Watch is Aaron Anderson and Chris Hontos, with an array of friendly guests. They’ve released records as Nuke Watch on The Trilogy Tapes, Commend and Moon Glyph. As Beat Detectives they’ve released records on Not Not Fun, 100% Silk and their own studio imprint NYPD Records.

Pepper's Ghost was written and produced by Aaron Anderson and Chris Hontos. Additional instrumentation on these recordings by Cole Police, Leonard King, Eric Timothy Carlson, Chris Farstad and William Statler. It was mixed by Chris Hontos and mastered by Jack Callahan. Painting on the cover is “The Unity Of Being” (2020), by Ry Fyan. Design and layout by Aaron Anderson.

RIYL - Musical illusions, puzzles and magic tricks, downtempo, music of the spheres, good journey, Eddie Harris, Ketron, "world building", orange sunshine, suspension of disbelief.

Making a welcome return nine years on from his last outing on Dekmantel, Makam offers up a generous helping of wayward grooves that take his curious spirit even further into unmarked territory. With a strong dub sensibility grounding his rich tapestry of percussion and instrumentation, Guy Blanken follows his own path to arrive at an album that embodies house music as a launchpad for experimentation.

Blanken says himself he was determined to approach his first Makam productions in years from a place of total freedom — "It's not a single direction, but rather a landscape of sounds, moments, and textures. TARP feels like a new beginning, a free project that just had to happen naturally." The steady pulse of the club remains a guiding principle boldly manifested on heads down roller 'Static Shade', but even in the lilting organic loops and tumbling percussion of 'Forgive' there is a funkiness that's beholden to continuous movement.

At times the direct thump of 4/4 disco juts out as a call to dance, not least on 'Flying Birds' and 'La Tuna', but elsewhere the rhythms are more slippery. 'Dub In Loen' plots a delicate path through dub techno and 'Lummel Spirit' casts off into pattering Balearic bliss. The pervasive dub mood of the record comes to the fore on expertly crafted stepper 'Diagonal Rain' and crooked album opener 'Clear Skies'. 'Jackie B' lands as a love letter to quintessential deep house, and yet still there's a left-of-centre charm that gives the track a personality that is pure Makam.

Exuding warmth and imagination at every turn, TARP is the perfect example of how to make a groove-oriented album a rich home listening experience. There are ample moments primed for the spectacle of the dancefloor, but the mellow hue and broad sweep of approaches make Makam's welcome return utterly compelling from end to end.

French artist Trypheme debuts on Impatience with “Odd Balade”, a darkly-hued collection of songs drawn from human delicacy and dreamworld mythology.

“Odd Balade” is Trypheme’s most ambitious and boldest record to date - both lyrically and musically. The album’s thirteen tracks resist rigid genre boundaries and flutter from medieval folk realms, sprawling synths, gothic 80s wave, leftfield pop, haunted vocals, mutant electronica to reverbed guitars - all reflected through her own shadowy prism. Especially album closer “A Walk In The Vercors” evokes a soothing serenity that echoes the sonic balm of Julee Cruise.

Trypheme’s musical repertoire trends heavily electronic and somewhat abstracted, but on “Odd Balade”, the artist slips into the role of the modern troubadour with a shift to a more poetically and personal songwriting that is infused with symbolism and dreamlike fantasies. The connective tissue of the album is the audacity to love and the vulnerability that ensues. As intimate and introspective as the lyrics are, the themes remain universal and human to the core: the fear of losing a loved one, the melancholia of leaving places and t“the fear of losing a loved one, the melancholia of leaving places and the cycles of life. The record was largely composed in Chars, stirred by the French village’s eerie atmosphere and frequent trips to the seaside in Brittany, where Trypheme resides. Drawing inspiration from the rugged terrain of the seaside landscapes, the writings of Allen Ginsberg and Mark Fisher and the hyperrealist art of Scott Prior, Trypheme uses her songs to depict life with broad strokes of rhythm.

On “Odd Balade” Trypheme consolidates herself as a gifted, nimble songwriter, masterly producer and subtly powerful vocalist. The record combines her skill for crafting lush, alien sound worlds and efficient, alluring arrangements with stealthily devastating songs. Belin’s voice becomes a key ingredient, appearing on eleven of Odd Balade’s thirteen tracks, by turns heavily manipulated, sampled and replayed as a form of percussion, or basically bare.

“Odd Balade” is the manifestation of Trypheme’s roving artistic practice, a ceremonial-grade sacrament cast in a rich nocturnal glow. Pairing the mundane with the mythic, the album stays true to its core: odd and strangely familiar.

RIYL - Riding off into the sunset to an unknown destination, hauntology, present, tales told by the fireside, hot summer rain, adventures, to feel a warm presence when you are walking in the forest or in the mountain, coastal landscapes, sailor’s stories, slow motion, vitesse, heavy blossoms, colors, the warmth of the sun, the tenderness of the moon, getting lost in unfamiliar streets, city’s lights, motorway rest area by night, magic numbers, rendez-vous, picnic, serendipity, poetry, the smell of old records and old books.

Tiphaine Belin has been releasing music as Trypheme since 2016. Odd Balade was written and produced by Belin, and mixed by Belin and Abel Roux. It was mastered by Amir Shoat. Cover art photography is by Ariane Kiks, with art direction by Ariane Kiks in collaboration with Mathilde Chaize.

In an engrossing lattice of polyrhythmic beat science and deep atmospheric meditation, Samurai Music is thrilled to welcome Marco Shuttle to the fold for the Sumud EP.

Since his early years locked into the 00s London techno scene, Marco Sartorelli has developed as an artist entirely on his own terms. Through the rush of new ideas and cross-pollination that has characterised cutting-edge techno over the past 20-odd years, Sartorelli has travelled as Marco Shuttle from one considered stylistic concept to the next. On his own Eerie label and across expansive releases for respected outposts such as Spazio Disponibile, Incensio and Astral Industries, he's taken an exploratory approach to rhythm and spatial design while always drawing on intentional thematic frameworks, creating distinctive and immersive dance music in the process.

As Samurai Music continues to celebrate the rich seams of inspiration where deep techno and drum & bass intersect, Sartorelli's malleable, mysterious strain of drum work fits right in and sets a captivating tone for the label's operations in 2026. 'Sumud' is a steely drum mantra dealing in fractured patterns with the primal patina of the early Artificial Intelligence era, while 'Las Dunas de Taroa' leans on gently pulsing melancholia undulating at a half-time pace. 'Iso 50' taps into raw, analogue minimalism once more, evoking the sound of Roman Flugel's Ro70 records in their icy, alien formation. Completing the set, we're guided towards the tense electronica of 'Polylayering What I've Got', where uneasy melodic chimes interlock with intricately programmed drum machines.

There's a distinct sense of golden-era, mid-90s electronica coursing through Sumud EP, but Sartorelli shrouds the classic tools at his disposal in his subtle signature atmospherics, pushing towards a plain of expression that transcends time.

An Egyptian guy named Raxon rolls through, Flexing his muscles like he’s got something to prove. Get those legs moving, stop the distraction, Shake to the beat — here’s the sound of Raxon.


Ein Ägypter namens Raxon tut hier schwer die Muskeln flexen. Beweg deine Haxen zu den Sounds von Raxon

Synthpop, minimal wave, post-punk, goth, new romantic - fans and critics alike have dug deeply into their vintage thesauruses to describe the beguiling work of Nation of Language. And if you can't precisely define the band, that's the point. Frontman Ian Richard Devaney has become prodigious in expanding what synthesizer-driven music can evoke, such that his output is as much an extrasensory journey as it is an all-too-human destination. With that experience in mind, he wrote the band's fourth album - the spectral, spacious Dance Called Memory - in the most humble of ways: chipping away at melancholia by sitting around and strumming his guitar. Nation of Language's first two albums, Introduction, Presence (2020), and A Way Forward (2021), came as pandemic godsends: gorgeous, relatable soundtracks to our collective doldrums. But it was their last LP, Strange Disciple (2023), that catapulted the group from cultural standouts to critical darlings, with the album being named Rough Trade's Album of the Year. With that release, Pitchfork wrote that the band "are learning what it means to get bigger and better." This is Devaney's calling: soulfully translating individual despair into a comforting, collective mourning. The single "Now That You're Gone," which radiates and reverberates with a devastating wistfulness, was inspired by witnessing his godfather's tragic death from ALS, and his parents' role as caretakers for this ailing friend. At its heart, the song is a reflection of how friends can be there for each other, and also highlights a theme throughout the record: the pain and lost promise of friendships that fall apart. On Dance Called Memory, the band once again collaborated with friend and Strange Disciple producer Nick Millhiser (LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost!). "What's so great about Nick is his ability to make us feel like we don't need to do what might be expected of us," says synth player Aidan Noell, who, along with bassist Alex MacKay, rounds out the Nation of Language lineup. They imbued Dance Called Memory with a shifted palette - sampling chopped-up drum breaks on "I'm Not Ready for the Change" for a touch of Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine or smashing all of the percussion of "In Another Life" through a synthesizer to cast a shade of early-2000s electronic music. Ultimately, the hope was to weave raw vulnerability and humanity into a synth-heavy album. "There is a dichotomy between the Kraftwerk school of thought and the Brian Eno school of thought, each of which I've been drawn to at different points. I've read about how Kraftwerk wanted to remove all the humanity from their music, but Eno often spoke about wanting to make synthesized music that felt distinctly human," Devaney says. "As much as Kraftwerk is a sonically foundational influence, with this record I leaned much more towards the Eno school of thought. In this era quickly being defined by the rise of AI supplanting human creators I'm focusing more on the human condition, and I need the underlying music to support that_ Instead of hopelessness, I want to leave the listener with a feeling of us really seeing one another, that our individual struggles can actually unite us in empathy."

