February 2014 saw the band release their 'Back To Bagarmossen' EP on London/Stockholm indie label PNKSLM Recordings. The 10' vinyl received huge praise both internationally and at home, even picking up mainstream TV coverage on Sweden's TV4. Following the EP, Les Big Byrd are now preparing to unleash their debut full length release, 'They Worshipped Cats', on Anton Newcombe's A Records ,Anton has co written & plays 2 tracks on the album . They are supporting the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their European tour . When Anton recently visited Stockholm with his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the guys accidentally ran into each other at a local record shop, and started talking about music. Anton invited the band down to his studio in Berlin to record and jam for a few days and it was there that a big part of "They Worshipped Cats" was conceived and recorded. Les Big Byrd was formed in Stockholm by Joakim Åhlund and Frans Johansson a couple of years ago. They each eventually joined different rock bands that brought them out of Sweden and into a different world. Frans' band Fireside, got signed by Rick Rubin to his label Def American and Jocke had a taste of international success with 60's-influenced garage-pop outfit Caesars, as well as his other, more electronically flavored project Teddybears. They decided that they still - in spite of everything - had their love for music intact, and the dream in common to get the perfect band together and give it one more shot. They recruited Jocke's former bandmate, drummer Nino Keller and keyboardist Konie and started jamming and rehearsing. Joakim had been running a recording studio in Stockholm, writing and producing for Swedish and international artists, including Robyn and Håkan Hellström, and had also directed music videos for prominent Swedish exports such as Bob Hund, Refused, Broder Daniel and The International Noise Conspiracy. Keyboardist Konie also runs a studio in Stockholm, where he's been recording a number of film scores as well as many of Swedens most interesting black metal acts.
The intrepid composer and field recordist Jacob Kirkegaard is no stranger to perilous and hostile regions of the world. His 4 Rooms invoked the radioactive decay through the amplification of architectural resonance in Chernobyl, Ukraine; and he has ventured to the arctic environments of Greenland on a number of occasions to document that barren, icy territory. His recurrent use of shadow and mystery through his work both as metaphor and as extended sonic technique reflects the complex, existential conditions that cross-contaminate what we consider civilization and what we consider wilderness. Waste disposal, firearms, the decomposition of dead bodies, the eerie stillness of morgues. These have also been the source material in Kirkegaard's formidable work.
With Snowblind, Kirkegaard turns to history, and a poetic, failed attempt for a team of Swedish explorers to reach the North Pole by balloon in the late 19th Century. Perhaps driven by blind adventurism, perhaps consumed by his own delusions, S.A. Andrée launched this ill-fated flight in July 1897, registering only two days in the air before crashing into the ice and ultimately failing to navigate the frigid waters and ice floes. Yet documentation of their expedition - photographic, scientific, and diaristic - survived, to be discovered some thirty years after their deaths.
"I wanted to created a cold and hostile album, where there is no escape, no warmth and no happy ending," as Kirkegaard explains about Snowblind. "Yet, I wanted to leave out any immediate drama. It is the creeping shock, the icy feeling from realizing what has been lost and that there's no escape."
Yes, Snowblind is a very bleak album, but one that eschews the isolationist, long-form drone of conceptually similar works by Thomas Köner, Lustmord, Werkbund, and Lull with interconnected constellations of cryptic tone, thrumming reverberation, arctic bluster, and a plethora of harrowing sonic proclamations.
Brought to life in 1976 on his small imprint Stars, In Dub is one of the most sought after Tappa Zukie album. Alongside Man Ah Warrior it is a mandatory purchase for any reggae lover more akin to the spacey reverberation of the studio facilities. With his deep, rumbling bass and the prodigious engineering of King Tubby (the album was cut at his own studio) the record still maintains his adventurous tenure. This crucial re-issue present the complete original tracklist with the addictions of two extra tracks. Dig deep into the ark-eology of dub side.
"Langt Fra Jorden" ("Lejos De La Tierra", in Spanish, for the book) is the result of the dialogue between the Spanish photographer and artist Irene Zottola and the Danish musician and artist øjeRum initiated by IIKKI, between June 2024 and November 2024.
øjeRum is Copenhagen based musician and collage artist Paw Grabowski. In his øjeRum guise, he plucks and strums his treated acoustic instruments, sounding at times like church bells, at times like angelic harp, at time like drones, and suspends the listener in the magic of his melodies.
With a deep back-catalogue of releases since 2014 - spanning labels such as eilean rec., Room40, Line, Opal Tapes and many more - he continues exploring his minimal, textural and deeply personal style of ambient music.
Irene Zottola is a Spanish photographer and artist who explores the limits of analog photography to generate a world of dreamlike and poetic character, often accompanying her images with text.
She has been self-taught in Madrid in the laboratory of the Slow Photo collective since 2016. In 2017 she is a finalist in the Rfotofolio Grant.
Her work has been exhibited in Spain, Italy and Morocco. She has published with editorials such as La Bella Varsovia and Lumen (Spain) and magazines such as She shoots film (Australia), Fisheyemagazine (France) and Vostmagazine (Korea).
In 2021 she received one of the Grants to Creation granted by VEGAP with which she began a new project in Paris and was part of the artistic residence ART(e)gileak of the BBK with a participatory photography project. She is one of the 33 authors of the Mission Region project organized by the Community of Madrid and is part of the platform of the National Image Centre in Spain. Winner in 2020 of the V Edition of the Photochannel Contest, she has published with Ediciones Anómalas her first photobook, "Icarus", which has been a finalist in PhotoEspaña and in Les Photobook Awards of Les Rencontres d'Arles 2022.
"Lejos De La Tierra’’ is her second book.
Fine Art Book, Ltd. to 500 copies:
Hardcover book printed on Munken Print Cream 115g/m2 // 80 pages, 17cm x 23cm, 42 photos // Logo and slot embossed // Hot gold stamping // Visible seam and cutting cover pages // Hand-numbered, hand-stamped.
