Buscar:high

Hand Stamped, Hand numbered, Limited press, with insert.

An oddly familiar/familiarly odd entity floating about the relatively cohesive surface of contemporary electronic music, Belgium-via-Italy based duo Front De Cadeau has been knocking genres askew and blowing overused terminologies out of the water with unrelenting panache over the past decade. Championing a sound unmoored by vanishing trends and cross-pollinating approaches, F2C punch back in on Antinote with their anticipated debut album, “We Slowly Riot”, an 8-track mishmash of tunes previously released and not.

Bastardizing tried-and-tested rave tropes by slowing the tempo down to barely recognizable shapes and contours, Hugo Sanchez and Maurizio Ferrara dish out a new high in their ever expanding discography. Free-falling down the K-hole with no parachute on, “La Ketamine” burns slow but steady. A practically immersive dub filled with processed minutiae and vibrational drums out a mystic forest, it’s a helluva trippy post-industrial joint that unfolds, heady and empyreumatic to the bone. “We Slowly Rot” puts on offer a buggy script-like swing, adorned with F2C’s trademark blend of spoken word and jacuzzi-warm vibes, whereas “There is Something Wrong” steers us into further sizzling, syncopated groove territories through a fevered meshwork of sliced-and-diced vox samples, overheated machine talk and primitive percussions on a African Headcharge tip.

Draped in eerie, 8-bit-infused layers and Arabian Nights ambiences, “Slam is Slam” treats us to a spookily fun Oriental mix of hot-tempered darbukkahs and FX-soaked riffs. The outrageously sensual “Ouvre Ta Bouche” is a tactile invitation to get down in some dark alcove of sorts and more if you hit it off. A steely dub primed for post-party divagations, “Climate Change” slowly veers off into verbed-out industrial jazz as bars run by, while “Legal Illegal” cuts a path of acid-dipped dancehall from outer-space across the club. Last but not least, Jewish clarinets quietly move along waves of sedated bass on “Casa Gaza”, rounding it all off on a dreamy, cinematic note that serenely phases into a liquid-like roller over one solidly deeper-than-deep home stretch.

"They push everything right to the brink and then pull back at precisely the right moment" - Pitchfork

"'Growing Up Pains (Unni's Song) gives a tantalising glimpse of where their future could lie. Matching lucid pop elements to daring innovation, ALASKALASKA allow the song to become a portal to their own potential." - Clash

"It’s impossible to walk away without the repeated promise 'I won’t let you down' in 'Growing Up Pains' stuck in your head – and it’s a mantra we should all be following as we as a species continue to fight for our future." - Beats Per Minute

ALASKALASKA announce their superb new album, Still Life, arriving October 14th on Marathon Artists (Lava La Rue, Courtney Barnett, Pond).

'Still Life' finds writers and producers Lucinda Duarte-Holman and Fraser Rieley embrace a more free-form electronica, giving a taste of what's to come with this fantastic new record produced by Jas Shaw (of Simian Mobile Disco)–full of digital sounds, drum machine and synth melodies cunningly sat beside rich, organic, acoustic instrumentation, it's a looping tug of war between existential dread and everyday simple pleasures.

Listen to / watch the video for 'Still Life' (shot by Jacek Zmarz) here: https://youtu.be/TL7s6QJ3ANc

Four seasons of dawn chorus, panoramically framed by fruit trees and more analog synths than can comfortably fit in a cow shed-come-recording studio...the scene is set for the recording of ALASKALASKA’s second album Still Life. Ordinarily located in South East London, writers and producers Fraser Rieley and Lucinda Duarte-Holman were eager to get out of the city. Taking advantage of this rustic countryside scene, they were able to capture something uniquely their own.

Following their debut album in 2019, they resurface into a new era embracing all the things that first put the band on the map, attracting the likes of Tame Impala, Hot Chip, Porches and Nilüfer Yanya for tour support slots. For Rieley and Duarte-Holman, writing began in 2019, pre-lockdown-era, although the subsequent alone together/together alone time added a new spin on ALASKALASKA's process of experimentation and fine-tuning. The band now push their foundational ideas further and explore the freedom of playing with new sounds. Duarte-Holman explains, “...with everything going on at the time, the restrictions led us to try working in a new way. The limitations were different, but meant we were able to adventure into a more electronic soundscape that we're really looking forward to expressing live."

The ‘Still Life’ LP has been pressed on recycled black vinyl to reduce the carbon intensity of the finished product.

Blue Vinyl

Leonard Cohens Hallelujah & Songs from His Albums ist das erste offizielle karriereumfassende Album des Songwriters, Musikers, Dichters, Romanautors und Künstlers Leonard Cohen. Die Anthologie featuret 17 Tracks aus der musikalischen Laufbahn des Ausnahmekünstlers. Als besonderes Highlight findet sich auf der Tracklist ein Mitschnitt seiner unvergesslichen Darbietung von "Hallelujah", die 2008 auf dem Glastonbury Festival mitgeschnitten wurde. Das Album wurde vom neuen Dokumentarfilm Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen a Journey, a Song inspiriert.

Leonard Cohens Hallelujah & Songs from His Albums ist das erste offizielle karriereumfassende Album des Songwriters, Musikers, Dichters, Romanautors und Künstlers Leonard Cohen. Die Anthologie featuret 17 Tracks aus der musikalischen Laufbahn des Ausnahmekünstlers. Als besonderes Highlight findet sich auf der Tracklist ein Mitschnitt seiner unvergesslichen Darbietung von "Hallelujah", die 2008 auf dem Glastonbury Festival mitgeschnitten wurde. Das Album wurde vom neuen Dokumentarfilm Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen a Journey, a Song inspiriert.

To confuse parts for the whole is inevitable with Palm. Drummer Hugo Stanley, bassist Gerasimos Livitsanos and guitarists/vocalists/high school sweethearts Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurt started making music together as teenagers, and spent much of their twenties in the kind of proximity unusual for adults, outside of touring bands and the International Space Station. For a number of years the band consumed the lives of its members to a point of exhaustion: “To be honest I think we got a little burnt out. There were times where it wasn’t clear if we’d make another record,” says Alpert. It was only after multiple freak injuries followed by a pandemic, forced a pause - from touring but also from writing, rehearsing, even seeing each other- that the four were able to regroup and see a way forward again.