Nachdem Ásgeir jahrelang mit Übersetzern wie John Grant zusammengearbeitet und die Poesie seines Vaters, Einar Georg Einarsson, vertont hat, betritt er nun neues Terrain: Zum ersten Mal in seiner langen und gefeierten Karriere hat er die Texte komplett selbst verfasst.

Ásgeir wird seit Langem für seinen detailreichen Folk-Pop, die opulente Produktion und sein sehnsüchtiges, gefühlvolles Falsett gefeiert. „Julia“ markiert eine Wende – nicht nur hin zu lyrischer Eigenständigkeit, sondern auch zu kathartischer Direktheit, mit Songs, die nicht nur meisterhaft vorgetragen, sondern auch durchlebt wirken. „Das war irgendwie das erste Mal, dass ich die Texte völlig allein geschrieben habe“, erzählt er. „Es war beängstigend. Ich versuche immer noch, mich darin zu finden. Aber ich habe versucht, mich zu öffnen, und habe in diesem Prozess viel gelernt. Es war auf jeden Fall therapeutisch für mich.“

Dieses neue Gefühl der Verletzlichkeit zieht sich durch die zehn Stücke des Albums, die über einen Zeitraum von fast zwei Jahren geschrieben und aufgenommen wurden. Viele der Songs entstanden zunächst auf der Gitarre, wobei Ásgeir auf Schlichtheit setzte und Melodie, Klarheit und Bedeutung in den Vordergrund stellte. Die Produktion, gemeinsam mit seinem langjährigen Weggefährten Guðm. „Kiddi“ Kristinn Jónsson entwickelt, bleibt organisch und zurückhaltend – und gibt so Ásgeirs Stimme, und vor allem seiner Stimme als Songwriter, den nötigen Raum.

Der aus Nashville stammende Cellist Nathaniel Smith, den Ásgeir als „Zauberer“ beschreibt, steuert hier und im gesamten Album atmosphärische Klangteppiche bei. Mit improvisierten Melodien verleiht er den Stücken Leben und Tiefe – auf eine Weise, die Ásgeir sich zuvor nicht vorgestellt hatte.

"Rough and ready blues played with unmitigated intensity…scorching and soulful, joyous and stomping.
—Living Blues

Electrifying and raucous…one of the few authentic links to pure Chicago blues.
—Chicago Tribune

Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials are the reigning champions of raucous, slide-stoked Chicago blues. They’ve achieved legendary status with over 40 years of critically acclaimed recordings and raucous foot-stomping gigs on club, theatre and festival stages all over the world. Slideways is a tour-de-force of old-school Chicago blues played with contemporary urgency.

Shows in support begin on street date in Chicago, followed by Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, New York and Syracuse amongst others. Touring will continue throughout Spring and Summer.

Press, radio and social media focus on album and tour dates, pitching stories and reviews to over 1000 print and internet media contacts around the world. Over 1400 radio programmers worldwide will be serviced and solicited for blues specialty show and selected Triple A and Americana rotation airplay. The album is certain to be welcomed with open arms by the blues media.

Slideways is bursting with Lil’ Ed’s rollicking slide-work and rough-hewn vocals on a joyous blend of smoking slide guitar boogies, raw-boned shuffles, and heart-stopping slow blues. As always, The Blues Imperials supply rock-solid, road-tested and gloriously riotous backing."

"Nearly two decades after their 2007 debut and a 2010–2022 hiatus, Austin, TX’s Voxtrot return with Dreamers in Exile, a new LP that turns an underdog story into a true second act.

The band who quietly became cult heroes in the streaming era deliver a record that carries the electric rush longtime fans remember while speaking directly to the new era of youth who discovered them through playlists and word of mouth.

Musically, Dreamers in Exile folds Voxtrot’s classic DNA—C86 sparkle, Sarah Records romanticism, the pulse of The Velvet Underground, the elegance of Felt—into a sharper, more confident sound.

Guitars chime and sprint, rhythms push forward, and Ramesh Srivastava’s literate, heart-forward lyrics trace the distance between youth and maturity, exile and home, regret and renewal. Mixed by Dean Reid (Lana Del Rey, James Blake), it reads as both reintroduction and redemption.

For a band born of the 2000s blog wave alongside Vampire Weekend, The National, and Grizzly Bear, Dreamers in Exile is less nostalgia than proof of life. It’s the sound of a beloved group returning on their own terms and finding their songs resonating more widely than ever."

"Western Massachusetts band Landowner play abrasively-clean minimalist punk. Singer Dan Shaw started Landowner in 2016, writing and recording the project's debut Impressive Almanac with a practice amp and a laptop drum machine. Shaw's initial concept was a made-up genre called “weak d-beat”, meant to sound intentionally absurd “as if Antelope were reading the sheet music of Discharge”. When Shaw joined with his current bandmates in 2017, they translated these early experiments in restraint, minimalism, and caricatured hardcore as a live band. This provided Landowner with its own unique set of blueprints: the guitars “slap hard” without using any distortion or effects, the rhythm section is tight, fast, and repetitious, and the song structures make space for lyrics that reflect on the global systems and dark absurdities our lives are tangled in. Comparisons could be made to The Fall, Lungfish, or Uranium Club, but across their five albums, they make it clear: Landowner just sound like Landowner.

Assumption is the band's fifth album. Sonically, it captures the vibrancy and intensity of their live performances. The album title “Assumption” encapsulates the album's multi-layered themes. We make assumptions, taking in information online through an overload of decontextualized snippets and headlines, and then quickly form conclusions, or we allow artificial intelligence to do the thinking for us. Assumption is the sound of a band that established its own musical identity and has reached a place of tightness with an ease gained from years of playing together, sounding mechanically precise and at the same time fully human. It may be the band's most cohesive and fully realized work to date."

With their two previous albums, Hoarse (2019) and New World Blues (2022), the band delivered uncompromising rock rooted in an international guitar-rock tradition (think The Rolling Stones, The Replacements, The Saints, and Flamin’ Groovies), while a few sleek mid-tempo ballads added dynamics and variety. The new 1st Impression #2 completes the trilogy and is also the band’s first release on Beluga Records.

repress!

Seasoned musical maestro Argy unleashes his long-player, New World. Argy’s varied back catalogue showcases his versatility and deep knowledge of electronic music. An experienced producer and DJ, he channels a lifetime of skill and natural talent into his LP New World. Across 14 tracks, we enter ‘Dreamstates’, utilising ‘Mental Powers’ to explore the ‘Wilderness’ and connect with a ‘Higher Power’. Rooted in an underground sound with an array of impassioned vocals, highly emotive arrangement and potent rhythms, the album demonstrates Argy’s artistic maturity. Join him as he leads us on a voyage into a New World…

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, XL Recordings today announce a special, expanded version of Leila’s acclaimed second album Courtesy Of Choice. Originally released on 11th September 2000, the album followed the success of her Rephlex Records debut Like Weather and felt like a broadcast from a futuristic radio station no one else could tune into. Twenty-five years on, alongside collaborations with the likes of Bjork, Aphex Twin and Terry Hall and iconic performances at the likes of the V&A and Venice Biennale, more and more listeners have found the frequency. While Courtesy of Choice's influence continues to transmit through contemporary culture. the Iranian-born, London-raised producer remains utterly singular:

"I realised very early on that people don't really belong anywhere. That's what gives me the freedom to do any kind of music...I don't feel any commitment or loyalty to anything. My commitment is to noise." – Leila


This new version, Courtesy Of Choice… asides and besides, re-presents the original 14 track album — including the previously vinyl-only “Relax the Pleasuredome” — alongside a wealth of unreleased material. Leila chose to re-edit rather than remake the album (she has all the original data… midi and audio), choosing to set the parameters of only recovering buried details while preserving its spirit. “I wanted this reissue to be honest,” she explains. “Nothing added, just making sure the performances came through as they were meant to.” Among the twenty unheard tracks are Roya Arab’s striking collaboration on Cabaret classic “Mein Herr,” the surrealist collage “A Reasoning” with a sample of Max Ernst, the hypnotic “Acid Frog Fave,” the digi rave blowout “Birdie Rave,” and “techyarr”’s future forever funk from the realm of primetime Neptunes. Together they reveal both the breadth of Leila’s vision and the enduring power of an album that continues to sound ahead of its time.

A Consummate Fusion of Wit, Humor, Satire, Honesty, and Chaos: Warren Zevon’s Excitable Boy Captures Dark Elements of American Culture with Uncanny Insight

• Sourced from the Original Analog Tapes for Definitive Sound: Mobile Fidelity’s Numbered-Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP Set and Hybrid SACD Play with Explosive Dynamics and Airy Openness

• Jackson Browne-Produced Album Includes “Werewolves of London,” “Lawyers, Guns, and Money,” and “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner”

Excitable Boy established Warren Zevon as rock’s gonzo figurehead — or, as Jackson Browne aptly called him, “the first and foremost proponent of song noir.” A supreme collision of over-caffeinated energy, acerbic wit, dark humor, irreverent reporting, bittersweet romance, swept-under-the-rug truth, and illicit desire sent up with booze, pills, and therapist confessions, the breakthrough album zeroes in on frightening aspects of American culture with an incisiveness that’s even sharper today than upon the effort’s release in 1978. Its hard-boiled narratives owe to a tradition established by Raymond Chandler, continued by Hunter S. Thompson, and carried into the 21st century by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan. And the music has never sounded so excitable. Sourced from the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set and hybrid SACD elevate the best-selling album of Zevon’s career to audiophile status.