February 2014 saw the band release their 'Back To Bagarmossen' EP on London/Stockholm indie label PNKSLM Recordings. The 10' vinyl received huge praise both internationally and at home, even picking up mainstream TV coverage on Sweden's TV4. Following the EP, Les Big Byrd are now preparing to unleash their debut full length release, 'They Worshipped Cats', on Anton Newcombe's A Records ,Anton has co written & plays 2 tracks on the album . They are supporting the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their European tour . When Anton recently visited Stockholm with his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the guys accidentally ran into each other at a local record shop, and started talking about music. Anton invited the band down to his studio in Berlin to record and jam for a few days and it was there that a big part of "They Worshipped Cats" was conceived and recorded. Les Big Byrd was formed in Stockholm by Joakim Åhlund and Frans Johansson a couple of years ago. They each eventually joined different rock bands that brought them out of Sweden and into a different world. Frans' band Fireside, got signed by Rick Rubin to his label Def American and Jocke had a taste of international success with 60's-influenced garage-pop outfit Caesars, as well as his other, more electronically flavored project Teddybears. They decided that they still - in spite of everything - had their love for music intact, and the dream in common to get the perfect band together and give it one more shot. They recruited Jocke's former bandmate, drummer Nino Keller and keyboardist Konie and started jamming and rehearsing. Joakim had been running a recording studio in Stockholm, writing and producing for Swedish and international artists, including Robyn and Håkan Hellström, and had also directed music videos for prominent Swedish exports such as Bob Hund, Refused, Broder Daniel and The International Noise Conspiracy. Keyboardist Konie also runs a studio in Stockholm, where he's been recording a number of film scores as well as many of Swedens most interesting black metal acts.
Signed to Death Row Records by Snoop Dogg, the 2025 Grammy-nominated artist channels the spirit of Marvin Gaye in this deeply heartfelt tribute to one of music's most iconic voices. With The Rebirth of Marvin, October captures both Gaye’s timeless influence and his own unique artistry, creating a seamless fusion of the past and the present. The album’s lead single, "Back to Your Place," has already made waves, topping the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, while earning three nominations at the Soul Train Music Awards.
FEBRUARY 2023 MARKED THE ARRIVAL OF AN ALBUM THAT’S REDEFIFINING THE SOUND OF SOUL FOR A NEW GENERATION: OCTOBER LONDON’S THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN. SIGNED TO DEATH ROW RECORDS BY SNOOP DOGG, THE 2025 GRAMMY NOMINATED OCTOBER LONDON CHANNELS THE SPIRIT OF MARVIN GAYE IN THIS HOMAGE TO ONE OF MUSIC’S MOST SOULFUL VOICES, CAPTURING BOTH GAYE’S TIMELESS INFLFLUENCE AND LONDON’S OWN UNIQUE ARTISTRY.
REFLECTING ON THE PROJECT, OCTOBER LONDON SHARED, “DEAR MARVIN, I’M NOT TRYING TO BE YOU. THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU’RE ONE OF A KIND. I JUST WANT TO PAY HOMAGE TO YOU, BROTHA. YOU PAVED THE WAY FOR THIS SOUND, AND I’M JUST HERE TO MAKE SURE THEY DON’T FORGET.”
THE ALBUM’S LEAD SINGLE ‘BACK TO YOUR PLACE‘ HAS ALREADY TOPPED THE BILLBOARD ADULT R&B SONGS CHART, CAPTIVATING LISTENERS AND EARNING THREE SOUL TRAIN MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS. FROM HIS BEGINNINGS AS A RISING ARTIST UNDER SNOOP DOGG’S MENTORSHIP TO HIS PLACE AS A FORCE IN MODERN R&B, OCTOBER LONDON’S JOURNEY HAS LED TO THIS PIVOTAL MOMENT.
THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN IS BOTH A TRIBUTE AND AN EVOLUTION, A SOULFUL REMINDER OF THE LEGACY GAYE LEFT BEHIND - AND OF THE NEW PATHWAYS LONDON IS CREATING FOR IT TODAY.
Signed to Death Row Records by Snoop Dogg, the 2025 Grammy-nominated artist channels the spirit of Marvin Gaye in this deeply heartfelt tribute to one of music's most iconic voices. With The Rebirth of Marvin, October captures both Gaye’s timeless influence and his own unique artistry, creating a seamless fusion of the past and the present. The album’s lead single, "Back to Your Place," has already made waves, topping the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, while earning three nominations at the Soul Train Music Awards.
FEBRUARY 2023 MARKED THE ARRIVAL OF AN ALBUM THAT’S REDEFIFINING THE SOUND OF SOUL FOR A NEW GENERATION: OCTOBER LONDON’S THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN. SIGNED TO DEATH ROW RECORDS BY SNOOP DOGG, THE 2025 GRAMMY NOMINATED OCTOBER LONDON CHANNELS THE SPIRIT OF MARVIN GAYE IN THIS HOMAGE TO ONE OF MUSIC’S MOST SOULFUL VOICES, CAPTURING BOTH GAYE’S TIMELESS INFLFLUENCE AND LONDON’S OWN UNIQUE ARTISTRY.
REFLECTING ON THE PROJECT, OCTOBER LONDON SHARED, “DEAR MARVIN, I’M NOT TRYING TO BE YOU. THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU’RE ONE OF A KIND. I JUST WANT TO PAY HOMAGE TO YOU, BROTHA. YOU PAVED THE WAY FOR THIS SOUND, AND I’M JUST HERE TO MAKE SURE THEY DON’T FORGET.”
THE ALBUM’S LEAD SINGLE ‘BACK TO YOUR PLACE‘ HAS ALREADY TOPPED THE BILLBOARD ADULT R&B SONGS CHART, CAPTIVATING LISTENERS AND EARNING THREE SOUL TRAIN MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS. FROM HIS BEGINNINGS AS A RISING ARTIST UNDER SNOOP DOGG’S MENTORSHIP TO HIS PLACE AS A FORCE IN MODERN R&B, OCTOBER LONDON’S JOURNEY HAS LED TO THIS PIVOTAL MOMENT.
THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN IS BOTH A TRIBUTE AND AN EVOLUTION, A SOULFUL REMINDER OF THE LEGACY GAYE LEFT BEHIND - AND OF THE NEW PATHWAYS LONDON IS CREATING FOR IT TODAY.
Signed to Death Row Records by Snoop Dogg, the 2025 Grammy-nominated artist channels the spirit of Marvin Gaye in this deeply heartfelt tribute to one of music's most iconic voices. With The Rebirth of Marvin, October captures both Gaye’s timeless influence and his own unique artistry, creating a seamless fusion of the past and the present. The album’s lead single, "Back to Your Place," has already made waves, topping the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, while earning three nominations at the Soul Train Music Awards.
