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4 To The Floor continues to champion heritage tracks with Volume 7 of the Classics 12” series, ‘The MK EP’. As one of the most in demand producers of the halcyon period of house in the early 90s, this special delivery features three gems from MK’s early career.

Opening the A-Side with vocal house masterpiece ‘Burning’, on the flip are two of MK’s most loved collaborations with Alana, first the deep and piano-lined ‘Always’ (Club Mix), before the soulful club anthem ‘Love Changes’. This release highlights the timeless quality of MK’s catalogue, with three cuts that truly stand the test of time.

Originally released in 2019, ‘Heaven’ served as a benchmark for what modern house music is. The essential record from Ben Westbeech and KON’s The Vision project dominated stages around the world, receiving support from a plethora of top house artists; Gerd Janson, Horse Meat Disco, The Blessed Madonna, Groove Armada and Eli Escobar to name just a few.

Now Defected release a special 12” package featuring the most recently released remix from Groove Assassin, where he masterfully combined it with Supernova’s Jackin Mix of Kerri Chandler’s iconic ‘Hallelujah’ for a killer house cut. Also featured on the package is the original in all its glory, as well as Danny Krivit’s heralded edit and an edit from The Vision’s own KON.

“The hand knows best,” the painter Margaux Williamson says. “A shape produces itself, where I go toward what is intuitive, rather than logical.” The shapely, intuitive songs that comprise Ada Lea's third album, when i paint my masterpiece, are surprising, imagistic, tactile. They stand before us and we feel their brushstrokes. Alexandra Levy holds her guitar against the backdrop of a sea of her paintings on the album cover and it’s tempting to ask: is painting a metaphor here, for music or life? No! As ever, she resists tidy metaphors. She’s a master of this kind of thorny lowercase title that germinates and grows with time. In a real, profound way, music and painting go hand-in-hand as she unveils a new style of subversion and surrealism inspired by her transdisciplinarity.

Levy is a Renaissance woman, and Ada Lea’s albums have been swelling in scope alongside the evolution of her artistic life. Her recent turn toward pedagogy—teaching a songwriting course at Concordia University and co-facilitating a community-based group called The Songwriting Method—weaves another vivid thread into her multifaceted practice. Her debut LP, what we say in private, blurred the lines between interior and performative worlds. Her sophomore record, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, featured vignettes centered on Montreal. On this sprawling and ambitious album, written over three years and whittled down from over 200 songs, she asks: what happens when you… pause? How can a life be held suspended in song? The album is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the transformations art can bring: the vision of an uncompromising artist dancing bravely and freely between registers and across mediums.

The album marks a reset—a quiet revolution. After years of relentless international touring, Levy felt an urgent need for community and renewal. Gruelling road schedules with very little support left her wondering: who am I really doing all this for? The system was uncaring and broken, and so it was that she came to envision a new healthy and healing mode of musical genesis. “For me, that looked like resting, extending my creative reach, going back to school, studying painting and poetry,” she explains. “Taking a step away from music as guided by industry expectations. Simplifying things. Getting a job, starting to teach. Engaging with the process rather than the product.” This need for a more deliberate creative renewal was rejected by her existing systems of support, so she began the search for an alternative.

