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Josiah aka JdB is a key creative at the heart of the New Palm crew. Not only does he DJ and produce, but also he is a resident at Gradient Campout and a member of LA's PrintShop collective. He has a sound rooted in dubby drums and cavernous grooves, both of which are evident here. 'Feels Good' is a heavy warm-up sound with sparse chords slowly ramping things up, while 'Surface Area' is icy minimalism with abstract sines and FX. 'Come Over' pulls back to a more liquid dub roller and 'Dante Is Late' is an ambient soundscape with plenty of tape hiss and curious melodies drawing you in deep. Stefan Bitke of Scape has taken care of the mastering so these sound superb.

2026 Repress

Tripmode made a superb start to life with its first EP and is now back with more goodness, this time from family member Daniele Temperilli. We're told he is inspired by 'love, freedom and matured childishness' and he brings some big bass and bouncy minimal house to this 12". 'Beatback Haze' is tight and clipped in its tech funk, then 'Peace What?!' Brings more low-swinging drums and a prying bassline topped with big hits and warped pads. 'BeesTreb' taps into a darker vibe with gritty drum textures and more rapping, farting bass that's perfect for a darkened room. Last of all is 'Pachyderm', which bounces and swings, with macho drums but a sense of lithe energy that keeps you on your toes.

2026 Repress

Baby Ford is back being reissued again and we couldn't be happier about it. Few have ever matched the matter levels he achieved when it comes to deep minimal and tech house fusions. This latest on his own Trelik takes the form of three classic cuts from two much sought-after EPs - Built In and All That Nothing. The title cut is a shimmering and sublime fusion of rubbing low ends and icy hi-hats. 'All That Nothing' then picks up the pace with more dub influences and swaying drums and 'Plaza' has a tech house edge that makes for more driving grooves.

The year that NOW’s story began, and where we started our ‘Yearbook’ series back in 2021. An incredible year in Pop music, and a fabulous selection of the years’ hits have featured on that first ‘Yearbook’, and on the ‘80-84 Final’ as part of our appreciation of 1983. Those tracks were generally the bigger hits of the year, with their Chart achievement a factor in their inclusion. However, that’s not the whole story, and our celebration of 1983 wouldn’t be complete without shining a light on some of the year’s singles that have been compiled much less frequently over the past 40 years. Welcome to the THE VAULT for 1983…Some of the tracks were Top 40 hits, some missed the Chart completely, and some were huge in the U.S. and not in the U.K. – but all are part of the wonderful Pop story of 1983. Released as 80 tracks across 4-CDs, available as a standard 4CD and as a a special edition 4CD in ‘hardback book’ packaging featuring a 28-page track by track guide, original singles artwork and a quiz and 45 tracks across 3-LPs, pressed on stunning translucent red vinyl -

First coming to prominence purely as a drum & bass artist, with the likes of Metalheadz, Digital's Function and Klute's Commercial Suicide labels all over his material, veteran Slough producer Amit has, in more recent years, spread his stylistic base via his Amar label to take in deep dubstep and a touch of acid as well as ruffneck junglist behaviour. This 12", his first for more than five years, is heavyweight dub business, with echo chambers set to maximum dubbage and shuddering sub causing potential structural damage to all but the sturdiest buildings in a five mile radius. 'Dem Rude', with its gunshots and sonic soup, takes the A-side, while the flip tune 'Hush Up' marries more aural abstractions with another stepping rhythm, the hi hats fizzing and sizzling like they're encased in a deep fat fryer. Great to have this vastly underrated underground trooper back in the ranks - and well worth the wait.

The prolific Benin-based Afrobeat legends Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou return with a spectacular compilation alongside the enigmatic Antoine Dougbe, the self-styled 'Devil's Prime Minister.' This 12-track collection is the sound of the influential band at their peak and merging circular guitars, hypnotic synths, Afro-Cuban grooves and Cavacha rhythms into an unstoppable whirlwind of energy. Dougbe is an inventive songwriter and supplied compositions that the Poly-Rythmo arranged and performed here so they could lay down music that is fierce, mystical and rhythmically complex, as they always do. Few records convey the power of Benin's late 70s scene like this.

With our 12th anniversary approaching, we invited Dutch artist Human Space Machine, who delivered Perception Field, a five track EP built around the idea that perception is never fixed.
Across a wide tempo range, the record explores how the same material can shift depending on focus and context. Foreground and background exchange roles. Subtle textures and negative space shape the impact as much as the main rhythmic elements. Perception Field approaches club music as something fluid and responsive, where meaning forms through the act of listening itself. It’s an impressive showcase from an artist that shows once again he’s capable of merging layers of his excellent sound design with deeper feelings.

With our 12th anniversary approaching, we invited Dutch artist Human Space Machine, who delivered Perception Field, a five track EP built around the idea that perception is never fixed.
Across a wide tempo range, the record explores how the same material can shift depending on focus and context. Foreground and background exchange roles. Subtle textures and negative space shape the impact as much as the main rhythmic elements. Perception Field approaches club music as something fluid and responsive, where meaning forms through the act of listening itself. It’s an impressive showcase from an artist that shows once again he’s capable of merging layers of his excellent sound design with deeper feelings.

Naya Beat is excited to announce 'PAWA!', a soaring disco-funk anthem celebrating feminism and the power (pawa) of togetherness. It is a mouthwatering collaboration between legendary jazz vocalist and disco pioneer Asha Puthli and NYC’s punk-chic, discodelic stars Say She She.

A fortuitous and fleeting window between touring schedules allowed Puthli and Say She She’s Nya Gazelle Brown, Sabrina Cunningham, and Piya Malik to write and record Pawa! with members of the cult funk band Orgone in the English countryside at Mike Oldfield’s (Tubular Bells) studio. Pawa! is a tribute to female fortitude and an anthemic call to action for unity and collective action. PAWA TO THE PEOPLE! Asha’s spoken word bursts into a soaring falsetto while Say She She’s celestial three-part harmonies make for a sublime call and response between the fabled mentor and her gifted disciples. Throw in a stellar bassline and one of tightest rhythm sections around, and you have an instant classic. And if that wasn’t enough, four remixes bring Pawa to the dancefloor! The UK’s legendary Crazy P deliver not one, but three future classics – an epic house take with a stomping bassline, a stripped-down vocal dub, and a sunshine-ready disco dub. Not to be outdone, Greece’s favourite dance duo Boys’ Shorts add magical disco touches and reimagine the original as an eight-minute balearic opus.