FEBRUARY 2023 MARKED THE ARRIVAL OF AN ALBUM THAT’S REDEFIFINING THE SOUND OF SOUL FOR A NEW GENERATION: OCTOBER LONDON’S THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN. SIGNED TO DEATH ROW RECORDS BY SNOOP DOGG, THE 2025 GRAMMY NOMINATED OCTOBER LONDON CHANNELS THE SPIRIT OF MARVIN GAYE IN THIS HOMAGE TO ONE OF MUSIC’S MOST SOULFUL VOICES, CAPTURING BOTH GAYE’S TIMELESS INFLFLUENCE AND LONDON’S OWN UNIQUE ARTISTRY.
REFLECTING ON THE PROJECT, OCTOBER LONDON SHARED, “DEAR MARVIN, I’M NOT TRYING TO BE YOU. THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU’RE ONE OF A KIND. I JUST WANT TO PAY HOMAGE TO YOU, BROTHA. YOU PAVED THE WAY FOR THIS SOUND, AND I’M JUST HERE TO MAKE SURE THEY DON’T FORGET.”
THE ALBUM’S LEAD SINGLE ‘BACK TO YOUR PLACE‘ HAS ALREADY TOPPED THE BILLBOARD ADULT R&B SONGS CHART, CAPTIVATING LISTENERS AND EARNING THREE SOUL TRAIN MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS. FROM HIS BEGINNINGS AS A RISING ARTIST UNDER SNOOP DOGG’S MENTORSHIP TO HIS PLACE AS A FORCE IN MODERN R&B, OCTOBER LONDON’S JOURNEY HAS LED TO THIS PIVOTAL MOMENT.
THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN IS BOTH A TRIBUTE AND AN EVOLUTION, A SOULFUL REMINDER OF THE LEGACY GAYE LEFT BEHIND - AND OF THE NEW PATHWAYS LONDON IS CREATING FOR IT TODAY.
Signed to Death Row Records by Snoop Dogg, the 2025 Grammy-nominated artist channels the spirit of Marvin Gaye in this deeply heartfelt tribute to one of music's most iconic voices. With The Rebirth of Marvin, October captures both Gaye’s timeless influence and his own unique artistry, creating a seamless fusion of the past and the present. The album’s lead single, "Back to Your Place," has already made waves, topping the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, while earning three nominations at the Soul Train Music Awards.
FEBRUARY 2023 MARKED THE ARRIVAL OF AN ALBUM THAT’S REDEFIFINING THE SOUND OF SOUL FOR A NEW GENERATION: OCTOBER LONDON’S THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN. SIGNED TO DEATH ROW RECORDS BY SNOOP DOGG, THE 2025 GRAMMY NOMINATED OCTOBER LONDON CHANNELS THE SPIRIT OF MARVIN GAYE IN THIS HOMAGE TO ONE OF MUSIC’S MOST SOULFUL VOICES, CAPTURING BOTH GAYE’S TIMELESS INFLFLUENCE AND LONDON’S OWN UNIQUE ARTISTRY.
REFLECTING ON THE PROJECT, OCTOBER LONDON SHARED, “DEAR MARVIN, I’M NOT TRYING TO BE YOU. THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU’RE ONE OF A KIND. I JUST WANT TO PAY HOMAGE TO YOU, BROTHA. YOU PAVED THE WAY FOR THIS SOUND, AND I’M JUST HERE TO MAKE SURE THEY DON’T FORGET.”
THE ALBUM’S LEAD SINGLE ‘BACK TO YOUR PLACE‘ HAS ALREADY TOPPED THE BILLBOARD ADULT R&B SONGS CHART, CAPTIVATING LISTENERS AND EARNING THREE SOUL TRAIN MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS. FROM HIS BEGINNINGS AS A RISING ARTIST UNDER SNOOP DOGG’S MENTORSHIP TO HIS PLACE AS A FORCE IN MODERN R&B, OCTOBER LONDON’S JOURNEY HAS LED TO THIS PIVOTAL MOMENT.
THE REBIRTH OF MARVIN IS BOTH A TRIBUTE AND AN EVOLUTION, A SOULFUL REMINDER OF THE LEGACY GAYE LEFT BEHIND - AND OF THE NEW PATHWAYS LONDON IS CREATING FOR IT TODAY.
Wilurarrakutu is the brilliant debut from Papunya-based artist Keanu Nelson, an intimate exercise in musical storytelling and reflection. The album's eight tracks, sung in both Papunya Luritja and English, are verses of prose and poetry pulled directly from Nelson's notebooks and set to minimalist, DIY electronic arrangements.The evocative musical backdrops_featuring Casio keyboards, drum machines, and subtle synth flourishes_were created in collaborative sessions between Nelson and Sydney producer Yuta Matsumura. The two met by chance on Matsumura's visit to Papunya last year. Their impromptu jam sessions form the foundation for Wilurarrakutu's low-key sonic palette, influenced in parts by Papunya's strong local gospel music scene as well as the reggae beats often passed around the remote community via USB sticks and mobile phone transfers.Over these soundscapes, Nelson sings of family, friends, heritage, and culture, with a tone that balances joy and melancholy. They're themes and emotions that also echo through his work as a painter at the Papunya Tjupi Arts Centre. In this way, Wilurarrakutu becomes an extension of his art practice - a graceful audio portrait of a place that evokes the resonance of home.
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After many releases on labels with different techno imprints such as Mord, Hex, Raw, KR/LF and now BPitch Control, in his most recent works Under Black Helmet has pushed his sound in a more essential and hypnotic direction, raising the level of processing in rhythm and sound research. That's what you will find on Tempio Omega 02.
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The Weeks Island project began in 2018 when, itching for something during a break from his gig playing guitar for the Grammy-winning Cajun group Lost Bayou Ramblers, Jonny Campos ventured to his bandmate's house and recorded a series of deep, amoebic, ambient pedal steel passages across two afternoons. It wasn't all heavy, though: he paid that bandmate, Kirkland Middleton, in Cane's chicken strips. The tracks on Droste are named for bodies of water that no longer exist, their names wiped from maps thanks to the disintegrating shorelines of Southern Louisiana. That feeling of impermanence hangs over this record - the tracks don't so much begin and end as slip in and out of your consciousness. It can be a serene passive listen or a deep one that marinates long after the runout. Droste originally appeared on Nouveau Electric Records, run by another Rambler, Louis Michot, in 2020, digitally and on cassette. DFA picked it up via an connection from LCD Soundsystem's Korey Richey, and began a years-long process to cut the record to vinyl, a task made difficult by the sharp pedal steel and waves of harmonic distortion that color the music. After more than a few tries and the addition of three brand new tracks, Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service nailed it, and it was pressed beautifully at Furnace Record Pressing in Alexandria, VA.
