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Enemy Of The Music Business is their tenth LP released in 2000, concerning their departure from the record company for all of their previous albums, Earache Records. While the last few albums from Napalm Death were just as heavy as their others, they weren't exactly departures or highlights of the band's discography. This album is a powerful return to their awesome speed and amazing guitarwork that seemed a bit difficult to attain on their former records.

The Advent a.k.a. Cisco Ferreira has a firm footing in quality techno DJs' bags - as well as in dance music history - and today we announce a special treat for the heads: Paraiso is releasing three never before heard tracks, rescued from a DAT lost sometime in the 90s. Titled 'Passado Distante' - you probably guessed it, it means Distant Past - we're talking about a trio of no-frills yet creative and highly energetic technoid ammunition. Classics that never were but now are given a new chance to grace our dancefloors. Opening this record, 'Driven' gifts our ears with syncopated claps and percussion while relentless rushes of hi hats and snares create a steady rhythmic core, creating a funky as hell piece that has the original spirit of techno inscribed in it. Things remain fast-paced and to the bone in the following track 'Circulate', a rolling bassline supporting snare rolls and a cheeky, minimalistic bleep reminiscent of sci-fi worlds. Dense yet concise, like techno bangers ought to. Closing this triad is the irresistibly rhythmic 'Tres Trax', a geeky but powerful closing act that shows Cisco's early wide-eyed aura, blending complex percussion and a bassline so soaked in swing it will have your hips drawing rave sigils as they naturally learn the groove. Dubby details add mystery to this incredibly imaginative Detroit-tinged wonky banger. Cisco did it again.

Last Year at Marienbad proudly welcomes French producer DJ Psychiatre, aka Sylvain Creton, known for his dynamic and evolving approach to house music. His style blends acid-infused grooves, soft rhythmic atmospheres, and disco-driven energy, earning him releases on renowned labels like Whyte Numbers, Lost Palms, and Shall Not Fade.

His latest EP, Moving Into Jazz, showcases his signature sound with four diverse tracks. The title track starts with delicate keys before building into a rich, atmospheric house piece with acid elements. Those DJs follows with a stepping drum pattern, deep bass, and sweeping chords, reinforcing his intricate rhythmic focus. On the B-side, Iced Lemon introduces clean arpeggios and euphoric pads, culminating in a powerful progression. Closing the EP, A Trance to Remember delivers an uplifting, energetic groove with a deep bassline and engaging vocal snippets. This EP highlights DJ Psychiatre’s ability to craft immersive, melodically rich music that resonates beyond the dancefloor. Last Year at Marienbad is thrilled to share this release from a true master of the genre.

For All The World, the black watch's twenty-fifth (and first double) album is a darkly poppy, brightly moody, many-splendored take on a number of the great themes: Death and Sex, Memory and Lament and Hope and Love. And it is, arguably, this heralded Los Angeles band's most sonically ambitious and moving record yet, since front man/novelist/ex-English professor John Andrew Fredrick formed the group in 1988 in Santa Barbara after he'd seen a London-by-way-of-Canada band called The Lucy Show play to twelve-or-so people in his hometown.

Having recorded 2024's Weird Rooms with producer Misha Bullock and Fredrick's son Chandler at Bullock's studio in Austin, TX, the TBW founder was keen to repeat the experience with, he says, more straightforward, classic psych/jangle/shoegaze songs. The result, though artistically satisfying, spurred a yen in John to write more songs as a sort of reaction against the batch he'd carried with him from LA to Texas. "We had such a productive time recording ‘Weird Rooms’ that I wanted to repeat the experience... without repeating the experience. And once it was over and I left Misha to do what he pleased with respect to mixing and overdubbing, all I could think was 'I need to write another album now.'" So Fredrick brought longstanding producer/engineer and TBW-associate Scott Campbell (Stevie Nicks, Acetone) along this time to help out with engineering and good cheer.