On their latest effort, Nicks and Grazes, Palm embrace discordance to dazzling effect. “We wanted to reconcile two potentially opposing aesthetics,” Kurt says. “To capture the spontaneous, free energy of our live shows while integrating elements from the traditionally gridded palette of electronic music.” In order to avoid what Kurt refers to as “Palm goes electro,” the musicians spent years educating themselves on the ins and outs of production by learning Ableton while also experimenting with “the percussive, textural, and gestural potential” of their instruments. To this end, the band continued the age-old tradition of instrument-preparation, augmenting guitars with drumsticks, metal rods and, at the suggestion of Charles Bullen (This Heat, Lifetones), coiling rubber-coated gardening wire around the strings. The unruliness of the prepared guitar on songs like “Mirror Mirror” and “Eager Copy” contrasts with the steadfast reproducibility of the album’s electronic elements.



While Palm cite Japanese pop music, dub, and footwork as influences on this album’s sonic palette, they found themselves returning time and again to the artists who inspired them to start the group over a decade ago. “When we were first starting out as a band, we bonded over an appreciation of heavy, aggressive, noisy music,” Alpert reflects. “We wrote parts that were just straight-up metal.” Kurt adds, “I found myself rediscovering and re–falling in love with the visceral, jagged quality of guitars in the music of Glenn Branca, The Fall, Beefheart, and Sonic Youth, all important early Palm influences.” Returning to the fundamentals gave Palm a strong foundation upon which they could experiment freely, resulting in their most ambitious and revelatory album to date.

Our favorite anonymous duo lands on Brvtalist S.R. with a brand new EP which fuses the project's diverse sound and attitude. From the streets to the club, G-Spotlight highlights techno, trance, electro and more for 3 ultra-sentimental original cuts that may have you crying as you dance. From the title track to the pure nostalgic bliss of "Code 187 On Main Street", we are also thrilled to have a remix by Danish star Schacke which adds even more euphoria to the original.

We are happy to release another vinyl 12“ with Carsten Halm adding up to the series we have released with him so far. This ep marks the end of the series, but not the end of the relationship with Carsten. Carsten has been very successful with his releases on Traum starting with his "Taubenflug" ep in June 2020 followed by "Fuchsbau" and "Hammerhai". As we stated with his first ep: „His music has the unique quality to bring people together and experience something very positive“. Carsten showed this quality with all of his eps and last but not least this also makes him a popular DJ. Carsten plays clubs all over Germany but he still sticks to his roots and organizes parties in his hometown Cologne in his own dedicated space which he has rebuild with his friends after it was destroyed last year.

The fourth vinyl release with Carsten Halm "Licht Und Schatten" highlights another cover design by graphic designer Daniela Thiel and shows collages of the animals in a similar graphic context as his previous releases. The idea was to keep the graphic idea of the series but to use only artifacts of his previous designs to create a new cover.

The ep kicks off with "Licht" a track that has the quality to embrace you emotionally as well as musically with a massive warm and widening synth sounds that is a true a-side tune.

"Chimäre" instead is more jumpy and good natured, resulting in a nice break to carry the listener throughout the track.

"Schatten" kicks off with a rather dry drumming but in the course of the track is joined by a merry melody which is pushed aside by a bad ass rectangle synth sound that inflates the track with a techno spirit that is very welcomed at open airs.

The ep closes with the track "Notes" a horse ride though valleys of sparse vegetation with a happy sad Morricone inspired soundtrack that is very easy to like.

Coming off the back of covers on CRACK and PERFECT Magazine cktrl announces his highly anticipated new EP Zero. The producer and multi-instrumentalist shares his latest blend of contemporary-classical and electronic R&B that features a collaboration with GRAMMY Award-nominated singer, songwriter 'Mereba' with artwork captured by multi-award winning Campbell Addy. The follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed EP ‘robyn’ which charted a journey from heartbreak to optimism, ‘zero’ is a tender exploration into love. As a genre-spanning artist whose music waives between R&B, jazz and neo-classical, cktrl’s latest record builds on his emotive sound whilst leaning towards a more electronic-tinged style of production with stunning featured vocals. On the project, cktrl says: "ZERO allowed me to explore my journeys in knowing love. And as a result I now know that I need to allow myself to let my relationships be what they're meant (to manifest organically) free of expectations and without dreams of an idea of someone. Past hurt definitely informed my decisions but it was so crucial for me to grieve those feelings from ROBYN and learn how to be gentle with myself. Just to be able to feel something new, loving again is always different and exciting, once you can open up. ZERO is that journey of ending up back where you started but different, loved and willing to give." The EP opens with the touching ‘mazes’ - initially released back in May via a beautifully crafted video courtesy of Yasser Abubeker. On this cut cktrl’s skills as a saxophonist immediately shine through as he portrays the complexities of loving someone through all its twists and turns. On title track ‘zero’ cktrl links with Ethiopian-American musician Mereba for a forward-thinking yet delicate collaboration that effortlessly meanders between cktrl’s various musical influences, before ‘felt’ provides a luscious display of soulful soundscapes. Accompanied by the angelic vocals from rising artists Anaiis, Annahstasia & Anajah, it’s a blissful celebration of love. The project closes out with ‘safe’, a contemporary R&B banger backed by a bass-driven beat and rich vocals, framing ‘zero’ as a stimulating collection of tracks that expand cktrl’s impressive repertoire of talent.

Upstairs, a band from Frankfurt, Germany was active from 1977 to 1983. Though considering themselves mainly a rock group, the band incorporated elements of funk, jazz rock and disco into their music. On their rare and privately released debut album "It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz" from 1980 they created something that could be called Germany's definite answer to AOR, yet still with an edgy and unique krautrock flavor.

The album starts with "Wontcha Try," a track where core songwriter, guitarist and lead singer Helmer Sauer is telling the story about being dismissed from his job: "They tried to tell me in a fucking gentle way, that the time had come to kick me…". Sauer serves more personal, hard-edged lyrics on the album as well. On "Happy Hooker," for example, he tells the story of a working girl in the red light milieu: "The job is as hard that you really can never imagine, she serves for the money, degradin' herself in a way - if you'd know how she's feelin' you wouldn't laugh at all". An empathetic view on the subject of prostitution rarely heard at that time.