Classic black 2LP in gatefold! "Her darkest, heaviest and most personal album yet . . . a haunting, doomy exercise in loud-quiet dynamics." Rolling Stone Sleep paralysis plagues singer/songwriter Chelsea Wolfe, and that strange intersection of the conscious and the unconscious has inadvertently manifested itself within her work. Across the span of her first four albums, there is an underlying tension, a distorted and nebulous territory where dark shadows hover along the edges of the sublime and the graceful. But until now, Wolfe's trials and tribulations with the boundaries between dreams and reality have only been a subconscious influence on her work. With her fifth album, Abyss, she deliberately confronts those boundaries and crafts a score to that realm she describes as the "hazy afterlife. an inverted thunderstorm. the dark backward. the abyss of time." Chelsea Wolfe's material has always felt intensely private, from the almost voyeuristic bedroom-production aesthetic of her debut album The Grime and the Glow to the stark themes and atmospheres of 2013's Pain Is Beauty. "Abyss is meant to have the feeling of when you're dreaming, and you briefly wake up, but then fall back asleep into the same dream, diving quickly into your own subconscious," says Wolfe. To conjure this in-between world, Wolfe continued her ongoing collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and co-writer Ben Chisholm and drummer Dylan Fujioka, with Ezra Buchla brought on board to play viola and Mike Sullivan (Russian Circles) enlisted to contribute guitar. The ensemble traveled to Dallas, TX to record with producer John Congleton (Swans, St. Vincent). In the back of her mind burned the words of designer Yohji Yamamoto: "Perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion." The resulting eleven songs reflect that philosophy as they smoulder with human frailty, intimacy, quiet passion, anxiety, and deep longing. "Sleep and dream issues have followed me my whole life," remarks Wolfe as she revisits notes from the writing and recording sessions. In a way, these issues have become a part of Chelsea Wolfe's identity, for whom the notion of sleep as an escape has been subverted. Abyss captures this dichotomy, this battle between the soothing and the upsetting, and demonstrates why Chelsea Wolfe has become one of the most intriguing songwriters of the decade.

Selected songs from Yu Hayami's album "Delicacy of Love" released in 2016, are now available on vinyl from SLENDERIE RECORD, a music label
led by Takashi Fujii!

Contains two songs "" Tokeruyouni kiss me"" a masterpiece with lyrics by Yu Hayami, music by Takashi Fujii, and arrangement by Ken Tomita, and "Boogie
Boogie Love Train (English Version)" an English cover of Anne Lewis' "Koi no Boogie Woogie Train" which was not included on the album.
Experience the charm of the songs anew with the sound that only an analog record can provide. Limited quantities available, so don't miss out.

Yu Hayami Profile
Made her debut as a singer in 1982 with "Isoide! Hatsukoi".
Has had many hits, including "Natsuiro no Nancy" and "Passion"
Yu Hayami spent her childhood in Guam and Hawaii, and is bilingual, fluent in both English and Japanese.
Graduated from the Department of Japanese Culture, Faculty of Comparative Culture, Sophia University. In 1992, she participated in the Earth Summit held in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is active on a global scale.
She is also a certified wine expert and dance fitness ZUMBA® instructor. She has a diverse range of charms not only in music but also in lifestyle.
In 2022, she will celebrate her 40th anniversary since her debut and release her best album, "Affection ~Yu Hayami 40th Anniversary Collection~".
In the summer of 2024, she released a new song, "DISCO de DISCO" (composition: DJ Night Tempo), which she wrote the lyrics for.
She currently appears regularly on NHK Radio's "Midnight Flight NEXT" and NHK World's "Dining with the Chef". She also hosts BS-TBS's "MUSIC X".
Her annual summer solo concert, "Natsuiro no Nancy Festival 2025" is scheduled to take place at Otemachi Mitsui Hall on July 13th.
In recent years, she has also been working on jazz, pursuing new musical possibilities through the fusion of pop and jazz.

I had known of Ontology for a few years now, for her releases on Meditator Music & some of the sublabels of Amenology, but I got to know her a bit better last year, when she helped me & Dwarde get a booking in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is based & we got to meet her, work on some music with her and also see her DJ.

Since then, she's been sending me some wicked tunes of hers that she's been making and "This Music Belongs To All Of Us" was a track she sent me, which I absolutely could not refuse. I had to have it for release on Future Retro London and that led to FR038, which also has remixes from DJ Sofa, me & a VIP mix that Ontology had made shortly after finishing the original.

Big up to Ontology for the wicked beats, for DJ Sofa for her quality work on the remix & a special shout to all the people me & Dwarde hung out with in Nashville (Nicholas Latiff, Sterbo, Digimon, Lapilli & everyone else I've forgotten to mention!)