Co-produced by Browne and Waddy Wachtel — and featuring contributions by members of Fleetwood Mac plus Linda Rondstadt, J.D. Souther, and Browne — the platinum-certified record now plays with a verve and explosivity that match its subject matter. Listeners will experience wide separation between the instruments; full-range dynamics; sterling transparency that draws a through- line to the original sessions at the Sound Factory; and a presence that enhances the body and tenor of Zevon’s vocals. Like the hairy creatures in “Werewolves of London” and the ghosts wandering the corridors of Excitable Boy, Zevon’s legacy still runs amok via the grooves of his finest studio work. Draw blood, indeed.

Dharmacide is a Spanish band known for their eclectic fusion of genres, blending elements of shoegaze and dreampop music. Their sound is marked by intricate guitar riffs, powerful drumming, and deep, emotive vocals that create a unique atmosphere under the influence of today's bands like Diiv, Warpaint or Beach House but also by classic artists like Cocteau Twins, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Tom Waits. The band, with members of Alcalá Norte and Depresión Sonora, has made a huge impact on various stages, performing at renowned venues and festivals, including iconic spots in their home country as well as internationally, earning praise for their high-energy performances and thoughtful compositions. Their latest singles have been produced, mixed and mastered by Mark Gardener from Ride. 'The Cigs, The Light, The Coffee and Crying' is the first single taken from their awaited soon-coming second album in which we find a powerful reverb-laden riff with a solo vocal melody in the middle of the chaos until breaking into a powerful chorus.

Repress !

Way back in 1981, two musicians got together to make a record. Mike Collins played guitar and had just bought a Roland CR78 - the first programmable drum machine. Keith O'Connell played Fender Rhodes piano and Prophet 5 synthesizer. Excited about the quirky and unusual instrumental track they'd composed, when the duo entered London's Utopia Studios to finish off their creation, neither could have predicted what was to follow... Now viewed by many as one of the most influential early electronic dance records, 'Rude Movements' was swiftly picked up on by David Mancuso, who used it to devastating effect at his infamous 'Loft Parties', in turn introducing it to Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales and Kenny Dope, a group of young DJs who would go on to write the blueprint for dance music as we know it.

In the more than 35 years since its release, 'Rude Movements' has continued to inspire and excite, sampled by The Bucketheads' classic House track 'Whew!' (featured on recent BBE compilation '20 years of Henry Street Records') and listed by a veritable 'who's who' of dance music's elite as an all-time favourite. Rare and much sought-after on vinyl, BBE are happy to announce the release of a fully remastered version of 'Rude Movements' presented alongside the original demo version 'Raw Movements', plus three other versions of the iconic track. Also included on the vinyl package are the Afrika Bambaata inspired 'Street Beat' and 808/MiniMoog workout 'Palace Strut', as well as three other 80s SunPalace compositions. CD and digital versions expand the catalogue still further, with more experimental SunPalace magic. Timeless original, quirky and unique, these recordings are set to inspire yet another generation of DJs,
producers and music fans.

Alongside with the release of the new album “Tote Winkel”, Sankt Otten will be delighting us with another limited vinyl bonus release. “Hymnen und Helden” (hymns and heroes) is a collection of cover versions created over the last few years. As the album title suggests, it pays homage to self-proclaimed musical hymns and heroes from the seventies and eighties.

HYMNEN UND HELDEN – track by track: A well-known Moog sequence leads us on the way into the cover album. Giorgio Moroders 1977 disco classic “I feel love” has been tackled here. Sankt Ottens instrumental interpretation starts out familiar, but ends in a slightly disturbing disharmony of mellotron and ebow guitar.

The instrumental version of the melancholy Wipers anthem from 1983 starts with a rather unusually fast 808 beat for Sankt Otten. The 80s electronic echoes suit the punk rock earworm “Doom Towen” surprisingly well.

Without Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, more unusual electronic music would hardly have been conceivable in Germany in the early 1980s. “Alles ist gut” tribute to this band and singer Gabi Delgado-Lopez, who passed away in 2020 and with whom they shared the festival stage in 2015. Gabi‘s lyrics are rendered by text- to-speech software with the voice of an unknown Claudia.

“Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)” was made famous in 1982 by A Flock of Seagulls. This record was regularly played on Stephan Ottens turntable back then. Reason enough to remember this with “Sehnen (Hät- te Ich von dir eine Fotografie)”. The recordings for this album were made in 2007 and have been updated and completed in the last year. Carsten Sandkämper, who was also featured on Sankt Ottens debut album “Eine kleine Traurigkeit”, contributed the vocals and lyrics.

The Swiss band Grauzone became famous with the NDW hit “Eisbär”. Instead of this title, they took on the B-side of this single with “Ich liebe sie”. A synthpop love song full of innocence, stylishly sung by Carsten San- kämper and refined with Kraftwerk-like choral sounds and an herbaceous motorik beat.

The band has enjoyed a personal friendship with Harald Grosskopf since their collaboration in 2013 on the album “Messias Maschine”. With “So weit, so gut”, they take on his little hit from the album “Synthesist”, which is one of the gems of the synthesizer albums of the eighties.

“Kriegsmaschinen, fahrt zur Hölle” is an anti-war song from 1974 by Günter Schickert, the Berlin master of the echo guitar. Unfortunately, the lyrics are still relevant. Oliver Klemm contributes the delay guitars and Stephan Otten puts the lyrics through a vocoder. Sankt Otten compress the 17-minute original to just under 5 minutes and move it musically from the 70s to the 80s.

Sankt Otten’s adaptation of David Bowies “Heroes” is equipped with warm Juno 106 sounds, ebow guitar and synthesizer pads. The German “Helden” version, known from the movie Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, is sung in a touching way by Carsten Sandkämper.

New York-based Rafael Anton Irisarri was responsible for mastering the record. As part of the series with graphic covers, this die-cut artwork was also created by Mexican designer Daniel Castrejon. The one time only vinyl pressing, limited to 350 copies, comes in a beautifully designed die-cut cover and colored vinyl. The Osnabrück duo Sankt Otten, founded in 1999, have been releasing on Denovali since 2009. The band has dedicated itself to the holy trinity of Krautrock, Ambient and contemporary Electronics.






d Sehnen [Haette ich von Dir eine Fotografie]

A limited vinyl reissue of the third album of Dictaphone from 2012, with a new artwork.

Already formed in the late nineties in Berlin, Dictaphone was born by Brussels-bred multi-instrumentalist Oliver Doerell. In 2000 Oliver Doerell found a partner in Berlin's Roger Döring, who shares Doerell's love for the Brussels-based music of the eighties. In the following years the duo and several guest musicians (e.g. Stephan Wöhrmann (SWOD) , Malka Spigel (Minimal Compact) & more) released the critically highly acclaimed "m.= addiction" (2002), the "Nacht" EP (2004) and "Vertigo II" (2006) via the City Centres Offices label of Thaddeus Herrmann and Shlom Sviri (Boomkat, Modern Love). In 2009 the violin player Alex Stolze joined the band. During their two decades of existence Dictaphone played shows in more than 20 countries with festival appearances at Mutek, Transmediale, Unsound, Benicassim & more. Their latest release "Poems from a rooftop" from 2012 came as a very limited edition through the Berlin-based boutique label Sonic Pieces. In 2017 the band released the long awaited third album "APR 70" on denovali. The label now also offers a reissue of the trio's past repertoire.

Dictaphone never make music for the sake of it, they always want to create something which was missing before. And they did.

Nanook of the North is back with their second album, following the enthusiastically received 2018 debut "Nanook of the North," (Denovali) The duo of a composer and violinist Stefan Wesołowski and electronic producer Piotr Kaliński were acclaimed by Boiler Room, The Wire or NPR. Bob Boilen of Tiny Desk Concerts called Nanook of the North's performance "one of the wow moments of SXSW". Their new material is a raw and minimalist sonic landscape, practically devoid of percussive elements but featuring vocals by an acclaimed mezzo-soprano Margarita Slepakova. As with the debut, the music on "Heide" is rooted in nature and its primordiality. The title of the album alludes to wildness and untamedness, and the material was recorded last winter in a village located in the middle of forests in the northern Poland, which is clearly felt in the atmosphere of the 9 new tracks on "Heide".

Stefan Wesołowski is a Polish composer and violinist, author of critically acclaimed original albums and film music scores. Associated with publisher Mute Song and record labels like Important Records, Lakeshore Records, Ici D'ailleurs and Back Lot Music. He is an author of original soundtrack to „Listen to me Marlon” (Universal) - Oscar-shortlisted and BAFTA-nominated documentary on Marlon Brando directed by Stevan Riley and original soundtrack to Irish feature film by Nathalie Biancheri entitled „Wolf” (Focus Features), starring Lily-Rose Deep and George MacKay, premiered 2021 at Toronto Interational Film Festival.

Piotr Kaliński is na electronic music producer and guitarist. Based in Gdańsk, Poland. Associated with record labels like R&S Records and Instant Classic. Member of Hinode Tapes, Hatti Vatti and JANKA bands. One of the most active figures in Polish alternative scene - in last few years he performed live in many countries across Europe, Japan, Korea and United States. Kaliński is an author of original music for short films, fashion brands campaigns like Calvin Klein or Paul Smith and games (i.e. „Cyberpunk 2077”).