Featuring beautiful artwork and a premium poly-lined inner sleeve, the 12" has been cut to vinyl for the discerning DJ and listener by Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt from The Carvery, London.

Few artists can make chaos sound this fun. Steel Beans, the self-titled album from the genre-bending one-man band, is a wild ride through rock, funk, jazz, and whatever else happens to cross the radar of Everett, WA’s Jeremy DeBardi — the multi-instrumentalist and mad scientist behind it all. Known for his jaw-dropping live performances where he sings, shreds guitar, and drums at the same time, Steel Beans brings that same unfiltered energy to tape, capturing the spirit of a garage jam gone cosmic.

The album moves effortlessly from fuzzed-out psych-rock to greasy funk breakdowns and tongue-in-cheek lyricism, mixing humor and virtuosity in equal measure. It’s unpredictable, unpolished in all the right ways, and full of personality — the kind of record that feels alive because it’s never trying to be perfect. Steel Beans isn’t just an album; it’s a reminder that music can still be weird, raw, fun, and ridiculously entertaining. Whether you’re hearing him for the first time or you’ve already seen the madness live, this album is the perfect introduction to the wild world of Steel Beans.

Ben Hixon heads up the Dolfin label, but it operates more as a collective of musicians with him at the centre orchestrating sessions, mixing, mastering and producing both solo and in collaboration with pals. For this one he has again linked with Rami for an immersive EP that traverses various tempos and rhythms. There's whimsical downtempo on 'Break Up', sparse soundscaping on 'Collect' and hurried deep house on 'After Dark' that burns with real late night intensity. 'Pleasure' gets more playful and extroverted in its rugged swing and 'Saturday' is a laidback soother. Another timeless EP.

Swirl-Vinyl. Diese 10-Jahre-Jubiläumsausgabe erscheint in einer neuen Gatefold-Hülle mit aktualisierten Fotos, Texten und Liner Notes. Disc eins enthält das Originalalbum in voller Länge, und die brandneue zweite Disc bietet die seltene B-Seite ,Nail In Your Hand", eine überarbeitete Version von ,Heaviside" mit der Künstlerin Wisp am Gesang sowie sieben bisher unveröffentlichte Demo-Versionen von Songs aus dem zweiten Album von Citizen. Vor zehn Jahren veröffentlichten Citizen ,Everybody Is Going to Heaven" - ein Album, das einen mutigen Wendepunkt in ihrer Karriere markierte. Nach dem Durchbruchserfolg von ,Youth" hätte die Band einfach ihren bisherigen Kurs beibehalten können. Stattdessen setzten sie noch stärker auf dunklere Texturen, schwerere Stimmungen und einen furchtlosen Sinn für Experimente. Das 2015 veröffentlichte ,Everybody Is Going to Heaven" erweiterte den Sound von Citizen über ihre Emo- und Post-Hardcore-Wurzeln hinaus und verwebte Elemente aus Grunge und Alternative Rock. Tracks wie ,Cement" und ,Stain" fingen eine rohe, unruhige Energie ein, die sich mit Sterblichkeit, Depression und Identität mit einer Ehrlichkeit auseinandersetzte, die bis heute nachhallt. Es war kein Album, das zum einfachen Hören gemacht war - es war auf Dauer angelegt. Jetzt, ein Jahrzehnt später, steht ,Everybody Is Going to Heaven" als entscheidender Moment in der Entwicklung von Citizen - ein Album, das sowohl die Band als auch ihr Publikum herausforderte und dazu beitrug, die furchtlosen, Genre-übergreifenden Künstler zu formen, zu denen sie geworden sind. Auch beim 10-jährigen Jubiläum bleibt Citizen eine Band, die sich ganz dem Wachstum verschrieben hat und sich weigert, sich auf einen einzigen Sound oder eine bestimmte Ära festlegen zu lassen. ,Everybody Is Going to Heaven" hat nicht nur markiert, wo sie standen; es hat den Weg für alles geebnet, was danach kam.

"PRONTO" is the debut album by ARYA, an Italian-Venezuelan artist who grew up in Milan. ARYA arrives with this first full-length album after the EPs
Peace of Mind (2021) and Punto Zero (2023), collaborations (Mahmood, Venerus, Ghemon, Dardust, Calibro35, and many others), and an intense live
activity, which have made her one of the most interesting voices on the Italian neo-soul/R&B scene.
Born from a personal journey of therapy and awareness, "PRONTO" takes shape as a concept album, transforming the emotional investigation into a
coherent and layered musical narrative. The title captures the meaning of the project: "Pronto" is a word that crosses all the languages present on the
album—Italian, English, and Spanish—taking on different meanings ("subito," "presto"), and is also the first word uttered in the intro. A term that introduces the listener to a space of availability, anticipation, and presence.
The entire album was produced by Claudio La Rocca (Sup Nasa), a key figure in building the project's sonic identity. Giuseppe Seccia, Matteo D'Ignazi,
Martina Tedesco, Tiziano Codoro, Stefano De Vivo, and Giulia Gentile also contributed to the album, recording the instrumental parts and contributing
to the arrangements and production of some tracks.
With "PRONTO," ARYA takes the listener on a journey through different levels of her emotional history, until the elevator starts moving again and leaves room for a new possibility of balance.
ARYA (AryaDelgado) is an Italian-Venezuelan artist born in Milan in 1994. Daughter of salsa singer Orlando Watussi, she grew up surrounded by music
and quickly developed a sensibility that blends Latin roots, nu-soul, and contemporary R&B, with a strong focus on the emotional and narrative dimensions of her writing. In 2021, she released her debut EP, Peace of Mind, followed in 2023 by Punto Zero. These releases attracted press attention
and led to collaborations with artists such as Mahmood, Venerus, Ghemon, Dardust, and Calibro35. Over the years, she has consolidated an increasingly recognizable presence, alternating songwriting, solo production, and an intense live schedule in Italy and abroad. In 2024, she accompanied Mahmood on tour and released the single, "Si Potesse Tornare." In 2025, La Noche En Que Te Fuiste and Onda were released, songs that marked the
beginning of a new artistic chapter and anticipated the release of “PRONTO,” her debut album, released in February 2026. An intimate and layered
work, which focuses on vulnerability as a language and confirms ARYA as one of the most personal and aware voices of the new Italian soul scene.

