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East of Asteroid is the highly anticipated debut album from Norwegian progressive rock band Moonsoon. Helge Nyheim, an accomplished drummer, vocalist, and artist from Bergen, is the driving force behind Moonsoon. With decades of experience, Helge has worked with countless musicians across various genres, and his distinctive drumming and vocals lay the foundation for the band's sound. Daniel Hauge, co-songwriter, producer, and arranger, has also been instrumental in shaping the album's direction. Daniel has produced other artists in the Apollon Records roster, such as Dobbelgjenger. Known for his work as a producer, Daniel has contributed greatly to the overall sonic texture and dynamics of the album. He also mixed and mastered the album. Helge and Daniel, together with the talented guest musicians, have shaped the sonic identity of the album, blending atmospheric textures, dynamic compositions, and captivating storytelling.

Percussion mastermind Ploy arrives on Dekmantel with a double-pack of unbridled dancefloor heat that sees him reconnecting with his house roots.

Before he made a striking breakthrough as Ploy with wayward broken techno for Hessle Audio and Timedance, Samuel Smith's first releases as Samuel were leftfield house excursions. On this release for Dekmantel he wanted to reflect on a decade of releasing music and the many high-impact dancefloors he's shared with the label, from Selectors to De School, over the years.

The common denominator across these eight tracks is no-nonsense house, offering up grooves that will serve a DJ exactly what they want in the mix. At the same time, Ploy doesn't dilute the distinctive edge of his sound, from the abundance of perfectly balanced percussion to the nagging hooks of an off-key synth line dropped at just the right moment. Wry samples inject the mischievous humour he's always creeping into his craft. This is where dancefloor magic is nurtured, hitting the sweet spot between rock solid reliability and the wild card energy that brings a heads-down set to life.

From 'Admirer's big room peaks to 'It's Later Than You Think's cosmic incantations, this is the sound of Ploy showing exactly what it takes to make laser-focused club bombs without losing one iota of his inimitable style.

Leng Records’ first album of the year release comes courtesy of two contrasting legends of Italian dance music, Afro-Cosmic pioneer Danielle Baldelli and sometime FPI Project member Marco Fratty (real name Marco Frattini).

Both producers have a wealth of experience. Baldelli first to rose to fame as resident DJ at the near mythical Cosmic Club in the early 1980's, before moving into music production two decades ago. Since then, he’s collaborated with heaps of producers – most notably DJ Rocca, Marco Dionigi and Dario Piana – but “Oil Painting” marks his first collaboration with Frattini, an experienced producer whose bustling discography stretches right back to the Italian house explosion of the late 1980's and early ’90s.

The pair’s debut collaborative release is bold, bubbly, vibrant and funky, with the storied Italian veterans making extensive use of live instrumentation, vintage synthesizers and chugging, floor-friendly grooves. As you’d expect from a Baldelli-related project, the influences are obvious – think funk, dub-disco, cosmic rock, Italo-disco and nu-disco – but the resulting colourful cuts refuse to settle on one specific style.

Firmly focused on the dancefloor, “Oil Painting” is a gleeful, celebratory and excitable as anything either producer has released to date. For proof, check the surging arpeggio style synth-bass, kaleidoscopic synthesizer lines and eyes-closed rock guitar solos of “Automatic Amplitude”, the flute-laden dub disco shuffle of “Jasmine Flavour”, the organ-laden cosmic funk chug of “Oil Painting” and the lolloping disco-funk exuberance of “Steam Engine”, where crunchy guitar licks and Meters style organ stabs wrap themselves around a vintage disco bassline and head-nodding, toe-tapping drums.

The highlights don’t step there, either. Check the percussion and delay-laden Afro-Cosmic funk fusion of “Slinky Funk”, a veritably tropical excursion that repurposes the bassline and incessant cowbells from Cymande classic “Bra”, and the Clavinet-heavy stomp of “Positive Flow”, whose snaking, constantly-changing saxophone solo and flash-fried guitar riffs help create a thrillingly excitable mood.

From start to finish, “Oil Painting” is an album full to bursting with musical joy and umpteen giddy calls towards the dancefloor. From producers of Baledlli and Frattini’s experience, we’d expect nothing less.