Margarita Slepakova is a coloratura mezzo-soprano specialized in the field of historical practices of early music. Based in Switzerland, she is a renowned opera, concert, and recital singer, collaborating with ensembles and orchestras all over Europe. Slepakova is a founder of Le Sommeil project, specializing in French music of the 17th century. She sang in many concert halls and opera houses including Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall during BBC Proms. Margarita also performs contemporary music and has premiered pieces written especially for her voic

Dictaphone are back with their 6th full length called "Unstable". In the 25th year of the project Brussels born composer and mastermind Oliver Doerell is surrounded again by a lot of musicians & friends. Roger Döring is there, his clarinet and saxophone play has always been a trademark sound of the band - also Alexander Stolze's ghostly violins. The dark atmosphere and experimental sound of the new album is a reference to the 80s belgian art music scene, which Doerell had the luck to experience in his formative years. Minimal jazz meets musique concrete meets a postpunk mind. On this new album “Unstable“ more voices and vocals than usual can be heard - especially Helga Raimondi (who already sang on the last album “Goats and Distortions 5") . As a collage artist she is also responsible for the visual side of Dictaphone - she designed the cover artwork and the visuals for the live shows.

The Brussels-Berlin-Teheran connection: Other guests on "Unstable" are the voices of Kaveh Ghaemi and Ashkan Afsharian, who Doerell met during a modern ballet production by Modjgan Hashemian (2008). The trumpet of Shahab Anousha can be heard in the track “La fin“ - Oliver Doerell and Shahab Anousha also share the spoken words Project “Noufān”. For nearly 20 years Oliver Doerell is linked to the Iranian Diaspora in Berlin and the Dictaphone track “Rattle” from the classic album “ Poems from a rooftop “ (2012) has been a hit in Teherans underground scene since the beginning. Furthermore the title track “Unstable“ is a homage to Ian Curtis of Joy Division. The words of this piece are based on the setlist of Joy Divisions last show.

Dictaphone played more than two hundred shows all over the world (including festivals Mutek, Transmediale, Unsound , Benicassim and many others). Their music can be heard in countless films, tv series and theatre pieces - (“the responder“ (BBC) , “the love he knows” (Ali Mohammad) , “Don´t move“ (Modjgan Hashemian) , Ring (Felix Ruckert) among others.

Siavash Amini is a composer from Tehran, Iran. He Has worked with labels like Room40, Hallow Ground, Opal Tapes and Umor Rex for the better half of the past ten years. He has performed at festivals like CTM & MUTEK and many other well known international events. Apart from it Siavash is a co-founder of the “SET experimental art events” and “SETfest” in Tehran, Iran. His work ranges from fragile ambient pieces and brittle IDM (incorporating his distinctive style of atmospheric guitar playing) to noisy drones and bleak modern classical pieces. His compositions have been inspired by films such as Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror as well as novels by Dostoyesvky and poems by T.S. Eliot.

Saffronkeira is the Sardinian sound researcher Eugenio Caria being active in the electronic music scene since almost two decades. His most recent work - a cooperation with the Italian jazz trumpet legend Paolo Fresu - earned a lot of praise from the international music press for the pure timelessness of the album.

"Upon hearing a small snippet of sound an image is conjured, not a memory but not unfamiliar. A shell of a memory, thousand events superimposed on each other. While trying to extract points of a narrative to ease the discomfort of this recollection, I try to separate and unfold the image and with it the points of the spectrum which make up the sound, a shell of a narrative. Here is an album based upon an almost entirely imagined/ synthesized happening upon hearing a snippet of sound. It sounded like of a whole story that never happened but yet I felt myself amongst it’s participants, a sound triggering a false memory. Each sound in Eugenio’s collection of sounds and ideas guided me a to a point in the narrative and it’s construction. He had handed me a portals of some kind to a few scenes of the whole narrative. This is the soundtrack for that false memory from all the perspectives I can think of."

The Hamburg duo Bêtes Sauvages started out as a DJ team and discovered their calling relatively late: the synthesizer. In 2019, the pair bought two synths, more for fun, after watching a documentary about these instruments. Eventually, they began to delve deeper into the how and what of them, and suddenly they received an offer from the label Kernkrach to contribute a track to a sampler. Things were getting serious. When the track "roboti" was played at parties as far afield as Guatemala, they decided: an album was needed. The work on it turned out to be more intensive than expected. Therefore, several more sampler contributions and even years passed before their self-titled debut was finally completed. The result is a wild mix of minimal, synthpop, synthwave, and quirky DIY sound.

West Mineral returns with lushly amorphous actions by Shiner, Pontiac Streator & Ben Bondy aka Shinetiac; together fused for an immersive flux of vapoured dub, chopped and droned Billie Eilish, and fidgety algorithmic jams.

There's not a single, specific sound you can peg to the West Mineral axis at this stage in the label’s evolution - it's rather a set of shared aesthetics that freely bend into various interconnected shapes. Shinetiac's contemptuous, critic-baiting gear is the ideal example; on their last album, 2023's 'Not All Who Wander Are Lost', skittery, ketamized IDM sparkled over Spice Girls samples and the Foo Fighters' 'Everlong' was transmuted into Sneaker Pimps-style trip-hop. 'Infiltrating Roku City' might be a little less blatant with its out-and-out poptimism, but it takes a similarly dim view of conservative "big ambient" snobbishness. Just a few minutes of 'Bluemosa' should be enough to let you know what's up; the overall character of the sound is hazed, with frozen pads and garbled, dubbed-out voices smudged into a mess of effects and samples. But it sups up different nuances as it wriggles, absorbing scampering breaks, dizzy acoustic guitar strums and half-heard wordless vocals, flipping in the third act to emerge from its shell as minimalist balearic folk-pop - something like Bon Iver doing 'Electric Counterpoint'.

Brooklyn's Shiner, Philly's Pontiac Streator and Berlin-based Ben Bondy navigate the labyrinthine streaming landscape, guided by their own private experiences of mindless doom-scrolling and cruising the darkest corners of YouTube. They formulated 'Infiltrating Roku City' while they were rehearsing last year and spent the winter stitching together various recordings and jams into a layered, dry-witted commentary on our algorithmic reality. Laden with inside jokes and refried memes, it's surprisingly elegant gear; handling the most unseemly elements like sonic recyclers, earnestly repurposing pop and nostalgia to create an atmospheric echo of contemporary reality.

Screwing Chief Keef's enduring 'Citgo', 'Clublyfe (hulu)' emphasises the original's AFX-pilled euphoria with Robert Miles-style piano hits, replacing Young Ravisu's brittle 128kbps trap rhythm with a glitchy rattle that picks up dembow spikes as it rolls. 'I Hate Being Sober' vaporises the Chicago drill pioneer's 'Hate Bein' Sober', blocking out his voice with glitchy, downsampled interference and elasticated Rhodes. The trio team up with Orange Milk's goo age on the sublime 'Crisis Angel', catching a ray of Malibu's sunshine in the process, and reduce Billie Eilish's voice to a Romance-does-Celine cinder on 'Billie', stretching it to fit next to gassed Future ad-libs and swooping 808 Mafia sub womps. And although the album takes a murky diversion on 'Roku Axes Ultra’, and a cloud-stepping centrepiece ‘Purelink’ in homage to the eponymous dubbed ambient dynamos, it's back on course with 'Jiafei (NETFLIX)', taking aim at TikTok bot videos and welding screams from Florida metal band Underoath to AI-strength vocal curlicues.

End of Us, ist das 13 Tracks umfassende Debütalbum von TX2, mit Features von DeathbyRomy, Ekoh, Magnolia Park, Ice Nine Kills und Black Veil Brides. Die Wahrheit ist simpel: TX2 polarisiert. Es gibt Kräfte in dieser Welt, die versuchen, das zu zerstören, wofür gekämpft und was hart erkämpft wurde, und zu einer Zeit zurückzukehren, in der die Menschen ihr wahres Ich versteckten. Es gibt Künstler wie TX2 - den Anti-Ronald Radke -, die dir zeigen wollen, dass du in diesem Kampf gegen den Hass nicht allein bist. TX2 hat Politiker namentlich genannt, schwenkt auf der Bühne eine Trans-Flagge, thematisiert in seinen Songs Waffengewalt, Essstörungen, Trauer und Depressionen und verspottet die Gatekeeper, die offensichtlich noch nie einen Punk-Song gehört haben. Der Sänger ist bereit, mit seiner Musik ein wenig Chaos zu verursachen, wenn es nötig ist, um die Aufmerksamkeit auf wichtige gesellschaftliche Themen zu lenken. So hat TX2 unter seinen Fans eine Bewegung ins Leben gerufen, die als ,X Movement" bekannt ist und deren Ziel es ist, das Bewusstsein für psychische Gesundheit zu schärfen und einen sicheren Raum für diejenigen zu schaffen, die jemanden zum Reden brauchen. In den letzten 24 Monaten tourte TX2 um die Welt, trat mit Ice Nine Kills, Hail the Sun, Dark Divine, tiLLie, In This Moment, Magnolia Park, Warped Tour & Summer of Loud Tour auf, wurde auf SiriusXM Octane gespielt, erreichte über 1 Million monatliche Hörer, gab über 50.000 Autogramme und erhielt 42 Millionen Likes auf Tik Tok. End of US ist ein lauter, unverblümter Aufruf zum Handeln. Beherzigen Sie den Aufruf oder treten Sie beiseite.