2026 Repress

Chicago deep house pioneer Merwyn “Merle” Sanders needs no introduction to true heads.As one half of the legendary Virgo Four (alongside Eric Lewis) and under a slew of aliases, Merwyn helped shape the sound of late ’80s deep and acid house. Their records, now considered foundational, continue to echo across dancefloors and DJ sets worldwide.In the late ’90s, after years of trying to release more material through Trax Records, Merwyn took matters into his own hands. He self-produced his first 12” under the Merle alias — a record that sadly flew under the radar at the time, with most copies eventually destroyed. But one track survived and thrived: “Fannie Likes 2 Dance.” What started as a quiet release became an underground classic, highly sought after by DJs and collectors alike.

Now, Still Music and Jerome Derradji proudly present the full reissue of this cult favorite — featuring the two original mixes along with a never-before-heard unreleased remix by Merle himself.

This special edition comes housed in a full sleeve, complete with a detailed backstory written by Jerome Derradji about the track’s origins and legacy. A true slice of Chicago house history, back where it belongs — on wax.

Well here we are unbelievably 50 years on from year zero 1976, when the world stood still at the birth of Punk Rock. To celebrate this monumental occasion Mal-One has worked up a new song called God Save Us All From Misery and to accompany this fine effort he has also worked up alternative versions to what could be the best first 4 singles released by any band. The first four singles released by the Sex Pistols. He has produced his own takes on these classic singles with.. Someone Dropped a Bomb In The UK (Anarchy In U.K.), God Save The King (God Save The Queen), Mal-One’s Out To Lunch (Pretty Vacant) and Holiday In Someone Else’s Misery (Holidays In The Sun). So creating this rocking 5 track 12” E.P. Hope you enjoy the results and here’s to another 50 years… God save Us All…

Keith Tippett was just twenty-one when his group recorded the first of these sets for BBC’s Jazz Workshop on May 21st 1969, three months before the recording of his first album, You Are Here – I Am There. Featured on Side One is the three-part “Portishead Suite,” which presents three stylistically different musical portraits of three generations of the Somerset town. The first is comparatively gentle and flowing but the second portrait is more insistent, its 5/4 tempo bringing to mind themes heard on early King Crimson albums. The third portrait has something of the Caribbean in its playful rhythms. “Hail Conquering Hero” can be heard on Side Two, and is described by Tippett as ‘a jazz study of war.’ None of these compositions have ever appeared officially in any form. Also included on Side Two are two tracks from Tippett’s August 1970 session for BBC Top Gear that was advertised as by Keith Tippett & Heavy Friends.
Keith Tippett – piano; Mark Charig – cornet; Nick Evans – trombone; Elton Dean – alto; Gill Lyons – bass; Alan Jackson – drums. Sleevenotes by Duncan Heining

Compare the best of British jazz circa 1963 with American sounds from labels such as Prestige, Tangerine and World Pacific. This album captures the period when rhythm and blues is emerging as the dominant club sound, forcing Soho jazz clubs to change their music policy in order to survive. On the British side, you’ve got Ronnie Scott’s arrangement of Last Minute Bossa Nova; Bang!, taken from Dick Morrissey Quartet’s first session for the BBC’s World Service, recorded around the time of the release of their first album Have You Heard? The version here is take two. You can hear take one along with the rest of the eleven-track session on R&B18 Jazz For Moderns.
Early In The Morning is a Ginger Baker/Jack Bruce arrangement of the traditional work song realized as a repeated blues riff, and is the first ever recording that is recognizably British Blues. Graham Bond features on alto sax along with Bruce and Baker together as members of the Johnny Burch Octet heard playing live at a BBC staff party from March 1963. Side Two features Jazz Stateside, such as West Coast guitarist Johnny Hartsman, Gene Ammons veering into proto jazz-funk on Jungle Soul, aka Ca' Purange plus a couple of top notch Hammond workouts from Terrell Prude and Charles Kynard.

Straight from an alternative dancefloor, a recollection of stone cold classics from huge & influential post-punk pioneers. They called it white funk once, but here you can even catch echoes of latin, dub and club influences, a mutant disco manifesto from a series of British champions such as Normil Hawaiians, Glaxo Babies, Playgroup, C Cat Trance, Suns of Arqa & Prince Far I and many more.

Tracklist Side A:
Normil Hawaiians - Obedience
Vee VV - Keep Beat
Spit Like A Paint - For The Life Of Me
Group Therapy - Arty-Fact
C Cat Trance - Hypnotised

Tracklist Side B:
The Chicken Granny - Quit The Body
Machine Gunn Hogg And Co - Bed Bound Saga
Playgroup - Hoggs Might Fly
Glaxo Babies - Shake (The Foundations)
Suns of Arqa feat. Prince Far I - G.D. Magik

Reissued for the first time on vinyl here’s the debut album of mancunian band Ludus (originally released on New Hormones in 1981). Led by famous visual artist, performer and musician Linder Sterling and guitarist Ian Devine, Ludus moved all along the lines of post-punk and art-rock with their strictly original mix. Includes one extra track.

Studio One Sound is the classic Studio One collection from Soul Jazz Records. Described as ‘The University of Reggae’ by Chris Blackwell, Studio One, and founder Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd are by far the most-important names in the history of reggae music. Originally released in 2012 this album has been out of print for many years, making it one of the most-collectible of Soul Jazz Records’ Studio One Series. This is the first ever colour vinyl edition of this classic album.

The album features some of the most in-demand and collectible Studio One tracks from over its fifty-year history and includes incredible legendary reggae artists such as The Heptones, Ken Boothe, The Skatalites, Johnny Osbourne and Wailing Souls. All these artists (and hundreds more) launched their careers at Studio One under the guidance of Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd. The Studio One Sound collection features everything from classic ska and rocksteady to the deepest roots, heaviest dub and dancehall roots. Sleevenotes are by Rob Chapman, author of the celebrated books about Studio One Records, 'Never Grow Old' and 'Downbeat the Ruler'. The exact reproduction of the original artwork features the classic image of Dennis Brown on the cover. This album is newly fully remastered for vinyl by Jason Goz at Transition. Exclusive one-off pressing on heavyweight double transparent green vinyl.

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF “THE OTHER HELL”, GOBLIN ARE BACK FOR RECORD STORE DAY 2026 WITH AN EXCLUSIVE COMPILATION OF SINGLES RELEASED BETWEEN 1975 AND 1979!

For the very first time on vinyl, this compilation gathers together all the singles released by Goblin during their golden era between 1975 and 1979, a journey that begins with the explosive, legendary debut Profondo Rosso, a true chart phenomenon of its time, and reaches the rare Amo Non Amo, passing through unforgettable milestones of Italian film music and progressive rock.