After two years in the making, Wyatt E. seals their long-awaited return in 2025 with the highly anticipated narrative sequel to "al beluti darû": zamaru ultu qereb ziqquratu Part 1 (Music from inside the Ziggurat); is the first chapter of a set of 2 concept albums in which the band deepens its exploration of ancient Babylon with an almost mythical approach through the eyes of the exiled captives from Jerusalem. Featuring contributions from 7 international collaborators, zamaru ultu qereb ziqquratu is poised to become one of the most ambitious projects in the doom scene in terms of production & conception and will be released by the finest label in the genre: Heavy Psych Sounds. The album pushes sonic boundaries by featuring two drummers recorded simultaneously, creating the immersive effect of distant crowds. An eclectic mix of instruments, including the saz, viola, sitar, and bugle, blend with both analog and digital elements to enrich the soundscape. A nod to Turkish composer Faz?l Say is also present, with a quotation from his symphony Mesopotamia. For the first time, two vocal tracks appear alongside the instrumental pieces. Iranian singer Nina Saiedi lends her ethereal voice to "The Diviner's Prayer to the Gods of the Night," sung in Akkadian, while Jerusalem's choir conductor, Tomer Damsky delivers a captivating performance of Im Lelya in Aramaic adding a deep vocal layer to the album. The final mix, crafted by renowned producer Tim De Gieter, known for his work with Amenra, Brutus, and Absent in Body, brings everything together with a masterful touch.
Gold vinyl, limited to 550 copies. After two years in the making, Wyatt E. seals their long-awaited return in 2025 with the highly anticipated narrative sequel to "al beluti darû": zamaru ultu qereb ziqquratu Part 1 (Music from inside the Ziggurat); is the first chapter of a set of 2 concept albums in which the band deepens its exploration of ancient Babylon with an almost mythical approach through the eyes of the exiled captives from Jerusalem. Featuring contributions from 7 international collaborators, zamaru ultu qereb ziqquratu is poised to become one of the most ambitious projects in the doom scene in terms of production & conception and will be released by the finest label in the genre: Heavy Psych Sounds. The album pushes sonic boundaries by featuring two drummers recorded simultaneously, creating the immersive effect of distant crowds. An eclectic mix of instruments, including the saz, viola, sitar, and bugle, blend with both analog and digital elements to enrich the soundscape. A nod to Turkish composer Faz?l Say is also present, with a quotation from his symphony Mesopotamia. For the first time, two vocal tracks appear alongside the instrumental pieces. Iranian singer Nina Saiedi lends her ethereal voice to "The Diviner's Prayer to the Gods of the Night," sung in Akkadian, while Jerusalem's choir conductor, Tomer Damsky delivers a captivating performance of Im Lelya in Aramaic adding a deep vocal layer to the album. The final mix, crafted by renowned producer Tim De Gieter, known for his work with Amenra, Brutus, and Absent in Body, brings everything together with a masterful touch.
"Vangelis (29/3/1943 –17/5/2022) was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed the Academy Award-winning score to Chariots of Fire (1981), as well as for the films Blade Runner (1982), Missing (1982), Antarctica (1983), The Bounty (1984), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), and Alexander (2004), and the 1980 PBS documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan. Vangelis started writing music when he was 4 and performed his first live concert at age 6. He started his career as a member of The Forminx. In the sixties, he was a founding member of Aphrodite's Child along with Demis Roussos and Lucas Sideras. He also enjoyed succes as part of Jon & Vangelis early in the eighties. The Best Of Vangelis from 1993 is an absolute classic. It contains Vangelis classics like “Alpha”, “To The Unknown Man”, “Pulstar (Audio)”, “Spiral” and “So Long Ago, So Clear” featuring Jon Anderson from Yes. Now for the first time available on vinyl as a Limited Edition 2LP set, on white coloured vinyl.
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"Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool is the fourth solo studio album by former White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie. The album is a sequel to his debut album Hellbilly Deluxe and was released on February 2, 2010. This is the first album with bassist Piggy D and the last with drummer Tommy Clufetos.
Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is also the first release where Rob Zombie worked with his full touring band. Previous albums were written and recorded by Rob Zombie himself and a rotating set of musicians. The lead single ""What?"" debuted on radio stations on October 6. Rob Zombie enlisted the help of artists Dan Brereton (creator of Nocturnals), Alex Horley (of Image Comics and DC Comics) and David Hartman (storyboard artist) to create the album artwork. British dark/horror/science fiction/steampunk artist Sam Shearon aka 'Mister Sam Shearon' (artwork for Ministry, Slayer, Clive Barker, and tour merchandise for Iron Maiden) also contributed to the artwork of Hellbilly Deluxe 2.
Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is now available on black vinyl. It's housed in a gatefold and it comes with a 4 page booklet."
Bill meets Mickey on the street of impossible, unstuck-in-time dreams - as the late Mickey sings his back in "73, while Bill sings his "today." Both these master songsters put their own inevitable brand on Mickey"s peerless original, but it"s a new thrill hearing Bill cover a tune, something he rarely does. When it comes to the great Mickey Newbury, the answer should always be "yes." Help your own heavenly inner child by picking up and playing the grooves of these two sides of the same story.
Acclaimed folk-blues singer/songwriter Luke Winslow-King has recently inked a significant deal with the iconic Bloodshot records, coinciding with the label’s 30th anniversary, and marking a revival in the institution’s trailblazer history of outlaw country, folk roots, and rock n roll. To celebrate this exciting collaboration, Luke Winslow-King is set to embark on a midwest tour with guitar maestro Roberto Luti of Tuscany May 17 - June 1 of 2024. Tuscan Slide Guitar Maestro Roberto Luti is a founding member of the Playing For Change band and has collaborated with legends such as Taj Mahal, Keb Mo, Keith Richards, Ringo Starr, Dr. John and numerous others, accumulating over 100 million plays on YouTube. His unorthodox, angular and evocative slide guitar style is based on Mississippi and Chicago blues and is infused by soul and African roots traditions. Fans can expect the sincere and heartfelt roots blues stylings King has become known for, showcased alongside his continual artistic reinvention
In 2019, Resistencia Sonora was launched as a collaborative project where urban resistances and ethnic-peasant rural resistances converge in the greater area of Montes de Maria, situated in Colombia's western Caribbean region. This initiative originates in one of the musical epicenters of ancestral sounds that have fostered a now global recognition for styles such as gaita, cumbia, bullerengue, son palenque and son de negro, as well as Sabanero accordion music like porros and pajaritos.