But aside from the profound lyrics and songwriting, the album has a lot to offer on the groovy side of things. With catchy bass lines, rhythm guitar, Fender Rhodes, Moog synthesizer, Clavinet and swift crisp drumming "It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz" is one of the best examples of late 70s flavored funky rock from Germany. Additional to the aforementioned "Wontcha Try" another DJ delight should be "Make Your Steps On Better Lines" which showcases a superb synth line and disco funk flavors. We also get the slick mellow latinesque AOR grooves of "Get On A Plane" as well as the now-classic "You're Just Yourself", which marks the most soulful track of the LP. As followers of our label are already well aware, "You're Just Yourself" was featured on the compilation, "Boogie On The Mainline - A Collection Of Rare Disco, Funk And Boogie From Germany 1980-1987" from 2018.

The band mainly performed locally and never really had ambitions to release their music on a bigger label. Too bad that Upstairs only released this one album. Of course, the highly sought-after original pressing is almost impossible to find nowadays. Therefore, we are proud to finally make this record available again after 40 years for a reasonable, regular LP price. Only 300 copies of the carefully re-mastered repress have been produced, and included is a printed lyrics insert identical to the original.

We are proud to present "I'm Always Right" by Imagination, an unreleased jazz rock LP from 1977. Comprised of five tracks with a playtime of roughly 30 minutes, you will hear one of the finest German late-70s rock-tinged electric jazz albums of the era. The recording is a delightful stand-out with unique compositions, aspiring solo work, and a soulful spirit throughout. Additionally, the album veritably glows with exceptional sound quality, as it has been remastered from original tapes that were cut more than four decades ago at the WDR Funkhaus, Cologne.

Here is the story of how label founder John Raincoatman became aware of these lost tapes:
"I first got in touch with members of Imagination from Düsseldorf (not to be confused with the UK disco band under the same name) in 2017 for licensing the track "Strawberry Wine" from their collectible "Shake It" album from 1980. A couple of months later, when I was speaking with Willi Hövelmann, the guitarist for Imagination, he told me about some recordings the band had made a couple of years before, when they had been invited to to the studio of the WDR, a major German broadcaster. A couple of weeks later, when Hövelmann finally sent me the files that he had requested from the WDR, I could not believe what I heard - not only that the songs were totally different from what I expected, but that they were also very very good! The music wasn't comparable to any other kind of fusion release that I knew of. These five songs were straight forward, tight and soulful electric jazz rock, a combination rarely heard from Germany from that time period."

How come Imagination - at that time a young newcomer band consisting of musicians between 19 and 22 years of age - was able to record at the well-equipped Funkhaus studio of German radio and television? Hövelmann explains: "The WDR got to know us from a newcomer band competition called "Pop am Rhein" (Pop at the Rhine) which was set up to support local bands and was promoted by several bigger newspapers. Imagination was one of the 5 contestants which were picked from 59 bands by a jury of music journalists and our band was invited to play a concert at the Philipshalle in front of about 3500 guests. Although a band called "Accept" won the contest (yes, the heavy metal band that gained international success in the following years!) and Imagination only made 3rd place, we were invited by music host and journalist Wolfgang Neumann to record in a professional studio."

Neumann's broadcasting show at the WDR was called "Rock Studio", and one of his special goals was to help push newcomer bands by giving them airplay. As a side note, Neumann actually compiled a series of three LPs on the Harvest label from 1979-1982, each of them featuring four bands. However, the earlier recordings of Imagination had only been used for broadcasting reasons, they were aired a couple of times but never made it to a vinyl or CD release.
So, on October 10th, 1977, it was time for the band to show up and prove themselves in the studio. The tracks were all recorded in one afternoon, mainly as one takes. In some cases flute, saxophone were overdubbed, as well as the vocals on "Love is Genesis", as Hövelmann remembers.

The first song, "Jazzgang" can probably be seen as Imagination's most characteristic composition out of their early period: heavy bass, saxophone leads and speedy solos by the band members. A genuine, rough, yet funky uptempo jazz rock tune. But it's "I'm Always Right", the second track on the album, that raises the bar as the key track of the release with its 10-minute length. The song starts with a great piano solo by Mario F. Demonte. In fact, "Demonte" was a pseudonym of Ratko Delorko, a classically trained piano virtuoso who is still active today as conductor, composer and performer. At that time, it was simply impossible for him to officially be part in a band like Imagination and hence the alias was invented. Anyway, the speedy intro leads to a very soulful mid-tempo jazz funk groove that offers space and time for the band members to perform a solo. First off is Uwe Ziss with sax and flute combined. The second solo belongs to Willi "Sultan" Hövelmann on electric guitar. For the furious ending the pace is set back to high speed. Delorko serves us with one of the most brilliant uptempo piano solos you may have heard in a while on a jazz record.

The next song stylistically stands out from the rest. "Biting My Time" incorporates a rhythm and blues feel with a 60s soul jazz attitude. The track was composed by Uwe Ziss who leads through the track with aspiring flute solos which feel like an easy summer breeze after the first two rock tinged tunes.

"Himalaya" sees Imagination move away from jazz quite a bit, rather approaching the psychedelic rock genre with a vibe reminiscent of the sound of the early 70s. Again starting with a piano solo by Ratko Delorko the pace is quickly at 150 bpm with the full band laying down an energetic jazz rock sound. Just after a little over one-and-a-half minutes there is a breakdown to a slower tempo with overdubbed mysterious vocals and psyche-y screams which may remind more of the legendary krautrock band Can than what is typically known as "jazz". The mood continues with tense saxophone and guitar solos, just to speed up again towards the end with furious drumming by Andreas Oelschläger.

"Love Is Genesis" concludes the release. It was composed and sung by former bassist Robert Schlickmann. Though most of the band members didn't really like the song at that time it still is a one-of-a-kind soft rock pop ballad which partly reminds of some of the vocal song tracks later to be found on the "Shake It" LP from 1980. The track manifested that Imagination were never really supposed to be solely an instrumental band.