The collection opens with Profondo Rosso and Death Dies, taken from the soundtrack of Dario Argento’s masterpiece that catapulted Goblin to fame, blending dark atmospheres, virtuosity, and a unique sense of cinematic tension. It continues with Roller and Snip Snap, drawn from the instrumental album Roller (1976), a record not tied to any film, yet considered a cult cornerstone of Italian progressive music for its intricate structures and expressive power.

Chi? and Chi? - Parte Seconda follow; two tracks originally composed as the theme for a 1976 RAI television show, which saw Goblin bring their unmistakable sound to a different medium, experimenting within a shorter, punchier format.

Next comes Suspiria with its haunting counterpart Blind Concert, from the soundtrack of Argento’s 1977 horror classic. This remains one of Goblin’s most iconic and unsettling works, where music becomes an active narrative force: hypnotic, percussive, and filled with eerie vocal layers that made it a cornerstone of horror soundtracks worldwide.

From Il Fantastico Viaggio del Bagarozzo Mark (1978) come Un Ragazzo d’Argento and Opera Magnifica, two tracks that highlight the band’s more conceptual and visionary side, a move away from cinema toward a self-contained narrative and progressive experimentation.

The single Yell stands as another late-decade gem. Originally composed as the opening theme for the RAI television series “Sette storie per non dormire” (1978), it captures Goblin’s ability to merge rock energy with electronic pulse, proving their versatility far beyond the horror realm.

The compilation closes with Amo Non Amo and Funky Top, taken from the soundtrack of the 1979 film Amo Non Amo, one of the group’s lesser-known but fascinating cinematic works.

Far more than a simple anthology, The Singles Collection 1975–1979 maps the evolution of Goblin’s sound, from the worldwide success of Profondo Rosso to their most mature and experimental phase. It finally restores to vinyl a body of work that had long been scattered across rare 45 rpm releases, offering fans and collectors a complete, vivid portrait of one of Italy’s most inventive and influential musical ensembles.

These two very different sessions involving John Surman and Mike Osborne have much in common. They both share a wonderful sense of liberation, of the joy of making music together and of finding collectively new ways of making jazz happen. And even more importantly, they speak volumes about the eclecticism and openness of British jazz in those years of the mid- to late-sixties and about the creative ambitions of John Surman. In the current absence in the market of his first LP, this is an essential purchase for Surman fans. Notes by Duncan Heining with suggestions from John Surman. These sessions have never previously appeared officially in any form.
Side One 26.2.67 - Mike Osborne (as), John Surman (ss, bs), Harry Miller (b), Alan Jackson (d) - Side Two 17.7.68 - Sterling Betancourt for Alan Jackson and add Russ Henderson (p)

Eines der besten Metal-Alben des Jahres 2025 wird 2026 als exklusive Metal Hammer Picture Disc geehrt. Klasse Artwork, einmal "The Rat Queen" aka Band-Chefin Riley Pinkerton, einmal die gesamte Band plus Logos und Tracklist. Das Fantasy-Mittelalter-Metal-Phänomen CASTLE RAT präsentiert sein zweites Album! Castle Rat ist die NY Fantasy-Heavy-Metal-Band, die von der Rat Queen angeführt wird, welche die Mission verfolgt, ihr Refugium gegen diejenigen zu verteidigen, die es zerstören wollen. Ihr zur Seite stehen The Count, The Plague Doctor und The All-Seeing Druid. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich mit Heavy Magie dem unerbittlichen Zorn ihrer Erzfeindin - dem Tod in Form von The Rat Reaperess. The Bestiary ist ein riffgeladenes Kompendium mystischer Kreaturen und vorwarnender Erzählungen aus einer vergessenen Welt. Es erzählt 13 allegorische Geschichten von mythischen Bestien und dem Zauberer, der sie beschwört, und verwebt kraftvolle Heavy-Hymnen und dunkle Verzückungen zu einer betörenden und unvergesslichen Heavy-Metal-Odyssee. Als ob Grace Slick mit Black Sabbath ca. 1200 A.D. auf einem Kiss-Konzert Liebe macht. Aufgenommen von Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves in the Throne Room, Björk) und gemischt von Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), bietet das Album episches Heavy-Gemetzel und doomy Hard Rock. Hervorgegangen aus New Yorks abscheulichem, kreaturenverseuchtem Untergrund, schlugen die Fantasy-Heavy-Metaller zunächst mit ihren Live-Auftritten und später mit ihrem Debütalbum "Into The Realm" im Jahr 2024 große Wellen. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2019 haben CASTLE RAT ein lebendiges Labyrinth aus Erzählungen und Mythen geschaffen, welches sie nun rund um die Welt führt. Die MH Picture Disc kommt in durchsichtiger, halbfester PVC-Hülle mit Lasche (semi-rigid transparent PVC sleeve with flap), ansonsten auch noch auf CD (aufklappbares Digipak), MC (mit gefaltetem Inlay) und auf LP (farbiges Vinyl, inklusive ausklappbarem Lyrics-Insert)!

Eines der besten Metal-Alben des Jahres 2025 erhält eine hochwertige Zoetrope Vinylversion. Ein farbenfroh animiertes, detailreiches Sammlerstück für Musikliebhaber. Das Fantasy-Mittelalter-Metal-Phänomen CASTLE RAT präsentiert sein zweites Album! Castle Rat ist die NY Fantasy-Heavy-Metal-Band, die von der Rat Queen angeführt wird, welche die Mission verfolgt, ihr Refugium gegen diejenigen zu verteidigen, die es zerstören wollen. Ihr zur Seite stehen The Count, The Plague Doctor und The All-Seeing Druid. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich mit Heavy Magie dem unerbittlichen Zorn ihrer Erzfeindin - dem Tod in Form von The Rat Reaperess. The Bestiary ist ein riffgeladenes Kompendium mystischer Kreaturen und vorwarnender Erzählungen aus einer vergessenen Welt. Es erzählt 13 allegorische Geschichten von mythischen Bestien und dem Zauberer, der sie beschwört, und verwebt kraftvolle Heavy-Hymnen und dunkle Verzückungen zu einer betörenden und unvergesslichen Heavy-Metal-Odyssee. Als ob Grace Slick mit Black Sabbath ca. 1200 A.D. auf einem Kiss-Konzert Liebe macht. Aufgenommen von Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves in the Throne Room, Björk) und gemischt von Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), bietet das Album episches Heavy-Gemetzel und doomy Hard Rock. Hervorgegangen aus New Yorks abscheulichem, kreaturenverseuchtem Untergrund, schlugen die Fantasy-Heavy-Metaller zunächst mit ihren Live-Auftritten und später mit ihrem Debütalbum "Into The Realm" im Jahr 2024 große Wellen. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2019 haben CASTLE RAT ein lebendiges Labyrinth aus Erzählungen und Mythen geschaffen, welches sie nun rund um die Welt führt. Zoetrope-Vinyl kommt in durchsichtiger, halbfester PVC-Hülle mit Lasche (semi-rigid transparent PVC sleeve with flap),auch noch auf CD (aufklappbares Digipak), MC (mit gefaltetem Inlay) und auf LP (farbiges Vinyl, inklusive ausklappbarem Lyrics-Insert) erhältlich.

