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next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – pressed in lovely-lime-green vinyl on a 3-LP set packed with 47 stellar tracks celebrating a brilliant year of pop singles. NOW – Yearbook 1976.



LP1: Kicking off in magnificent style with signature songs from legendary artists: A #2 in 1976, Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’ is first up, followed by Electric Light Orchestra with ‘Livin’ Thing’, Fleetwood Mac with ‘Say You Love Me’, and 10cc with ‘I’m Mandy Fly Me’. Dr. Hook had a huge hit with ‘A Little Bit More’, and Chicago hit #1 with their all-time classic ballad ‘If You Leave Me Now’, while the side closes with Eric Carmen’s enduringly popular ‘All By Myself’. Flip the LP over for huge hits from the year – including 4 #1s: 14 years after making their UK chart debut, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons enjoyed their first chart-topper with ‘December 1963 (Oh What a Night)’, whilst Leo Sayer reached #2 in the UK, and #1 in the US with ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’. Pop gems follow from David Dundas, Bryan Ferry, Sailor, Smokie – and Slik, featuring a pre-Ultravox Midge Ure reached the top with ‘Forever And Ever’. Showaddywaddy celebrated their biggest hit and their first #1 with ‘Under The Moon Of Love’, and the UK won at Eurovision, with the winner ‘Save Your Kisses For Me’ by Brotherhood Of Man not only hitting the #1 spot but also becoming 1976’s biggest seller and bringing the first LP to a close.



LP2: Opening with a stellar run of pure-pop classics. Elton John celebrated his first UK #1 single, in a duet with Kiki Dee on ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, and Cliff Richard with ‘Devil Woman’, ahead of dance-floor favourites – and both #1s in ’76: Tina Charles with ‘I Love To Love’ and The Real Thing with ‘You To Me Are Everything’. More pop nuggets follow from Billy Ocean and Dana, before the side finishes with R&J Stone with ‘We Do It’ and the sublime ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ from Gladys Knight & The Pips. Over on the second side, ‘Silly Love Songs’ gave Wings a UK #2 and became ‘76’s biggest seller in the US and opens a run of great vocalists; Neil Diamond, Daryl Hall & John Oates with ‘She’s Gone’, Paul Simon’s ’50 Ways To Leave Your Lover’ and a trio of the year’s classic rock smashes: ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ from Thin Lizzy, ‘Squeeze Box’ from The Who, and closing with the epic ‘Music’ from John Miles.



LP3: Celebrating ‘76’s dancefloor with a stunning collection of disco and soul gold: First up, Donna Summer with her debut smash ‘Love To Love You Baby’ before ‘More More More’ from Andrea True Connection and Candi Staton’s timeless ‘Young Hearts Run Free’. Melba Moore with ‘This Is It’ comes ahead of Diana Ross with the genre-defining ‘Love Hangover’, and the side is completed with huge floor-fillers from Tavares and Barry White ahead of The Isley Brothers with the soul standard ‘Harvest For The World’ and over on the final side country music is represented with Dolly Parton making her UK singles chart debut with ‘Jolene’ three years after it was a hit in the US, but it was a Dutch band, Pussycat, who hit the top with their country-pop track ‘Mississippi’. Bonnie Tyler made her chart debut with ‘Lost In France’, and ‘Forever And Ever’ gave Demis Roussos a ’76 chart topper, and an easy-listening classic, whilst Guys N Dolls had a second Top 5 hit with their cover of ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’. The LP ends with a trio of the year’s most beautiful ballads: Gallagher And Lyle with ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, ‘Love And Affection’ the stunning singles chart debut for Joan Armatrading, and finishing with a second peerless single on this collection from Elton John with ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’.



NOW – Yearbook 1976 – a celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a truly fabulous year in pop.

Ihr erstes Live-Album "Live At The Valley Of The Temples" hat das weltweit erfolgreiche italienische Trio IL VOLO vor der beeindruckenden Kulisse des Tempels der Concordia aufgenommen - einem der bedeutendsten Monumente im berühmten Tal der Tempel in Agrigento, der italienischen Kulturhauptstadt 2025. Musikalisch haben sich die drei Tenöre Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto und Gianluca Ginoble dabei vom Lebensgefühl ihres Heimatlandes Italien inspirieren lassen Mit der Verbindung von neapolitanischen Liedern wie "'O Sole Mio" oder "Vida de Mi Vida" und Opernhits wie "Nessun Dorma" und Klassikern aus Pop und Filmmusik, gelang ihnen eine mitreißende Konzertnacht voller magischer Momente. Ein besonderes Highlight ist das berühmte, wie mitreißende "Libiamo ne'lieti valici" aus Verdis "La Traviata" mit Star-Sopranistin Pretty Yende. Auch neue Versionen von Hits aus ihrer bisherigen Karriere finden auf "Live At The Valley Of The Temples" ihren Platz. Darunter auch "Capolavoro" aus ihrem letzten Studioalbum "Ad Astra", das 2024 beim Sanremo-Festival präsentiert wurde und die Herzen ihres weltweiten Publikums eroberte.

Die Alternative Rocker Pinkshift aus Baltimore, inspiriert vom Grunge der 90er, Pop-Punk der 2000er, Riot Grrl, Punkrock und Post-Hardcore, sind mit ihrem zweiten Album zurück. Aufgenommen von Sänger*in Ashrita Kumar (they/them), dem Gitarristen Paul Vallejo (he/him) und dem Schlagzeuger Myron Houngbedji (he/him) ist "Earthkeeper" konzeptionell aufgeladen und warnt: "The year is 2025. We are living in the mass surveillance state, where they are watching you. They are watching everything you do. They know where you live, they know who you talk to, they know what you like -they know what you look like. You better not slip up." Nach mehr als zwei Jahren unermüdlichen Tourens an der Seite von Bands wie Mannequin Pussy, PUP, The Linda Lindas, Jigsaw Youth, Pussy Riot und Origami Angel, sind Pinkshift nicht mehr dieselben Menschen, die sie waren, als sie 2022 ihr Debüt Love Me Forever veröffentlichten. Sie sind gewachsen, gereift und haben sich durch ihre Erfahrungen verändert. Pinkshift stehen für Einigkeit, Kollektivität, Gemeinschaft und Aktion, aber vor allem hofft das Trio aus Maryland, dass ihre neuen Songs auch eine persönlichere, emotionale Resonanz haben werden. Ice Blue LP oder Digipak-CD

2025 Repress


Ash Ra Tempel is the eponymous debut studio album by the Krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel. It features guitarist Manuel Göttsching with drummer Klaus Schulze and bassist Hartmut Enke.
Engineered by Conny Plank it was recorded in March 1971 and released in June 1971 on Ohr Records.

This 50Th Anniversary Album will be Released in Memoriam of all the Musical Contributors to this Release and on Manuel Göttsching´s MG.ART label. It´s the fourth and headlining edition in this series and was finalised, carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching himself in the late Autumn of 2022.

Much has been written about the record and band.

Having finished a first musical chapter with their Steeple Chase Bluesband and still at very young age of only 17 and 18 years old Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke met Klaus Schulze. Together they started to write and and compose what, to many, became one the holy grails of Psychedelic Rock and early Electronic Music -
the German variant which was later also named "Krautrock":

Ash Ra Tempel´s self-titled first album "Ash Ra Tempel".

"The trio of Klaus Schulze, Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke decided to abandon conventional composition and song writing, in favour of free-form improvising and developing a new musical language. As such, they became notorious for jams that could exceed 30 minutes." Says Discogs. "Some of these recordings can be found on Manuel Göttsching´s "The Private Tapes" releases", which will be re-released on MG.ART as well, following this edition.

"Krautrocksampler" author Julian Cope mentioned it to be "… one of the greatest rock 'n' roll LPs ever made." (Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Reviews | Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel". 15 March 2000.)

AllMusic called the album "both astonishingly prescient and just flat out good, a logical extension of the space-jam-freakout ethos into rarified realms."

Here we would like the Band to be heard, for what can easily be said as the first time in 50+ years, with the exception of some early Journalists for whom the young Manuel Göttsching wrote a statement of intent (the original text can be found inside this edition) as following:

"Our musical concept is based on a combination of blues rock and delicate collages of electronic sound. These two elements should remain inseparable. And in their complex unity, the different musical philosophies of each musician find a common sweet spot. Our music is a permanently impulsive experience left to develop as it will, starting from a common fixed point of departure. This is where the difficulty of the music begins: No standardized formulation of our music can and should be possible. Only the constant reaction within the band can determine the musical result. And this requires constant listening with full concentration on the part of the creators. The idea of a particular musician will be - if flexible enough - absorbed by the others, transposed to their own instrument, and reflected back into the music as an individual contribution. This reciprocity within the band is then transferred over to the audience. And this process means that their reaction is not only a contribution to the end result; it actually makes them jointly responsible for the creation of the final musical product.
…
On our album, the track "Amboss" represents the first layer. Conventional instruments communicate familiar music which is in part expanded through electronic means. In the second track of the album - "Traummaschine" - the actual basic sound approach is dissolved into an electronic Nirvana which no longer allows the concrete identification of actual instruments. Innocent, virgin listening, free from any and every association, can finally begin - and the music can be absorbed and processed free from the limitations of categorization. That is the purpose of our music: To convey freedom without any predetermined criteria or traditions.

Thank you for your attention."
(Taken from the original A-R-T Bio 1970)


Hartmut Enke, Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze aka. Ash Ra Tempel travelled to Hamburg in March 1971 to record their debut, with assistance of another Icon, legendary engineer Conny Plank.
The rest is history.