For years, L.A.’s David Jasso and the UK’s Mike Vest walked separate but parallel routes through psychedelic noise rock—two genre outsiders pulling the music toward raw instinct, intensity, and sonic extremity. Their paths kept echoing each other, from their own projects and collaborations—most notably through their work with key artists in the Japanese psych underground—both speaking the same volatile language of improvisation and avant-garde abrasion. A collision wasn’t just likely—it was inevitable.
This ethos and commitment to raw, volume-overdosed psych rock led to this new collaboration. Rather than deliver the expected heavy psych freakout, they opted for something more direct and confrontational.
The result is Non Violence and the album “Lifted Curse,” a six-track blast of noise rock focused not on mysticism and psych tropes, but on psychological depth. The album rips through raw male emotion: fraternity, loss, carnal impulses, mental states. Jasso’s lyrics read like an unfiltered journal mid-burnout; Vest’s swirling, savant-garde guitars create tension with Jasso’s own guitars; and Sned’s rocksteady grooves form a fistfight of harmony and dissonance.
Together, this new power trio carves out a new sonic language—heaviness rooted not in posturing, but in realness and weight: fragility, weakness, and the human efforts forged to break out from it. Non Violence is noise rock with an unironic violent aim in the physical dimension—a new conversation in a familiar space, where vulnerability hits harder than distortion and conviction outweighs myth.
David Jasso — Guitars, Bass & Vocals
Mike Vest — Guitars, Bass & Mix
Dave Sneddon — Drums

Während das musikalische Fundament die Einflüsse aus Nordamerikanischem Pop-Punk aufnimmt und zu einem eigenen Sound weiterentwickelt, stechen insbesondere die klare Haltung und tiefe persönliche Momente in den Texten heraus. Entstanden ist ein Punk/Rock Album, das nicht nach 20ern und Jugendbewegung klingt, sondern nach neuen Perspektiven, nach späten 30ern - menschlich und politisch. Seit Erscheinen des BLAUFUCHS Debüt-Albums vor rund 4 Jahren hat sich in der Welt viel verändert und wenig verbessert. Diese traurige Abwärtsspirale findet sich – mal drastisch und direkt, mal dezent akzentuiert – in allen Texten von „Bis jetzt ging alles gut“ wieder, das trotz Anflügen von Resignation auch stets einen Funken Hoffnung auf Besserung vermittelt. Blaufuchs betrachten nicht nur den gesellschaftlichen Wandel – sie sind selbst auch einer ständigen Veränderung ausgesetzt. Ihr zweites Album ist ein Stück weit auch ein Neubeginn mit einigen Neubesetzungen im Verlauf der letzten Monate. Hale Winter übernahm den Bass von Marisa, Jan Schlagowski das Schlagzeug von Alex Veth und mit Jan Jurat stieß ein weiterer Gitarrist zur Band. Den Blaufuchs Sound verändern die neuen Einflüsse nicht gravierend, die Drums werden ein Stück härter, die Gitarren etwas filigraner, aber die Handschrift von Hauptsongwriter John Hofmeister verbindet nach wie vor den amerikanischen Gesamtsound mit den deutschen Texten von Johannes König. Dennoch verzögerte sich die Entstehung des Albums durch die Umbesetzungen um mehrere Monate, was laut Johannes König auch nötig war: „Mir und John war extrem wichtig, dass auf dem Album auch Einflüsse unserer „Neuen“ zu hören sind, die uns live teilweise schon seit Jahren unterstützen.“ Aufgenommen wurde „Bis jetzt ging alles gut“ in den Limetree Studios in Ilsede und produziert von Sören Kucz und Gitarrist John Hofmeister. Mit „Fertig“ setzt die Platte einen extrem persönlichen Schlusspunkt und König wird hier deutlich direkter: „Den Druck, der mit der Verantwortung in der eigenen Familie, im Job und auch in der Band zusammenkommt, trifft im Alltag oft auf ein Männlichkeitsbild, in dem wider besseres Wissen versucht wird, Dinge alleine zu regeln.“

With four albums already behind them, Sababa 5 have earned global support, from Songlines magazine and BBC Radio 6 Music tastemakers including Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova and Iggy Pop to France’s FIP Radio and Radio Nova, for their unique blend of traditional Middle Eastern celebration music with psychedelic grooves, funk, jazz, rock, and international vocal collaborations spanning Japan to India. The Paris-based group have taken this sound to stages across Europe, including Reeperbahn Festival and Dresden’s Super Fest.

Ça Va Ça Va is the band’s hafla album – a return to the wedding and event celebration music that first shaped Sababa 5. Recorded in Paris, it draws directly from the sounds of hafla – the joyful, communal music heard at Middle Eastern weddings, parties and festive gatherings – with a sprinkling of influences from the wider Mediterranean. The group utilise their classic combination of electric guitar, bass, drums, organ, and synths to transform these ideas into vibrant melodies, dance-ready rhythms, and a spirit of abundance and
togetherness.
Opening track “Bienvenue” sets the tone with a mysterious, longing guitar solo before bursting into an irresistible rhythm and jubilant guitar motif. It flows seamlessly into “Allô”, straight into wedding-riot territory – a fast-rising instrumental that showers the dancefloor with energy as it builds around a hypnotic, arpeggio-driven riff. The album is almost entirely original material, with two key exceptions: “Ypárcho” (I Exist), a beautiful instrumental journey inspired by a classic Greek song traditionally performed by Stelios Kazantzidis, and “Asunsan”, an instrumental flip of the much-loved Sababa 5 collaboration “Nasnusa” with Yurika Hanashima. Another impressive step in the Sababa 5 story, Ça Va Ça Va captures both joy and longing – the unmistakable warmth of Eastern Mediterranean celebration and the band’s surf-rock edge – sounding more confident, spirited and deeply rooted than ever.

Juegos Nocturnos is the new project from two essential musicians of the '80s Spanish scene, coming from iconic bands like Décima Víctima and P.V.P. In this new musical venture, they deliver nine guitar-centered, refined pop-rock songs that reflect influences developed over 40+ years, recorded between 2020 and 2022. Jesús Amodia (guitar, vocals, programming, and keyboards) was a founding member of the punk-rock group P.V.P., a band often compared to The Clash and other British acts of the era thanks to their blend of punk energy with Jamaican influenced sounds. The project also features Per Mertanen (bass), member of cult band Décima Víctima, known for crafting a very distinctive sound with echoes of Joy Division, The Cure, and other British post-punk groups. Now united in this new musical adventure called Juegos Nocturnos, they present nine guitar-driven, sophisticated pop rock tracks that showcase influences shaped over more than four decades of musical career, recorded between 2020 and 2022.

If you’ve been following the wanderings of prolific psychedelic magicians Elkhorn, you might be surprised that Elkhorn guitarist Drew Gardner’s solo LP Wave Field is the most out and out “rock” record on VHF in many years. Working here in a small group with excellent players Tom Malach (guitar), Andy Cush (bass), and Ryan Jewel (drums), Gardner cuts loose on a set of propulsive and swinging material that allows him to greatly expand his sound into unexpected areas. “Rhizoid” starts with a sneaky groove riding the nimble bass and drums of Cush and Jewel before a leap into the ripping Sonic Youth/NEU! hybrid of “Space Ray.” “Shadow Casting Grass” brings things back down to end the side with some Elkhorn-adjacent gentle guitar weave backed again by the sly rhythm section. “Wave Field” kicks off side 2 with an extended buzzy guitar raga with Cush’s melodic and fat bass providing jammy counterpoint. The epic “Mayan Bees” closes the LP with an extended workout on another extremely fine drum and bass ostinato, a hypnotic minor key riff that slow builds over 10+ minutes.

Zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum zurück -zweifarbiges Swirl Dopple-Vinyl und erste schwarze 2LP-Pressung seit der ursprünglichen Warner-Veröffentlichung 2005. Plus exklusives Glanzlack-Sleeve! Mit über 2,5 Millionen verkauften Exemplaren weltweit ist "City of Evil" nach wie vor eines der beliebtesten Alben von Avenged Sevenfold. Inklusive des Fan-Favoriten "Bat Country", der Single "Burn It Doen" und "The Wicked End". Avenged Sevenfold (abgekürzt A7X), die amerikanische Heavy-Metalcore-Band aus Huntington Beach, Kalifornien, wurde 1999 gegründet. Avenged Sevenfold sind bekannt für ihren variantenreichen Alternative Metal-Sound und ihre dramatischen, teils expliziten, Bilder auf Albumcovern und Merchandise-Artikeln. Auf ihrem Debütalbum "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet" entwickelte die Band einen Metalcore-Sound, den sie bis zu ihrem zweiten Album "Waking the Fallen" weitgehend beibehielt. Der Stil der Band hatte sich mit ihrem dritten Album und ihrer ersten Veröffentlichung bei einem Major-Label Warner, "City of Evil", zu einem traditionelleren Heavy-Metal-Stil entwickelt, der u.a. Bezug auf NWOBHW und Metallica nimmt. Nr. 63 auf der Liste der "100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time" des Guitar World Magazine. Kerrang! listet "City of Evil" sowohl bei "666 Albums You Need to Hear Before You Die" als auch in "50 Albums You Need to Hear Before You Die" sowie als Nr. 35 in "50 Greatest Metal Albums Ever". Rolling Stone nimmt das Album in seine Liste "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" mit auf.



Die Jubiläums-Editionen des Doppelalbums sind als rot-gelbes Swirl-Vinyl (limitiert auf 500 Exemplare weltweit) erhältlich, oder als klassische schwarze 180g-Pressung, welche für Hopeless Records absolut nicht klassisch ist, sondern eine Rarität darstellt, zu haben Beide kommen mit Silberfolie veredeltem Sleeve, welches exklusiv für die 20th Anniversary 2025er Auflagen sein wird. Für Fans von Metallica, Slipknot, & Bullet For My Valentine, Metalcore, Alternative, Post-Metal, Emo, Heavy Metal

"On a dozen restlessly expressive instrumentals recorded between Marin and Reykjavík, the American guitarist finds turbulent beauty at the edges of the fingerstyle tradition." - PITCHFORK 7.9/10

"The greatest living guitar player" - Hayden Pedigo

Today, guitarist Mason Lindahl — whose “unabashedly beautiful" (Aquarium Drunkard) sound "balances the romantic dynamics of flamenco and the meticulousness of Windham Hill with the unguarded qualities of improvised music" (Pitchfork) — announces a pair of new albums: Joshua / Same Day Walking via Mt. Brings Death.