Naive Melodies is a bold and visionary tribute to the music of Talking Heads, reinterpreted through the lens of Black musical innovation. Curated by Drew McFadden — the creative mind behind BBE’s acclaimed Modern Love (David Bowie tribute album) — this new collection dives deep into the Afro-diasporic rhythms and experimental soul roots that helped shape Talking Heads’ unmistakable New Wave sound. Inspired by artists like Fela Kuti, Parliament, and Al Green — whose influences loomed large in the band’s rhythmic DNA — Naive Melodies shines a light on the Black music traditions that underpinned their artistry. Far from a conventional tribute, Naive Melodies reframes the band’s catalog through the voices and visions of a new generation of genre-defying artists. These interpretations illuminate the foundational grooves and sonic textures that fueled Talking Heads’ rhythm-forward aesthetic, bringing them full circle with authenticity. “With Naive Melodies, I wanted to spotlight the deep and often overlooked influence of Black music on the sound of Talking Heads, drawing from the rhythmic foundations of Afro-diasporic traditions, soul, gospel, Latin, and spiritual jazz. This project is a chance to reimagine Talking Heads’ legacy through the lens of the very innovations that helped shape it, bringing those influences to the forefront through the voices of today’s most forward-thinking artists.” — Drew McFadden The album features a globally minded lineup, including Liv.e, Bilal, Rogê, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Aja Monet, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Theo Croker, Kenny Dope, Rosie Lowe, Pachyman, W.I.T.C.H., and more — spanning Afrobeat, jazz, soul, funk, gospel, dub, electronica, orchestral, and Latin styles. It reflects not only the boundary-pushing ethos of Talking Heads, but also the influence of Black music as a cultural force that helped shape it. This is not just a tribute album — it’s a recontextualization. A cultural conversation. A rhythmic reawakening.

April Records proudly presents the new album from Danish trombonist and composer Lis Wessberg. Her most personal album to date, In The Wake of Blue is a song-driven work exploring transience, love, and transformation. Expanding her writing while remaining rooted in her distinctive instrumental voice, Wessberg creates an intimate musical landscape where lyric, melody, and texture carry equal weight. Wessberg has established herself as a leading voice on the European jazz scene through her band Yellow Map and a series of acclaimed releases on April Records. Her previous album, Twain Walking (2024), marked her first step into English-language songwriting and earned a Danish Music Award nomination in 2025 for the track Behind the Walls. In The Wake of Blue develops this direction further. The album draws on images from nature - sea, tides, clouds, mist, and birds - used as emotional anchors rather than abstractions. These elements frame songs that move from uncertainty and loss toward openness, connection, and renewal. The title reflects this arc: "blue" as melancholy, depth, and memory, and what emerges in its wake. Vocalist Veronika Rud is central to the album"s sound, bringing vulnerability and clarity to the songs. Rather than a traditional singer-led project, the music unfolds as a dialogue between voice and trombone, with Wessberg"s warm, airy tone mirroring and extending each song"s emotional core. At times the two move in close unison; elsewhere, they diverge and reconnect. The core ensemble - Steen Rasmussen (piano and keys), Lennart Ginman (bass), and Jeppe Gram (drums) - provides a responsive, understated foundation, while string quartet Live Strings appear on two tracks, expanding the ensemble"s depth and resonce. In The Wake of Blue offers a quietly assured statement from an artist continuing to refine a voice that speaks as clearly through brass as it does through words.

Metaphon is pleased to present this première edition, which brings together a near-complete collection of the acousmatic works of Liliane Donskoy, recorded in the 1970s and 1980s.

Liliane Donskoy (*1933) is a French, classically trained pianist, music teacher, and composer of both instrumental and acousmatic music. She began her musical training at an early age, undertaking private piano studies with Yves Nat at the age of thirteen, shortly after the Second World War. During the 1960s and 1970s, she pursued advanced studies with prominent figures of twentieth-century music, including Darius Milhaud, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Schaeffer, and Guy Reibel, and participated in courses led by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Iannis Xenakis.

Despite this extensive and diverse training, Donskoy encountered limited institutional and professional opportunities to fully realize her artistic vision. A decisive turning point occurred in 1977, when she gained access to the facilities of the Institute of Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music (IPEM) in Ghent. There, she realized and completed the majority of her acousmatic compositions.

Donskoy’s oeuvre is characterized by a high degree of structural complexity, precision, and expressive intensity. Her work reflects a pronounced and distinctive artistic temperament, manifested through a rigorous exploration of sound material and form. Notwithstanding its artistic significance, her music has remained largely unknown, as her compositions were neither widely circulated nor formally released, leading to their relative obscurity until the present publication.

Metaphon is pleased to present this première edition, which brings together a near-complete collection of the acousmatic works of Liliane Donskoy, recorded in the 1970s and 1980s.

Liliane Donskoy (*1933) is a French, classically trained pianist, music teacher, and composer of both instrumental and acousmatic music. She began her musical training at an early age, undertaking private piano studies with Yves Nat at the age of thirteen, shortly after the Second World War. During the 1960s and 1970s, she pursued advanced studies with prominent figures of twentieth-century music, including Darius Milhaud, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Schaeffer, and Guy Reibel, and participated in courses led by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Iannis Xenakis.

Despite this extensive and diverse training, Donskoy encountered limited institutional and professional opportunities to fully realize her artistic vision. A decisive turning point occurred in 1977, when she gained access to the facilities of the Institute of Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music (IPEM) in Ghent. There, she realized and completed the majority of her acousmatic compositions.

Donskoy’s oeuvre is characterized by a high degree of structural complexity, precision, and expressive intensity. Her work reflects a pronounced and distinctive artistic temperament, manifested through a rigorous exploration of sound material and form. Notwithstanding its artistic significance, her music has remained largely unknown, as her compositions were neither widely circulated nor formally released, leading to their relative obscurity until the present publication.