2025 Repress

Ash Ra Tempel is the eponymous debut studio album by the Krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel. It features guitarist Manuel Göttsching with drummer Klaus Schulze and bassist Hartmut Enke.
Engineered by Conny Plank it was recorded in March 1971 and released in June 1971 on Ohr Records.

This 50Th Anniversary Album will be Released in Memoriam of all the Musical Contributors to this Release and on Manuel Göttsching´s MG.ART label. It´s the fourth and headlining edition in this series and was finalised, carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching himself in the late Autumn of 2022.

Much has been written about the record and band.

Having finished a first musical chapter with their Steeple Chase Bluesband and still at very young age of only 17 and 18 years old Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke met Klaus Schulze. Together they started to write and and compose what, to many, became one the holy grails of Psychedelic Rock and early Electronic Music -
the German variant which was later also named "Krautrock":

Ash Ra Tempel´s self-titled first album "Ash Ra Tempel".

"The trio of Klaus Schulze, Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke decided to abandon conventional composition and song writing, in favour of free-form improvising and developing a new musical language. As such, they became notorious for jams that could exceed 30 minutes." Says Discogs. "Some of these recordings can be found on Manuel Göttsching´s "The Private Tapes" releases", which will be re-released on MG.ART as well, following this edition.

"Krautrocksampler" author Julian Cope mentioned it to be "… one of the greatest rock 'n' roll LPs ever made." (Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Reviews | Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel". 15 March 2000.)

AllMusic called the album "both astonishingly prescient and just flat out good, a logical extension of the space-jam-freakout ethos into rarified realms."

Here we would like the Band to be heard, for what can easily be said as the first time in 50+ years, with the exception of some early Journalists for whom the young Manuel Göttsching wrote a statement of intent (the original text can be found inside this edition) as following:

"Our musical concept is based on a combination of blues rock and delicate collages of electronic sound. These two elements should remain inseparable. And in their complex unity, the different musical philosophies of each musician find a common sweet spot. Our music is a permanently impulsive experience left to develop as it will, starting from a common fixed point of departure. This is where the difficulty of the music begins: No standardized formulation of our music can and should be possible. Only the constant reaction within the band can determine the musical result. And this requires constant listening with full concentration on the part of the creators. The idea of a particular musician will be - if flexible enough - absorbed by the others, transposed to their own instrument, and reflected back into the music as an individual contribution. This reciprocity within the band is then transferred over to the audience. And this process means that their reaction is not only a contribution to the end result; it actually makes them jointly responsible for the creation of the final musical product.
…
On our album, the track "Amboss" represents the first layer. Conventional instruments communicate familiar music which is in part expanded through electronic means. In the second track of the album - "Traummaschine" - the actual basic sound approach is dissolved into an electronic Nirvana which no longer allows the concrete identification of actual instruments. Innocent, virgin listening, free from any and every association, can finally begin - and the music can be absorbed and processed free from the limitations of categorization. That is the purpose of our music: To convey freedom without any predetermined criteria or traditions.

Thank you for your attention."
(Taken from the original A-R-T Bio 1970)


Hartmut Enke, Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze aka. Ash Ra Tempel travelled to Hamburg in March 1971 to record their debut, with assistance of another Icon, legendary engineer Conny Plank.
The rest is history.

Recorded from late 1996 through early 1997, Hold Onto I.D., The Shadow Ring's fourth album, marks the apogee of the trio's experimental rock epoch - their last record clinging to their factitious bandness before they let all song and structure go awash in sonic malaise for their final run of releases on Swill Radio. The surrealist dreams of City Lights and Put the Music in Its Coffin give way to pseudo-expressionistic lyrics mired in the banality and bleakness of the everyday, set against the backdrop of the Coombe House (as pictured on the album's cover). While Hold Onto I.D. is the group's most overtly autobiographical release to date, Lambkin's lyrics obfuscate his expressionist tendencies filtering them through the codes and languages of officialdom, linking the "inner self" with documents of the state_identification cards, National Insurance numbers, and British passport numbers. Having moved out of their parents' homes and into the top floor of the famed Coombe House, Graham Lambkin and Darren Harris set out to rework material drafted over the previous year, aided by Tim Goss, still safely in residence at the "Valebrook Inn." While the familiar sounds of Harris's deadpan recitation and Lambkin's electric guitar, amateurishly strummed, dominate the album, the emotive interludes of Goss's keyboards populate the record along with of home-cooked tape experiments and dime-store concrète. Originally released on CD and supported by a US tour with friends Scott Foust and Karla Borecky's Idea Fire Company, Hold Onto I.D. is perhaps the band's best-known and most accessible album. (The Shadow Ring's sole representative on a streaming platform, it was once acknowledged by the Guardian as one of "the 101 strangest records on Spotify.") Offered here for the first time on vinyl, Hold Onto I.D. is an essential album for both completists and the uninitiated alike. Throughout their legendary, decade-long run, the Shadow Ring were an enigmatic force on the international musical sub-underground. Before their disbandment in 2002, this shambolic rock outfit, formed by a group of rowdy teenagers in southeast England, left behind a mighty run of eight LPs, a handful of 7"s, and a spate of raucous live shows and cryptic zine appearances on both sides of the Atlantic, all which have bolstered their enduring word-of-mouth mystique. Beginning in 2023 with the first-ever vinyl pressing of the self-released pre-Shadow Ring tape The Cat & Bells Club (1992), Blank Forms Editions has been conducting a systematic retrospective of the storied group. Wax-Work Echoes and Hold Onto I.D. are the latest releases in a multiyear reissue effort that includes several LPs, a comprehensive CD box set, and a nearly five-hundred-page book.

Originally conceived as a compilation of outtakes and live recordings from The Shadow Ring's 1995 stateside tour, Wax-Work Echoes takes its name from the first line of "Put the Music in Its Coffin," the title track of the group's breakthrough release. Lambkin abandons the bitsand- bobs approach, advancing the Shadow Ring concept with entirely original material that builds on the unit's self-mythologizing lyrics, celebrates the clicking of horse hooves, ponders on the sociability of rats and mice, and warns of the dangers of poultry. The first Shadow Ring album to officially include Tim Goss in the main lineup, Wax- Work Echoes reveals the group in its final and lasting form, awash in the outer bounds of atmospheric exploration, with Lambkin's familiar wry and morbid lyricism and the stripped-down angularity of amateurishly detuned guitars fully intact. While Klaus Canterbury and Tony Clark seem all but forgotten, and the shrugged off S. Fritz is listed on the liner notes as performing only "when required," Lambkin did solicit contributions from outside the inner circle. A bit of "Mambo Twist," lifted from a tape of unreleased Vitamin B12 material sent to Lambkin by Alasdair Willis, found its way into "V.E.R.M.I.N.," while an extended epistle contribution from Richard Youngs (and, technically, Brian Lavelle) would be employed in the second half of "Catching Sight/Of Passing Things." Released on CD in 1996 for Bruce Russell's newly minted Corpus Hermeticum, Wax-Work Echoes was recorded concurrently with intense rehearsal periods, in anticipation of the forthcoming "Rose Watson Tour," and was supported by a celebratory fanzine media blitz. The album seemingly absorbs the frenetic excess of the band's transatlantic travels; Wax-Work Echoes channels the trio's wilder instincts into an unresolved catharsis, not yet free of frustration or restlessness. Out of print for almost three decades and available here for the first time ever on long-playing disc, Wax-Work Echoes is a classic from the outer eddies of The Shadow Ring's sound, a must-have for any aficionado's collection: "A window slides, glass slips from frame / And canvas carcass breathes again." Throughout their legendary, decade-long run, the Shadow Ring were an enigmatic force on the international musical sub-underground. Before their disbandment in 2002, this shambolic rock outfit, formed by a group of rowdy teenagers in southeast England, left behind a mighty run of eight LPs, a handful of 7"s, and a spate of raucous live shows and cryptic zine appearances on both sides of the Atlantic, all which have bolstered their enduring word-of-mouth mystique. Beginning in 2023 with the first-ever vinyl pressing of the self-released pre-Shadow Ring tape The Cat & Bells Club (1992), Blank Forms Editions has been conducting a systematic retrospective of the storied group. Wax-Work Echoes and Hold Onto I.D. are the latest releases in a multiyear reissue effort that includes several LPs, a comprehensive CD box set, and a nearly five-hundred-page book.

Brazilian Psychedelic Rock Artist Firefriend via Cardinal Fuzz and Little Cloud Records announce a first time vinyl pressing for the classic - “999 to 666 ts Street” Prepare to take the long way through the void — Brazilian sonic architects Firefriend present the searing “999 to 666 TS Street”, a full-length LP that bends time, bleeds color, and dives deeper into the cracked corridors of psychedelic rock. With roots tangled deep in the underground of São Paulo and their eyes forever fixed on the cosmic unknown, Firefriend has carved out a space uniquely their own — a distorted dreamscape where shoegaze meets fuzz, noise folds into melody, and every track is a doorway. “999 to 666 TS Street” is a concept record that navigates a haunted psychogeography: an address etched between realities, where spiritual unrest collides with dystopian daydreams.

A Journey Through Sound and Shadow Drenched in fuzzed-out guitars, whispered vocals, analog synths, and pulsing rhythms, this LP sees the trio — Yury Hermuche (guitar/vocals), Julia Grassetti (bass/vocals), and Cacau Bandeira (drums) — begin to forge the fearless vision they seek. From the opening surge to the final fractured lullaby, “999 to 666 TS Street” is both a destination and a transmission: a call to the wanderers, the outsiders, and the seekers. But Firefriend's mission isn’t just sonic — it’s political.