Though packaged together, Joshua and Same Day Walking chart distinct worlds. Recorded in northern California and produced by Robby Moncrieff (Dirty Projectors, Zach Hill), Joshua is woolier and warmer, evoking haze, humidity, and overgrown Spanish moss. Meanwhile, Same Day Walking — recorded in Iceland and produced by Moncrieff alongside two-time GRAMMY-winning composer / sound designer Sam Slater (Joker, Chernobyl) — is, appropriate for its icier climes, windswept and beholden to the vast emptiness of harsh landscapes. As a pair, they provide a thorough portrait of Lindahl's singular and versatile playing.

Amid Lindahl's purely evident virtuosity, close listeners can savor wonderful imperfections freckled throughout Joshua / Same Day Walking: buzzing strings, minimal electronic ambience, soft undulations of tempo. Lindahl isn’t here to pageant his craft; he's adventuring within, uncovering fresh avenues of sound and emotive gesture.

Described by friend and contemporary Hayden Pedigo as “the greatest living guitar player,” Mason Lindahl’s “austere, gothic flamenco...dares you to submit to this odd and immersive sonic universe" (Uncut). The Northern California native's solo instrumental debut Kissing Rosy in the Rain, released in 2021 via Tompkins Square, was praised as "gorgeous" (Petal Motel) and "a minimalist gem" (Everything Is Noise). Prior to that, his only other solo release is 2009's Serrated Man Sound.

Tokyo's Encryptnude label returns, with another carefully crafted Ryota OPP selection !

Following on from the shamanic feel of his previous work, this 12inch also exudes non-dance music psychedelia.

'African Chorus' and 'Kalimba Guitar' on side A create a melodic, spiritual, hi-life feel reminiscent of Wally Badarou.

'Bop' on side B, beautifully blends dub and free jazz, creating a leftfield dance sound reminiscent of African Head Charge, Claussell's Sacred Rhythm or Frank Zappa's 'Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution' turned Deep House. .

Whilst remaining leftfield in spirit, there is a musical vulnerability to the latest iteration of Legss, and a newfound pop sensibility to their writing, which reflects a move to a more accessible sound. There is a security in inaccessibility, and shedding this cloak opens the band up to an earnestness at once exciting and nerve-wracking. Twinned with their signature world-building aesthetic, the new direction is reflected sonically by drummer Louis Grace, who co-produced the album with Balazs Altsach (Ugly, Katy J Pearson, Broadside Hacks) - set to be distributed by The state51 Conspiracy.

On the announcement of their debut album, Unreal, the band say:
“Unreal feels like the work of a lifetime. We can’t believe we’re still here to see it through, but we are and we couldn’t be prouder. The album is about miscommunication and feelings of unreality/the uncanny in everyday life; the tragic and the comic.”

ABOUT LEGSS
Merging intricate guitars, disquieting monologues and a rhythm section both technical and unruly, London’s Legss create a wholly unique sound.
After meeting and forming in London, Legss released their experimental, darkly satirical debut EP Writhing Comedy in 2019, which received heavy airplay on BBC 6 Music. A year later the band’s much-anticipated, genre-bending sophomore EP Doomswayers was released in the shadow of the pandemic, championed by BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders and BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq.

After the release of their single ‘Hollywood’, Legss signed to The state51 Conspiracy and released their third EP Fester in 2023, recorded at The Church, which saw critical acclaim from the likes of the Sunday Times, Quietus, Independent, Line of Best Fit, So Young Magazine, DORK, L&Q, and DIY.

In 2024 the band were included by Simon Reynolds in the afterword to a republished edition of Mark Fisher’s seminal Ghosts of My Life (Zero Books).

Legss are Louis Grace (drums, synth), Ned Green (vocals, guitar), Jake Martin (bass) and Max Oliver (guitar)

Peter Tosh war ein Reggae-Multi-Instrumentalist aus Jamaika, der zusammen mit Bunny Wailer und natürlich Bob Marley zu den Gründern der legendären Band The Wailers gehörte. »Equal Rights« ist sein zweites Studioalbum und dasjenige, das ihn an die Spitze des Reggae katapultierte und ihn als potenziellen Rivalen von Marley etablierte. Das ist zwar nicht ganz gelungen, aber »Equal Rights« ist immer noch eines der einflussreichsten Reggae-Alben aller Zeiten.

Tosh war ein großer Verfechter der Menschenrechte und das spiegelt sich auch in der Tracklist wider. Natürlich gibt es eine Version von »Get Up, Stand Up«, die zusammen mit Bob Marley geschrieben wurde, aber »I Am That I Am«, »Downpressor Man« (eine Version von Sinnerman, die durch Nina Simone berühmt wurde), »Stepping Razor« und »Apartheid« wurden alle zu eigenständigen Menschenrechtshymnen. 1987 wurde Tosh bei einem Raubüberfall getötet und ließ Reggae-Fans auf der ganzen Welt mit der Frage zurück, was hätte sein können.

»Equal Rights« ist als erweiterte 2LP-Edition mit einer Bonus-Disc erhältlich, die seltene und unveröffentlichte Songs enthält, die bisher nur auf »Dubplates« erhältlich waren. Diese definitive Version eines Reggae-Evergreens ist in einer Deluxe-Hülle mit Leinenfinish und einem 4-seitigen Booklet verpackt und in einer limitierten Auflage von 3000 einzeln nummerierten Exemplaren auf orangefarbenem Vinyl erhältlich.

"EYE OF MELIAN open the gates to a different world with their new album Forest Of Forgetting, out February 20th, 2026 via Napalm Records. Named after a powerful primordial singing spirit from the world of J. R. R. Tolkien, EYE OF MELIAN draws inspiration from the master of fantasy and expands on his ethereal concept. Created by Delain’s Martijn Westerholt and featuring Auri’s Johanna Kurkela as a lead vocalist, EYE OF MELIAN’s Forest Of Forgetting is a masterclass in symphonic songwriting so whimsical the real world fades away. Completing the all-star lineup on their debut with Napalm Records are orchestral arranger Mikko P. Mustonen and backing vocalist and lyricist Robin La Joy, blessing twelve lush compositions with immortal life. Mesmerizing from the first gentle notes of opening track “Of Willows And Shadows”, Forest Of Forgetting weaves otherworldly piano melodies and epic strings around angelic vocals worthy of the powerful Valar themselves. “Child Of Twilight” deepens EYE OF MELIAN’s dreamy and bombastic Hollywood movie score approach, carefully building up an exceptionally enchanting atmosphere that carries on into the equally cinematic “Blackthorn Winter”, ever so elegantly broadening the view into the alluring realms the band is melodizing. “Dawn Of Avatars” features Nightwish multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley on flute and uilleann pipes, as well as hurdy-gurdy fairy Patty Gurdy, before EYE OF MELIAN turns in the direction of heavy metal with a charming rendition of Bruce Dickinson’s anthem “Tears Of The Dragon” (originally released on Balls To Picasso in 1994 after the singer had left Iron Maiden). Forest Of Forgetting also comes with all its tracks as instrumental versions to dwell in the impressive orchestrals alone. With this opulent album, EYE OF MELIAN extends an invitation to faraway lands full of wonder. Forest Of Forgetting unfolds as quite the opposite of its title: utterly unforgettable."

Danish bassist and composer Jesper Thorn has become one of Scandinavia s most distinctive musical voices, known for blending introspective storytelling with the understated lyricism of Nordic jazz. His award award-winning albums Boy and Dragor earned international praise for their emotional honesty and cinematic depth, establishing a sound world where fragility, melancholy, and quiet beauty intertwine. A deeply personal meditation on the search for calm, connection, and meaning in a world that often feels overwhelming, the album continues his exploration of sound as refuge, a place to pause, reflect, and breathe. Joined by long long-term collaborators Marc Méan (piano), Andreas Bernitt (violin), Cecilie Strange (saxophone), and Maj Berit Guassora (trumpet), Thorn reunites with producer Mette Damm and engineer August Wanngren to craft an atmosphere both intimate and expansive. Where 2023" s Dragor confronted the ghosts of Thorn s past, STILLE (meaning quiet " or silent " in Danish) looks outward - and inward - toward reflection. For me, music has always been a refuge, Thorn writes. It s a place where I can reflect and immerse myself - both as a listener and, maybe even more, as a composer. Each composition functions as a kind of musical still image : fragments of emotion captured in time, responding to both the chaos and fragile beauty of the modern world. From the flickering calm of Fragmentarium , to the urgent, primal fear of Run (written as wildfires swept through California) to the tender domestic peace of Stilleben , these pieces balance melancholy and hope in equal measure. Thorn s writing continues to thrive on collaboration and trust. Such is Fate emerged from a discarded melodic fragment, reimagined through the expressive playing of Bernitt on violin. Recover and Rebuild form a quiet hymn to resilience, with Guassora and Strange lending understated, breath breath-like power to the ensemble. The closing track, Shimmering (for MM) MM), is dedicated to pianist Marc Méan, a constant presence in Thorn s projects since 2014 and, as Thorn puts it, the touch and sound I hear in my head when I compose ". I wanted to create a space that feels like silence, peace and quiet in a noisy world that often moves faster than it feels possible to keep up with. says Thorn.

Released in 2016, It’s Immaterial found Black Marble refining its coldwave and synth-pop foundations into a warmer, more melodic expression of isolation, longing, and quiet resilience. Guided by Chris Stewart’s unmistakable baritone and a palette of analog synths, pulsing basslines, and minimalist rhythms, the album feels simultaneously nostalgic and forward-leaning. Its songs drift between shadowy introspection and subtle hope, creating a cinematic atmosphere that’s both intimate and hypnotic.
With It’s Immaterial, Black Marble deepened its signature sound, offering a collection that resonates like a faded memory—soft, hazy, and endlessly replayable.