This 18- track selection spans Edith Piaf' s career from the years 1946 to 1961. It includes all of her big hits, such as 'La Vie en rose', 'Non, je ne regrette rien', 'Hymne a l'amour', 'Milord', 'La Foule', 'L'Accordeoniste', and 'Padam Padam', among many others. Regarded as France's national chanteuse, singer songwrite, and actress Edith Piaf (1915-1963), also became one of the country's greatest international stars. Her music was often autobiographical with her songs reflecting her own personal life. Piaf's specialties were the chanson and torch ballads, particularly those of love, loss, and sorrow.

















[q] Le Chevalier De Paris [aka Les Pommiers Doux]

Concert at Prades-le-Lez marks the origins of the Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra. In 1974, François Tusques and his companions (Michel Marre, Jo Maka, Adolf Winkler and Guem), in the spirit of Don Cherry or Chris McGregor, playfully dismantle all borders and all styles of creative music.

On this second volume, the Intercommunal builds unprecedented soundscapes around a song of revolt, a dance tune, or a burst of dissonance. The journey is unforgettable, no question about it. On repeat listening, it even becomes… lunar!

“The music that we make is primarily meant to be listened to live,” warned a leaflet from the Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra. This is precisely why the (restored!) reissue of the two volumes of Concert at Prades-le-Lez, recorded on January 25 and 26, 1974 by François Tusques and his comrades, is such an important event.

In 1971, after recording a series of albums that would leave a lasting mark on French jazz (Free Jazz, of course, with Michel Portal, François Jeanneau, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin and Charles Saudrais, but also Le Nouveau Jazz with Barney Wilen, or the solo Piano Dazibao), François Tusques founded the Intercommunal—a grouping whose very name called for the fraternization of the various communities making up the country: Our music will help, we hope, to resolve the contradictions that exist between workers be longing to different communities, by breaking down various forms of national chauvinism, and more particularly the chauvinism of certain French people toward the cultures of Third World countries… Long live the friendship between the peoples of the whole world!

Among the great records made by the Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra, the two volumes of Concert at Prades-le-Lez come first, before L’Inter Communal, Vol. 4, Le Musichien, and Après la marée noire (four titles already reissued by Souffle Continu). François Tusques and his companions (Michel Marre and Jo Maka on saxophones, Adolf Winkler on trombone, and Guem on percussion) performed on January 25 and 26, 1974 at the Moulin de Prades-le-Lez, a few kilometers from Montpellier. It was thus in the southern region of Occitanie that the first echoes of this musical vision of a borderless brotherhood were recorded.

“We’re not among the Colonels,” the Intercommunal reassures us right away, performing a stride piano tune carried by African winds that the audience cannot resist for long. The energy is already striking and it never lets up throughout these two recordings, from start to finish: jazz, blues, traditional music, minimalism, even funk… The musicians of the Intercommunal have heard a lot of great music and now delight in reinventing it by mixing it all together.

“We want the song form to take its place as a weapon in the struggle against capitalist exploitation and all those who oppress us morally and materially,” declared an Intercommunal leaflet, quoting Jean-Baptiste Clément, author of the lyrics to “Le Temps des cerises.” The struggle was therefore serious—but it did not prevent François Tusques and his group from waging it in a festive spirit: each piece on Concert at Prades-le- Lez sends out a call for love and fraternity. Fifty years later, the message remains as relevant as ever—and once again, it is François Tusques who makes it heard.

Concert at Prades-le-Lez marks the origins of the Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra. In 1974, François Tusques and his companions (Michel Marre, Jo Maka, Adolf Winkler and Guem), in the spirit of Don Cherry or Chris McGregor, playfully dismantle all borders and all styles of creative music.

On this first volume, the Intercommunal takes its audience from New Orleans to Brittany and on to North Africa. The journey was bold, without a doubt—and its memory remains unforgettable.

“The music that we make is primarily meant to be listened to live,” warned a leaflet from the Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra. This is precisely why the (restored!) reissue of the two volumes of Concert at Prades-le-Lez, recorded on January 25 and 26, 1974 by François Tusques and his comrades, is such an important event.

In 1971, after recording a series of albums that would leave a lasting mark on French jazz (Free Jazz, of course, with Michel Portal, François Jeanneau, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin and Charles Saudrais, but also Le Nouveau Jazz with Barney Wilen, or the solo Piano Dazibao), François Tusques founded the Intercommunal—a grouping whose very name called for the fraternization of the various communities making up the country: Our music will help, we hope, to resolve the contradictions that exist between workers be longing to different communities, by breaking down various forms of national chauvinism, and more particularly the chauvinism of certain French people toward the cultures of Third World countries… Long live the friendship between the peoples of the whole world!

Among the great records made by the Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra, the two volumes of Concert at Prades-le-Lez come first, before L’Inter Communal, Vol. 4, Le Musichien, and Après la marée noire (four titles already reissued by Souffle Continu). François Tusques and his companions (Michel Marre and Jo Maka on saxophones, Adolf Winkler on trombone, and Guem on percussion) performed on January 25 and 26, 1974 at the Moulin de Prades-le-Lez, a few kilometers from Montpellier. It was thus in the southern region of Occitanie that the first echoes of this musical vision of a borderless brotherhood were recorded.

“We’re not among the Colonels,” the Intercommunal reassures us right away, performing a stride piano tune carried by African winds that the audience cannot resist for long. The energy is already striking and it never lets up throughout these two recordings, from start to finish: jazz, blues, traditional music, minimalism, even funk… The musicians of the Intercommunal have heard a lot of great music and now delight in reinventing it by mixing it all together.

“We want the song form to take its place as a weapon in the struggle against capitalist exploitation and all those who oppress us morally and materially,” declared an Intercommunal leaflet, quoting Jean-Baptiste Clément, author of the lyrics to “Le Temps des cerises.” The struggle was therefore serious—but it did not prevent François Tusques and his group from waging it in a festive spirit: each piece on Concert at Prades-le- Lez sends out a call for love and fraternity. Fifty years later, the message remains as relevant as ever—and once again, it is François Tusques who makes it heard.

Wired was an ephemeral improvisational music project formed by Michael Ranta, Karl-Heinz Böttner, and Mike Lewis. On 28 April 1970, the trio recorded an extended studio session of approximately 140 minutes, in collaboration with Conny Plank, who engineered and mixed the recording in real time, incorporating elements of live electronics. This session was subsequently edited to album length and released in 1974 as part of the Free Improvisation 3LP box set issued by Deutsche Grammophon, alongside recordings by Iskra and New Phonic Art.

Owing to its exploratory electric sound world and Plank’s distinctive spatial production techniques, the Wired recording acquired a degree of underground cult status, particularly among listeners associated with krautrock and psychedelic improvisation.