The aim of this extensive project has been to serve as a rare living archive of festive gatherings, conversations, knowledge exchange, and co-creative processes that have spawned specifically from the municipality of Ovejas, which sits in the Sucre Department of Montes de Maria. Resistencia Sonora's documentation in Ovejas is more than just a musical recording, rather an all-encompassing snapshot of a very real folkloric life within neighborhoods such as El Bolsillo, El Corea and La Ciudadela. The initial inspiration of the project can be credited to a specific call to arms from composer Andrés Narváez, who expressed the dream to record his own original compositions set amongst this region's local history. Andrés, like many leaders from the old sabanas beyond Montes de Maria, is a social leader and land-rights activist. He proposed not only to record his songs but also to invite other musicians and composers to take part in this documentation, an extended hand to uphold the legacies, knowledge, and traditions of the region's elders.
All songs recorded between 2022-23 on location in Ovejas and Bogotá, Colombia. Mixed in Brooklyn by Names You Can Trust and mastered by Frank Meritt at The Carvery, London. Limited Edition 250 vinyl press with included 12-page booklet and liner notes in English and Spanish.
"Wanted Dread & Alive" released in 1981 is now available on 1LP Yellow Recycled, is an album that underscores Peter Tosh's status as a reggae icon and a vocal critic of social injustices. The album's title reflects Tosh's rebellious spirit and his fight against systemic oppression. Tracks like "Coming in Hot" and "Rastafari Is" showcase his fiery lyricism and commitment to Rastafarian principles.
The third studio album from Norfolk, VA hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, Under Construction, Part II was released in 2003 by Blackground Records, and serves as the follow-up to Missy Elliot's album of the same name. With Timbaland handling a majority of the production, the album boasts the large and flamboyant beats that we've come to expect from Timbaland as one of the top producers of his time. The album features appearances from longtime collaborators such as Missy Elliot and Sebastian, as well as notable names such as Brandy, Wyclef Jean, and Bubba Sparxxx. Hit songs include "Cop That Sh*t," "Indian Flute," and "Naughty Eye."
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Lungu Boy is the third studio album from global superstar and Nigerian singer/songwriter, Asake. The album promises to captivate fans with its vibrant rhythms, soulful melodies, and poignant lyrics that reflect Asake's unique artistry and cultural roots. Lungo Boy showcases Asake's signature blend of Afrobeats, Amapiano, hip-hop, and highlife, creating a rich tapestry of sound that is both innovative and deeply rooted in African musical traditions. Each track on the album tells a story, weaving personal experiences with universal themes of love, struggle, and triumph. The album features collaborations with some of the biggest names in the music industry, like Travis Scott, WizKid, Central Cee, Stormzy, and LUDMILLA – adding exciting dynamics to Asake's already impressive sound.
Produced by a team of top-notch producers, Lungo Boy is a testament to Asake's commitment to quality and his relentless pursuit of musical excellence. The album also narrates the transition of Asake growing up on the streets of Lagos to becoming a global icon and living life in urban cities around the world. It identifies with the sights and sounds of Lagos (Eko, Lagos Island, Idumota Street), London (Hackney, Shoreditch, Brixton, Peckham), and New York (Brooklyn, Harlem).
Love (the) Ominous World is a defining moment for Blu & Exile, who are eager to share it with both their longtime fanbase as well as those just catching onto their celebrated discography
5: Tracklist Hello LA (feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow)
With the release of Love (the) Ominous World, Blu & Exile have returned with an album that brilliantly builds on their soulful, reflective foundation with stunning musicality and sharp songwriting. Their shared history as one of hip-hop’s best duos continues to grow, especially as they venture into new territory while embracing and refining what made them special.
“This album is our most unique work to date,” Blu says. “We took a different approach with the direction while still staying true to the culture our music has built with our fan base.” That direction is one that finds the two California natives crafting records that would sound right at home on the radio and hip-hop charts. Like “Suga & Butta,” for example, which features recent Def Jam signee Rae Khalil and rising star Ahmad Anwar. Every element of the track is as sweet and smooth as its namesake, from the lyrics to the production. There’s also the raw G-funk banger “Chucks,” a snarling collaboration with West Coast stalwarts KXNG Crooked and Kurupt.
"‘Where The Light Gets In' is the debut album from actor & singer songwriter Ben Barnes. The title of the album reflects the hopefulness of the songs, and the perspective earned through lived experience. Ben’s personal hope for these songs is that they encourage finding clarity when life feels sombre, feeling powerful when pain tells you you're vulnerable and lovable when the world tries to tell you that you're not enough as you are. The album is about the different stages of a relationship; beginnings, tension, sorrow, sex, love, endings... nostalgia. It's about how our history and our scars configure to make us who we are in this moment. If a part of us has ever felt broken, we can mend... transforming ourselves into something moreprecious than we were before.
The album was recorded at Apogee Studios in Santa Monica with the band all together, including James Valentine and Sam Farrar (Maroon 5) who also produced the record along with drummer/manager, Paul Hamilton."