"Melodies twist inward and out of the comfort zone, but never overstep their boundaries or demand extra attention they don’t deserve. The fragments that have been found, from beginning to end, click and fall into place almost effortlessly. It’s surprising how nothing feels forced." - Drowned in Sound

Peter Tosh war ein Reggae-Multi-Instrumentalist aus Jamaika, der zusammen mit Bunny Wailer und natürlich Bob Marley zu den Gründern der legendären Band The Wailers gehörte. »Equal Rights« ist sein zweites Studioalbum und dasjenige, das ihn an die Spitze des Reggae katapultierte und ihn als potenziellen Rivalen von Marley etablierte. Das ist zwar nicht ganz gelungen, aber »Equal Rights« ist immer noch eines der einflussreichsten Reggae-Alben aller Zeiten.

Tosh war ein großer Verfechter der Menschenrechte und das spiegelt sich auch in der Tracklist wider. Natürlich gibt es eine Version von »Get Up, Stand Up«, die zusammen mit Bob Marley geschrieben wurde, aber »I Am That I Am«, »Downpressor Man« (eine Version von Sinnerman, die durch Nina Simone berühmt wurde), »Stepping Razor« und »Apartheid« wurden alle zu eigenständigen Menschenrechtshymnen. 1987 wurde Tosh bei einem Raubüberfall getötet und ließ Reggae-Fans auf der ganzen Welt mit der Frage zurück, was hätte sein können.

»Equal Rights« ist als erweiterte 2LP-Edition mit einer Bonus-Disc erhältlich, die seltene und unveröffentlichte Songs enthält, die bisher nur auf »Dubplates« erhältlich waren. Diese definitive Version eines Reggae-Evergreens ist in einer Deluxe-Hülle mit Leinenfinish und einem 4-seitigen Booklet verpackt und in einer limitierten Auflage von 3000 einzeln nummerierten Exemplaren auf orangefarbenem Vinyl erhältlich.

The Gun were a late 1960s British rock guitar trio who had a single British Top Ten hit, “Race with the Devil”. Brothers Adrian (guitar) and Paul (bass) Gurvitz teamed up with drummer Louis Farrell to create some energetic music. They founded a crossroads between blues rock, progressive and metal. The power trio created one of the best kept secrets from the sixties.

Donovan Philips Leitch is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist who in the 1960s developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music. He emerged from the British folk scene and reached fame in the UK in early 1965 before replicating this in the US the following year, baring the fruits of the blossoming, successful, and eventually long collaboration with record producer Mickie Most.

Fast forward to 2018 and we're very pleased to say we're re-issuing these wonderful albums on our own state51 Conspiracy label - these are the first two of five, with another special release to follow in 2019. All five were cut at Abbey Road, pressed on 180g audiophile vinyl and lovingly re-created to replicate the original releases. They are all strictly limited to just 300 copies for the world too.

2026 Repress

DJ Quik is a giant of West Coast hip-hop. With his fourth album Rhythm-Al-Ism he created his masterpiece, a perfect hip-hop album. As Quik explains, “the name Rhythm-Al-Ism alone tells you what I was doing. I was mixing up rhythms. I was meshing R&B with hip-hop and jazz. And a little bit of comedy”. It’s absolutely sensational and as with a lot of mid-90s albums those original vinyl copies are now rare so here’s the Be With re-issue.

A preternaturally gifted producer/rapper, DJ Quik has produced scores of LA gangsta rap classics. He’s released platinum and gold records of his own, as well as helped craft them for the likes of Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr Dre. Quik has always been quirkier and more interesting than his gangsta rap peers, both musically and lyrically. An old-school funk producer at heart, he’s also incredibly nice on the mic. His raps often deal in boasts, jokes and good times but also cover his beefs, his trials and his trauma. Partying and pain, all mixed up. DJing and producing hype beat tapes from age 14, Quik’s tracks blended the languid funk and rubbery synths of Zapp and George Clinton with a gangsta aesthetic, creating a more danceable foil to Compton’s more typical nihilistic hedonism. Ultimately, his records sound custom engineered to drift out over sun-soaked barbecues.

Released in 1998 on Profile, Rhythm-Al-Ism was the closest Quik ever got to making a commercial splash. “You’z A Ganxta” and “Hand in Hand” made radio waves across the country and the less radio-friendly tracks like “Medley For A ‘V’” were bumping out of car stereos. Combining his soulful, jazzy P-Funk/G-Funk beats with his effortlessly smooth flow, Rhythm-Al-Ism was the quintessential West Coast Party. Squelchy synths, bouncy bass, monstrously knocking drums and freaky keys - this is peaking acidic party-rap, straight out the gate. Music for gliding, for skating, for time with your people and your poison. Sunshine. No cares. BBQs. Heavy smoke in the air. Dripping with wit and good humour. A real swing to the vibe.

The album opens with Quik setting out his mission statement with “Rhythm-Al-Ism (Intro)”, telling us what this is all about before the self-explanatory “We Still Party” rocks the spot. It’s definitely all about the party here, complete with Quik’s signature head-nod/body-moving beat. Next up, the undeniable laidback funk and dripping swing of groove-laden “So Many Wayz”. This positively slaps.

Then we get to the three huge singles. The R&B-tinged radio-friendly minor-hit “Hand In Hand” closes the first side only for the flip to get straight into the rolling and scratching of bleepy computer-funk banger “Down, Down, Down” (featuring a particularly nice use of Howard Johnson’s epochal “So Fine”). The effortlessly smooth, flute and guitar-laced “You’z A Ganxta” completes the trio. Next up the fast-paced, vocoder-enhanced, woulda-beena-global-hit “I Useta Know Her”. This coulda (shoulda) been a single too. Head-nod funk workout “No Doubt”, with its ace sample of Prince's “Sexy Dancer”, closes out the second side.

“Speed” races out the gate on the second disc, sampling Edwin Birdsong’s “Rapper Dapper Snapper” in a harder, better, faster, stronger way than those daft Parisian punks. Amphetamine-swift raps over soaring, string-drenched b-boy beats. A total anthem. Up next, the staggering, near 8-minute laconic, lounge-y sax-rap of “Whateva U Do” cools things down and smooths things out with its flute wrapping around a sample of Smokey Robinson’s “So In Love” and some oh-so-classy lounge-piano tinkling. And speaking of smooth, things don’t get much smoother than the blissfully melodic glider-anthem “Thinkin’ ’Bout U” riding that ace flip of SWV’s “Use Your Heart”. Exceptional.

The exquisite funky-flute-slapper “Medley for a ‘V’ (The P***Y Medley)” opens the fourth and final side, with star turns from Snoop Dogg and a typically suave Nate Dogg. It’s followed by the supremely skanked-out “Bombudd II”, a beautifully sweet reggae-fuelled ode to the herb. “Get 2Getha Again” is slick funk. Stunning.

This 2022 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and pressed at Record Industry. Unusual for the time, Rhythm-Al-Ism was originally pressed as a double and we’ve reproduced the original LA vibe picture sleeve and insert to match.

As that original front cover says, this is “over 70 minutes of commercial free music” and it’s absolutely perfect from start to finish. There are no stand-out tracks here. It’s all gold.
: Rhythm-al-ism (2LP)

Mrs. GREEN APPLE's fifth original album, "ANTENNA," will be released on vinyl on July 5, 2023! The band is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
This fifth original full-length album includes the theme songs "Soranji" for the film "From the Gulf with Love," "Que Sera Sera" for the drama "Sunday Nights...,"
and a self-cover of "I Am the Strongest," a song written for the film "ONE PIECE FILM RED."

Lucid Express sind fünf junge Träumer aus Hongkong, die mitreißenden, bittersüßen Rock machen, der zum Träumen einlädt. Ihr zweites Album "Instant Comfort", das Nachfolger ihres selbstbetitelten Debütalbums aus dem Jahr 2021 ist, enthält ihre bisher komplexesten Arrangements. Lucid Express holten den Shoegaze-Autor Kurt Feldman (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Depreciation Guild) für das Mixing und Mastering an Bord - das Ergebnis ist ein noch klarerer und mitreißenderer Sound der Band. Über Discord zusammengekommen, entstand ,Instant Comfort" in marathongleichen nächtlichen transpazifischen Sessions zwischen der Band in Hongkong und Feldman in New York City - ein gemeinsames Streben nach Perfektion, das sich von Mitternacht bis zum Sonnenaufgang abspielte. Durchdrungen von gleichermaßen schleichender Melancholie und hoffnungsvoller Romantik, werden in diesen neuen Songs verwirrende Gefühle zugelassen. Luftige Melodien werden von einer schweren Gitarrenwand untermalt: siehe ,Promise Me" und ,Something Blue". Lucid Express waren schon mit Punchlove und Blushing in den USA auf Tour und hat auf renommierten Festivals in Asien und Amerika gespielt, darunter Clockenflap, LEVITATION und Slide Away.