Fredrick, who has been "accused" of being "astonishingly prolific," learned that bandmate Andy Creighton had recently become unemployed, seized the opportunity to have yet another multi-instrumentalist flesh out the new songs he quickly wrote after he came back from Austin. “Achilles Past,” the first single, is in fact a song that John wrote when the production team thought the album was done—and the front man avers that it’s often the case that a very strong song comes to him, as it were, in the eleventh hour. The same could be said for “Listen You Wait”—another number that came late to the Austin sessions.

Nevertheless, the recording of the first half of For All The World has Creighton's signature indelibly stamped on it - especially on such tracks as “Fainting” and “Surely You Rally”- just as the latter half highlights Bullock's formidable talents. "They're both not just brilliant musicians and they understand my aesthetic and bring their own sensibilities to bear on my stuff. Our respective tastes meet in, you guessed it, The Beatles' realm - the great shadow that hangs over all I do, at least."

"There's A Place," the final song on side two, serves in fact as a distinct homage that's been a long time coming for a band that included a cover of "It's All Too Much" as a bonus track and that release a quite punkish, uptempo version of "Eleanor Rigby" on a 7".

Soft Cell’s second long-player was the groundbreaking mini-LP ‘NonStop Ecstatic Dancing’… the world’s first remix album and a huge influence on subsequent generations of clubbers, DJs and remixers. Reissue of the original album, remastered, and bolstered by the inclusion of extended versions of its two related hit singles – ‘Torch’ and ‘What!’ – and bring it up to date with a second disc of unreleased mixes and highlights from 2007’s long-deleted ‘Heat – The Remixes’. The release will be laser-focussed to celebrate Soft Cell’s pioneering work in the clubs of Leeds, London, New York and Berlin and clear the decks for our next full deluxe edition ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ in Q3 2025. Barring the super 6CD version would follow the formats that were so successful for ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ reissue with a 2CD and 2LP coloured as the physical versions with a digital deluxe mirroring the 2CD set. We know this artist has a wide appeal AND a solid fanbase and this album is also legendary in DJ / club / electronic circles.

Sally Anne Morgan is an artist and naturalist in the purest senses. Raised on old time and Appalachian folk traditions, Morgan"s artistry embodies the rich life of the communities and natural world she surrounds herself with. Based in Alexander, NC on the edge of Appalachia and the Pisgah National Forest, Sally"s blend of traditional technique and distinctly modern compositional approach are infused with the sounds of her garden, surrounding pastures, forests and mountains. Guest synthesis Sean Dunlap (Field Patterns) and hurdy-gurdy player Brian "Geologist" Weitz (Animal Collective) embellish pieces with droning thrums and sonic moss. Second Circle The Horizon is an album built on Morgan"s singular artistic voice as an improviser and composer intertwined with deft intuition. Morgan"s music highlights her bond with nature, and how its beauty and the beauty of artistic creation are interwoven. The album celebrates creation, revels in discovery, and marvels at the complex patterns, intersectional cycles and simple beauty of a creative life intertwined with the natural world.

Sally Anne Morgan is an artist and naturalist in the purest senses. Raised on old time and Appalachian folk traditions, Morgan"s artistry embodies the rich life of the communities and natural world she surrounds herself with. Based in Alexander, NC on the edge of Appalachia and the Pisgah National Forest, Sally"s blend of traditional technique and distinctly modern compositional approach are infused with the sounds of her garden, surrounding pastures, forests and mountains. Guest synthesis Sean Dunlap (Field Patterns) and hurdy-gurdy player Brian "Geologist" Weitz (Animal Collective) embellish pieces with droning thrums and sonic moss. Second Circle The Horizon is an album built on Morgan"s singular artistic voice as an improviser and composer intertwined with deft intuition. Morgan"s music highlights her bond with nature, and how its beauty and the beauty of artistic creation are interwoven. The album celebrates creation, revels in discovery, and marvels at the complex patterns, intersectional cycles and simple beauty of a creative life intertwined with the natural world.