The SteelDrivers are more than the launching pad of Chris Stapleton’s career and the home-base to the multi-talented musician and songwriter Tammy Rogers. They’re an ever-evolving group of seasoned veterans who have reinvigorated bluegrass by mixing in their individual influences and histories. Stirring Southern soul, Nashville country, deep blues, and wooden-church gospel into bluegrass, The SteelDrivers created a hybrid old as the hills and fresh as morning dew. Or, as a slack-jawed Vince Gill described their sound more directly, “an incredible combination.” Over the past 20 years, The SteelDrivers have become one of the biggest names in progressive bluegrass. After four Grammy nominations, the Americana Music Association’s New Artist of the Year and IBMA’s 2009 Emerging Artist of The Year, The Muscle Shoals Recordings took them to the next level, winning the band their first Grammy Award and landing them another #1 Bluegrass album. In every way, The Muscle Shoals Recordings was a major step forward for the group. Former bandmember Chris Stapleton contributed a new song, “Drinkin’ Alone,” and longtime fan Jason Isbell shows up on a few tracks as co-producer and guitarist. The core of the SteelDrivers stepped up as well, with even richer and more evocative songs and performances that cut deeper than ever. It sounds like an album that should have always existed on vinyl but somehow never was. Until now. Vinyl debut of the Billboard #1 Bluegrass Album & Best Bluegrass Album Grammy winner Featuring production & guitar by Jason Isbell Includes "Drinkin' Alone," written by former SteelDriver Chris Stapleton "Their playing is magnetic" —NPR "The group has rarely sounded more focused or passionate
Man of the moment Bruno Mars, currently the record breaking No.1 most listened to artist on Spotify, has his first two No.1 albums reissued on limited edition colour pressings.
Currently riding high with the 1 Billion plus streamed track with Lady Gaga ‘Die With A Smile’ as well as over half a billion streams for the debut single APT. with ROSÉ from Blackpink.
Doo-Wops & Hooligans Product Description
Limited Edition Neon Yellow Vinyl
Bruno Mars' chart-topping debut launched the singer-songwriter into superstardom and spawned a string of blockbuster hit singles including the No.1 singles "Just The Way You Are," "Grenade," "The Lazy Song," plus "Talking to the Moon," "Marry You" and "Count On Me" and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, going 7 x Platinum in the UK.
Unorthodox Jukebox Product Description:
Limited Edition Neon Coral Vinyl
Bruno Mars' sophomore record has gone 3 x Platinum in the UK and features the smashes "When I Was Your Man" and "Locked Out Of Heaven," as well as "Treasure" and "Gorilla". The album presents a wide range of styles such as R&B, pop, reggae, rock, disco, funk and soul music, and includes production from Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Emile Haynie, Diplo and Supa Dups, as well as The Smeezingtons. The album has since sold over 6 million copies globally.
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of “Unorthodox Jukebox”, a limited Dark Red Vinyl edition will be released on the 17th June, with the pre-order going live on the 19th May. “Unorthodox Jukebox” is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. It debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200, The record also reached #1 in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and the U.K.. It became Mars's fastest-selling album in the latter country in 2012, the third best-selling album in Australia in 2013, and the fifth best-selling in the United States in 2013. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that Unorthodox Jukebox was globally the fourth best-selling album in 2013. “Unorthodox Jukebox” also won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Grammy Awards.
Bruno Mars is a 21-time GRAMMY Award nominee and multi-GRAMMY winner. The celebrated singer, songwriter, producer, musician has sold over 171 million singles worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. His most recent critically acclaimed and RIAA certified platinum album, “24K Magic,” made an impressive debut atop the Top Digital Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Additionally, the album and its lead single, “24K Magic,” simultaneously hit No. 1 on the iTunes Overall Albums and Overall Songs charts week of release. The single has since climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has also officially been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
"Color LP" is pressed on gold vinyl. Black Up is the new sonic move from Shabazz Palaces. Like rich velvet hijabs or gold threaded abayas. Luxury as understood by the modest. Shabazz Palaces. If Bedouins herded beats instead of goats and settled in Seattle instead of the Atlas Mountains, this would be their album. Forward thinkers but nostalgic for a sparer time when ancient astronomers only recognized five planets. Hip hop. Black light uses electromagnetic radiation to eradicate microorganisms, but shabazz didn't come to kill a sound, just to shine their own incandescent lamp on this. Hear. Hard and clear. Fifty thousand years in the making. Honorable._palaceer pink gators. Produced by Knife Knights.plcrs at Gunbeat Serenade Studio in Outplace Palacelands. It was recorded and mixed in Lixx-alog by Blood.
This record _produced by Bomp's Greg Shaw_ is the result of pure teenage exuberance!! Garage punk at its best that transports you back to either 1984 or 1966! Produced by Greg Shaw, "All Black and Hairy" was originally released in 1984 on his label Bomp!, resulting the only LP ever recorded by the band in their short career. Unavailable for over a decade now we are thrilled to reissue this essential `80s garage gem as part of a series of releases celebrating Bomp! 50th anniversary. Includes a booklet with notes by band member John Hanrattie and rare photos.
This Is DJs Choice Vol. 4 brings you a great selection of Funk, Soul, Latin and Hip Hop.
Five years after the last installment of the series, Volume 4 is compiled by Gu, a long-time friend and DJ partner of Unique label founder Henry Storch, and the tracks represent the two decades they have known each other and played records together, as well as the music they enjoyed.
All choices are originally 7 Inch records from Gu's crates put together like a DJ-Set for you to enjoy: The Soul of The Sweet Vandals and Carlton Jumel Smith, the Deep Funk of Naomi Davis & The Knights Of Forty First Street, The Supersonics and Sharon Jackson & The Soul Destroyers, the Latin sounds of Diesler and Eli Goulart E Banda Do Mato and the Hip Hop grooves of Jay Are (aka J.Rawls and John Robinson), The Bamboos featuring Ohmega Watts and Daddy-O of Stetsasonic.
This compilation is a celebration of music from beginning to end.
About This Is DJs Choice:
The series started as a friendship project by Henry Storch, who wanted to immortalise friends and allies from the DJ scene, who picked vinyl as their format of choice. The genre didn't matter, as long as the vibe was right. In 2008 Vol. 1 featured a selection of organic Club Sounds and Break Beats put together by Soulinus & Pun, followed by Keb Darge & Lucinda Slim and their favorite Rhythm & Blues, Rockabilly and 60s Soul tunes on Vol. 2 in 2009. In 2019 Les Intouchables aka Marc Hype and DJ Suspect presented a variety of funky and soulful music with an addition of the occasional Boogie, Reggae and Hip Hop track.
About Gu:
Gu is a DJ, musician, label owner, producer, writer and producer from Northern Germany. His dedication to music started in his pre-teens in the late eighties and he is playing vinyl ever since. Over the years he has worked with a number of his favorite DJs and artists like Keb Darge, Andy Smith, Snowboy, The New Mastersounds, Osaka Monaurail, The Sweet Vandals, The Allergies, Andy Cooper of Ugly Duckling, Daddy-O of Stetsasonic and Chuck D of Public Enemy to name a few. His DJ career took him all over Europe again and again.