We are now happy to have cleared the exclusive rights for this recording from the WDR and are proud to re-present this amazing collection of songs. It should appeal to fusion, jazz rock and jazz funk aficionados but also to late krautrock collectors. We are also certain that it will also please fans of the "Shake It" album, simply in terms of being such a bright and soulful debut with great music overall.

October Drift embark on their second album campaign after the acclaimed ‘Forever Whatever’ LP and ‘Naked’ EP in 2020. Their most successful single to date ‘Airborne Panic Attack’ was released late 2021. I Don’t Belong Anywhere, is a taut, visceral record, a step forward for the band into an even more powerful, brutal sound following their highly acclaimed debut album forever Whatever 2018. Far less introspective than their debut, I Don’t Belong Anywhere is October Drift’s totem for bringing all of us together again. “A feeling of not belonging is something everyone feels or has felt,” explains Kiran. I Don’t Belong Anywhere features previously released singles including dark grungy‘Insects’, “a coming-of-age song, about feeling life pull you in different directions”, and the biting reflection on the harsh backdrop of 21st Century living airborne Panic Attack’. The album is about connection and one that’s truly from the heart, rich with added layers of meaning it finds the band poised to explode across 2022 with their most thoughtful and exciting record yet.

The Perth-based psychedelic rock n roll machine rip through a full platter of their high-speed tunes, shot in two locations and heralding their new LP, Night Gnomes. Crunchy riffage, addictive melodies and no-holds barred psychedelia is on tap. Get it at the link below! "Thank you Levitation for getting us out the house! Absolute pleasure to be asked to collaborate on something together. There’s a brilliant story involving an angry local and a bulldozer if you’re won-dering why the location changes, but for the minutes we were filming it was magical. Gnomes till we die! Thanks to Jelly, Tay, Jared, Dima, & the McEwan crew for helping us put this together, love you all." – PPC

Since the release of 2020’s acclaimed ‘The Cause of Doubt & a Reason to Have Faith’, London based Lookman Adekunle Salami has been busy working on the eagerly-awaited follow up and today has released the first taste of what’s to come in the form of new single ‘Desperate Times, Mediocre Measures’. After four studio albums and with well over 35 million streams, Salami’s music continues to push genre boundaries and is certainly no stranger to spoken word - ‘Desperate Times, Mediocre Measures’ sees him return to this method as he waxes poetically about the state of power and wealth in the modern world; "Desperate Times, Mediocre Measures" is a song that tackles the idea of the cyclical and corrosive nature of power structures across our societies - Hierarchical Structures that, like all structures in our reality, are made up of, and reinforced by people who find themselves, more often than not, enforcing the very corrupted elements of those structures purely due to the fact that this can become the prime method of propping themselves up.” Very much a shift in a new musical direction, Lookman enlisted the help of renowned string arranger Stephen Bentley-Klein, who has worked with the likes of John Barry and Deep Purple, to provide the lush orchestration which works in perfect tandem with Salami’s thought provoking word play. L.A. Salami’s message is - once again - a highly interesting insight into the pitfalls of today’s society, constantly proving how is he is an artist we should all be paying serious attention to.

Several months on from founding guitarist Scott Middleton leaving the band, Cancer Bats have announced details of their first album without him: Psychic Jailbreak. Due out on April 15 via their own Bat Skull Records in partnership with New Damage Records, the Toronto hardcore punk kings admit that they knew album number seven "had to be special" given the line-up change, with vocalist Liam Cormier explaining of the mood going into it: “Our band has never been one sole member tasked with all the writing. Over the last 15 years of releasing albums, it’s been a collaboration of the four of us forming all musical ideas. That being said, we knew that the three remaining Bats would have to prove our worth with this next album. "We wanted to show Cancer Bats fans that an exciting new future was in store for us. To say the stakes were high on this album, would be an understatement. We were all feeling a mix of excitement and nerves as we began tracking the 11 songs that would form this record.” He continues: "On the final days, while adding the last bits of 'skateboard noises' and guitar shreds, we were all feeling our confidence levels rise with each playback. This last years’ worth of long hours and many late nights writing, finally coming together as a whole and fully formed effort. We were proud as a band and felt this new offering was worthy to join in the legacy of Cancer Bats albums.

Several months on from founding guitarist Scott Middleton leaving the band, Cancer Bats have announced details of their first album without him: Psychic Jailbreak. Due out on April 15 via their own Bat Skull Records in partnership with New Damage Records, the Toronto hardcore punk kings admit that they knew album number seven "had to be special" given the line-up change, with vocalist Liam Cormier explaining of the mood going into it: “Our band has never been one sole member tasked with all the writing. Over the last 15 years of releasing albums, it’s been a collaboration of the four of us forming all musical ideas. That being said, we knew that the three remaining Bats would have to prove our worth with this next album. "We wanted to show Cancer Bats fans that an exciting new future was in store for us. To say the stakes were high on this album, would be an understatement. We were all feeling a mix of excitement and nerves as we began tracking the 11 songs that would form this record.” He continues: "On the final days, while adding the last bits of 'skateboard noises' and guitar shreds, we were all feeling our confidence levels rise with each playback. This last years’ worth of long hours and many late nights writing, finally coming together as a whole and fully formed effort. We were proud as a band and felt this new offering was worthy to join in the legacy of Cancer Bats albums.

Several months on from founding guitarist Scott Middleton leaving the band, Cancer Bats have announced details of their first album without him: Psychic Jailbreak. Due out on April 15 via their own Bat Skull Records in partnership with New Damage Records, the Toronto hardcore punk kings admit that they knew album number seven "had to be special" given the line-up change, with vocalist Liam Cormier explaining of the mood going into it: “Our band has never been one sole member tasked with all the writing. Over the last 15 years of releasing albums, it’s been a collaboration of the four of us forming all musical ideas. That being said, we knew that the three remaining Bats would have to prove our worth with this next album. "We wanted to show Cancer Bats fans that an exciting new future was in store for us. To say the stakes were high on this album, would be an understatement. We were all feeling a mix of excitement and nerves as we began tracking the 11 songs that would form this record.” He continues: "On the final days, while adding the last bits of 'skateboard noises' and guitar shreds, we were all feeling our confidence levels rise with each playback. This last years’ worth of long hours and many late nights writing, finally coming together as a whole and fully formed effort. We were proud as a band and felt this new offering was worthy to join in the legacy of Cancer Bats albums.