'BMB x OBI' marks a new venture for the long-time instrumental powerhouse Black Market Brass. Teaming up with Obi Original, the young and visionary Minneapolis talent with a mission to share the heart of African music with the world, Black Market Brass delivers both proverbial and prophetic messages for the year to come - 'You've got to be Battle Ready!'. Inspired by the raw energy and messages of Fela Kuti and indebted to Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou for their heavy fusion of voodoo-infused Afro-beat, Black Market Brass points in both directions towards the resurgent history of West African funk and the future of where a younger generation can lead us. These tracks are bursting at the seams with energy and force the listener to wise up and march along as soon as the drums thunder and the horns blare their first notes. The A-side, 'Battle Ready,' is what it claims: a band armed and ready to take on whatever may come. Strapped to the hilt with three drummers, this infectiously rhythmic track simmers, if not boils, under Obi's demands to mount up. The energy is high, edgy, and proves that getting nine musicians in the same room to track live captures a passion that bulldozes through anything placed in its way. The B-side, 'What You Make It,' encapsulates a musical quality that Black Market Brass has refined over its many years together, with polyrhythmic ideas you don't have to understand to know it feels good. Infused with elements of ethno-funk and classic highlife, this Ebo Taylor & Pat Thomas inspired work approaches the listener with a simple message amongst a danceable cacophony of sounds - 'Life is what you make it.' Move in 4, dance in 3, or sway in 6. Whichever you choose, choose it deliberately; the music will be there to support you.

This is the very first reissue on 7” single of these super rare and gorgeous early Reggae tracks by one of the most underrated voice of Jamaica. Both these tracks were produced by Dandy Livingstone and released in 1969 on the Downtown label, a Trojan sublabel, on two separate singles:
- DT-436: Audrey "You'll Lose A Good Thing" with Desmond Riley "If I Had Wings" on the flip.
- DT-414: Audrey "Love Me Tonight" with Brother Dan All Stars "Shoot Them Amigo" on the B side.
NOTE: Desmond Riley "If I Had Wings" is featured on our companion single also to be released on June 21, 2025.
This reissue brings these two rare gems together for the first time on a 7” single allowing enthusiasts and collectors to experience their gorgeous sound.
The original pressings have become highly collectible, with copies fetching big sums in the collectors' market.
This exceptional release will be available on our website and in select record shops worldwide from June 21, 2025.

Audrey Hall, aka Audrey was born in Kingston in 1948, sister to Pam, Trevor & Raymond Hall, all Reggae artists. She began her career as a duo, Dandy & Audrey with Dandy Livingstone. She recorded two albums with Dandy as a duo in 1968 and 1969.
She also recorded a handful of solo singles on the Down Town label with Livingstone as a producer. Dandy was a key producer shaping Jamaican sounds in Britain at that time. Although these tracks are actually all quite nice, two tracks really standout: “You’ ll Lose A Good Thing” and “Love Me Tonight” both released together for the first time on this single.
After the Skinheads craze subsided in Britain, Audrey moved to New York. During much of the 1970s and early 1980s, she worked as a backing singer alongside her sister Pam Hall. She made a real come-back as a solo artist in 1985 with producer Donovan Germain and scored many hits in the U.K.including “One Dance Won’t Do”, "Smile" and "The Best Thing For Me".
While she gained wider success in the 1980s with lovers rock hits, she did not quite get the recognition her outstanding singing skills deserved and she remains one of the most underrated voice of Jamaica…