2025 Repress

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

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

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

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

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

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

2025 repress in a new colour variant (Pearl White colour vinyl) with printed innersleeve. The third album proper for "Country-got-Soul"s finest, The Delines, on Decor Records sees them exploring the US Gulf Coast, not far from where Amy Boone grew up. The songs in this cinematic opus all focus around this area and are inspired by when Amy asked Willy Vlautin to write her a song like Tony Joe White"s "Rainy Night In Georgia" after her tragic accident being hit by a car in 2016 and her 3 year recovery. This follows on from 2019"s The Imperial which was number one in the UK official AMA charts for two weeks. Written and partially recorded before lock down the rest of the album was finished last Summer, produced by John Morgan Askew at his Bocce studios just outside of Portland, Oregon.

Scowl is a band that sounds exactly like their name implies. Venomous, fierce, antagonistic. A sneer not to be crossed. Over the last five years, the Santa Cruz, California, band has firmly planted their flag in the hardcore scene with their vicious sound and ripping live show, sharing stages around the world with Circle Jerks, Touché Amoré, and Limp Bizkit, and filling slots at prominent festivals like Coachella, Sick New World, and Reading and Leeds. But with their new album, Are We All Angels (Dead Oceans), Scowl is aiming to funnel all that aggression through a more expansive version of themselves.Much of Are We All Angels grapples with Scowl's newfound place in the hardcore scene, a community which has both embraced the band and made them something of a lightning rod over the past few years. Standout single "Not Hell, Not Heaven" outright rejects the narratives cast onto them by outsiders. "It's about feeling victimized and being a victim, but not wanting to identify with being a victim," explains vocalist Kat Moss. "It's trying to find grace in the fact that I have my power. I live in my reality. You have to deal with whatever you're dealing with, and it ain't working for me." The band breaks from a sense of disassociation to seek deeper connections on "Fantasy." "It's incredibly challenging to try to balance my love for the scene while also feeling, in some spaces, extremely alienated and hated," Moss says. "`Fantasy' is about feeling like I don't know how to connect with these people anymore, because I have shelled myself away so hard." The album ends in a philosophical place on the closing, titular track, "Are We All Angels," asking questions like, "Is this all there is?" and ultimately putting it on the listener to decide. "It's about the personal struggle between good and evil. It doesn't matter how `good' or `bad' you are, there are systems that will try to rewrite your narrative no matter what you actually do," explains Moss, noting that punctuation on "Are We All Angels" has been deliberately omitted in an attempt to leave the statement open-ended. Are We All Angels is the highly anticipated follow-up to Scowl's debut, 2021's How Flowers Grow, a 16-minute primal scream over punishing riffs. But amidst the pounding chaos, it was the record's sonic outlier, a cleaner interlude called "Seeds to Sow," that, true to its name, planted the seed for what was to come for the band. "It kind of laid out this destiny for us, and I feel like now we're fulfilling that," says drummer Cole Gilbert. The band continued to expand their sound on 2023's widely acclaimed Psychic Dance Routine EP, incorporating more pop hooks and favoring gentler singing over heavy screaming, paving the way for what would come next.Scowl's growth got a huge boost from producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight, Code Orange, Balance and Composure), who broadened the band's scope. "Will would say, `Everything you have here is correct, but it's in the wrong place,'" says Gilbert. Moss adds: "Will really helped restructure a lot of the material. Some songs he tore apart to make more space for the really good hooks and choruses." But even through this more eclectic approach, Scowl loses none of their edge, and still manages to convey the anger and frustration that lies underneath. They are deeply committed to carrying the ethos of punk and its sense of community. "Hardcore and punk have sculpted how we operate, what we want to do as a band, and how we participate," says guitarist Malachi Greene. "At our core, we are a punk and a hardcore band, regardless of how the song shifts and changes."

BABY BLUE COLOUR VINYL

The Beths occupy a warm, energetic sonic space between joyful hooks, sun-soaked harmonies, and acerbic lyrics. Their debut album Future Me Hates Me, forthcoming on Carpark Records, delivers an astonishment of roadtrip-ready pleasures, each song hitting your ears with an exhilarating endorphin rush like the first time you heard Slanted and Enchanted or 'Cannonball.'