As proudly left-wing artists with an internationalist vision, the band channels the disillusionment and resistance of a generation watching the world teeter. Their music radiates both critique and hope, connecting the dystopia of late capitalism with a dream of liberation. Whether playing São Paulo basements or European festivals, Firefriend brings an urgent message beneath the haze: solidarity is louder than silence. "This album is a street you can't find on any map — it's the place your mind goes when you turn the lights off," says frontman Yury Hermuche. "It's noise, beauty, and a little bit of danger." "We wanted to build a record that feels like a fever dream on vinyl," adds bassist Julia Grassetti. "Something physical, something that glows in the dark." About Firefriend Known for their hypnotic live shows and cult international following, Firefriend has shared stages with underground legends and graced the grooves of multiple celebrated independent releases.

They’ve become essential listening for fans of Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Velvet Underground — yet remain wholly, defiantly themselves. “999 to 666 TS Street” marks the start and is another milestone in their prolific catalog, pushing the limits of psychedelic rock while remaining anchored in the beautifully bleak emotionalism that defines their sound. Beneath the distortion lies a worldview — anti-authoritarian, borderless, and defiantly alive.

Brainfeeder stellt Tres Leches vor - ein Trio herzzerreißender Troubadoure, bestehend aus Paul Bender und Simon Mavin von Hiatus Kaiyote, ergänzt durch das tourende Bandmitglied und dem langjährigen Kollaborateur, Alejandro „Silentjay“ Abapo - und ihr kommendes Album, „The Smooth Sounds of Tres Leches, LHCC Mart Vol. 1“, das Mitte August 2025 auf dem Label erscheint.

Liebevoll aufgenommen und abgemischt in verschiedenen Hotelzimmern an den freien Tagen einer Nordamerika-Tournee, drehen Tres Leches die Lichter herunter und interpretieren Hiatus Kaiyote-Evergreens wie „Get Sun“, „Red Room“, „Make Friends“, „Nakamarra“ und mehr neu, um Leidenschaften zu wecken, die Sinne zu entzünden und die wilde Bestie in sich zu beruhigen. Ursprünglich als Soundtrack zu einem imaginären Supermarkt für „Love Heart Cheat Code“ gedacht, nahmen diese schwülen und sinnlichen Interpretationen der Hiatus Kaiyote-Tracks bald ein Eigenleben an. Hiatus Kaiyote - das Quartett bestehend aus Naomi „Nai Palm“ Saalfield (Gitarre, Gesang), Paul Bender (Bass), Simon Mavin (Keyboards) und Perrin Moss (Schlagzeug) - wurde von vielen bekannten Namen gesampelt, darunter The Carters (Beyoncé & Jay-Z), Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak und Chance The Rapper. Außerdem wurden sie von gefeierten Künstler:innen wie SZA, Kehlani, Willow Smith und Virgil Abloh unter Vertrag genommen. Letzten Herbst coverte Doja Cat die „Mood Valiant“-Single, „Red Room“, in der Live Lounge in Los Angeles und spielte den Song auch mehrfach auf ihrer damaligen Tour.

Auf COOKUP interpretiert Sam Gendel R&B-, Rap- und Soul-Hits, die ursprünglich zwischen 1992 und 2004 veröffentlicht wurden.

Wie schon sein Nonesuch-Debüt SATIN DOLL aus dem Jahr 2020 entstand COOKUP in Gendels Heimat Kalifornien, aufgenommen zusammen mit seinen Freunden und musikalischen Partnern Gabe Noel und Philippe Melanson.

Das Trio hat das Ausgangsmaterial erneut größtenteils live im Studio dekonstruiert und neu zusammengesetzt. Diesmal sind es Songs von Meshell Ndegeocello, Ginuwine, 112, Aaliyah, All-4-One, Soul 4
Real, Beyoncé, Joe, Erykah Badu, Mario, SWV und Boyz II Men.

"Saxophonist und Produzent Sam Gendel bewegt sich in einer völlig anderen Welt - einer schrägen Galaxie voller Loops und flirrendem Saxophon." - New York Times

"Ein raffiniert virtuoser Künstler. Pickt man sich zufällig einen Brocken aus Gendels Diskografie heraus, kann man abgefahrenen Free Jazz genauso erwischen wie schwülen R&B." - Pitchfork

2025 Repress

Laurie Torres is a Canadian musician and composer raised in Montréal, Québec by Haitian parents. Since 2008, she has been a trusted stage and studio performer for Julia Jacklin, Pomme, and Land of Talk, as well as being a founding member of Folly & The Hunter, with whom she recorded four studio albums and toured Canada, Europe and the UK.

In 2023, Laurie shifted focus to work on her own creations, a process of making time - the will and the need becoming omnipresent. Drawing creative inspiration from contemporary artists like Tirzah, Gia Margaret, Valentina Magaletti, Tara Clerkin Trio and ML Buch, 'Après coup' finds Torres intersecting at a pivotal moment where artists whose marginalized identities are at the forefront in creating a beautiful array of "other options".

"Being othered and tokenized as a woman who plays music, as well as a queer and black person, takes a toll, while also positively feeding a strong urge to push and be seen."

Centering around piano, drums and synthesizer with interweaving field recordings, 'Après coup' follows the precursor ep 'Correspondances' in the form of a sprawling 11-track album. Translating directly from French - afterwards, after the event - its title subliminally points at something deeper between the lines. Recorded in 2023 between tours in a small window of time where 'normal' life hadn't quite recommenced, Torres meticulously crafted her debut solo material in view of surrounding nature, all providing the perfect nourishment for long streams of improvisation. Built right up to the edge of a lake, Studio Wild in St-Zénon, Québec offered an unparalleled location and set up for her freeform creativity.

Instrumental music seemed like a natural response and evolution for Torres who had long basked in the world of "pop music" as she elaborates: "I had an urge to use creativity as a sort of resting place, a place where things can unfold slowly and take time to reveal themselves. In other worlds words, I felt the need to make something slower, more elusive"

The immediacy of Torres' recorded takes doubled with minimal overdubs create a fiercely direct, intimate and unpolished lo-fi beauty. 'Après coup' then is self-reflective, open and inclusive with Torres allowing herself to be fully seen. An album to be felt at close distance with unrivalled authenticity. This album stands as a testament to Laurie's artistic evolution and serves as a beacon, inspiring her to continue nurturing her own creative pursuits and finding exhilarating freedom.

Auf »Necessary Fictions« zeigt das Trio GoGo Penguin, das seit seiner Gründung Jazz, klassische Musik und elektronische Einflüsse miteinander verbindet, was es aktuell als seine »wesentlichen, authentischen Qualitäten empfindet«. Das führt zu einem verstärkten Einsatz modularer Synthesizer in seinem Sound.

GoGo Penguin, zu denen seit der Pandemie der Schlagzeuger Jon Scott gehört, luden erstmals einige Gastmusiker für ihr neues Albumprojekt dazu: das achtköpfige Streicherensemble Manchester Collective unter der Leitung der künstlerischen Direktorin und Geigerin Rakhi Singh sowie den Singer-Songwriter Daudi Matsiko.
»Necessary Fictions« wurde so ein Album voller ambitionierter neuer Entwicklungen – von einer Band, die vollkommen im Reinen mit sich selbst ist: selbstbewusst genug, um sich auf Zusammenarbeit einzulassen, gespannt darauf, wohin die Reise als Nächstes geht, und voller Lust, dabei auch Spaß zu haben. »Mir ist sehr bewusst aufgefallen, wie oft ich im Studio beim Aufnehmen gelächelt habe“, sagt Illingworth, „und ich lächle jetzt gerade, wenn ich nur daran denke. Ich hoffe, diese Energie überträgt sich auf die Menschen.«

Für »Necessary Fictions« konnten sie ihr eigenes Studio in Manchester in einen stimmungsvollen Treffpunkt verwandeln – einen angenehmen Ort, an dem man gerne Zeit verbringt, mit Kunstwerken, Fotografien und anderen Bildern an den Wänden, die als Anregung und Inspiration dienten. Illingworth und Blacka waren dort so gut wie jeden Tag über zwölf Monate hinweg im Jahr 2024; dann kam Scott, der in London lebt, nach Manchester, um mit den beiden festen Größen von GGP zu arbeiten, sobald sie bereit für seinen rhythmischen Input waren. Der Titel des Albums stammt aus dem Buch »The Middle Passage - From Misery to Meaning in Midlife« des Psychoanalytikers James Hollis, das, wie Nick sagt, »sehr jungsche Sachen über das Schatten-Ich und verborgene Persona präsentiert. Man fängt an zu denken, ‚Moment mal, da ist ein authentisches Ich, tief drinnen irgendwo!«. »Musikalisch«, ergänzt er, »war es der gleiche Prozess, die gleiche Reise, einige der Dinge abzulegen, an die wir uns gewöhnt hatten und die uns zurückhielten.«

Der gesamte Veränderungsprozess ihrer musikalischen Entwicklung wird von einem Track auf »Necessary Fictions« zusammengefasst, der bezeichnenderweise den Titel »What We Are And What We Are Meant To Be« trägt. »Es ist wirklich einfach, wirklich melodisch«, erklärt Nick. »Es ist kein Showoff, wie ‚Hey, schaut mal, was für Skills wir haben und wie großartig wir sind!‘ Es gibt nicht einmal Improvisation darin. Bassmäßig hat es einfach einen Bass-Synthesizer wie ein Dance-Track. Ein Teil von mir denkt immer noch: ‚Was werden die Leute denken?‘ Dann gibt es einen anderen Teil, der einfach denkt: ‚Was soll‘s, die können denken, was sie wollen! Das ist das, was wir gerade machen wollen, und es fühlt sich authentisch an.‘«