After the explosive Comme à la radio, infused with the free jazz energy of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Brigitte Fontaine and Areski Belkacem released six albums together or separately between 1972 and 1977. Their music, often stripped down to voice, guitar, and percussion-or performed a cappella-stood in stark contrast to the orchestrated French pop of the time. This minimalist and spontaneous approach highlighted the poetic power of the lyrics and the intimacy of the melodies, earning them recognition in the counterculture and underground scenes. By the end of the 1970s, Fontaine sought to make her work more visible without losing its originality. The Baraka album marked this transitional moment, initially recorded in a home studio without external musicians. Its title (meaning "blessing" in Arabic) hinted at a desire for success. Mixing introspection, absurd humor, and bold stylistic choices, the album was technically ambitious, featuring stereo duets and layered vocals, and lyrically rich, tackling everything from metaphysical themes to playful nonsense. However, the project ultimately veered off course. After moving the recordings to the massive Studio Davout and bringing in producer and guitarist Martial "Mimi" Lorenzini, the album lost its original intimacy. Overproduced arrangements clashed with the simplicity of Fontaine and Belkacem's initial intent, resulting in an album-renamed Les églantines sont peut-être formidables-that the artists later disowned, refusing to allow its commercial release. Recently rediscovered demo tapes, stripped of their bombastic layers, reveal the raw, emotional core of the songs-showcasing the duo's voices with a rare authenticity. These recordings bridge a missing link in their discography, between their experimental lo-fi years and their later, more accessible work. Decades on, Fontaine and Belkacem remain defiant originals, never settling into a formula, always evolving, and continuing to shake the foundations of French chanson.

The new and third album from the fabulous Split Squad, an All-Star band founded by Michael Giblin - producer (notably of The Fleshtones) and the band's bassist and songwriter - joined by the now late Clem Burke (Blondie), Keith Streng (The Fleshtones), Eddie Muñoz (The Plimsouls), and Josh Kantor (The Baseball Project). A Power Pop album and a brilliant follow-up to the already highly acclaimed first two records of the band. From classy garage rock to masterful power pop craftsmanship, Less of Everything is already establishing itself as a major classic and a must-have in the band's discography.

Hampus Lindwall’s Brace for Impact might just be the first album of post-internet pipe organ music. It’s an album of five new contemporary classical compositions, all performed by the composer himself on the 78-stop grand organ at St. Antonius church in Düsseldorf, Germany. Featuring the electric guitar of SUNN O)’s Stephen O’Malley on the title track. A highly visceral forty-five minutes of music with undeniable elemental power.
As 2024 came to a close, in New York and Paris chords rang out from thirty-two-foot pipes for the first time in half a decade. Following twin fires in 2019, the grand organs at the cathedrals of St John the Divine and Notre-Dame, amongst the largest instruments in their respective countries, had finally been restored. The news was justly celebrated in the international press, but the incidents were far from isolated. In England, the city of Norwich hailed the return of its cathedral’s five manual organ in 2023 and just two years earlier York Minster heralded a “once-in-a-century” refurbishment of its own 5,000-plus pipe instrument. Meanwhile, further organ restoration projects are ongoing at churches in Liverpool, Bradford, Bristol, Winchester, and Washington DC. Significant as they are to their respective communities, they’re also emblematic of a wider rebirth for one of humanity’s oldest musical instruments.
The organ is having a moment. Over the last few years, albums by the likes of Kali Malone, Ellen Arkbro, Anna von Hausswolff, FUJI|||||||||||TA, and Áine O’Dwyer, as well as projects in the visual arts by Sollmann Sprenger, Cory Arcangel, Massimo Bartolini and many other talented artists, have given a new prominence to the old ecclesiastical stalwart. The pipe organ bears historical traces which stretch back to the third century BC. But that doesn’t mean it can’t speak to a contemporary moment haunted by algorithms and networked culture. Hampus Lindwall’s Brace for Impact is an album of organ music for today.

To fans of black metal, Dødheimsgard need no introduction, being one of the great purveyors of the Norwegian Black Metal creative evolution.

The band was formed in 1994 by Aldrahn (Thorns) and Vicotnik (Ved Buens Ende). The early incarnation was that of a raw and at often melodic black metal band, with their debut album also featuring Fenriz of Darkthrone on bass. In recent years, Dodheimsgard has become known for its eclectic musical ventures and poignant mood shifts, with a less chaotic, more considered approach compared to their earliest works. Following the 'Kronet til Konge' and 'Monumental Possession' opuses, there was a shift in direction as demonstrated on 1998's 'Satanic Art' EP and by Dødheimsgard's third album, 666 International, Vicotnik had taken over a lot of the writing duties, with DHG's style becoming more technical yet ferocious black metal, with strong experimental ideas and industrial elements.