Das fünfte Album der Newcastler Riffzauberer Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (aka PIGSx7) ist geprägt von kalkulierter Aggression und selbstzerfrleichenden Texten. Zu den verblüffenden Boni gehören verspielte Synthesizer-Arbeiten und der Auftritt eines Hip-Hop-Masters. Mit seinem Titel, der Absurdität und Ernsthaftigkeit einander gegenüberstellt, ist dies Death Hilarious. Während Land Of Sleeper von 2023 als immersives Kopfhörer-Erlebnis konzipiert war, strebten Pigs dieses Mal nach etwas direkterem, böseren. ,Wir wollten, dass es ein Schlag ins Gesicht ist", grinst Produzent und Gitarrist Sam Grant. Dieses Ziel kam zum Teil dadurch zustande, dass die Band in den letzten Jahren sooooo viele Gigs gespielt hat. Die Band fühlte sich gut geölt und reif dafür, den Zuhörern zu Hause die Art von Prügel zu verpassen, die ihr Publikum von der Bühne aus erhält. Death Hilarious bietet einige Überraschungen, vor allem der Track 'Glib Tongued', bei dem El-P von Run The Jewels als Gastmusiker mitwirkt. Als Bassist John-Michael Hedley unwissentlich das schrieb, was seine Bandkollegen als ihr Äquivalent zu einer Hip-Hop-Nummer betrachteten, setzten die Pigs ihre Ziele hoch an und sicherten sich einen fulminanten Beitrag von einem der größten Rapper der Welt. Das soll nicht heißen, dass Pigs zum Nu-Metal übergegangen sind. Death Hilarious ist eine abwechslungsreiches, straffes Album, das sich zwischen sabbathianischem Doom, grotesk minimalistischem Noise Rock und zyklischen Post-Metal-Fortissimos bewegt. Auch die Pigs treiben sich selbst weiter an. Unpassende Synthesizer-Soli tauchen dort auf, wo normalerweise Gitarren-Histrionik Platz hätte. Klaviertracks lauern im Mix und verleihen dem Klangstrudeln eine fast unterschwellige Tiefe. Stitches" ist wie Motörhead, die versuchen, Glamrock mit einem beschwipsten Keyboarder zu spielen. Und dann ist da noch das 100-Meilen-Tempo des Cosmic-Thrash-Openers ,Blockage". Verzerrte Licks fliegen aus den Verstärkern von Grant und Lead-Gitarrist Adam Ian Sykes, während die Rhythmusgruppe dahinter brutzelt. Mit all dieser Power, die durch die Adern fließt, wird Death Hilarious mit Leichtigkeit eines der besten Rockalben des Jahres 2025 sein... und das ist kein Witz!

Reinventing himself as a vocalist on his new album 'Silver Blue', Pomrad fuses 80s fusion funk, raw electro-dance, and 90s rave grooves to craft his unique style of cosmic crooners. For Fans of Prince, Hudson Mohawke and Herbie Hancock.

Drawing inspiration from a wide range of genres, the record pays homage to the iconic African American productions of the '80s-such as Prince, One Way, the Gap Band, and Whitney Houston-while also nodding to UK-styled genres like Street Soul (The Antipode), '90s R&B (Is It True) or even grotesque 2-step (Sad Dancer).

Throughout the album, layered synth textures from instruments like the Yamaha DX7, RolandD-50, Simmons SD-5, and Korg Opsix create otherworldly atmospheres (Silver Blue), as tracks swing from the playful funk naivety of an '80s TV show intro (How It Feels) to corny synth ballads (Sweet Dear Lucky) or happy clapping turned hardstyle (Suzy Got Lost).

Pomrad wrote the songs over the past few years in his home studio in the Antwerp area. After a seven-year hiatus, following his collaboration with Onra, he returns as a fearless singer and storyteller with a distinctly Belgian surrealist flair.

Fust--the lyrical powerhouse Southern rock band from Durham, North Carolina--announce their new album Big Ugly, out March 7th on Dear Life Records, the record label that launched the careers of MJ Lenderman and Florry and that has become a haven for contemporary songwriters. Big Ugly arrives after the release of 2024's Songs of the Rail--"one of the best alt-country compilations_in a long, long time" (Paste) -- and 2023's standout Genevieve, which unassumingly introduced new listeners to Fust's unmistakable blend of "small-town poetry" (Mojo) with a familiar yet probing "country-tinged folk-rock" (KEXP) that made it "one of the most fun rock records of the year" (Pitchfork). Genevieve was their studio debut, recorded with producer Alex Farrar (Manning Fireworks, Rat Saw God, Tomorrow's Fire) in Asheville, North Carolina. The reception was far better than the band expected, stirring them to immediately start working on Big Ugly, their second collaboration with Farrar. Recorded over ten days in June of 2024, Big Ugly is the explosive sound of Fust uncovering a freedom within their sincere form of loose and fried guitar rock, realizing more than ever before an intimacy within bigness. The members -- Aaron Dowdy, Avery Sullivan, Frank Meadows, John Wallace, Justin Morris, Libby Rodenbough, Oliver Child-Lanning--weave their voices alongside guests like Merce Lemon, Dave Hartley (The War on Drugs), and John James Tourville (The Deslondes) to form a music that sounds like a conversation between old friends. And that's exactly what it is. At its heart, Big Ugly is a story cycle, following tough-skinned characters who seem to inhabit a shared and fictional small town--Big Ugly--that in reality gets its name from a lowly populated and unincorporated area in southern West Virginia around where Dowdy's family has deep roots. The album cover_a mural from the Big Ugly Community Center just off the Big Ugly Creek--was painted by locals for a 2004 play performed by the children that interpreted their elders' stories. In a way, Fust's Big Ugly does something similar as it takes the same area as its backdrop and reimagines a life depicted in the mural between the bars, gas stations, general stores, and double-wides. Throughout the album, we join the characters in finding history and meaning in the banal theater of their own private jerkwater.The songs on Big Ugly are hearteningly varied, moving from beer-fisted radio country to elegiac drones to deconstructed ballads. Songs like "Spangled" take up the theme of past traumas and present desensitizations colliding, of the small and cosmic coinciding in the life of a heedless protagonist. "Bleached" finds the soul-searching narrator recalling the feeling of inner vacancy in their childhood: thoughtless, speechless, herded around like cattle in backseats. And "Mountain Language" laments the poverties of Southern life at the same time that it promotes a higher poverty, a country utopia that's just out of grasp, where we could live if we could only "make it up the mountain again." The mystical hermeticism and the dime-store everyday are two sides of every insignificant thing in the town of Big Ugly.