Welcome to Retropolis! Known for the inimitable Can’t Stop with Coloray, an unhealthy obsession with vintage music machines, a baroque style in the use of synthesizer melodies and a forewarn-looking approach to the past, Chris Barratt’s music as Eagles & Butterflies can be as fun-loving as melancholically beautiful. For his long overdue debut on Running Back, the english man dishes out a bit of both in a healthy bowl of broth.

Retropolis is not only the direction giving title, but bold and bonny at the same time. That its working title was Italo should tell you all you need to know. Suitable for big rooms, major moments, minor miracles and sophisticated car chase scenes alike. Faster takes off in another direction. Imagine two people falling in love during a bumper car ride – heartfelt vocals included.

On the flip side E&B follows a similar state of equilibrium. Like the highs and lows and ups and downs in a John Hughes movie, it also showcases the characteristics of two synthesizer classics: the exuberant piano version of Juno Ninja (please look at the digital release for a version devoid of it) offsets the poignant and plangent vibe of CS-80. In summary: made with lots of synthesizers and for fans of keyboard music. And always keep in mind: the future sounds and looks better than you think!

Unlearn is the long awaited fourth album of DJ and producer 2econd Class Citizen. It marks the artist's return back to the newly relaunched label Equinox Records. Their previous collaborations achieved high acclaim for their genre bending fusion of hip hop, electronica and folk music.

The new album is an exploration of an artist journeying beyond their conventional confines. It is a musical adventure peppered with vintage samples concerning the perception of reality and our struggles with conforming to a broken society.

Unlearn is the most musically accomplished work of 2econd Class Citizen to date. As one would expect the drum programming, scratching and production is on point. Several tracks feature soothingly melodic and energetic passages of jazz saxophone from Leroy Horns and electric guitar riffs provided by long term collaborator Paul Drury.

2econd Class Citizen, real name Aaron Thomason, resides in Brighton, UK. He is also a painter and visual artist fascinated with abstraction and the chaos of mixing colours. His musical approach on the new LP draws many parallels to this creative process. An original painting from the artist forms the albums striking cover.

Equinox Records is run by DJ Scientist in Germany. The Unlearn project marks the 51st release and provides the perfect launch vehicle for the dormant label to rise again. The vinyl release of Unlearn as well as the single Be Together signify the first stops in a release plan which will please fans of the label.

FEEDBACK:

"Woah! It's sounds rad! Really heavy and cinematic!"
Kid Koala

"A dark and deep dive into a world of dense and diced samples and moody muted melodies. Would sit well next to Shadow's freakier forays into fractured funk. Or Format's last psychy LP, for sure."
DJ Moneyshot of The Allergies

"I love it. The new treatments with the additional instruments sound great, especially the horns. Glad to see that Equinox is back in action. Dope cover art."
Dday One

"It sounds like 2econd Class Citizen has been at a mountaintop retreat studying and meditating and came back with some superpowers."
Buddy Peace

A1. Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet - Yesterdays
A2. Bob James - Sign Of The Times
A3. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)
A4. Doris Day - Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
A5. Nina Simone - Rags And Old Iron
A6. Billie Holiday - God Bless The Child
A7. Ella Fitzgerald With Paul Weston & His Orchestra - Russian Lullaby
B1. Cookin' On 3 Burners Feat. Kylie Auldist - This Girl
B2. Little Willie John - I'm Shakin'
B3. Dinah Washington With Quincy Jones & His Orchestra - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
B4. Harry Belfonte - Jump In The Line
B5. Frank Sinatra - High Hopes
B6. Chris Connor - Time Out For Tears
B7. Thelonious Monk - Black And Tan Fantasy
C1. Ella Fitzgerald - All Through The Night
C2. Johnny Mathis - Someone
C3. Cal Tjader - Walk On By
C4. Gil Scott-Heron - Home Is Where The Hatred Is
C5. Mongo Santamaria - Watermelon Man
C6. Peggy Lee - I'ts A Good Day
C7. Ferrante & Teicher - Theme From Exodus
D1. Quincy Jones - Soul Bossa Nova
D2. Ahmad Jamal - Angel Eyes (Live At The Alhambra)
D3. Charlie Parker & Miles Davis - A Night In Tunisia
D4. Les Brown Feat. Doris Day - You Won'T Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)
D5. Cab Calloway - The Hi-De-Ho Man (That's Me)
D6. Glenn Miller - Doin' The Jive

Active since 2013, Paisley Fields is a singer, songwriter, and bandleader
splitting time between Brooklyn, New York and Nashville, Tennessee.A
touring member of the newly reformed Lavender Country, Paisley also
played keyboard on their album "Blackberry Rose"
On his new album, "Limp Wrist", he draws inspiration from queer icon Andy
Warhol and the myriad drag artists with whom he's collaborated. His years of
experience in Manhattan piano bars did not diminish his love for country music,
and he released two albums that pay homage to the music of his youth.
"Limp Wrist" is an exploration of where rural queerness intersects religion.
Paisley's family were devout Catholics, and he served as the official church
pianist in his parish throughout his teens, playing every Sunday.
The songs on the album are deeply personal, and often touch on what it was like
to grow up closeted and queer in rural Iowa in the early 2000s. "Black Hawk
County Line" tells the story of Paisley being outed by a former friend his senior
year in high school, "Dial Up Lover" is about logging on to gay AOL chat rooms to
find other queers in the area, and "Plastic Rosary" recounts the experience of
being told he'll never get into heaven while praying the rosary.
The most personal and biographical moment comes during "Iowa", which
recounts the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard, and the visceral fear he had to
wrestle with since he was already aware of how different he was.
The album ends on an uplifting note, sharing a message of friendship and hope
with "Tomorrow Finds a Way".
The stories are his, but the feelings they convey - love, loneliness, lust, fear - are
still universal.
Pressed on Red color vinyl.