Vicotnik's riffs were inspired by cult bands such as Thorns and perfectly entwined with Aldrahn's delightfully twisted lyrics and immense vocals to create something truly unique. In its 666 International incarnation, DHG (as they were later to be known) featured a line- up of well- respected Norwegian musicians including Czral (Aura Noir, Ved Buens Ends, Virus), Apollyon (Aura Noir, Immortal), plus Mr Magic Logic (Fleurety) on keyboards, as the album was constructed over a period of time. All in all, 666 International is rightly regarded as a highly influential masterpiece of avant-garde metal by many since its release in 1999.

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.

[o] B8 Back In The Highlife; Producer, Engineer – Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade; Written-By [Uncredited] – Steve Winwood, Will Jennings

The record is largely sung in Scots language, one of Scotland’s three official languages along with Gaelic and English. “Scots gives me a way of expressing myself which is connected directly with the landscapes I love. It brings the songs alive and it is a fascinating language. The name of the record is in Scots - Forefowk means the people who came before, or ancestors. When we say ‘mind me,’ we can mean a few things- remind, remember, watch over or care for me. The record explores how tradition needs to be constantly reconnected with, built upon, looked after, and shared.”
Quinie sings with a style inspired by Scottish Traveller singers. “I began singing unaccompanied Scots Song in 2015 after hearing Scots Traveller singer Sheila Stewart on the radio. Initially I felt like I shouldn't sing these songs because I'm not a Traveller, and I saw people around me doing that in a way that made me uncomfortable. But on the other hand this music made sense to me and I felt driven to learn. Over the years I have met Traveller friends who taught me that settled people sharing these songs could contribute to raising awareness. Scottish Travellers are marginalised and discriminated against in modern Scotland, despite being custodians of so many of our important traditions. So I started to perform them and tell this story. From there I built on my repertoire and started writing my own songs”.
To develop this record, Quinie travelled across Argyll with her horse. They went on a pilgrimage of sorts through the ancient landscapes of the West of Scotland to explore the interconnected relationships between people, ancestors, animals, and place. The album’s vinyl release is accompanied by a book and film, documenting this unusual research process.
Forefowk, Mind Me was recorded in August 2024 at The Big Shed in Highland Perthshire with support from Creative Scotland. Quinie is accompanied by an ensemble of musicians: Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh (viola), Oliver Pitt (duduk, bouzouki, percussion), Harry Górski-Brown (small pipes, violin), and Stevie Jones (double bass, recording, and mixing). Each of these artists brings their own distinctive voice, bridging contemporary experimental practice with worlds of traditional and early music.

Having James Shinra back on AF is always a cause for celebration, and doubly so this time because we present 'Meteorites', his second album following the highly acclaimed Vital Heat (2018). During 2023-24, James uploaded a series of digital releases called 'Meteorites', a set of dreamy and introspective tracks where the artist showed his evolution and maturity, refining the emotive sound that's his trademark and has garnered so much praise in recent years. We should do justice to that material, giving it a worthy treatment/format, so we decided to release all together. James has revisited and reworked many of the tracks for the occasion, polishing, adding, removing... and the result is 'Meteorites', the album. A MUST for all braindance sensibilities and nonconformist electronic heads. We're sure it will remind you exactly why you loved this talented guy for so long and why he's one of the most uncompromising artists working in electronic music these days.