We are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated re-issue of Ash Ra Tempel's legendary 5th Studio Album "Starring Rosi" in our "50th Anniversary Edition". Originally released in 1973, this seminal work remains a cornerstone of the Krautrock and "Kosmische" movement, blending psychedelic rock, ambient soundscapes, and early electronics into a transcendent auditory experience.
The Album has been recorded by Manuel Göttsching in it´s entity, with additional help to come from Producer Dieter Diercks playing bass, percussion, Drummer Harald Grosskopf and of course Rosemarie "Rosi" Müller.
"Starring Rosi" is an essential piece of their continuation of blending cosmic psychedelia, ambient textures, and avant-garde electronic experimentation. Originally released in 1973, this album marked a significant departure for the band, featuring Rosi Müller, who added a lyrical and vocal dimension to the band's typically instrumental soundscapes & Manuel Göttsching background singing.
To many technically Ash Ra Tempel last, yet most accessible, release, although there was the soundtrack to Philippe Garrel´s movie "Le Berceau de Cristal" and there might be some further previously unreleased, music to come out later.

Album Background:
*Starring Rosi* stands out in Ash Ra Tempel's discography for its lighter, more accessible sound, balancing the band's signature cosmic explorations with melodic structures and poetic lyrics.
It marks an unique chapter in Ash Ra Tempel's discography, featuring the ethereal vocals of Rosi Müller alongside Manuel Göttsching's visionary guitar work. The album is a sonic journey that takes listeners through seven distinct tracks, each showcasing Manuel Göttschings pioneering approach to music.
From the dreamy opening track "Laughter Loving" to the meditative "Day-Dream" and the atmospheric "Interplay of Forces," songs that illustrate the band's evolution from their earlier, more intense and improvisational albums, showcasing a more reflective and introspective side .
"The Fairy Dance" is delving into the mystical and meditative, transporting listeners to a dreamlike state.
While "Schizo" sounds like a continuation of the best moments of the previous Ash Ra Tempel records, is the last track "Bring Me Up" an Up-tempo Song that features Manuel as well on vocals.
"Starring Rosi" captivates with its blend of cosmic improvisation and melodic beauty.

Reissue Details:
This reissue of *Starring Rosi* has been introduced and overseen by Manuel Göttsching still, and finalised by his Family exactly to his standards, in which the meticulous approach to his work lives on.
An updated 2024 recut carefully commissioned by Schnittselle in Berlin (who also signs responsible for the previous ART Reissues, likewise, the 2016 E2 E4 Anniversary Edition ensure the warm depth sound while bringing out the rich textures and nuances, all of the original recordings. The reissue is available on 180-gram Black vinyl and a Limited Edition in transparent Pearl Sunrise Vinyl.
Both vinyl editions comes with a replica of the original Vinyl Artwork including it´s original Backside.
The Limited Edition also includes a Poster of the alternate Backside, used later on the CD Editions showing Rosi and Manuel improvising during studio sessions. Also included are prints of previously unreleased Original "The Fairy Dance" Music and "Schizo" Composition Sheets handwritten by Manuel

We are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated re-issue of Ash Ra Tempel's legendary 5th Studio Album "Starring Rosi" in our "50th Anniversary Edition". Originally released in 1973, this seminal work remains a cornerstone of the Krautrock and "Kosmische" movement, blending psychedelic rock, ambient soundscapes, and early electronics into a transcendent auditory experience.
The Album has been recorded by Manuel Göttsching in it´s entity, with additional help to come from Producer Dieter Diercks playing bass, percussion, Drummer Harald Grosskopf and of course Rosemarie "Rosi" Müller.
"Starring Rosi" is an essential piece of their continuation of blending cosmic psychedelia, ambient textures, and avant-garde electronic experimentation. Originally released in 1973, this album marked a significant departure for the band, featuring Rosi Müller, who added a lyrical and vocal dimension to the band's typically instrumental soundscapes & Manuel Göttsching background singing.
To many technically Ash Ra Tempel last, yet most accessible, release, although there was the soundtrack to Philippe Garrel´s movie "Le Berceau de Cristal" and there might be some further previously unreleased, music to come out later.