Für Chris Illingworth hingegen bestand ihre Reise darin, weiter in eine Welt vorzudringen, die ihn immer schon angezogen hat, nämlich Synthesizer. »Ich bin früher oft live zu Leuten gegangen, die auftraten, wie Underworld, The Prodigy, Orbital, sogar Nine Inch Nails, und ich habe all ihr Equipment auf der Bühne gesehen, und ein Teil von mir dachte: ‚Verdammt, das sieht nach Spaß aus!‘« Illingworth und Blacka blieben jedoch weiterhin äußerst vorsichtig, was das willkürliche Einfügen von schrillen Sounds betrifft. »Wir wollten nicht, dass es wie ein Gimmick wirkt«, erklärt Chris. »Es musste einen Grund geben – und für uns war das der Wunsch, an bestimmten Stellen den Charakter der Musik zu verändern.«

GoGo Penguin hatte schon immer einen erzählerischen, filmischen Ansatz in ihrer Musik – weit entfernt von simplen Strophe-Refrain-Strukturen, inspiriert von Debussys »Préludes« bis hin zu Underworlds »Pearl’s Girl«. Auf »Necessary Fictions« nimmt diese Klang-Erzählkunst nun deutlich größere Dimensionen an – mit spürbar mehr Raffinesse.
GoGo Penguin graben nun selbstbewusst tief in sich hinein, um ihr bestes Selbst hervorzubringen und andere Talente in ihre harmonische Klangwelt einzubeziehen. Mit »Necessary Fictions« bewegen sich die Drei auf neuen Pfaden – und ja, es ist völlig in Ordnung, dabei zu lächeln.

Die Bewaffneten sind zurück und präsentieren "The Future Is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed", dem Nachfolgewerk des von der Kritik hochgelobten Albums "Perfect Saviors" von 2023. The Armed sind Post Hardcore Non-Conceptual Alternative Metalpop! Nach der Fertigstellung der Alben-Triologie, die sich auf die Analyse der künstlerischen Authentizität im Informationszeitalter konzentrierte, begannen The Armed mit der Arbeit an neuem Material, ohne vorher festgelegte Regeln oder Konzepte, sondern nur mit neuem Druck und Dringlichkeit, um eine neue Ära für das Post-Hardcore-Kollektiv einzuläuten. Das Ergebnis ist ein wütendes und konfrontierendes Album, ein ungefilterter Ausdruck von Weltschmerz, ein deutscher Begriff, der den Schmerz über die Realität der Welt im Gegensatz zu unseren idealisierten Visionen von dem, was sie sein sollte, beschreibt. "Diese Platte ist eine Absage an sanierte, für den Geschmack der oberen Mittelschicht kuratierte Rebellion", erklärt Sänger Tony Wolski. "Es ist Musik für eine statistisch wohlhabende Bevölkerung, die sich irgendwie kein Essen oder keine Medikamente leisten kann und endlos durch Urlaubsfotos, Fitnessstudio-Selfies und Bilder von amputierten Kindern im selben Feed scrollt. Sie spiegelt die Abgrenzung wider, die man braucht, um in dieser Realität zu existieren." Die Waffen von The Armed sind weiterhin ihr Kanalisierung von Wut über die unfassbaren Umstände in ungewöhnliche Songs mit innovativen Sounddesign und ihr fester Glaube an das Miteinander, was sich im Gedanken des Kollektivs, aber auch an den vielen Kollaborateur*innen festmachen lässt. Mit Beiträgen von Ken Szymanski, Patrick Shiroishi, Urian Hackney, Kurt Ballou, Troy Van Leeuwen, Meghan O'Neil, Cara Drolshagen, Tony Wolski, Brian Wolski, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Ben Chisholm, Prostitute, Zach Weeks, Mark Guiliana, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, and Derek Coburn. Inklusive der Singles "Well Made Play", "Kingbreaker" und "Sharp Teeth" LP & LP Ltd im Gatefold mit bedruckten Innenhüllen & 44seitigem Booklet, CD als 6-panel-digipak!

Limitiertes Cloudy clear with yellow, green and pink splatter Vinyl mit 44-Seiten-Booklet! Die Bewaffneten sind zurück und präsentieren "The Future Is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed", dem Nachfolgewerk des von der Kritik hochgelobten Albums "Perfect Saviors" von 2023. The Armed sind Post Hardcore Non-Conceptual Alternative Metalpop! Nach der Fertigstellung der Alben-Triologie, die sich auf die Analyse der künstlerischen Authentizität im Informationszeitalter konzentrierte, begannen The Armed mit der Arbeit an neuem Material, ohne vorher festgelegte Regeln oder Konzepte, sondern nur mit neuem Druck und Dringlichkeit, um eine neue Ära für das Post-Hardcore-Kollektiv einzuläuten. Das Ergebnis ist ein wütendes und konfrontierendes Album, ein ungefilterter Ausdruck von Weltschmerz, ein deutscher Begriff, der den Schmerz über die Realität der Welt im Gegensatz zu unseren idealisierten Visionen von dem, was sie sein sollte, beschreibt. "Diese Platte ist eine Absage an sanierte, für den Geschmack der oberen Mittelschicht kuratierte Rebellion", erklärt Sänger Tony Wolski. "Es ist Musik für eine statistisch wohlhabende Bevölkerung, die sich irgendwie kein Essen oder keine Medikamente leisten kann und endlos durch Urlaubsfotos, Fitnessstudio-Selfies und Bilder von amputierten Kindern im selben Feed scrollt. Sie spiegelt die Abgrenzung wider, die man braucht, um in dieser Realität zu existieren." Die Waffen von The Armed sind weiterhin ihr Kanalisierung von Wut über die unfassbaren Umstände in ungewöhnliche Songs mit innovativen Sounddesign und ihr fester Glaube an das Miteinander, was sich im Gedanken des Kollektivs, aber auch an den vielen Kollaborateur*innen festmachen lässt. Mit Beiträgen von Ken Szymanski, Patrick Shiroishi, Urian Hackney, Kurt Ballou, Troy Van Leeuwen, Meghan O'Neil, Cara Drolshagen, Tony Wolski, Brian Wolski, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Ben Chisholm, Prostitute, Zach Weeks, Mark Guiliana, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, and Derek Coburn. Inklusive der Singles "Well Made Play", "Kingbreaker" und "Sharp Teeth" LP & LP Ltd im Gatefold mit bedruckten Innenhüllen & 44seitigem Booklet, CD als 6-panel-digipak!

Folk-Musik hat die schlechte Angewohnheit, als eine todernste Angelegenheit dargestellt zu werden. Sie ist etwas, zu dem man weint, sie ist übermäßig heilig, sie ist feierlich von Kritikern und Historikern betrachtet. Aber das Folk Bitch Trio, die ehemaligen Highschool-Freundinnen Heide Peverelle (,they/them"), Jeanie Pilkington (,she/her") und Gracie Sinclair (,she/her"), haben einen gemeinsamen Sinn für Humor , der tief in ihre Musik eingebettet ist und sie zum Leuchten bringt, sicher vor den selbsternsten Fallen des Genres. Now Would Be A Good Time, ihr Debütalbum, erzählt lebendige, viszerale Geschichten und ist witzig und dunkel-ironisch in der Art von Schriftstellerinnen wie Mary Gaitskill oder Otessa Moshfegh. Ihre Musik klingt vertraut, aber die Songs sind modern, jugendlich, singen akut durch dissoziative Tagträume und ärgerliche Trennungen, sexuelle Fantasien und Medienüberflutung, all die belanglosen Ressentiments und kleinen Demütigungen, die Anfang zwanzig in den 2020ern sind. ,Cathode Ray" beginnt mit Vorsicht, seine ersten Harmonien kommen in großen, schleifenden Seufzern an. Es ist verletzlich, aber auch ein wenig bedrohlich, mit , einem weit offenen Refrain und einem geräumigen, luftigen Beat, der alles verankert. ,Moth Song", ein Song über unerwiderte Liebe und ,von so durchgedreht zu sein, dass man sich wie im Wahn fühlt und verrückte Dinge halluziniert", bildet das sparsame Herzstück des Albums, wobei Anita Clarks wogende Geigenstimme wie in einem Traum in den Fokus hinein- und wieder herausdriftet. Andere Songs sind nicht so schräg, sondern schildern brutal vertraute Momente am Ende von Beziehungen: Der spannungsgeladene, emotional flüchtige Torch-Song ,The Actor" handelt laut Peverelle davon, ,zur One-Woman-Show deines Partners zu gehen und dann Schluss zu machen". In ,Hotel TV", einer hypnotischen, nächtlichen Träumerei, geht es darum, ,einen Sextraum über zu haben, während man neben seinem Partner sitzt, und der Partner ist ein Lügner", erklärt Pilkington. Die stärkste Verbindung zwischen dem Trio, abgesehen von der Freundschaft, ist Musik. ,Wir haben alle darüber gesprochen, dass wir Musik liebten, als wir aufwuchsen, , und dass wir wussten, dass Musik ein großer Teil unseres Lebens sein sollte", sagt Pilkington. Dieses Gefühl, dass Musik eine angeborene Berufung ist, im Gegensatz zu Hobby oder Torheit, war berechtigt: Das Folk Bitch Trio tourte bereits auf durch Australien, Europa und die USA und unterstützte dabei so unterschiedliche Bands wie King Gizzard, Alex G und Julia Jacklin. Sie haben bei Jagjaguwar unterschrieben, einer Heimat für einzigartige Ikonen und Ikonoklasten (Bon Iver, Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, UMO und andere), und sie haben ihre ersten eingefleischten Fans mit schillernden Harmonien und bissiger Lyrik gefunden, die über Genreerwartungen und Publikumsgrenzen hinausgehen. Das sind die Herausforderungen: Es geht darum zu lernen, wie man ein Leben ohne Liebeskummer und Verlierer-Ex lebt, wann man im zeitgenössischen Nihilismus versinkt und wann man mit seinen Freunden lacht, und warum sich das Leben so flüchtig und unwirklich anfühlen kann. In diesem Sinne fühlt sich Now Would Be A Good Time wie ein Handbuch für das moderne Leben an: eine Botschaft dreier stolzer Folk Bitches, die gemeinsam Schönheit und Weisheit finden, wo sie können.

Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.

At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.

There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.

The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.

The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Chinese Man revisits We've Been Here Before with a special expanded and reimagined edition. On the menu: unreleased tracks, remixes, live versions, and original reinterpretations featuring special guests such as La Yegros, OBF, and Chill Bump. This rework offers a fresh perspective on the trio's universe, driven by remixes from Manudigital, G?EG, and Lorkestra, who bring a wave of modern energy to the group's iconic tracks. The album also revisits Chinese Man's classics, including a brand-new version of Get Up and a powerful live performance of the legendary I've Got That Tune, featuring General Elektriks. A touch of the past, a bold step into the future - this shape-shifting album is a heartfelt anniversary gift.

The highly anticipated 3rd full-length by this Finnish band. Morbific is a rotten-to-the-core Death Metal trio deformed in the filthy and profaned boneyard of Kitee in early 2020, featuring Olli (guitar), Jusa (vocals / bass) and Onni (drums). The band’s Pestilent Hordes demo was unleashed in the summer of 2020, and it rapidly gained them some following amongst the finest gourmets of the variety of festering, moldering and disgusting Death Metal that’s malignantly influenced by Autopsy, Rottrevore, Deteriorot, Mortician, Grave, Maimed, Undergang, Impetigo and ancient Finnish masters of death and decay, such as Funebre and Disgrace. Shortly after, in the spring of 2021, the debut full-length Ominous Seep of Putridity saw the odious light of day to unanimous praise by both the fans and the media. Just a year later, and now aligned with Memento Mori, Morbific released their second full-length, Squirm Beyond the Mortal Realm. Aptly titled, the album quickly became a cult favorite of utterly uncomfortable, slimy Death Metal. Now, Morbific are prepared to eclipse such a sewer-dwelling “highwater” mark with Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh. Whereas its not-inconsiderable predecessor confronted the listener with a blown-out, almost demo-level feel, the Finns’ third full-length proves that they can move and mesmerize and maim no matter what the soundfield is. And on Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh, it’s a raw-yet-robust show of strength, “classic” Death Metal production in a most late 80’s fashion; just witness that gurgling, fuzz-tinged bass and feel its radioactive waves envelope you. But production is one thing and songwriting is another, and with the latter, Morbific are truly hitting their stride here. Lumbering and stomping, with well-timed bouts of disgusting gallop or even ragged blasts, their songwriting twists and indeed squirms with off-kilter insanity; some would call it chaos, if not for the exceptionally tight musicianship on display here, with the sum result being an uncomfortableness that bubbles up from a deeper gutter. Thankfully, Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh conveys its dark, disgusting and unconventional aura across every element -said chops simply heighten these sensations- and is, thus far, Morbific’s best melding of form and content. Cro-Magnon as ever but somehow enlightened in the creepiest sense possible, Morbific continue their reputation as Finland’s filthiest and Death Metal’s untrendiest weirdoes. Vividly captured by Chase Slaker’s cover artwork, Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh is the foulest stench only for the brave!

Recorded live in one session at age 18, this album helped launch Tania Maria's career as an acclaimed Brazilian jazz artist, celebrated for her virtuoso combination of piano and vocals. Produced by Romeo Nunes (Meirelles e Os Copa 5, Rio 65 Trio, Elis Regina, Elza Soares), the album features the pioneering Edison Machado, who transformed samba and was instrumental in the development of Bossa Nova through his groundbreaking "samba no prato" (samba on the cymbals) technique. His work helped shape the sounds of Jobim, Getz, and Milton Nascimento. On guitar is the legendary Neco, who played on over 500 albums. Initially self-taught, he later studied under maestros Guerra Peixe and Moacir Santos. He collaborated with icons like Elis Regina and Chico Buarque, and was a member of Os Ipanemas, Os Catedráticos, and Os Gatos. His solo work includes Velvet Bossa Nova (1966), which became an acid jazz favorite. The album features compositions by Caetano Veloso and Marcos Valle,alongside early samba classics.

Blending Brazilian rhythms with elements of samba, bossanova, and jazz fusion,it captures the early development of Tania Maria's signature style. Born in São Luís, Brazil in 1948,Tania Maria began playing piano at age seven. She learned samba, jazz, and chorinho through her father's weekend jam sessions. Leading her own band by age13, she performed across the region while collecting records from influential artists. Though she earned a law degree and started a family,her passion for musicu ltimately won out—she left law to pursue music full-time.

"World of Pooh immensely brightened the dark corners of San Francisco, California during the years 1983-1990, with their most recognized guise being the MMF trio that existed & thrived during the years 1986-1990. This is the lineup you’ll hear documented on this exceptional collection of 45s, compilation tracks and assorted ephemera. The band has ranged from being a footnote for some (“is that the band Barbara Manning was once in?”) to a fondly-regarded memory for others (“the Land of Thirst album is a forgotten classic”) to a turnstile, door-opening band for still others — like me. They arrived in my life as they were slowly exiting theirs, and I eagerly attended a half-dozen shows of theirs circa 1989-90 around San Francisco moments after I moved there. They were instantly my favorite local band, one I was instantly duty-bound to see whenever & wherever they played. Their jagged and discombobulated take on underground pop music was exceptionally fertile, feral and fetching, and it served as a personal gateway drug that flowered my own appreciation for many different kinds of subtle musical tension.
I also spent at least five glorious years watching Jay Paget, who drummed for World of Pooh and later the Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, ply his rhythmic trade with much aplomb. He was always a steady hand behind the musical wheel of innovative bands who often threatened to careen off course. And I’ll admit to an untoward admiration of (and fascination with) World of Pooh founder, guitarist and singer Brandan Kearney from the moment I met the guy. Not only was he exceptionally friendly and welcoming to a carpetbagging interloper quickly trying to horn in on his scene (me), he was at once one of the most quick-witted, self-deprecating, highly intelligent & musically conversant people I’d ever met. Everything he and his band were doing, along with the mind-boggling DIY gunk he was pushing through his record label, Nuf Sed, and via his multiple other bands (among them: Caroliner & Archipelago Brewing Company, with several more to follow), made me extremely curious and not a tiny bit jealous about these wiser, weirder and musically more daring freaks who were making art, love & war in the relatively grittier & non-gentrified San Francisco of the day.
What I’ve learned in the 35 years since the band broke up is just how highly regarded they were (and remain) by not only those who saw them, but by a now-considerably larger group of humans who’ve subsequently heard & loved their records. I know that their place in the late 1980s was a small but special one, and I’ve seen plenty of online clamoring for more, more, more about this ephemeral and poorly-documented band. And rightly, here it is, lovingly assembled: their two hard-to-come-by 45s, a handful of comp tracks, and a quartet of phenomenal songs just coming to light for the first time, including that Half Japanese cover that dimly existed in my memory as a live song they naturally pulled off with sangfroid, from a time and space when we were all a little younger. - Jay Hinman"

3XL’s first new release in 2025 by Italian trio Cortex of Light is a synapse-tickling dose of classic FSOL-era world-building that takes in gloopy trance cooked down with sub-heavy, vaporous dub, mutant acid, breakbeat rave, Artificial Intelligence and a Mark Fell-style algorithmic brainmelt.

You'll know if you've spent any time following Piezo's output that the Milan-based producer and Ansia boss has a knack for lysergically enhancing any club template he sets his sights on. With releases on Idle Hands, Wisdom Teeth, Loefah's 81 and most recently Dekmantel, Luca Mucci has blottered up dubstep, hard drum, 2-step and minimal techno, here re-convening with fellow Milanese journeymen Aitch and primordial OOze/xàr num as Cortex of Light to blur those edges even further

'ILLUMINOTECNICA' isn't the trio's first release, but it's their most substantial and easily most developed. If 2024's 'Aeon Is A Child At Play With Colored Balls' showed off their aptitude for threading their luminous soundscapes into a horizontal soundtrack, then this album is a proper chance for Cortex of Light to show off their versatility in a different setting, matching dancefloor hallucinations with expertly sculpted sound design.

Psilocybin-tainted soundscapes scrape into breathy flute sounds and chest-thumping bass drops on the opener, haunted by a vision of electronic music that's been contrived in back rooms, squats and outdoor raves for decades at this point. Like so much of the rest of the 3XL catalog, there's a drive and coherence here that comes from classic dub techno and chill-out room fodder (think The Black Dog or Pentatonik), but always infused with something that dates it to the present era, be it a tactile sliver of Visible Cloaks-style neo-new age ambience, or a sort of mescaline-dipped take on Photek's bass-heavy, meticulously hazed 'Solaris' period downtempo gear, chopped 'n screwed into the uncanny.