After receiving ecstatic reviews from all over the world for their 2023 debut „To The Gods We Swear“, Norwegian heavy metal warriors ROZARIO return with a vengeance. Their new album, „Northern Crusaders, is not just a follow-up — it’s a statement of intent. This is a band on their own Northern Crusades“, carrying the flag for classic, melodic heavy metal into a new era. The new album is an explosive collection of 12 powerful tracks that blend soaring, epic melodies with hard-hitting rockers — all packed with massive sing-along choruses, fierce conviction, and unstoppable energy. Behind the wall of sound lies an impressively crafted production, driven by massive drums, thunderous bass, blazing guitars and a powerful, commanding vocal performance. Every riff hits hard, every chorus soars high, and every note bleeds passion and conviction. ROZARIO have added fresh firepower to the lineup with the incredible young guitarist Taran Lister, whose talent brings an extra edge and intensity to the band’s signature sound. „Northern Crusaders“ was recorded at Holter Studio, once again with the amazing Trond Holter (Jorn, Wig Wam) at the helm — the band’s trusted producer and unofficial sixth member — ensuring a sound that’s as grand and powerful as the band’s vision itself. 1. Fire And Ice 2. We Are One 3. Down Low 4. Free…Forever 5. Crusader 6. Coming Home 7. Die Like Warriors 8. Until The Gods Are Calling 9. Sleepless 10. The Warning 11. Haunted By The Past 12. Betrayed Black Vinyl

Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Yoshiko Sai reissue program with the release of "Mikkou", the Japanese singer-songwriter"s 2nd album released in 1976 on Black Records. The album, produced by ace arranger Isamu Haruna, keeps the same formula as "Mangekyou" with Yoshiko Sai"s beautiful songs and dreamy vocals over cool funky arrangements, this time featuring legendary guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka. This is the first time "Mikkou" is widely available outside of Japan, with remastered audio, original artwork and a 4 page insert including new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha who interviewed Yoshiko Sai for this special occasion.

For a few fleeting moments during a sunset, the sky is cast a vivid shade of amber. A dramatic flare of colour, a moment belonging to both the day and the night. It is within this vibrant, ephemeral world, that Mongolian-born, Munich-based Enji has written her new album Sonor.
Sonor is a reflection of Enji's personal evolution and the complex emotions that accompany living between two worlds. The album's themes revolve around the unplaceable feeling of being between cultures, not as a source of conflict, but as a space for growth and self-discovery. Enji explores how distance from her traditional Mongolian roots has shaped her identity, and how returning home brings a heightened awareness of these changes. Backed by a band of renowned jazz musicians (Elias Stemeseder on piano, Robert Landfermann on bass, Julian Sartorius on drums and co-composer Paul Brändle on guitar), Enji isn't just revisiting tradition, she's distilling the feeling of home, of small joys that reveal their significance only when viewed from afar.
Like a familiar song hummed by a parent, her music captures the essence of belonging, not tied to a single place, but to the emotions and memories that shape us.

The Order: 1886 is an epic game score for the 2015 third-person action-adventure Playstation video game The Order: 1886, created by the gaming studio Ready At Dawn. The game takes place in a painstakingly recreated Victorian-Era London, but features new advances in technology brought about by an accelerated Industrial Revolution and the centuries-old conflict between Human and Half-breeds.

The music was created by BAFTA Award-winning composer Jason Graves, who received the BAFTA Award for Best Original Score for his work for the 2008 video game Dead Space. Graves is renowned worldwide for his cinematic and immerse music. His musical background as a classically trained composer, jazz drummer, guitarist, and world percussionist, allows him to compose for a wide variety of genres.

The Order: 1886 is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on smoke coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve and includes a 4-page booklet with liner notes.

Hotel Lux announce their second album 'The Bitter Cup', which will be released October 31st. News of the album comes alongside the outlining of an extensive UK winter tour and new single, Costermonger. The band's 2023 debut album Hands Across The Creek won an abundance of press support, from the likes of: Dork, The Guardian, Mojo, Uncut, DIY L&Q, Clash, So Young, NME. BBC 6 Music playlists were also achieved. Recent single Another One Gone marked the start of new chapter for the band, after talking time to rediscover their identities, both as musicians and as a bunch of mates heading into their late twenties.

On new single, Hotel Lux say: "Costermonger is a musical translation of a BBC documentary detailing the rise and the fall of Deptford Market, High Street and the surrounding housing. The title itself refers to a Cockney word for a market trader. Sadly, the subject matter of the lyrics are as relevant now as they would’ve been back in ‘67 when Lewisham council first started pulling down the council housing.

On ‘The Bitter Cup’, Hotel Lux took it upon themselves to self-produce. “Something that felt completely natural, but also entirely necessary” Recorded at Big Jelly Studios, the band had enough confidence to lead on carving their own sound for this new record. Written completely collaboratively, and recorded live to replicate the emotional intensity of their live shows, this new record finds the band at their most vulnerable, while, also, at their most confident.

Bryan Senti’s La Marea, out on 10th October, is a poignant new work for string orchestra that moves like the ocean. Written as a tribute to his father’s journey from Cuba to the United States, the music carries the listener across waters filled with memory, loss, and hope. Performed by the Czech National Symphony, La Marea is both intimate and cinematic, guiding the listener through a story that transports us from the mountain to the sea.

“The image that repeatedly came to mind was that of the proverbial raft, of being alone and adrift at sea. I can imagine the internal struggle: anchoring oneself to memories of the past while hoping, desperately so, to be reborn in a foreign land. That singular combination of grief and faith that brings someone to surrender to inevitable change”

The album brings together collaborators including bassist Spencer Zahn, cellist Noah Hoffeld, and Grammy-winning baritone Edward Parks, whose moving performance of Saloma (Tierra en Movimiento), set to the words of Chilean poet Antonia Torres Aguëro, is paired with a moving short film by Jared Malik Royal.

Co-produced with Grammy winner Justin Moshkevich and mixed by Francesco Donadello (Chernobyl, Tàr, The Joker).

La Marea is both a personal reflection and a universal meditation on migration and transformation.

Alex Rex, the project of acclaimed musician and former Trembling Bells bandleader Alex Neilson, is set to release his fourth and final studio album, The National Trust, on March 28th. Written in the wake of the sudden death of his younger brother, Alastair, the album is a poignant reflection on loss, love, and renewal, deeply rooted in the landscape of Carbeth—a cabin community in the Scottish countryside that Alastair called home. For Neilson, the cabin became both a physical and emotional project, a symbol of restoration and reconnection.

"For the first four years after Alastair died, his cabin lay empty and exposed to the remorseless Scottish weather. It came to look like a rotten tooth in a beautiful mouth. Cladding was dropping off its veneer, the ashen baubles of dead wasps nests clung to the rafters, all his possessions were just as he'd left them but eaten by mice, moths and time. Ashtrays still carried the crushed centimetres of his old tab ends. The cabins are so joyfully animated by their host's specific personality and this one looked like a haunted house. Guilt, unrealised hopes and encroaching nature yoked together in a wandering sadness. Combined with the fact that I didn't know the right way round to hold a hammer made the project of its restoration seem hopeless.”

Neilson, however, gradually began chipping away at the task, determined to transform the cabin into something he hoped would resemble “a National Trust site occupied by a psychopath,” with a little help from some friends, including Lavinia Blackwall and Marco Rea.

“They poured love into the cabin and helped restore Alastair's original vision. The project also helped restore my relationship with Lavinia which had fractured after Trembling Bells broke up in 2017. Alongside long-term Rex lieutenant Rory Haye, we applied the same intensity of dedication that we did in renovating the cabin, into creating The National Trust.”

As with Neilson’s previous albums, the recording process was intentionally unpolished, with songs presented in the studio with no rehearsals and captured in just a few takes. This raw, immediate approach amplifies the emotional weight of the album, which Neilson describes as being at a “personal apex of sour self-reflection, mock misanthropy, and self-exposure.” Longtime collaborators Lavinia Blackwall, Marco Rea, and Rory Haye return, alongside guest musicians like Jill O’Sullivan (Jill Lorean) and Trembling Bells guitarist Mike Hastings, to bring Neilson’s vision to life. The result is a deeply personal and multifaceted work, blending acid wit with haunting introspection.

The songs on The National Trust traverse a wide emotional and thematic range. The title track opens the album with a sharp and confessional edge, exploring love, loathing, and cultural critique with Neilson’s signature wit. “Boss Morris” pays tribute to the all-female Morris dancing troupe that reinvents British folk with vibrant energy, while “Two Kinds of Song” turns self-referential humour into an avalanche of remorse, culminating in the unforgettable chorus: “I’ve got two kinds of song. Which one will it be; one where I hate myself or one where you hate me?” Elsewhere, tracks like “Psychic Rome” draw from the decadence and hysteria of ancient Rome, while “The Coward in the Tower” breaks new ground as the only song Neilson has composed on an instrument before recording.

Throughout the album, Neilson’s lyricism is as vivid as ever, transforming personal tragedy into poignant and often darkly humorous art. Yet, there is a sense of finality to this work. "Songwriting has encouraged me to see the whole world as a resource. The things people say and throw away can be chiselled and polished and plopped into a lyric. It’s the same with building the cabin- scouring the edges of society for pallets, discarded wood, ornaments for the garden. But while song writing brings to life orphaned parts of my personality, the cabin is a synthesis of all my interests – nurturing my emotional health instead of exploiting it. With that in mind, I think this will be my last album as Alex Rex.”

With The National Trust, Neilson closes a significant chapter of his career, blending masterful musicianship with deeply personal storytelling. Known for his collaborations with artists such as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shirley Collins, and Current 93, as well as his decade-long tenure leading the psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells, Neilson has long been celebrated for his eclectic and uncompromising vision. This final album serves as a fitting culmination of his journey as Alex Rex, capturing the essence of his artistry while offering a profound exploration of loss, renewal, and the enduring power of love.

We are excited to announce the third release in the series of illustrated reissues.

This vinyl edition of 50 Words for Snow is available to preorder now as a double album on 180g vinyl.

Illustrated by Timorous Beasties and designed by Fish People.

Double album in gatefold sleeve. Metallic belly band with embossed text. Poly sleeve and stickers. Printed at Pozzoli.

Pressed on black vinyl at Record Industry from new lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman of the 2018 remasters by Kate and James Guthrie.