In 2005 he started Our Label Records with his brother Tom to release new Funk music on 7 Inch vinyl and added the Hip Hop 45 imprint Origu in 2015. Since 2009 and he is on air every week with his radioshow Home Diggin', which was also picked up by Chuck D's Rapstation in 2019. Additionally he is lead singer/rapper for the Songcore duo Sorry We're Closed and the Hip Hop outfit Alder Ego. He also does readings of his book of one-liners and competing on Slam Poetry stages.
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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.
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RAWAX welcomes STOERUNG aka Alex Bau to the artist Family!
We are very happy to present you Alex under his new moniker with this deep dub monster!
Highly recommended!
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Ein weiterer außergewöhnlicher Release in der hochgelobten WaJazz-Reihe ist dem Leben und der Musik eines der berühmtesten japanischen Jazzmusiker der letzten 60+ Jahre gewidmet, dem legendären Saxophonisten Jiro Inagaki mit seiner Soul Media-Band und ihrer goldenen Ära 1968-1980. Diese ultimative Kollektion erscheint auf goldfarbigem 180g Doppelvinyl im Gatefold mit detaillierten Linernotes von Yusuke Ogawa (Universounds), Kommentaren von Jiro und exklusiven Fotos. 16 mal pures Gold aus Jazz, Jazz-Funk und Jazz-Rock, darunter eine unveröffentlichte Version des Tracks 'Express' – erstmals auf Vinyl!
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FTV004 is an artist mini album from Spains Sergio Garcia recording under his Uf0 Alias. His recognisable breaks and electronic melodies keep in style of previous releases on Altered Sense, Further Electronix, Gated and Withhold, which drift in and out of lush pad heaven breakdowns and skipping breakbeats. Limited to 140 copies worldwide on eco coloured vinyl in eitherblue, pink or purple. Comes with an insert instructions of how to make a crop circle/Uf0 landing site. 5/5 reactions from Carl Craig, Ame, Michel De Hey, Doc Scott, Moy, Nick Warren.
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Daniel Avery returns to fabric Originals with his second EP of 2024 following on from the ‘Wonderland / Running’ EP back in March, Avery’s only officially releases for this year.
“Broken euphoria. The other side of Room 1 that will crush your skull and fill your soul in equal measure. Being blinded by the most beautiful light you’ve ever seen.”
Daniel Avery plays fabric, 15th November – ALL NIGHT – Divided Love Party
Vinyl lands 6th December
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The Acidboychair music project started in the early noughties as a commentary on what journalist Simon Reynolds would summarise a few years later as Retromania. Initially conceived by Thomas Baldischwyler and Andreas Diefenbach as a performative revival travesty with large-format drum computers and synthesizers reconstructed from cardboard, everything took a surprising turn when DJ Mooner (the man behind the now defunct Munich music label Erkrankung Durch Musique) took an interest in the adventurous audio material produced by Baldischwyler. In 2005, the LP 1987 (EDM1016), produced almost exclusively with long-forgotten software (SoundEdit 16, RB-338, etc.), was released on Mooner's label. As a result of the growing number of bookings, Baldischwyler had to think about improving the performability of his intentionally amateurish productions. Fortunately, the Ableton Live programme became a DAW with a MIDI sequencer and support for VST plug-ins as early as 2004 - and this made it easier for him to execute his intuitive, error-friendly version of acid house. This can be heard on the first two sample-heavy tracks on the A-side of Come Down Easy, which were recorded in 2005 and 2006 respectively at Acidboychair gigs at Hamburg's Golden Pudel Club and Munich's Registratur. The first two tracks on the B-side (produced sometime between 2006 and 2008) were actually supposed to be part of a solo release on the Acido label run by Dynamo Dreesen, but this never materialised. However, the final tracks and the 133.3 BPM lock grooves that follow are the title and central to this catalogue number TBG123: Through ethno-musicologist Arthur Boto Conley, who had already released a one-sided 12 on his label with material from one of Baldischwyler's audio installations, he met Florian Meyer (Don't DJ) and Marc Matter (Spoken Matter), who introduced him to their collaborative project Institut F?r Feinmotorik (IFFM). Baldischwyler's attempt to approach the sound aesthetics of IFFM led to the tape 60 Minutes Of Barely Modified Lock Grooves (TCCC06), recorded in Rome in 2018. A buyer of this tape introduced him to the Detroit collective Pure Rave, which he immediately contacted and introduced to the work of the IFFM. It was important for Baldischwyler to have an analogue update made and so both the Detroiters and IFFM, who now live in Berlin, were given 8 copies of EDM1016's backstock to remix the material in their own way. At their jam in Detroit, Pure Rave opted for the almost identical material that IFFM had also used for a live performance in the Hamburg project space Beek. The dominant jumps in both arrangements come from the track Eightyseven, produced in the early 2000s for the LP 1987, an awkward remix of the Spacemen 3 track Come Down Easy, which is also referred to in the liner notes on the inner sleeve of TBG123. The almost two-decade-old revival idea thus turns into false memory syndrome and runs into a - in keeping with our times - clean-cut (endless) groove. Kassem Mosse (The KM of MM/KM) on Come Down Easy after a first listening session: I think it all works very well as a mix, no matter where you start it carries you further forward back in the loop. if I understand the liner notes correctly, it's about the music's turn from tradition preservation (doing everything right) to ecstatic delusion (not doing everything right when intoxicated). Now that I'm reading again instead of listening, the titles give me a different understanding of the connections; how the skipping belongs together, which playtime is connected. Now I can name my favourites. Thank you for the journey!
“My introduction to “noise” came from a record shop in Lake Worth, Florida ran by a musician named Kenny 5. Kenny had left Detroit sometime in the mid nineties and had begun selling used records and CD’s from the downtown strip of this tiny southern Florida city in a humble shop sandwiched between a deli and a dog grooming business. Kenny previously was on labels like Amphetamine Reptile and timeSTEREO, and the records and videotapes that would be on repeat at his shop were a vast sonic expanse that spoke to the eclecticism of his experience as a touring musician participating and adjacent to American noise culture through the early to late 90’s. In 1998, I was eleven years old and I would order a pizza with him and watch VHS tapes of Japanese noise and deathmatch bootlegs, as well as any other sonic and subcultural rarities that far outstripped my age to comprehend (notably the RRR “Journey Into Pain” compilation and various Vanilla Tapes videos). This widecast net of information formed an introduction to a reality that did not fall deaf on me, but it took many years later for me to reorient the specific freedoms of what this dense and cathartic sound culture had imparted on my life and would continue onward to.