In August she is releasing her solo debut "Changes Like the Weather in the
Mountain", consisting of her songs wrapped in electric guitar, wurlitzer, fiddles
and some high- pitched choir voices. Selma's music reveals an admiration for
Norwegian and English folk music, as well as containing an airy energy from
somewhere unknown – moving from an open space like big mountain into the
hidden rooms in one's heart.Selma is already known in the folk-scene in Norway
as a member of bands such as Norwegian Grammy nominated Masava and
Norwegian Grammy winner Morgonrode. She has toured and worked with artists
like Frokedal & Familien, Kristian Kristensen, Siv Jakobsen and the Switch. Her
musical work has been acknowledged by many, lastly featured as the theme song
in the Viaplay series Furia.
Growing up in the suburban university town of As, Selma French was exposed to
folk music from an early age, playing violin and Hardanger fiddle all her life, as
well as making songs on guitar. The list of musical inspirations is long, from
Linda Perhacs, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention and Judee Sill, to Frokedal,
Susanne Sundfor, Sandy Denn and The Roches.
Artists:
Selma French: vocals, acoustic guitar
Anja Lauvdal: synths, wurlitzer
Christian Winther: el-guitar
Andreas Winther: drums

When it came time to record 5-3-8 - the title being a reference to the
lyrical refrain that appears at a few points of the album of "Fifths, thirds,
octaves only" - Dendrons decamped to Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and
did additional recording at Highland Recording Studio in Phoenix,
Arizona, producing the album with Tony Brant and Sonny DiPerri
A far cry away from where they started as two friends doing everything
themselves, from the recording to the booking to even the graphic design, the
band is now an eagerly collaborative project. And they're already thinking about
what's to come. "You're always gonna leave a record feeling like there is
something more to be said," Jarvie says. "I don't believe in a magnum opus. Art is
contextual, and exists for the specific time and circumstance it was created in.
Every record is a conversation with the last."

Danish quartet Kindsight make the kind of music that feels like a summer
kiss in an autumn breeze
Pointed out as "your new favourite band" by UK tastemakers For The Rabbits their
highly anticipated debut LP 'Swedish Punk' arrives in March on Rama Lama
Records (Melby, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Wy etc.). The debut is packed with
charming and infectiously catchy noise- jangle- pop melodies full of exuberant
optimism and coming-of-age tales. Inspiration comes from acts such as Pixies,
Cocteau Twins, Snail Mail, Big Thief and more.

High quality, 2 x 180g pink marbled vinyl, gatefold sleeve and download
code containing the digital album in multiple formats. Singer Nishla
Smith creates vivid, enigmatic stories through sound, her voice stretching
from melancholic sweetness through to dark intimacy
Her debut album 'Friends with Monsters' confirms Smith as a major new vocal
talent and sees the vocalist's affinity for inventive narratives extended over the
span of a full album. The Australian performer travelled via Berlin to eventually
settle in Manchester and is joined here by some of the city's most talented
improvisers. Richard Jones and Johnny Hunter cover piano and drums
respectively, whilst bassist Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley and trumpeter Aaron Wood
add graceful touches to complete the quintet's intimate feel. Smith's depictions of
night-time have an enigmatic quality, inviting listeners on an atmospheric journey
but all the while pointing to something greater.
Smith's work moves swiftly through genres, driven by her unique artistry. A City
Music Foundation artist, she has received commissions from Manchester
Collective and Opera North, as well as Manchester Jazz Festival and Jazz North.
As co-creator of theatre company Ulita, she also creates collaborative pieces that
blend theatre, music and visual arts. 'Friends with Monsters' continues that
theatrical drive - "I'm a very natural storyteller, I just love to tell stories. I find
myself weaving everyday events into tales that are very narratively pleasing."
Set over the course of a single evening, 'Friends with Monsters' explores changing
states of insomnia, informed by Smith's own sleepless nights. It's realised in four
distinct sections; each is introduced by a scene-setting interlude. Delving deeper
into the dreamy world of Smith's storyland rewards greatly.

Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens are two musicians at the forefront
of developments in jazz and improvised music, listing the likes of
Terence Blanchard, Ambrose Akinmusire, Esperanza Spalding and
Christian Scott as collaborators
The pair started working together in 2017, and four years later, they're back for
the third iteration of their highly commended In Common project. Previous guests
include Nate Smith, Linda May Han Oh and Marcus Gilmore; on 'In Common 3',
Kris Davis takes the piano chair vacated by Micah Thomas, and completing the
lineup are two legends of the game - Dave Holland and Terri Lyne
Carrington.What's new, third time around? "It's longer, freer, and yet more
spontaneous," says Smith. The successful In Common formula - inventive 'onepage songs' written with specific musicians in mind - disguises the through-line
that uniquely shapes this record: "The spotlight is on the community of musicians
as a whole," Smith comments. "The general vibe is sculpted by the musicians'
interpretations of what we bring in." Davis' influential presence means the project
leans into the aesthetics of free improvisation for the first time; the resulting
soundworld lends itself to electronic manipulation, another first for the series.
The span of fifteen tracks showcases the duo's knack for reinvention, slipping
into unfamiliar contexts without losing sight of the album's focused essence.
Smith is keen to emphasise the standalone nature of the divergent In Common
recordings. Some aspects carry through though, like their commitment to
remembering lost influences - opener 'Shine' serves as both a thank you and an
acknowledgement to McCoy Tyner, Wallace Roney, Chick Corea, Jimmy Health
and Ellis Marsalis. That introduces the remaining fourteen tracks, that divide
nearly exactly into spontaneously constructed ideas that introduce fully
composed tracks.

180g vinyl audiophile pressing, this album is appearing on vinyl for the
first time
Joe Locke recorded ‘But Beautifu’l in 1991, when his name as a new vibraphonist
was gaining serious momentum on the NY scene. Following his highly acclaimed
debut album ‘Present Tense’ and the ensuing ‘Longing’ from SteepleChase this
third album showcases Locke’s lyricism in a ballad collection accompanied by the
master Kenny Barron.“If your mood of the moment is to surround yourself with
something soft and lovely, Locke and Barron will make things beautiful.” -
Cadence

Taking Back Sunday scored one of the highest charting independent rock albums
of 2004 when 'Where You Want To Be' hit No. 3. Dubbed "one of the most
anticipated albums of 2006" by Alternative Press, the band's follow- up and
Warner Bros. debut Louder Now released on April 25, 2006, took the group's
classic ethos of intertwining vocals and hardcore meets- rock- meets- pop to an
even more enticing level, besting its predecessor and skyrocketing to No. 2 on
Billboard's Top 200 selling 158,000 copies in its first week and garnering a Gold
certification in the process.
'Louder Now' went on to receive favorable reviews from critics, and was voted
Kerrang!'s album of the year. Additionally, it reached top 10 status on several
Billboard charts and the top 20 in Canada, Australia and the UK where it later was
certified silver by the BPI for sales exceeding 60,000 copies.