Album Background:
*Starring Rosi* stands out in Ash Ra Tempel's discography for its lighter, more accessible sound, balancing the band's signature cosmic explorations with melodic structures and poetic lyrics.
It marks an unique chapter in Ash Ra Tempel's discography, featuring the ethereal vocals of Rosi Müller alongside Manuel Göttsching's visionary guitar work. The album is a sonic journey that takes listeners through seven distinct tracks, each showcasing Manuel Göttschings pioneering approach to music.
From the dreamy opening track "Laughter Loving" to the meditative "Day-Dream" and the atmospheric "Interplay of Forces," songs that illustrate the band's evolution from their earlier, more intense and improvisational albums, showcasing a more reflective and introspective side .
"The Fairy Dance" is delving into the mystical and meditative, transporting listeners to a dreamlike state.
While "Schizo" sounds like a continuation of the best moments of the previous Ash Ra Tempel records, is the last track "Bring Me Up" an Up-tempo Song that features Manuel as well on vocals.
"Starring Rosi" captivates with its blend of cosmic improvisation and melodic beauty.

Reissue Details:
This reissue of *Starring Rosi* has been introduced and overseen by Manuel Göttsching still, and finalised by his Family exactly to his standards, in which the meticulous approach to his work lives on.
An updated 2024 recut carefully commissioned by Schnittselle in Berlin (who also signs responsible for the previous ART Reissues, likewise, the 2016 E2 E4 Anniversary Edition ensure the warm depth sound while bringing out the rich textures and nuances, all of the original recordings. The reissue is available on 180-gram Black vinyl and a Limited Edition in transparent Pearl Sunrise Vinyl.
Both vinyl editions comes with a replica of the original Vinyl Artwork including it´s original Backside.
The Limited Edition also includes a Poster of the alternate Backside, used later on the CD Editions showing Rosi and Manuel improvising during studio sessions. Also included are prints of previously unreleased Original "The Fairy Dance" Music and "Schizo" Composition Sheets handwritten by Manuel

"577 Records’ The Sea, The Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1 is what happened when old friends and a new connection united in the name of music. A heartfelt tribute to the great Sun Ra, the otherworldly album debuts the collaborative gifts of Michael Sarian (on the trumpet), Matthew Putman (on the keys), Federico Ughi (on the drums), and up-and-coming Cuban bassist Ledian Mola.

Sure, most of these musicians have played together in the past. Sarian and Putman have made many albums together, while Putman and Ughi have conspired on melodies for fifteen years. However, we guarantee you have never heard them all in one spot like this.

Alabama’s Sun Ra rose to the top of the Chicago music scene in the 1940s with something unprecedented. A cosmic pioneer of Afrofuturism, he became known for his diverse and unique avant-garde experimentalism. Modern artists champion him as a true innovator.

The new band revives the late Sun Ra’s magic in this appropriately named new release. Matthew Putman even plays the same keyboard model as the experimental music icon (the Rocksichord). Even the cover art is a nod to Sun Ra's ancient Egyptian influences, featuring an upside-down pyramid over a galactic setting created by Robert Mirolo.

Meanwhile, Ledian Mola adds vocals inspired by Cuban folklore to these incredible improvisations. The album marks Mola’s first time recording with the other artists in the group (and 577 Records), but you would never know it. Their abstract rhythms sound like they’ve been playing together for a lifetime! He was hand-chosen for this project from 577 Records’ 2022 SOF music residency in Italy and has performed at several of the New York Forward Festival's live events."

Trumpet by Michael Sarian.
Keyboards by Matthew Putman.
Bass by Ledian Mola.
Drums by Federico Ughi.

A long-lost vinyl album is back in stock: for the last 20 years, Kosmischer Pitch by Jan Jelinek, originally released in 2005 on ~scape, existed only as a digital download. Right on time for the 20th anniversary the remastered album is available again on vinyl. The digital version includes two previously unreleased pieces from that period.