Shortly after the studio session, Ranta and Böttner travelled to Japan, where they spent approximately six months performing with Karlheinz Stockhausen at Expo ’70 in Osaka. In addition to these activities, they engaged in various independent musical projects and performances.

The present release, sourced from the personal archive of Michael Ranta, documents a live duo performance by Ranta and Böttner, recorded on 27 July 1970 in an outdoor setting in Kyoto (the exact location remains unknown), before an audience of approximately 200 music teachers. The recording exhibits sonic and aesthetic characteristics closely aligned with the previously recorded studio material, retaining the distinctive “Wired” sound while situating it within a live, site-specific context.

Michael Ranta: percussion, voice, home-made instruments, tapes, tape delay, effects Karl-Heinz Böttner: guitar, organ, ocarina, voice, effects

Distant Clouds Grey Vinyl. Das siebte Album von Teen Suicide ist das erste richtige Album der Band seit ,honeybee table at the butterfly feast", das durch Songs wie ,you were my star" wieder Aufmerksamkeit bekam, der auf TikTok richtig abging. Teen Suicide wurde 2010 als Nebenprojekt von Sam Ray gegründet und hat sich nach und nach weiterentwickelt, während es ein leidenschaftliches Projekt blieb. Seit 2017 gehört Kitty Ray zur Band, und 2022 wurde die Band mit dem Beitritt des Schlagzeugers Niko Wood offiziell zu einem Vollzeitprojekt. Gemeinsam begann das Trio mit dem Schreiben und Aufnehmen ihres kommenden Albums ,Nude descending staircase headless". Das Album stellt eine Reihe von Premieren für die Band dar: ihre erste Platte, die in einem professionellen Studio aufgenommen wurde, ihre erste Veröffentlichung, die als Vollzeitband geschrieben und aufgenommen wurde, und ihre erste seit 2012, auf der durchgehend ein festes Schlagzeuger zu hören ist. Es markiert auch den Beginn eines vollständig gemeinsamen Schreibprozesses zwischen Sam und Kitty Ray, die 2016 geheiratet haben und von Grund auf an der gesamten Platte mitgearbeitet haben, wobei sie sich sowohl das Songwriting als auch den Gesang aufteilten. Von Sam Ray als ,bisheriger Höhepunkt der Karriere" der Band beschrieben, erkundet Nude descending staircase headless das endlose Streben nach Erfüllung durch Kreativität und verknüpft Motive von Tod und Wiedergeburt mit Themen wie der Freude trotz großer Verluste. Das Album sieht das Selbst nicht als isoliertes Objekt, sondern als einen einzelnen Strang in einem größeren, miteinander verbundenen Netz. Zu den herausragenden Tracks gehören ,Idiot", das sich an direktem, wörtlichem Storytelling orientiert, und ,Spiders", bei dem Kitty Ray den Gesang übernimmt und eine düstere feministische Unterströmung in die übergeordnete Erzählung des Albums einbringt. Musikalisch lässt sich die Band von Künstlern wie Nirvana, Radiohead, Shellac und Helmet inspirieren und greift die Intensität und Experimentierfreudigkeit des Heavy Rock der späten 80er und 90er Jahre auf. Ihre jüngsten Tourneen mit DELTA SLEEP unterstreichen einmal mehr, dass Teen Suicide zunehmend Einflüsse aus Math Rock und Metal in ihren sich weiterentwickelnden Sound einfließen lässt.

Distant Clouds Grey Vinyl. Das siebte Album von Teen Suicide ist das erste richtige Album der Band seit ,honeybee table at the butterfly feast", das durch Songs wie ,you were my star" wieder Aufmerksamkeit bekam, der auf TikTok richtig abging. Teen Suicide wurde 2010 als Nebenprojekt von Sam Ray gegründet und hat sich nach und nach weiterentwickelt, während es ein leidenschaftliches Projekt blieb. Seit 2017 gehört Kitty Ray zur Band, und 2022 wurde die Band mit dem Beitritt des Schlagzeugers Niko Wood offiziell zu einem Vollzeitprojekt. Gemeinsam begann das Trio mit dem Schreiben und Aufnehmen ihres kommenden Albums ,Nude descending staircase headless". Das Album stellt eine Reihe von Premieren für die Band dar: ihre erste Platte, die in einem professionellen Studio aufgenommen wurde, ihre erste Veröffentlichung, die als Vollzeitband geschrieben und aufgenommen wurde, und ihre erste seit 2012, auf der durchgehend ein festes Schlagzeuger zu hören ist. Es markiert auch den Beginn eines vollständig gemeinsamen Schreibprozesses zwischen Sam und Kitty Ray, die 2016 geheiratet haben und von Grund auf an der gesamten Platte mitgearbeitet haben, wobei sie sich sowohl das Songwriting als auch den Gesang aufteilten. Von Sam Ray als ,bisheriger Höhepunkt der Karriere" der Band beschrieben, erkundet Nude descending staircase headless das endlose Streben nach Erfüllung durch Kreativität und verknüpft Motive von Tod und Wiedergeburt mit Themen wie der Freude trotz großer Verluste. Das Album sieht das Selbst nicht als isoliertes Objekt, sondern als einen einzelnen Strang in einem größeren, miteinander verbundenen Netz. Zu den herausragenden Tracks gehören ,Idiot", das sich an direktem, wörtlichem Storytelling orientiert, und ,Spiders", bei dem Kitty Ray den Gesang übernimmt und eine düstere feministische Unterströmung in die übergeordnete Erzählung des Albums einbringt. Musikalisch lässt sich die Band von Künstlern wie Nirvana, Radiohead, Shellac und Helmet inspirieren und greift die Intensität und Experimentierfreudigkeit des Heavy Rock der späten 80er und 90er Jahre auf. Ihre jüngsten Tourneen mit DELTA SLEEP unterstreichen einmal mehr, dass Teen Suicide zunehmend Einflüsse aus Math Rock und Metal in ihren sich weiterentwickelnden Sound einfließen lässt.

Carve is the second full-length by Bay Area artist Kathryn Mohr. Written over the course of five years and recorded over several weeks in a rural singlewide in the Mojave Desert, the album centers on love experienced as a form of grief, not as an aftermath of loss, but as a condition of intimacy itself.