Front and center on these ten infectious tracks is lead singer and primary songwriter Elizabeth Stokes. Stokes has previously worked in other genres within Auckland's rich and varied music scene, recently playing in a folk outfit, but it was in exploring the angst-ridden sounds of her youth that she found her place. 'Fronting this kind of band was a new experience for me,' says Stokes. 'I never thought I had the right voice for it.'

From the irresistible title track to future singles 'Happy Unhappy' and 'You Wouldn't Like Me,' Stokes commands a vocal range that spans from the brash confidence of Joan Jett to the disarming vulnerability of Jenny Lewis. Further honeying Future Me Hates Me's dark lyrics that explore complex topics like being newly alone and the self-defeating anticipation of impending regret, ecstatic vocal harmonies bubble up like in the greatest pop and R+B of the '60s, while inverting the trope of the 'sad dude singer accompanied by a homogenous girl-sound.'

All four members of The Beths studied jazz at university, resulting in a toolkit of deft instrumental chops and tricked-out arrangements that operate on a level rarely found in guitar-pop. Beths guitarist and studio guru Jonathan Pearce (whose other acts as producer include recent Captured Tracks signing Wax Chattels) brings it all home with an approach that's equal parts seasoned perfectionist and D.I.Y.

'There's a lot of sad sincerity in the lyrics,' she continues, 'that relies on the music having a light heart and sense of humor to keep it from being too earnest.' Channeling their stew of personal-canon heroes while drawing inspiration from contemporaries like Alvvays and Courtney Barnett, The Beths serve up deeply emotional lyrics packaged within heavenly sounds that delight in probing the limits of the pop form. 'That's another New Zealand thing,' Stokes concludes with a laugh. 'We're putting our hearts on our sleeves—and then apologizing for it.'

HARMONY020— One year from Ayū’s debut on Harmony—Neon Affair, four artists closely connected to the release were invited to remix their favorite track from the record. The result is a new remix EP featuring a dancefloor-driven A-side, crafted for peak-time energy, and a B-side dedicated to closing sets and trippy storytelling.

Side A opens with Maara’s remix of “Space to Come”- a progressive, sexy spacey journey with muttered vocals and a blissed-out groove, blended with her iconic sound. Keeping up with the dance-floor energy, Spray delivers a dreamy yet bubbly take on “Point Nemo.” Spray’s take showcases his distinctive musical patterns and fuzzy textures.

The B-side remix by Harmony’s Alfred Czital and Jeku sends the record to the late hours of the party. Jeku’s version of “Neon Affair” brings driving drumlines and euphoric prog beats, layered with hypnotic, trippy touches – sweet, yet dirty. Alfred Czital closes the record with his Dream Mix of “Space to Come,” an exciting and misty journey through sound – playful, metaphysical, and the perfect closing track for extended parties.

Released in 1993, The Love of Hopeless Causes is the sixth studio album by British post-punk and alternative rock band New Model Army. The album delivers powerful, politically charged lyrics and intense instrumentation. Key tracks like "Here Comes the War," "Living in the Rose," and "Fate" showcase the band's signature blend of raw energy, thought-provoking storytelling, and anthemic melodies. The album’s themes explore social unrest, personal struggles, and resistance, reflecting New Model Army’s unwavering commitment to their message. Produced by Niko Bolas, The Love of Hopeless Causes was the band's only release under Epic Records. With its mix of fiery rock anthems and atmospheric ballads, the album remains a standout in New Model Army’s discography, appealing to both longtime fans and newcomers to their music. The Love of Hopeless Causes is available on black vinyl.