What the press said about Kosmischer Pitch back in 2005:

“For Kosmischer Pitch, Jelinek draws from the obsessed-over rock produced by his German countrymen in the 1970s. (…) Trance-inducing repetition is constantly modulated by variations that hover on the threshold of audibility. (…) one of the more remarkable bodies of work in electronic music.” - Pitchfork

„Like the cosmic compositions it delicately references, Kosmischer Pitch is proof that the higher and lower pleasures can triumphantly combine.” - The Wire Magazine

“ The old Jelinek approach can also be heard on the new album - not least the “Pitch” in the title, which, as Martin Büsser explains in the info sheet, refers specifically to Wild Pitch House, generally to manipulation/exploitation of the sense of time - but there are striking differences: clear vintage synth, guitar and drum sounds, very subtle club references.” - Groove

“t's impossible to know how many layers of sound Jelinek has stacked up on any of these eight tracks, but each one seems to take on a shadowy, ghost-like life of its own as it morphs across time and space. Minimalist, yes, in a way, but thick as a wool rug.” - AllAboutJazz

Over 19 tracks, Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music mines gold from dollar bin country-rock detritus to reconstruct events as seen from the genre's wild west - Americana's vast private press substructure. As progenitor and contemptuous poster boy for the music that came to be Cosmic American, Gram Parsons found himself mired in a recording career spent mostly in scouting the perimeters of chart success. "He hated country-rock," Parsons collaborator Emmylou Harris would later reflect. "He thought that bands like the Eagles were pretty much missing the point." Parsons had been orbiting the idea of Cosmic American Music for some time. In 1968 he'd parted ways with the Byrds and was looking to take air with a new project. "It's basically a Southern soul group playing country and gospel-oriented music with a steel guitar" he told Melody Maker, on the subject of The Flying Burrito Brothers. So it was that when A&M's Burrito Brothers debut The Gilded Palace of Sin made it to shelves in February of 1969, early adherents to the Cosmic American gospel were already echoing its message from areas flanking Gram Parsons' Southern California hills and canyons. There was F.J. McMahon in coastal Santa Barbara, Mistress Mary further inland in Hacienda Heights, and Plain Jane of Albuquerque, New Mexico, each responding by committing their own private readings to tape before day one of the 1970s. Parsons himself might've disdained them, had he even been aware of such minor ripples, shimmering at the edges of his desert oasis. But these were true believers all the same, given over fully to his roots music concept, each filling vinyl grooves with non-rock instrumentation like fiddle, banjo, and pedal steel guitar, the last undoubtedly Cosmic American Music's most distinguishing stringed signifier. Only too predictably, big labels did the grunt work of confining and defining the movement, as ABC, United Artists, RCA, and more played catch-up with Asylum's raptor rock juggernaut, via backwoods crossover also-rans with names like Gladstone, American Flyer, and Silverado. Twang reigned, the shitkickers kicked shit, and the vaguely western-sounding guitar records piled up. Country-rock became "the dominant American rock style of the 1970s," as Peter Doggett's comprehensive Are You Ready for the Country put it much later. Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music picks up and dusts off golden ingots from the dollar-bin detritus of that domination, to reconstruct events as seen from the genre's real Wild West-America's one-off private press label substructure.

Everybody Eats! debuts on RSD Black Friday in an exclusive clear red wave colored vinyl pressing. After endless requests for a Czarface and Dr. Octagon collaboration, the comic book inspired supergroup Czarface takes a turn for the cosmic, creating a funky full length adventure with the spacey Kool Keith! When the record is playing, they become a counterpart character that can even give the mighty Czarface a run for his money- Stress Eater! You can expect a rich blend of what makes both acts so special: block-rocking beats and bizarre, mind-bending lyricism...all served up with a cover from Czarface artist Lamour Supreme.

Releasing now for well over a decade - Neue Grafik: known to friends as Fred, has successfully transplanted from Parisian rookie to one- man London Institution. Beginning as a solo producer and DJ,Fred spread his wings upon relocating to South London - at first with his Neue Grafik Ensemble and later with his now iconic twice-weekly Orii Jam - the latter of which has given agency to an entire new generation of musicians; spawning an aesthetic, nurturing a unique sound and becoming a launchpad for countless artists.

Dalston Tape Volume 1 is Fred’s attempt to fall back in love with beatmaking - taking it back to the roots of
where the project began. I say “attempt” because he’s simply learnt too much and made too many friends
along the way to make a mere DIY beat tape. Since his early MPC-led productions on Parisian label, Beat
X Changers, Fred has learnt to play the keys to a concert hall standard, he has become proficient in double bass and built up a dense network of collaborators who he has composed, recorded, engineered and produced for both at home in SE London and in the iconic Total Refreshment Centre Studios in Dalston.

This experience adds unavoidable dimensions to his toolbox - resulting in something more akin to a miniature-magnum-opus than a simple beat-tape.

Yes, we hear the influences of Pete Rock, Mad Lib, J Dilla and Al Dobson Jr but we also hear the musicality of D’Aneglo, James Blake and live contributions from an ever growing army of young graduates of the Orii School.

Prairiewolf make easy listening music for an age of fracture. They almost do it in spite of themselves. No one can seriously question the head music bona fides of the members of this Colorado-based trio.