Novoa/Kamaguchi/Cleaver Trio Delivers Electrifying Second Volume
A Bold, Experimental Fusion of Density and Dialogue

"The wait is over. If you’ve been holding your breath since hearing Novoa/Kamaguchi/Cleaver Trio, Vol. 1, it is time to let it out. Vol. 2 is almost here! The group has returned to 577 Records once more, serving a heaping second helping of addictive musical brilliance that comes out in May.

Even The Wire magazine celebrated the trio's first album, calling it “a deep and thoughtful release” – and Vol. 2 is no different. Eva Novoa is the Barcelona-born pianist/composer taking the world by storm with her creativity and talent. And she is back to wow us again on the piano, Fender Rhodes, Chinese gongs, and a little whistling.

To complete the trio, she chose her longtime comrade and collaborator of some fifteen years, bassist Masa Kamaguchi, and Detroit drum wizard Gerald Cleaver. The group has performed live in NYC since 2017. They made their first record (Vol. 1) with 577 Records in 2024. Their highly anticipated Vol. 2 marks Eva's fourth album with the label.

In their upcoming release, Novoa steers the trio through elegant experimentation of its full potential, confidently grasping golden threads from great masters of music to shape her own melodic universe. The multi-instrumentalist says it’s where melodic density meets contrapuntal dialogue, a free interplay of rich textures and riveting, masterly improvisation. This smooth complexity is what gives rise to the group’s uniqueness.

Like Vol. 1, the album cover art features the work of Novoa’s friend and collaborator, popular street photographer Richard Sandler."

Eva Novoa - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Chinese Gongs & Whistling.
Masa Kamaguchi - Bass.
Gerald Cleaver - Drums.

Recorded on January 19, 2020 at Oktaven Audio, Mount Vernon, NY by Jeremy Loucas.
Mixed and mastered by Jeremy Loucas at Sear Sound, New York City.
Photography by Richard Sandler.
Graphic design by Sergio Vezzali.
Graphic support by Mark Smith.

NON EXCL LP , Black Vinyl

The Soulful Trio, a band from Barcelona made up of three musicians with an international background (Spain, Holland, Argentina, USA, France) after playing their repertoire live in different venues for several months, with their songs well shot, have decided to record "Said & Done", in one of the best studios of Barcelona, nine original compositions of Soul-Jazz with derivations towards funk and blues.

Music reminiscent of the classics of the Hammond B3 organ trio such as Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Lonnie Smith, Richard “Groove” Holmes or Big John Patton, reinventing the sound and bringing it closer to today with their vibrant fusion of genres full of energy.

Enjoy this instrumental Soul-Jazz album with these young veterans Homero Tolosa (drums), Pablo Sánchez (guitar) and Lucas Herrera Fernández (Hammond B3) in all their splendor with their respective instruments including the exciting & dynamic sounds of the Hammond B3, the great electric guitar groove of solos and huge variety of rhythms, playing a music that is always intense and made from their hearts.

Das meisterhafte Zusammenspiel des Trios, das sich auf eine ausgefeilte Kommunikation zu dritt und einen raffnierten Sinn für Understatement stützt, macht Fred Herschs dritte Aufnahme für ECM zu einem unverzichtbaren Beitrag zum Klaviertrio-Kanon. Zusammen mit Drew Gress am Bass und Joey Baron am Schlagzeug, zwei langjährigen Weggefährten, die seit den späten 80er bzw. frühen 90er Jahren immer wieder mit ihm zusammenspielen, nimmt sich Hersch eine Handvoll Kompositionen des 20. Jahrhunderts vor - von Standards bis hin zu seltener gespielten Jazztiteln. Dazu kommen drei Eigenkompositionen, „Ich habe das Gefühl, dass man auf dieser Platte wirklich die Geschichte hört“, merkt der Pianist an. „Ich hoffe, dass die Leute die Reife der Interaktion, die Klangwelt und die Sensibilität im Spiel spüren können.“ Freds eigene Stücke bestechen durch ihre lyrische Intensität, leuchten mit ausgefeilten Harmonien und verwobenem Kontrapunkt in „Plainsong“, zeitloser melodischer Erfindung im Titelstück „The Surrounding Green“ und unwiderstehlichem Latin-Groove in „Anticipation“. Der Ansatz des Trios bei Ornette Colemans „Law Years“ ist eine frei swingende Angelegenheit, während Egberto Gismontis „Palhaço“ eine elegante Reise durchdachter Trio-Interaktion darstellt. Und bei „Embraceable You“ von den Gebrüdern Gershwin glänzen der Pianist und seine Begleiter mit ansteckender Nonchalance. Mit viel Hingabe an die eindringliche Qualität der melancholischen Melodie erkundet das Trio Charlie Hadens „

Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.

At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.

There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.

The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.

The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

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

info: A brand new Funky Shit 45 here. Siberian trio Shaika Ninja has released their album "MEXICO" at digital 2 years ago and here is 2 bangers from it first time on 45!

When the trio of Sontag Shogun gathered at Laura Naukkarinen's home on the Finnish island of Kimitoön in the summer of 2019, they had not the slightest inkling that the world was about to change irretrievably with the onset of a long-predicted pandemic the following year. By the time their collaborative album, Valo Siroutuu ("The Light Scatters"), was released nearly two years later, the intimate and reflective nature of the work they had created together had taken on new meaning, resonating powerfully (and quietly) with a world in which the proverbial cracks in the wall only seem to be widening. 



Päiväkahvit completes the story that began with Valo Siroutuu, featuring 9 songs from the original sessions as well as 4 interpretive reworks courtesy of Amulets, Fadi Tabbal, Post-Dukes, and Jeremy Young. Available digitally and in a one-time vinyl pressing of 300 copies, the album flows seamlessly from beginning to end, incorporating field recordings, tape, sublime vocal melodies, and a host of acoustic and electronic instruments. Richly textured and immersive, Päiväkahvit positively crackles with warmth and a sense of creative embrace.



"We invite the listener into the sauna, out to the garden and onto the trampoline, to sit by the water’s edge and to take a coffee in the waning afternoon light, and to stay as long as they like." – Jesse Perlstein

Lau Nau, aka Laura Naukkarinen, is a Finnish composer whose music is imbued with an idiosyncratic, finely honed sound world. Her palette consists of acoustic instruments, singing voice, modular synthesisers, reel-to-reel tape recorders and field recordings. To date Lau Nau has released ten albums on record labels in Europe, the USA and Japan and a large number of collaborative releases. Lau Nau is known for her music to films and multi channel sound installations. She was awarded the Finnish State Prize for the Performing Arts 2021 as a sound designer. She has toured abroad for over 20 years, playing in venues such as Super Deluxe in Tokyo, the Lab & Castro Theatre in San Francisco and Blank Forms & Issue Project Room in New York.

Sontag Shogun is a collaborative trio that makes use of analog sound treatments and nostalgic solo piano compositions in harmony to depict abstract places in our memory. Textures built from organic materials such as sand, slate, boiling water, brush and dried leaves, both produced live in performance and recorded to weathered 1/4" tape warm up the space between lush piano themes. All of which is abstracted coolly in the reflective digital space of treated vocals and a live-processed feed from the piano. Bringing us back, like a faded passing scent or any natural emotive trigger, but to where? The wordless journey there will inevitably be more revealing than the destination itself.


Originally released on seven-inch by the tiny PRM label in 1986, ‘Witches’ was the product of a sister-brother song writing team whose music was mostly recorded in the front room of a terraced house in Nanpean, a small industrial village in Cornwall, England’s most south-westerly county. While the single was infectious and dancefloor-ready, it sold in limited quantities at the time.

Zenana’s story can be traced back to the early 1980s, when singer-songwriter Anita Tedder founded the all-female trio as a vehicle for her socially conscious and politically charged songs, with a burning desire to put strong depictions of women front and centre. To bring Zenana to life, she joined forces with her brother Mike, an early adopter of electronic music who had built a small studio in his Cornish home, and recruited two fellow bandmembers, Penny Griffiths and Ruth Elder.

This specific release is a limited reissue that the band created in 2023 and holds three more songs ; The Final Winter, The Touch Of Woman & When The Comet Comes. This issue comes with an 8 page booklet including background stories as well as historical photographs.

Recorded in 1990 for the noted New York audiophile label Chesky Records, My Blue Heaven was John Pizzarelli's frst signifcant album release, heralding the arrival of a major talent and future Grammy- winning star

Supported by a dream team line- up of veteran jazz stars - including Pizzarelli's guitarplaying father, Bucky, together with trumpeter Clark Terry , bass supremo Milt Hinton, and drummer extraordinaire Connie Kay - the New Jersey- born singer and virtuoso of the seven- string guitar serves up a swinging cache of evergreen jazz standards. With the album's highlights ranging from spirited revamps of the Nat King Cole Trio's 'Candy,' and Dave Frishberg's 'Can't Take You Nowhere,' the impeccably recorded My Blue Heaven represented a signifcant step in Pizzarelli's early musical journey, helping to introduce him to a wider audience. The album is reissued on 180g One Step Pressing Vinyl LP.

The debut recording by The Ancients, the intergenerational coalition of Isaiah Collier, William Hooker, & William Parker formed by parker to play concerts in conjunction with the milford graves mind body deal exhibition at the institute of contemporary art los angeles & now a working group. across x2LPs of side-length long-form improvised sets recorded at 2220 arts & archives in LA & the chapel in San Francisco, The Ancients bring the free jazz trio languages first explored by the Cecil Taylor Unit & Ornette Coleman’s -Golden Circle- band (expanded upon in later eras by Sam Rivers' Trio & Parker’s collective trios with Charles Gayle/Graves & Peter Brötzmann/Hamid Drake) into their own unique & scintillating realms of expression.