[a] A1 Big Mike's; Drums, Bass, Clarinet, Organ, Mixed By, Written-By – Dijon (7); Guitar, Piano, Vocals [Additional], Organ, Mixed By, Written-By – Michael Gordon (30); Mixed By – Jack Karaszewski; Slide Guitar – Noah Le Gros
[b] A2 Scratching; Mixed By, Written-By – Dijon (7); Producer [Additional] – Michael Gordon (30); Producer [Additional], Mixed By – Jack Karaszewski
[c] A3 Many Times;Drums, Baritone Guitar, Written-By – Michael Gordon (30); Guitar [Additional], Written-By – Dijon (7); Programmed By [Additional Programming], Mixed By, Written-By – Andrew Sarlo
[d] A4 Annie; Acoustic Guitar, Written-By – Dijon (7); Bass – Michael Gordon (30); Mixed By, Written-By – Jack Karaszewski; Saxophone [Casio Sax Replica] – John Keek; Vocals [Additional] – God's Children (11)
[e] A5 Noah's Highlight Reel; Clarinet, Guitar, Mixed By, Written-By – Dijon (7); Vocals [Additional], Bass, Synth, Written-By – Michael Gordon (30); Vocals [Additional], Written; By – Noah Le Gros
[f] A6 The Dress; Bass – Gabe Noel, Sam Wilkes (2); Drums, Synth, Written-By – Dijon (7); Guitar – Noah Le Gros; Keyboards – John Keek; Mixed By – Andrew Sarlo; Vocals [Additional] – Michael Gordon (30); Written-By – John Keuch

[h] B2 Did You See It; Instruments [All], Written-By – Dijon (7); Mixed By – Jack Karaszewski
[i] B3 Talk Down; Bongos – Henry Kwapis; Drum Programming, Mixed By, Written-By – Jack Karaszewski; Drums, Synth [Strega], Mixed By, Written-By – Dijon (7); Guitar, Baritone Guitar – Michael Gordon (30); Keyboards – John Keek; Written-By – John Keuch
[j] B4 Rodeo Clown; Clarinet – John Keek; Mixed By – Jack Karaszewski; Written-By, Guitar – Dijon (7); Written-By, Guitar [Additional], Bass – Michael Gordon (30); Written-By, Slide Guitar – Noah Le Gros
[k] B5 End of Record; Baritone Guitar, Bass, Synth – Michael Gordon (30); Mixed By – Jack Karaszewski; Mixed By [Stem Mix] – Andrew Sarlo; Written-By, Guitar, Mixed By – Dijon (7)

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.

Editions Mego reissue the 2001 release Asuma by Finnish artist Ilpo Väisänen. Originally released on CD this is the first ever vinyl issue, remastered by Rashad Becker. 2001 is a landmark year for the artist following a wave of success from the notable outfit Väisänen formed alongside Mika Vanio, Pan Sonic (as they were now known then). Following a string of highly acclaimed and influential releases such as “Vakio”, “Kulma”, “A’ and “Aaltopiiri” Pan Sonic had toured the globe extensively leaving a trail of blown expectations and rumours of all manner of objects in venues cracking or falling apart due to the immense sound the duo concocted with their unique instruments.

Taking a break from the ecstatic cacophony of Pan Sonic, Väisänen retreated to work on a solo release which conjured the spirits of the former outfit whilst simultaneously carving out a more personal take on these new electronic forms.

Asuma is a precise study of drones, rhythms, clicks, ambience and gentle confusion. Whilst inhabiting a zone of abstraction the results also move in a natural field as Väisänen’s native Finland permeates these recordings as much as the idea of experimentation itself.

Autioitu 1 opens the album as delicate pinball rhythms bounce across the spectrum as a hairy drone hovers underneath. The mood is both intriguing and unsettling. Tukahduttaja is a delightfully disorientating sound sculpture that is hard to pinpoint what it actually is. Klikki is comparable to a microscopic version of Pink Floyd’s “Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict”. Asumaton is a foreboding miniature acting like a segway to Vallitseva which embraces the icy clicks that punctuates much of the Pan Sonic output. Arvioimaton Ongelma is an audio riddle whilst Jaettu jitters around a dancefloor crawl. Autioitu closes proceedings as a gentle ambient thumper. Asuma is awash with contradiction and mystery. This is time wrapped in twisted turns and rewards a neat payoff for those interested in the absolute fringes of electronic ‘dance’ music.