Guitarist Stefan Beck has already assembled a formidable discography of jewel-toned guitar zone-outs under his Golden Brown moniker. And keyboardist and guitarist Jeremy Erwin and bassist Tyler Wilcox have both made their reputations as chroniclers of the vast world of out-music. Erwin helms the indispensable Heat Warps blog, a performance-by-performance archive of Miles Davis’s labyrinthine electric period. And Wilcox has been covering the ragged edges of psychedelia and experimental rock at Aquarium Drunkard and other publications, not to mention his own virtual basement for heads, the great bootleg blog Doom and Gloom from the Tomb.

These guys come by it honestly. And yet, given their backgrounds, Prairiewolf’s self-titled debut last spring was remarkably free of face-melters, brown acid blowouts, and ascendant spiritual jazz odysseys. Instead, they dropped a record of beautiful, elegant, low-key cosmic groovers that sounded like the piped-in background music to a resort hotel on Jupiter. It was an unlikely psychedelia, brocaded with mid-twentieth century sonic threading from the hi-fi era: vintage synthesizers, smears of spaghetti western, luxe tropical details, the faint schmaltz of space age pop. Imagine something like a Harmonia residency in the airport lounge. And yet somehow it all worked brilliantly. Prairiewolf became last summer’s cool-down standard. After a year woodshedding around Colorado’s Front Range region, the Prairiewolf boys have fired up their trusty Korg SR-120 drum machine for another outstanding collection of suborbital exotica. The appropriately titled Deep Time operates in its own chronology, unspooling at its unhurried pace. All its incongruous period and stylistic references—the new age pulses, Hawaiian steel, shaggy hippie rambles, lysergic guitar spirals, and orchestral synthesizer flourishes—float atop the album’s own singular temporality. Deep Time makes its own time.

From the moment Beck folds his slide guitar, origami-like, into a sound resembling the call of gulls on the tranquil album opener, “Peach Blossom Paradise,” there is a sense of departure from everyday life. The shimmering “Lighthouse” has a similar sunbaked nonchalance, like an afternoon passed day-drinking in a seaside bar. That they named their lush, kaleidoscopic downtempo track “The Meander” pretty much says it all. The ranging, propulsive “Saying Yes to Everything” seems like a nod in the direction of Rose City Band’s brand of wookie krautrock. And the motorik noir of “Demon Cicadas in the Night” also goes hard. Beck and Erwin’s intertwined guitar jam on the eerie album standout “The Cold Curve” evolves into something that sounds like primitive computer music. A genteel bassline from Wilcox on another album highlight, “Revisionist Mystery,” sets the stage for a loopy space jazz turn from guest clarinettist Matt Loewen of Rayonism. The title of post-rock cowboy tune “Another Tomorrow” might refer to the alternative future that so many critics heard in the music of Prairiewolf’s first album. Or it might simply refer to the persistence of time, however deep. Either way,

I’m thankful for the way Prairiewolf make each of their tunes a little oasis or sanctuary, each subsisting according to its own crystalline little logic for a few minutes. It is no simple task to filter out the omnipresent anger and anxiety of everyday life these days. But Prairiewolf are out here making it seem easy.

Brent S. Sirota

Lex first grabbed our attention following his brilliant release on B2 Recordings which became a staple vibe setter in Jimpster’s DJ sets and Sofa Sessions streams in 2021. Gaining his deep musical knowledge through his own revered record store Radical Soundz, the Greek DJ and producer has been immersed in dance music for over 20 years and considered one of the key figures in the Athens underground house scene. With releases and remixes on labels such as Leng, Samosa, King Street and Black Riot, Lex is making waves internationally with a unique sound that fuses live elements and expansive arrangements taking influence from masters such as Ron Trent but adding a warm, cosmic glow. Fellow Greek artist Locke joins pro- ceedings for this EP bringing his own psychedelic sound garnered from his years playing crazy events taking in South American jungle parties, burning hot African desert raves, the underground clubs of Berlin to the sparkling coastal shores of Baja California. Locke is more than just a DJ. He is a connector, educator and traveler whose soulful music has the crowds chasing the sun as he brings love and celebra- tion to the events he plays.

On title track 7 Day Path we’re treated to a beautiful spacious jam which unfolds across 7 minutes, driving, live percussion keeping the energy high whilst Herbie- esque synth leads help to create a beautifully paced and dynamic arrangement.

Next up we have Italian legend DJ Rocca onboard for a remix of 7 Day Path. The prolific producer and DJ has been a tour de force since the late 90’s collaborating with the likes of Howie B, Dimitri From Paris, Chris Coco, Daniele Baldelli and Jazzanova producing singles, remixes and albums for labels such as Sonar Kollekt- iv, Compost, Classic, Rekids, Futureboogie, !K7, Tirk, International Feel, Defected, Rotters Golf Club and Faze Action Recordings. Here he adds his trademark dubby disco wiggle pushing the original in a jazzy direction with live flute. Definitely one to be heard under the stars on a Croatian beach for maximum Adriatica effect!