What does this have to do with this selection of choice recordings from the Secret Boyfriend catalog for the enmossed label? For the uninitiated, Secret Boyfriend is the long running moniker of Ryan Martin, North Carolina musician and label proprietor of the Hot Releases imprint. For over a decade from this writing I have watched Secret Boyfriend, and Hot Releases by extension as a curatorial and archival effort, embodying the multiplanal capacity that noise loosely functions from as an umbrella ideology and formalist avenue for sound creation. For anecdotal purposes, from (before) 2006 until roughly 2023 the East Coast of the United States showcased a vibrant network of eclectic regional festivals that saw wide swaths of artists addressing and negotiating the notion of what qualified “noise” from a conceptual and ideological perspective. Some festivals honed in on particularities in aesthetics and tropes, and others had a kind of “catch-all” implementation that allowed for a salvation of the sort of alienated and singular artistry that was amassing throughout these territories. While clear guidelines had been set from regional predecessors as to how noise with a capital “N” should maneuver, Secret Boyfriend is emblematic in the spirit of fluidity that was either implicitly coupled to the notion of the genre, or grew to evolve towards or devolve from.
Within Secret Boyfriend performances, I have seen and admired a mirroring from a ravenous appreciator of this culture at large back towards itself. Typical of a Secret Boyfriend set is an interchangeable narrative arc wherein blistering feedback laden scrap metal improvisations are forayed into naive ambient or “pop” songs, or skipping CDs, or mixer feedback play, or delayed Roland 707 drum workouts all at once and in a unique hegemony. Secret Boyfriend's stylistic mastery of each endeavor is at once an homage to a history of loving listening and enacting, while a brave step into the realm of actualizing the unique fluidity of his own practice. In performance and the action of network engagement, Secret Boyfriend operates a survey of that which he sought to hear and that which he cultivates around his work. His operations are mirrors, and the project (alongside his other peers) is a reflection on the ethos of his time.
Conversely his recording practice narrows in on these moments and allows for a different kind of intimacy or alienation for the non live listener. This record of selected “pop songs” (let's call them that) is particularly poignant at a time when the culture Martin mirrors is at a strange crossroads with itself. The aforementioned festival networks necessarily change and shift. The onlookers become the artists, the artists find new horizons, and the spaces for these cycles fade into locales of a distant memory. It seems, from my perspective, that audiences currently yearn for a more bottlenecked experience, searching for some ontologically vetted manifestation of an idea, of a sound and less for an experience that functions in opposition to our collective banalities. This makes sense in the face of general global catastrophism that plagues us. We need certainty of what something is somewhere, don’t we? Noise as an idea has expanded and contracted to so many iterations of itself it is hard to tell what it even is, and it is particularly difficult to identify in the absence of solid network activations a moment to reflect on its own complexities and nuances. In the face of so much change, I argue that the language of noise culture at large has on one hand become increasingly didactic and predictable, and laughably inclusive and non linear on the other. Probably has always been this way, but now we are in the midst of a moment of extreme access and indexicality, which somehow cauterizes expansion and naivety and chance.
This record highlights the Secret Boyfriend that obscures didacticism by highlighting output that opens up for more challenging catharsis and emotive signal processing. It provides an entry to the materialism of a cultural field full of ecstatic complexity and beautiful inconsistency. In these muted moments Secret Boyfriend has given us over his career we have an argument for evolving languages that further challenge our notions of what is supposed to happen and how it is supposed to be presented. In his more song oriented expansiveness, we can punctuate the ability to think in new modalities. Listening to these recordings reminds me of the polarity of sitting in the record store as a kid and understanding that His Name Is Alive is on 4AD and (gasp!) timeSTEREO. This trite early impression that nothing is really as different as our imaginations might want them to be, and that we can do whatever we want mostly within the creative realms we work through is an important filter to look through Secret Boyfriend as a project and a vessel. If we can achieve abandon and vulnerability through our artistic endeavors, then we have a sound model for, maybe, new potentialities. If that’s too much projection, or just complete liberal bullshit, I am fine with that. Secret Boyfriend's oeuvre at best offers us moments of reprieve to ponder these complexities, or at least a moment to zone out on a drive through North Carolina Highway 54.
You have one pocket of life that you must do whatever you want to inside of. Secret Boyfriend does it affectionately, in a variety of forms, and always with deep sentimentality. These recordings are a wonderful set of songs to begin further investigation from. Thank you Ryan for allowing as many avenues as possible to continue a broad cultural exchange and conversation that intersect and refract while being the kind of artist that is brave enough to not phone in the effort.”
The genius of Lord Kitchener has been the mainstay of our series. In this volume devoted to his post-war London recordings, Kitch plays his many roles with signature aplomb and poised subtlety. First there is the hooligan chantwell, up for anything in the hurly-burly of carnival proper; and then the casual reporter, firing off postcards to Trinidad about taxis, flashy booze, fast women and football in Manchester, with homesickness and grievance nestled just behind the optimism, pride and tentative senses of belonging. There is the bearer of news from home, in detailed accounts of murders, tales of stupid local coppers, and reminiscences about food and particular mango trees; the political thinker, considering racism and Africa; and the diarist, with his vivid tales of infidelity, and disclosure of the break-up of his marriage, and his desire to get away. One foot in the UK, the other in Trinidad; but the man himself somewhere in-between. Kitch In The Jungle, nobody around. A ‘diasporic explorer’; a key twentieth-century witness, alongside such hallowed figures as Samuel Selvon and Edward Kamau Braithwaite. Though in frustration Kitch would sometimes take over double-bass duties himself, the musicianship of Rupert Nurse, Fitzroy Coleman and co is top-notch. The original glorious sound is down to Denys Preston, recording for Melodisc, often at Abbey Road Studios (where we transferred and restored the 78s compiled here). Presented in a lovely gatefold sleeve, with a full-size booklet containing superb, specially-commissioned sleevenotes by Kitch biographer Anthony Joseph, and fabulous, previously-unseen photographs.