As we tumble further into the throes of history’s tides, people of hope & creativity rely on the works of our great artists to lift our spirits & focus our resolve. -ascension- was recorded less than a year after the passage of the civil rights act & four months after the assassination of Malcolm X. -journey in satchidananda- was recorded the month reagan was re-elected governor of California. M’boom made its debut recording weeks after the watergate scandal broke & a couple months after the wounded knee occupation ended. The music of the ancients builds on these great musical legacies. it resounds with the pride of survival & the joys of making & sharing music. It delivers to us hope & balm. something real in you, real in history, & real in the music is shared, right on time.

When Eremite records commenced operations during the 1990s free jazz resurgence, heavyweight freedom-seeking tenor saxophonists such as Fred Anderson, Peter Brötzmann, Charles Gayle, Kidd Jordan, & David S. Ware were at the height of their powers. Isaiah Collier’s tenor playing in the ancients is bracing testimony that the wellspring lives on. to hear the young chicago firebrand blowing freely with veteran improvisers in an entirely open-form group music is a revelatory study of his vast talent, personal voice, & the intensity of his expression —as well as a bold complement to his composition-based albums as a bandleader (including -the almighty-, a new york times' best albums of 2024 selection).

I've admired drummer William hooker since first encountering his music in a hartford ct city park, early ‘90s (on a double bill with Jerry González & Fort Apache Band). From the man himself right off the bandstand i bought his even-then rare 1st recording, the 1976 self-released x2LP opus -is eternal life- (reissued 2019 by superior viaduct). An imposing force on his instrument & an intrepid DIY cat, Hooker’s been exuberantly swinging in&out of free time for 50+ years. informed by the innovations of Sunny Murray & Tony Williams yet entirely himself, there is no other term for it than “pure hooker.” at age 78, with the ancients & everywhere else, THE HOOK is in peak form.

With a discography approaching 600 entries & 50+ years working across the musical maps, including in the history-defining bands of Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Peter Brötzmann, in his own wondrous ensembles from small group to orchestra to opera, a bastion of compassionate leadership & a poetic champion of his musical community, in tireless service to what he rather egolessly refers to as “the tone world”, multi-instrumentalist, improviser & composer william parker is a living hero of the grassroots & the black mystery musics, not to mention one of the great bassists in the history of jazz. To quote George Clinton, conquering the stumbling blocks comes easier when the conqueror is in tune with the infinite.

Live to 2-track concert recordings by Bryce Gonzales, Highland Dynamics. Mastered by Joe Lizzi, Queens, NY.

The Cold Stares are from Evansville, Indiana, formed in 2009. The duo (now recently a trio) has
released seven studio albums. The band's 2012 release A Cold Wet Night and a Howling Wind sold 25,000 copies and reached #1 on Amazon Music's Blues Rock albums chart. For almost ten years, The Cold Stares had toured the world relentlessly as a duo, blowing away
audiences across the US and Europe with a fierce, blistering live show that belied their bare bones,
guitar-and-drums setup. In 2023 the band began embracing a whole new kind of chemistry and
launched into their next chapter, adding a third member and channeling the classic power trio sound they grew up on with their explosive acclaimed album,
Voices. Working off the international success of Voices which was voted one of the best albums of 2023 by Classic Rock Magazine, The Cold Stares went into Memphis Magnetic Studio
in Memphis Tennessee and recorded the band’s next chapter and progression, the sprawling album The Southern. Now they are back with The Southern Part 2
which has already bolstered the
blues rocking tracks “Automobile”
and “Little More Rope”.

L.A. Witch haben schon immer eine Aura müheloser Coolness ausgestrahlt, sei es in Form des Americana Noir und des lakonischen Back-to-Basics-Rock'n'Roll ihres selbstbetitelten Debüts oder des glühend strengen Abenteurertums ihres zweiten Albums "Play With Fire". Die Band - bestehend aus Sade Sanchez (Gitarre/Gesang), Irita Pai (Bass) und Ellie English (Schlagzeug) - begann als informelle Angelegenheit, aber die schwülen und betörenden, von Hall umhüllten Songs, die sie schufen, fanden beim Publikum Anklang und brachten das Projekt über den isolierten Raum von Freunden und Gleichgesinnten in Südkalifornien hinaus in die weite Welt. Auf ihrem neuesten Album "DOGGOD" geht das Trio über die bisherigen kreativen und geografischen Grenzen hinaus - das Material wurde in Paris produziert und die Tracks im Motorbass Studio in der Rue de Martyrs aufgenommen. "DOGGOD" erkundet ein breiteres klangliches Terrain, setzt ein größeres Arsenal an Sounds ein und erforscht größere existenzielle und kosmische Themen, ohne dabei den für die Band typischen Sinn für das Verbotene, das Verlassene und die Vorahnung zu verlieren. "DOGGOD" ist ein Weg, das universelle Rätsel der spirituellen Natur von Liebe und Hingabe anzugehen. "Ich habe das Gefühl, eine Art Dienerin oder Sklavin der Liebe zu sein", sagt Sanchez. "Ich bin bereit, für die Liebe zu sterben, indem ich ihr diene, für sie leide oder nach ihr suche - so wie ein treuer, ergebener Diensthund es tun würde." Der Titel des Albums ist ein Palindrom, das DOG und GOD zusammenfasst - eine Verherrlichung des Unterwürfigen und eine Subversion des Göttlichen. Es ist eine Anspielung auf die Reinheit von Hunden und eine Anerkennung ihrer bedingungslosen Liebe und ihres beschützenden Wesens, die im Widerspruch zu den verschiedenen abwertenden Assoziationen stehen, die mit dieser Spezies verbunden werden. "Es gibt diese symbolische Verbindung zwischen Frauen und Hunden, die die untergeordnete Stellung der Frau in der Gesellschaft zum Ausdruck bringt", erklärt Sanchez. "Und alles, was solche göttlichen Eigenschaften verkörpert, hat es nicht verdient, als Schimpfwort benutzt zu werden." Diese widersprüchlichen Erkundungen von Liebe und Unterwerfung manifestieren sich in der sanften und rauchigen Garagerock-Alchemie der Band, mit einer neu entdeckten Nutzung der disziplinierten Zurückhaltung und eisigen Instrumentierung des Post-Punk. Der Album-Opener "Icicle" zeigt, wie L.A. Witch aus dem Proto-Punk, der Psychedelia und den düsteren Riffs der 70er Jahre in die von Refrains durchtränkten Gitarren und den verlorenen Minimalismus von Joy Division und den frühen The Cure reist. Es wird eine Parallele zwischen romantischem Selbstmord und Märtyrertum gezogen, die sich im zweiten Song, "Kiss Me Deep", fortsetzt. Hier beschreibt Sanchez eine Liebe, die so rein ist, dass sie die Zeit übersteigt und sich über mehrere Leben erstreckt. Es ist ein Lied über Leidenschaft, vorgetragen mit dem weltlichen und verletzten Stoizismus der frühen Goth-Pioniere. Von dort aus geht die Band zur Leadsingle "777" über, einem Song über Hingabe bis hin zum Tod. Ein treibender Beat, ein treibendes, verzerrtes Riff und Sanchez' ätherischer Gesang vereinen sich zu einem Song, der sowohl düster in seinem Fatalismus als auch sinnlich in seiner treuen Leidenschaft ist. Auf dem gesamten Album "DOGGOD" weichen L.A. Witch nie von ihrer Muse ab. In "I Hunt You Pray" legt Pai einen hypnotischen Basslauf hin, während English einen zyklischen Krautrock-Groove einsetzt und Sanchez das Bild eines verlassenen Hundes am Straßenrand malt, der allein in der Nacht ist und sowohl als Jäger als auch als Gejagter lebt. Auf "Eyes of Love" macht sich die Band die meditativen Mid-Tempo-Wiederholungen, dekonstruierten Akkorde und esoterischen Betrachtungen über Liebe, Tod und Spiritualität zunutze, die Lungfish zu einer so beliebten Band gemacht haben. Es unterstreicht die Parallele zwischen der unerschütterlichen Liebe in den Augen eines Hundes und der Selbstaufopferung eines Erlösers. Auf "The Lines" nimmt die Band den treibenden Puls des Post-Punk und fügt dem Mix eine Extraportion Chorus hinzu. "Chorus ist ein moderner Effekt, der auf der Idee beruht, die leichten Tonhöhenunterschiede eines Chors nachzubilden. Es gibt eine schimmernde Qualität, die uns zurück zu diesem spirituellen, göttlichen Gefühl bringt", erklärt Sanchez. Gepaart mit dem Einsatz von Orgel und einer grüblerischen Moll-Melodie, beschwört der Song gleichzeitig das Heilige und das Sakrileg. Der Titeltrack "DOGGOD" hat vielleicht die größte Ähnlichkeit mit dem Material des Vorgängeralbums "Play With Fire", in den schlanken und gemeinen Gitarren auf eine raue Rhythmusgruppe und verträumten Gesang treffen. Aber während ihr vorheriges Album ein Aufruf war, seinen eigenen Weg zu gehen, bleibt "DOGGOD" dem "Bis dass der Tod uns scheidet"-Thema des Albums treu und geht sogar so weit, ein Maß an Unterwerfung zu beschreiben, das in gefährliche und ungesunde Gefilde übergeht, wobei Sanchez singt "hang me on a leash / `til I wait for my release". Letztendlich ist "DOGGOD" eine perfekte Verkörperung des Ansatzes von L.A. Witch. Es ist gleichzeitig romantisch und bedrohlich, ehrfürchtig und profan, eine Feier und ein Klagelied. Es spannt den Bogen zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, indem es vertraute Klänge aufgreift und sie für die Jetztzeit aufbereitet. Aber es läutet auch eine neue Ära für die Band ein, die über die Kodachrome-Erinnerungen an das Amerika der Jahrhundertmitte hinausgeht und tiefer in den mittelalterlichen und gotischen Energien von Paris und darüber hinaus gräbt, während sie gleichzeitig ein besudeltes Herz erforscht.