Alex G - the Philadelphia singer, songwriter, and producer Alex
Giannascoli - releases his highly anticipated ninth studio album,
‘God Save The Animals’, on Domino.
 ‘God’ figures in the album’s title and multiple of its thirteen
tracks, not as a concrete religious entity but as a sign for a
generalized sense of faith (in something, anything) that fortifies
Giannascoli, or the characters he voices, amid the songs’ often
fraught situations.
 Filtering his experiences through fact and fiction, Giannascoli
also opened up the songs through a more practical method:
collaboration. ‘God Save The Animals’ features several
individual contributions from his bandmates (guitarist Samuel
Acchione, drummer Tom Kelly, and bassist John Heywood) or
frequent collaborator Molly Germer on strings and / or vocals.
 CD in printed inner wallet and spined capacity outer wallet with
8-page folded poster insert.
 LP in gatefold outer sleeve with special gold foil print and white
polylined inner sleeve with digital download card.
 C45 audio cassette in coloured shell and standard clear plastic
outer case with cassette inlay (J-card with panels) and digital
download card.
 UK headline tour in 2023.

Alex G - the Philadelphia singer, songwriter, and producer Alex
Giannascoli - releases his highly anticipated ninth studio album,
‘God Save The Animals’, on Domino.
 ‘God’ figures in the album’s title and multiple of its thirteen
tracks, not as a concrete religious entity but as a sign for a
generalized sense of faith (in something, anything) that fortifies
Giannascoli, or the characters he voices, amid the songs’ often
fraught situations.
 Filtering his experiences through fact and fiction, Giannascoli
also opened up the songs through a more practical method:
collaboration. ‘God Save The Animals’ features several
individual contributions from his bandmates (guitarist Samuel
Acchione, drummer Tom Kelly, and bassist John Heywood) or
frequent collaborator Molly Germer on strings and / or vocals.
 CD in printed inner wallet and spined capacity outer wallet with
8-page folded poster insert.
 LP in gatefold outer sleeve with special gold foil print and white
polylined inner sleeve with digital download card.
 C45 audio cassette in coloured shell and standard clear plastic
outer case with cassette inlay (J-card with panels) and digital
download card.
 UK headline tour in 2023.

'Back In Business Again', the long-anticipated new record from blues-rock
eccentrics The Hooten Hallers, is a fever-dream of thoroughly American
rock and roll from the fertile musical heartland of Missouri, USA
On this ten track thrill-ride, The Hooten Hallers inhale a wealth of roots and rock
influences — blues, soul, punk, even New Orleans jazz — and spit forth a highvoltage, swinging rumpus that defies what you thought you knew about rock and
roll. Bubbling beneath the rip- roaring surface are all- original songs of outsider
Americana delight, from tall tales about near-mythological characters to a eulogy
commemorating the demise of 15 years worth of tour vans to heartfelt blues and
well beyond. John Randall's infernal howl and frenzied guitar swirls into a
demon's brew with Andy Rehm's otherworldly falsetto screams and unbridled
drumming. Kellie Everett drives the unorthodox low end with the rich tones of her
rumbling baritone and bass saxophones, rounding out the band's sound and
placing it firmly in a class of its own.
Produced by Dominic Davis (Jack White, Greensky Bluegrass), 'Back In Business
Again' takes a match to The Hooten Hallers' fuse and explodes the renegade
power trio to the edge of madness and back again, one vigorous, swinging,
perfectly peculiar song at a time.

In the five years since, Larsen has moved across the country, studied philosophy
at a small liberal arts college, dropped out, and then moved across the country
again. Their life was also put on pause after the sudden death of their first love.
“This loss left so many people with so many unanswered questions, myself
included. I haven’t always arrived at answers to these questions, but songwriting
has provided me with a way to at least ask.” The first voice we hear on Good Grief
does not belong to Larsen, but to their first love. “Ready?” she asks. As if to
answer her, the album begins with an audio recording from 2013 of Larsen and
their high school friends singing Sufjan Stevens’ song "The Predatory Wasp Of
The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" around a campfire. “When the record starts and
my ex says “ready?” there’s a part of me that feels like - in some way - she’s
asking grown-up-me if I’m “ready” to share my songs about grief now.” Good Grief
captures a coming-of-age story - of an artist and of a human being - as they try to
navigate the terrain of their existence and that of those around them. It’s an
experience of their loss but also honours the person that was lost to them. The
record closes with a reprise of the “Wasps” audio recording, marrying the past
and present as the old voice memo slowly fades into a newer one. Present-day
Larsen sings, “I can tell you I love her each day”: a testament to the fact that their
grief is-- finally--good.Packaging: LP Opaque "Yellowjacket" LP, with cover mount
marketing sticker

Ally is psyched to be releasing The Cakekitchen's dark and powerfully
catchy fourth LP, Stompin Thru The Boneyard, on vinyl for the first time in
the US!
Originally released on CD domestically by Merge Records in 1994, Graeme
Jefferies has remixed and remastered the original album creating a more even
and equally stirring effect. Mac McCaughan (Merge / Superchunk) cites this as
one of his favorite iterations of the band, and for good reason. "Tell Me Why You
Lie" ranks among the best of Jefferies' edgy pop songs, while the multi-part "Hole
in My Shoe" finishes with a sterling instrumental segment. "The Mad Clarinet" is a
highly textured acoustic piece featuring another NZ legend, Alastair Galbraith, on
violin. The album ends with the perfect closer, "Another Sad Story," which is not
just another song, but one of the finest melancholy earworms you'll ever
experience. NZ pop at its finest!