Flipping over, things head deeper and darker with See No Ball featuring Locomot- ives, a more straight-up heads-down stripped back club jam with a repeated vocal, funky guitar chops and a smattering of improvised synth and Hammond B3 keeping things jazzy and musical.

Closing out this brilliant EP we have Catch Up With The Sun which drops the BPM’s for a low-slung cosmic jam loaded with good vibes.

Continuing our quest to get all of the classic early AMT albums released on vinyl, we turn to 2004’s 'Mantra Of Love’, and with the help of Makoto Kawabata’s studio wizardry, we’ve made it possible.

This latest instalment in the ‘Acid Mothers Temple Vinyl Archives - First Time On Vinyl’ series (as with the three previous SOLD OUT releases in the series) have all been meticulously put together with the help of Makoto Kawabata with the original CD artwork recreated for these vinyl editions from archive photos stored in the vaults at the Acid Mothers Temple in Osaka, Japan and the original audio remastered by James Plotkin.

Here’s what others had to say upon it’s original CD only release back in 2004 …

“Acid Mothers are strong folk. You'd think they'd tire quickly, all tucked away on their island, strewn about on tree roots while baking their lungs and throats to a knotty green tinge. But instead of waltzing through life like hippies, they manage to not only tour and put out records every year, but also to fill those albums with 30-minute jams and assorted freakouts. And while evil jam bands would fill that space with guitar work taken from the Classic Rock Manual of Clichés, Makoto Kawabata and company assault listeners with frighteningly dense walls of white noise, psychedelic swirl effects and, yes, even guitar solos-- albeit ones that are more Merzbow or Keiji Haino than Gary Rossington. Truly, AMT's endurance and threshold for cosmic lashings are both worthy of admiration.

But how much AMT can you take in one sitting? If there's anything this band has taught us-- via records such as 2002's Electric Heavyland and the ferocious Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O-- it's that they're not afraid to reach for the upper regions of consciousness. On Mantra of Love, they offer two titles over the course of one hour, never faltering along the way, and it's as if we listeners are just brief visitors passing through a never-ending, spontaneous group trip. For all I know, Kawabata has hundreds of hours of this stuff on his hard drive-- at any single moment, this record's sheer volume of sound is a clamor to behold. However, if you aren't dialed into that the particular space AMT inhabits (for me, it's the mystical fire-baptism standby), you might not hear their glorious noise for all the, well, glorious noise.

"La Le Lo" begins as a lengthy psychedelic ballad sung by Cotton Casino (who doubles on "beer & cigarettes"), who is accompanied by her own ghostly backing vocals. The band is playing a mantra as Casino waxes earth-mother stylings to the moon. The serenity is broken by a patented AMT rave led by Kawabata's electric sitar (!) solo. Ace rhythm section Tsuyama Atsushi ("monster bass") and Koizumi Hajime hold things together, as does the generally decent recording quality (not a given for these guys), but the real money is in effects-- lots and lots effects. Much like France's Richard Pinhas or AMT's countrymen in Les Rallizes Denudes and High Rise, the band understands the collaborative power of solo + overdriven Moog sirens and screams. And, also like those artists, Acid Mothers can go on all night if need be. About 25 minutes into this piece, any hell that hadn't already broken loose gets its due, and the band speeds to a fiery climax before winding down into glimmering astro-ambience.

The second track, "L'Ambition dans le Miroir", also begins as a minor ballad featuring Casino's haunting solo vocal. The Mothers set her up with a faux-blues drag and a thick buffer of synth-rays; when Casino actually enters, she fights for airtime with an array of falling stars and cosmic dust. However, this time there is no overwhelming solo to power the comedown. Casino intermittently coos in the background while droning horns keep the auxiliary pixie haze from evaporating. As they showed on In C and La Novia, AMT are more than adept at creating calmer storms-- listeners just have to catch them in the right light. Mantra of Love doesn't necessarily capture the most inspired moments in their canon but as usual with this band's records, it's rarely at a loss for moments of horror or grandeur.”

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. : Cotton Casino - Vocal, Beer & Cigarettes - Tsuyama Atsushi - Monster Bass, Vocal, Cosmic Joker - Higashi Hiroshi - Synthesizer, Dancin' King - Koizumi Hajime - Drums, Percussion, Sleeping Monk - Kawabata Makoto - Guitar, Bouzouki, Electric Sitar, Violin, Hammond Organ, Speed Guru

Here we have a new Disco Combine ready to plough the proverbial Disco fields. This time Dave Lee harvests some Disco/Funk gold with his mix of 'Dancin' For Your Love', a foot stompin' Rod Temperton style dancefloor rocket filled with soaring strings, rippling piano, vocal harmonies and killer bass action. Backed up by a cosmic Moog dub which doubles down on the delays and synths. On the flip Dave doths his cap to mid 80's NYC for some serious Proto House biz. Brimming with detuned cowbells, HOUSE basslines & proggy synth arpeggios under a Colonel Abrams-ish vocal. Think Serious Intention meeting Visual in Cultural Vibe's garage.