Elsden Music presents the vinyl version of 'Above The Clouds', by the Ilario Ferrari Trio, with two brand news tracks - a new recording of the title track featuring trumpeter Henry Spencer and a stunning live version of "Leah Meets Laika"

The release of the vinyl comes at the point of an extensive tour across the UK and Europea between now and the end of this year.

On the cusp of releasing this, his fourth studio recorded album, pianist and singer Ilario Ferrari has developed a distinctive compositional style that integrates instrumental contemporary jazz with vocal harmonies, adding hints of sounds and rhythms from both Indian and Mediterranean culture, alongside some classical nuances with additional influences from Ilario's southern Italian heritage. This approach is singular to Ilario Ferrari as an artist: a style that is perfectly complimented by his two well-known collaborators and rising jazz stars in their own right; drummer Katie Patterson and bassist Charlie Pyne.

At the heart of 'Above The Clouds' lies the notion of relationships. Between us and our planet, the musical and personal relationships between Ilario, Charlie and Katie, and, of course, with their loved ones. It is also about elevation and observation, from 'Above The Clouds' and from the grounded embrace of Mother Earth, impressions of love, loss, and home, expressed through a beguiling blend of vocal led songs and instrumentals.

This recording is more than just a simple jazz trio album, with the trio expanding and contracting as the song requires. The Ilario Ferrari Trio's innovative approach combined with their indisputable skill promises to be a breath of fresh air in the jazz world and beyond.

Ilario Ferrari: piano, piano effects & vocals
Charlie Pyne: double base & vocals
Ketie Patterson: drums & vocals
Plus: Henry Spencer: trumpet (on "Above The Clouds")

Available 13 June 2025 on double translucent orange vinyl, Trios captures the magic of Buddy Rich's legendary three- man jam sessions-- performances that have never been officially released until now. Recorded live during international concerts in 1976 and 1977, Trios showcases Rich alongside extraordinary talents: bassists Jon Burr and Tom Warrington, and young piano prodigy Barry Kiener. These trio interludes--recorded by Rich's alto saxophonist Alan Gauvin--feature Rich playing with brushes in an intimate setting, spotlighting his dynamic range and nuance. "These trio sets were often played to give the brass section a break," says Gauvin. "But what Buddy did with those moments was extraordinary. It was a masterclass in restraint, creativity, and musical interplay." Among the album's ten tracks are beautifully reimagined standards such as "Just Friends," "Stella by Starlight," and "My Romance." Each performance highlights Rich's desire to step back and allow the piano and bass to shine--something unheard of for a drummer of his stature. The release also serves as a tribute to Barry Kiener, the immensely gifted pianist who tragically passed away at 30. "Barry had been like a son to him," remembers Buddy's daughter Cathy Rich, who serves as an Executive Producer. "This album is a rare glimpse into Barry's brilliance and the deep musical bond he shared with my father." Trios was recorded and produced by Alan Gauvin, mastered by Tom Swift, with cover art by Michael Patterson, the award-winning visual artist and USC professor known for his work on a-ha's iconic "Take on Me" video.

Epitomising the very best of their hometown’s unparalleled musical heritage, Dames Brown are fully-fledged members of the extended Defected family following the release of slick, funk-filled record ‘What Would You Do?’ in 2021 and features on a number of the label’s vocal house hits. The Detroit trio continuously impress with their exquisite releases, striking lyricism and a hefty dose of house authenticity across their outputs. Now Athena Johnson, Teresa Marbury and LaRae Starr step out to properly introduce themselves to the wax lovers, with Detroit musical icon Amp Fiddler on production duties. Releasing ‘Introducing Dames Brown’ on 7”, this package also includes the Instrumental, as Detroit’s finest deliver a taste of what’s to come on their forthcoming album, capturing funk, house and soul from across the spectrum.

TWICE A MAN pflanzten die Saat für "The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension" mit dem Song 'Dahlia', einem "neuen" Stück, das sie zur Ergänzung der Albumkompilation "Songs of Future Memories" geschrieben hatten. Drei Jahre lang düngte und hegte das schwedische Dark-Electronic-Trio den Keim, bis er feste Wurzeln in ihrem musikalischen Erbe fand und damit begann, neugierige Ableger in neue fruchtbare Böden jenseits der zuvor errichteten Klanggartenmauern zu senden. "The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension" ist ein organisches Gebilde, das etwas Neues schafft, indem es seine musikalische DNA auf verschiedene Weise rekombiniert. Als Ergebnis erblühen die frischen Songs in vielen elektronischen Farbnuancen. TWICE A MAN waren schon immer Vorreiter. In ihrem Heimatland Schweden waren sie die anerkannten Pioniere der elektronischen Musik. Und schon lange bevor es in Mode kam, positionierten sich die Schweden als selbstbewusste Umweltschützer. Musikalisch wurden sie liebevoll mit Bezeichnungen versehen wie: "Ultravox auf Gras - wenn auch melancholisch und ohne zuckriges Pathos" oder "wie ein trauriger Gary Numan, aber mit einem warmen, organischen Touch". In ihrem Sound finden sich auch sanfte Anklänge an TANGERINE DREAM, KLAUS SCHULZE und THE HUMAN LEAGUE neben vielen anderen möglichen Referenzen. Als sich Sänger, Gitarrist und Keyboarder Dan Söderqvist im Jahr 1977 mit dem Synthesizer-Spieler Karl Gasleben zusammenkam, gründete das Duo zunächst COSMIC OVERDOSE, die erste elektronische Band Skandinaviens, aus der dann TWICE A MAN hervorging. Während ihrer bemerkenswerten Karriere veröffentlichten die Schweden zahlreiche Alben, inklusive spezieller Projekte, und zwei Kompilationen. Sie spielten zahllose Konzerte und schufen den Soundtrack für sieben abendfüllende Theateraufführungen im Königlichen Dramatischen Theater in Stockholm, Musik für Filme, Ausstellungen, Tanzaufführungen und sogar Computerspiele. Die Natur spielt auch in den Texten und im Sound von "The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension" wieder eine große Rolle. TWICE A MAN haben ein musikalisches Äquivalent dazu geschaffen, Trost in der Natur, Kunst und der Freude an Büchern zu finden, um zumindest für eine Weile den Übeln der modernen Welt zu entkommen.

The Wild West cowboy occupies a symbolic and central place in
popular culture. The lone rider, out on the range… The whitehatted hero facing up to a gang of outlaws in a gunfight… The
wagon train heading out over the horizon… Celebrated in cinema
since the beginning of movies, the cowboy has also found a
regular home on record, as this vinyl LP compilation testifies.
Listen to these songs and, with just a little imagination, you can
picture the solitary cowboy on his trusty steed, watching a cattle
round-up, or making his way into a town like Tombstone… A
timeless myth, captured forever in these Songs Of The Wild
West…

,Dogs" ist Cash Langdons zweites Album unter eigenem Namen, aber das erste mit seiner Band Meadow Dust (Bassist Matt Whitson und Schlagzeuger Reagan Bruce). Die Aufnahmen fanden größtenteils in den Portside Studios (dem ehemaligen Standort des legendären Muscle Shoals Sound) statt und wurden in nur zwei Tagen aufgenommen. Der Tontechniker Brad Timko (Dan Sartain, St. Paul and The Broken Bones) sorgte dafür, dass das Trio wild und tight klingt. Ihre unscharfe Interpretation von schwerem Country-Rock erinnert an Neil Young & Crazy Horse und verströmt die Hitze von Langdons Heimatstadt Birmingham. Wie bei Young ist seine Stimme gleichzeitig ernst und weltmüde, aber es gibt auch einen Sinn für Humor und die Resignation, weiterzumachen (,Dogs"). Diese Songs sind wunderschöne, brennende, südlich-gotische Zeugnisse der fortwährenden Gewalt, die es bedeutet, wach zu sein für die Welt um einen herum (,Lilac Whiskey Nose") und die Entschlossenheit, trotzdem wach zu bleiben (,Magic Again").

As part of the Acoustic Sounds series, three of Diana Krall’s most beloved albums will be reissued on vinyl throughout the year, with the first, her dazzling Grammy-winning 2001 album, The Look of Love, to bow May 31st. The record boasts such standouts as “S’ Wonderful”, “Cry Me A River”, and her bewitching take on the Burt Bacharach-penned title track. Krall’s 1999 album — celebrating its 25th anniversary this year — When I Look In Your Eyes, will follow July 5th with her 1996 LP, All For You: A Dedication To The Nat King Cole Trio, to come September 27th. The two-time Grammy-winning album, which was also nominated for Album of the Year, When I Look In Your Eyes, features Krall and her excellent ensemble performing a sultry set of updated standards, including highlights like “Let’s Fall In Love”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Let’s Face The Music and Dance”. All For You: A Dedication To The Nat King Cole Trio is a superb salute to the mighty Nat King Cole Trio with Krall putting her unique spin on 12 of Cole’s classic cuts like “Frim Fram Sauce”, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, “You Call It Madness” and “Hit That Jive Jack”. The albums will be mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original tapes and pressed on 2-LP black vinyl.