Mohr describes Carve as an album about how memory exists outside the body, embedded in places and landscapes. It is shaped by her first return to the American Southwest since a childhood road trip at age five, and by the experience of moving through terrain that holds emotional weight long after its origins fade. The record considers how intimacy feels after years of isolation, and what it takes to carve out a life that allows for trust, presence, and feeling rather than mere survival. The project took form after a difficult tour that ended in Joshua Tree. Mohr pointed her car into the desert and drove alone, crisscrossing the Mojave on dirt roads. Months later, she returned to record the album, working alone with an acoustic guitar, a field recorder, and limited supplies. Following that period, Mohr began to allow for intimacy and connection. The time she spent recording Carve in the desert did not create isolation so much as mirror it. Working alone out of an old, western-themed jail Airbnb, the physical enclosure reflected the emotional conditions under which much of the record had been written: distance, restraint, and long stretches of stillness. In that context, love was not experienced as escape, but as something inseparable from impermanence and the awareness of loss.

This tension between connection and inevitability sits at the center of Carve. Some of the album’s songs were written earlier, during a prolonged period marked by emotional distance and apathy. Over those four years, Mohr was working through unprocessed childhood memories and their long-term effects on her ability to connect with others. The work was slow and difficult, involving a fundamental reshaping of how she related to herself and to the world. Carve was mixed by Richard Chowenhill of Flenser labelmates Agriculture. Rather than offering resolution, the album documents the act of remaining present within tension. Carve is not about escaping grief, but about accepting it as inseparable from love itself. Kathryn Mohr’s previous effort “Waiting Room” received the coveted ‘Best New Music' designation and a score of 8.4 from Pitchfork.

At the genesis of one of the most essential bands in Spanish pop-rock of the 1980s, this rarity presents early versions of what would later become some of the most chanted songs in Siniestro Total's repertoire: 'Matar jipis en las Cíes' and 'Las tetas de mi novia,' along with Germán Coppini's original composition 'El Vaticano va a arder.' With limited resources but plenty of energy and humor, a three-song demo was recorded in August 1981, now available here on vinyl for the first time. The songs came first, and only later did the band take a name-initially Mari Cruz Soriano y los que afinan su piano, and shortly after, Siniestro Total. 'Matar jipis en las Cíes' is an original composition by the band's founding members Alberto Torrado, Julián Hernández, and Miguel Costas, while 'Las tetas de mi novia' is a loose version of the song 'I'm a Rocket' by the Dutch band Gruppo Sportivo. 'El Vaticano va a arder' was contributed by Germán Coppini, the mysterious fourth member of this singular lineup, inspired by 'Religion,' the anti-religious rant included on Public Image Limited's debut album. This single is an essential document for both Siniestro Total fans and Spanish-language punk enthusiasts. First-ever vinyl edition.

Enter Shikari melden sich mit ihrem bisher ambitioniertesten und emotionalsten Album zurück: "Lose Your Self", das achte Studioalbum der Band, erscheint überraschend und besticht durch eine furchtlose Verschmelzung von Post-Hardcore-Intensität, elektronischen Experimenten und politisch engagierten Texten. Aufbauend auf ihrem UK-Nr.1-Album "A Kiss For The Whole World" (2023) und mit einem noch stärkeren Fokus auf cineastische, club-beeinflusste Klangwelten, präsentiert "Lose Your Self" eine Band, die die Grenzen des Heavy-Sounds immer wieder neu definiert. Das Album wird mit Headliner-Arena-Shows in Großbritannien und Europa sowie Konzerten in Nordamerika und Australien unterstützt. Der Guardian verlieh der Tournee 2024 vier Sterne und bezeichnete das audiovisuelle Spektakel als "den Beginn des größten Kapitels von Enter Shikari".

Repress of the 1 st album of the fresh Afro funk sensation ! Recorded on analog equipment in Lyon in 2014 !



Peter Solo is a singer and composer born in Aného-Glidji, Togo, the birthplace of the Guin tribe and a major site of the Voodoo culture. He was raised with this tradition’s values of respect for all forms of life and the environment. With his new band, Vaudou Game, Peter Solo claims, and spreads this spiritual and musical heritage. Chants are at the heart of the Voodoo practice, but for times immemorial, harmonic instruments have never accompanied them. No balafon, no kora - only the “skins” support the singers. However, in 2012, Peter, along with his band based in Lyon, France, decided to explore and codify the musical scales that are found in sacred or profane songs of Beninese and Togolese Voodoo so they can be played easily on modern instruments. Peter composed the album Apiafo, using the two main musical scales of this tradition. The first musical scale on Apiafo leans towards raw Funk with a sound similar to the famous 70’s bands, L’Orchestre Poly Rythmo De Cotonou and El Rego. Funk, is the skeletal structure of this record, and provided the opportunity for Peter to invite his uncle, Roger Damawuzan - the famous pioneer of the 70s Soul scene - on two tracks. Their collaboration on “Pas Contente” is a highlight on this 100% analog album. Apiafo was entirely recorded, mixed and mastered with old tapes and vintage instruments. The second scale, which had never before been transposed for instruments, evokes deeper feelings and a sacred ambiance. The moving song Ata, an invocation to a supreme divinity is another highlight of this record. Even if some can recognize similarities between this scale and Ethiopian scales, they are in fact different. Peter, the only African band member, introduced the other musicians to the universal values of Voodoo and he taught them his native language. On the recording of Apiafo and during their live performances, the musicians all sing and answer Peter in the Mina language. The strive for authenticity, the analog sound and vintage looks don’t mean that Vaudou Game is looking backwards. This is Togolese funk, born in the post-colonial era but that never before explored its ancient roots so deeply and proudly.



Antoine RAJON

Grounded in a season of life that has been earned rather than borrowed, Benjamin Tod speaks with the ease of someone no longer running from himself. There is joy now - a steadiness that comes from commitment. With the recent arrival of his son and a deep well of new music on the horizon, Tod is firmly rooted in both purpose and possibility. That clarity is evident in Vengeance and Grace, the Lost Dog Street Band frontman's forthcoming and most expansive solo album to date. Conceived as a "dual-version" release, the project presents two parallel worlds: (Alone) is a stripped solo-acoustic version, along with its full band counterpart.

Together, the two versions form the full range of what Tod is capable of: restraint on one side, force on the other. At the core of Tod's writing is a simple conviction: music should serve something larger than the moment. His writing speaks to mind, body, and soul, shaped by faith, discipline, and a hard-earned understanding of consequence. The darkness that once defined him is neither denied nor indulged. It is understood and no longer in control. Today, Tod moves with a sense of calm that wasn't always there. He is grateful, settled, and intentional, continuing to follow the compass that's guided him from the beginning. Rooted in traditional country and folk, his work stands firmly in the modern music landscape, shaped by experience, restraint, and the life he's built around it.