You find Andrew Gabbard on the road and in his creative prime on this astral road trip, collecting songs like a cosmic traveler hitching a ride. "Ramble & Rave On!," Andrew's third solo LP, sounds like the kind of weathered tattoo you'd see etched on a barfly's forearm as he slams another drink in a dive. Like its title, the record feels like something that's always been around; a trusty mixtape that everyone can agree on. Andrew comes to this collection of songs with something that very much feels like a `studio' record, the kind of album a 60s rock star feels like they've built the confidence to make, to shake off a rawness for something fuller and more realized. The fact that this record was yet again a homemade effort, with Andrew playing everything (apart from Sven Kahns' pedal steel), gives you an idea of how devoted and studied he is to creating that perfect song. `Ramble & Rave On!' is Andrew's most personal album yet, it finds him journeying between his worlds as a decades-long touring & studio musician/vocalist for the Black Keys, as a songwriter with his head-in-the-stars, and as the man in his home with the people he holds dearest and with the studio where he brings it all together. It is clear that Andrew finds himself at this prolific point in his career completely beholden to songs, to their absolute power, and to their otherworldly ability to connect. He has mastered his craft, and proves throughout the course of this album that he can truly make a pitstop stop at every genre.

You find Andrew Gabbard on the road and in his creative prime on this astral road trip, collecting songs like a cosmic traveler hitching a ride. "Ramble & Rave On!," Andrew's third solo LP, sounds like the kind of weathered tattoo you'd see etched on a barfly's forearm as he slams another drink in a dive. Like its title, the record feels like something that's always been around; a trusty mixtape that everyone can agree on. Andrew comes to this collection of songs with something that very much feels like a `studio' record, the kind of album a 60s rock star feels like they've built the confidence to make, to shake off a rawness for something fuller and more realized. The fact that this record was yet again a homemade effort, with Andrew playing everything (apart from Sven Kahns' pedal steel), gives you an idea of how devoted and studied he is to creating that perfect song. `Ramble & Rave On!' is Andrew's most personal album yet, it finds him journeying between his worlds as a decades-long touring & studio musician/vocalist for the Black Keys, as a songwriter with his head-in-the-stars, and as the man in his home with the people he holds dearest and with the studio where he brings it all together. It is clear that Andrew finds himself at this prolific point in his career completely beholden to songs, to their absolute power, and to their otherworldly ability to connect. He has mastered his craft, and proves throughout the course of this album that he can truly make a pitstop stop at every genre.

There is NO LIGHT at the end of this tunnel! BROWN ACID: The Nineteenth Trip fires ten more savage nails deep into the coffin of ‘60s psychedelic idealism. This series is THE premier top dog journey into the rarest and most wasted early local eruptions of heavy rock, unleashed at a time when harsh reality, human nature and disillusionment drove prevailing underground rock glimpses of a ‘better’ world into ever darker selfabsorbed comedowns. Mind expanding ’60s love energies transform into toxic aggression right before your ears! The great thing is that these moves are totally justified, ‘we are all one’ is cosmically good in theory but ‘get it while you can’ ends up perhaps better advice in the light of human history. Both of those angles of awareness can coexist, some of these bands deliver unrelenting sideways positive energy but they aren’t over-thinking it, they are youthfully driven by hunger for life and satisfying the undeniable urges their DNA thrusts upon them. Sonically, the results in the BROWN ACID series never fail to breathe hot and heavy, the guitars kill it every time, the variety of approaches these tracks take keep the scenery shifting into new places. The key element that makes this stuff so potent is that THEY (the bands) are in control. Captured genuinely with no compromise, right out of the gate. No doubt they had ambition with high hopes for the future when they laid down these primal efforts, the fact that they captured their energy so vividly at a moment in time when the only direction imaginable was UP creates a hard hitting life affirming subtext to the proceedings. That is the core energy of blues and rock and roll, dealing with the struggles of existence by flipping a gigantic ‘what the fuck’ high energy bird right in the face of the moronic defective reality these bands were born into. If you take this stuff too ‘seriously’ you are utterly missing the point, it is beyond analysis, it is life itself! No amount of thinking will get you there quicker! BROWN ACID: The Nineteenth Trip is scary... the bottomless pit of deranged vintage heavy rock the series presents continually expands over time... one deadly dose too many and you might be trapped in the bad trip loop forever... enjoy it or lose your mind!