Progressive rock bent with a considerable amount of rock 'n' roll gospel
soul!
.Sanctuary's virtuosity is undeniable, and every song displays each
member's considerable talents
The album is abundant with soaring and passionate vocal arrangements that are
carried on high by the lively interplay of Norm Weinberg's percussive flurries as
they weave their way through a tapestry of flutes, strings, and guitars. Deeply
resonant keyboards set the foundation for the band's sound, and in fitting, albeit
unsuspecting, fashion, it is Eric Bikales' flute playing that shepherds the listener
through the album.
Beginning with "All In My Dreams," the flute's light and colorful timbre captures the
ear, serving as a clarion call for all to follow and creating moments of majesty, as
music and message seamlessly transform into one. Sanctuary's interpretations
of Yes's "Time And A Word" and Edgar Winter's "Winter's Dream" are not mere
covers. They are bright and bold musical statements, refusals to submit to the
negativity of the times. Their unique take on these compositions, as well as their
own, provides the kind of bright eyed anthems their generation's voice needed to
compete against the backdrop of war and social upheaval dominating the
headlines.

London and Dublin based women-led independent label TULLE release
TUESDAY NOTHING EXISTS - the debut album from three-piece GRAVE
GOODS
Featuring current and former members of PINS, Girls Names and September
Girls, the Sartre-rock trio are based between Manchester, Belfast and Dublin. This
highly anticipated debut full-length TUESDAY. NOTHING EXISTS was recorded at
Invada studios, Bristol.
Amongst others they have opened for Beak>, HEALTH, and Jon Spencer & the
Hitmakers and have played various festivals in Ireland and the UK.

"Fasten your seat belts - THE NEW ROSES are back! After touring with world famous artists like Scorpions, Saxon, Accept and Tremonti, the quartet around Timmy Rough will release their fifth studio album, entitled Sweet Poison, via Napalm Records on October 21, 2022. Musically, the band delivers stadium rock that would make the likes of Bon Jovi proud! With their most recent previous release, Nothing But Wild, the band entered the top 10 of the German album charts, but the band isn’t letting off the gas yet. Bevor they will embark on an extensive headliner tour in autumn, they will support none other than the legendary Judas Priest in June, Foreigner and rock icons KISS on their way to the top of rock! Their newest offering, Sweet Poison, starts off with the brilliant, guitar-driven anthem “My Kinda Crazy” providing a taste of what’s to come before blasting into authentic rock-meets-Americana tracks like “Playing With Fire” and “Sweet Gloria”. Massive track and album highlight “Warpaint” stages the band’s raw power with blazing guitar riffs and powerful drumming, while “The Usual Suspects” and “1st Time For Everything” convince as smooth sing-along hymns with catchy hooks. Tracks like “Dead Of Night” emerge with gloomy power, building atop a distinct melody and leading into a strong anthemic chorus, while THE NEW ROSES offer their softer side with songs such as “All I Ever Needed” – a mighty mid-tempo rock ballad showcasing the band’s vulnerability while reviving emotionality alike some of Guns N’ Roses most touching ballads. Frontman Timmy Rough passionately serves the full range of his voice on the track, also impressively evident on lyrically tender acoustic offering “True Love”. Sweet Poison is an outstanding rock album providing hit after hit and anthem after anthem, taking 80s retro rock to an extraordinary new level. Brace yourself as THE NEW ROSES shift into high gear, taking you on a ride towards the horizon of stadium rock!!

GREAT LOST ALBUM BY NC LEGEND SAM MOSS IS DISCOVERED, MIXED
FOR DELUXE RELEASE produced by Chris Stamey In Winston-Salem, NC,
guitarist Sam Moss is a legend - A superior, highly versatile musician
whose advocacy for the blues and mastery of the nuances of electric
blues-based soloing somewhat paralleled Mike Bloomfield's in Chicago,
Moss was an inspiring, charismatic mentor to generations of North
Carolina rockers, including Let's Active and The dB's
He was a larger- than- life character whose club appearances astounded local
audiences, yet he never released a record in his lifetime. So, producer Chris
Stamey was thrilled to discover, in 2020, on the end of an old tape, forgotten
masters of Blues Approved, a spectacular Stax- and Muscle Shoalsinfluenced
solo record, made with Mitch Easter in 1977.This "great lost" record reveals that
Moss was also a soulful songwriter and singer. It has now been carefully remixed
and produced for release, with a deluxe booklet featuring detailed liner notes and
bio, session notes by Easter, and lots of vivid color photos. Peter Holsapple (The
dB's) says, "Sam Moss was an inspiration to so many of us; with the release of
Blues Approved, people everywhere will understand why.
Mitch Easter of Let's Active recalls: "Sam wrote interesting songs that almost
always had a blues angle, but he brought in a lot of elements from elsewhere." But
the material then sat on the shelf, unreleased, as Moss opened a vintage guitar
store, selling internationally to rock stars and other celebrities for several
decades.
On July 30, 2021, the City of Winston-Salem honored Moss with a sidewalk star in
the city's Walk of Fame downtown.

At the time of this performance Miles Davis was on his final lap but he was still utterly unique. Stalking the stage in futuristic Issey
Miyake couture, his red lacquered trumpet poised for action. Kenny Garrett's searing alto sax and Foley's 'lead bass' share solo
duties but the rhythm section take the honours here. Miles was renowned for his determination to keep moving forwards and in this
band Ricky 'Sugarfoot' Wellman's go-go beat and Darryl 'The Munch' Jones' high energy playing drive the music forwards
relentlessly. No other band has ever sounded like this. In 1987 Miles was still playing funk and rock the be-bop way.
Performed on 25th July, 1987 at Yomiuri Land Open Theatre East, Tokyo, Japan and broadcast by NHK-FM. A 2LP set pressed on
180g Black Vinyl and presented in a gatefold sleeve sealed with Japanese obi strip. With extensive liner notes and archival photos.
Miles Davis - trumpet, keyboards; Kenny Garrett - alto saxophone, flute; Foley (Joseph McCreary, Jr.) - lead bass; Adam Holzman -
keyboards; Robert Irving III - keyboards; Darryl Jones - bass; Ricky Wellman - drums; Mino Cinelu - percussion.