New pressing for this album, in translucent highlighter yellow. Inspired by minimal pop and the pioneers of electronic music, LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE, Annie-Claude Deschênes’ first solo album, is as danceable and melodic as it is disquieting and dystopian, proposing to set the table differently by deconstructing the social codes of politeness imposed on us. Conceived during the lockdown to overcome the surrounding inactivity, the songs that make up LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE were not intended to be released. It was by familiarizing herself with new technologies (drum machines, sequencers) that the conceptual and aesthetic ideas that define the album began to develop organically. Through producing beats composed from samples of utensils, table etiquette became a source of inspiration, a form of conformity that she enjoyed deconstructing. At the same time, a fascination for surveillance cameras and other futuristic-looking, but already obsolete technologies became part of her visual universe. Her experiments gradually evolved into a full-fledged project reminiscent of the works of the pioneers of electronic music. The album is inspired by Steve Reich’s minimalism, Kraftwerk’s synthetic textures, Herbie Hancock’s stylistic diversity and experimental cinema’s non-traditional approach to narration.

Sydney artist Natalie Slade's debut album Control, co-written with Hiatus Kaiyote's Simon Mavin, is now followed-up with a second instalment of Australian future soul in Molasses, an album featuring a range of UK and Antipodean artists. Joined by The Dieyoungs on keys and Laneous on guitar, Natalie's songwriting and vocals are brought to the fore with excellent production by key Melbourne scene driver, Brisbane's Sampology and additional production from guest Dan Kye. Staying true to the debut album's style of Australian future soul Molasses has an emphasis on poetic storytelling, Natalie's lyrics and melodies that are heard against a lush bed of string arrangements and the influence of Sampology’s soulful but gritty sensibility. As well as her amazing eponymous releases Natalie has also featured on tracks from artists as important and diverse as Posy, Plutonic Lab, Parker and Rhodes and Dojo Cuts among others. Sampology is an innovative producer who, for the past 15 years or so, has been a driving force behind Australia's Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul and Broken Beat/Jazz explosion and has worked with the likes of Ron Trent, Tiana Khasi and Charlie Hill as well as releasing his own tracks. This collaboration between Natalie and Sampology on Molasses is a real high-water mark of music, song-writing and production. Releasing on digital and double vinyl LP, Molasses further chronicles the rising stars of Australia's burgeoning and increasingly important neo-soul and future soul scenes.

‘Best tunes for your answering machine’ is the debut album of oblique, introspective electronic music by the mysterious solo artist Tekamolo.

Fusing melancholic synth pop and absurdist trip hop, ‘best tunes for your answering machine’ is a special assemblage of pitch-modified vocals, retrofuturist samples and freeform electronics that coalesces into music both outlandish and bittersweet, playful and profound.

Produced by a renowned artist, opting to conceal their identity under the guise of a new pseudonym, Tekamolo presents a series of curious, incognito confessionals with ‘best tunes for your answering machine’. An album led by a voice like a sentient, heavy-hearted android, the nine tracks collected here contend with themes of inertia, solitude and longing, revealing an inspired, affecting stream of messages from an unknown caller.

Without preconceptions tied to provenance, this is music liberated from the burdens of biographical detail. Music that eschews ego and the cult of the self. An album that can be heard purely for the strange, poignant sounds unfurled throughout.

For Tekamolo, the album signifies an attempt to navigate aesthetic reductionism, as well as an absolute sense of seclusion:

“An audio diary of a lonely soul. Broken, wounded mantra-songs. Memories of things that never happened. Dreams that never had the chance to be dreamed. Disassembled songs. As if testing the limits of emptiness — how much void can a song endure while still remaining a song? How much can be stripped away, how bare can it be, and still, the groove lingers, the melody pierces the memory, sinking into the listener's mind.

These are the skeletons of songs, an attempt to assemble music from the bare minimum — words, sounds, fragments of memory.

The songs are filled with desperate calm. They are not sung to the world, nor to anyone tangible, but solely to oneself and to the unseen. In a way, they could be considered songs of the end of the world: you wake up, and there is not a single person left in the world. At least, no one you can see. You wander through empty streets and deserted shopping malls, humming softly to yourself, hoping that someone — anyone — might hear you.”

‘best tunes for your answering machine’ is a sui generis conception of warped 21st century blues from an enigmatic figure, a work filled with surreal, indelible songs of modern isolation. Lost contemporary hymns, now recovered. Voicemails worth hearing.

'exclusive tour tapes' limited quantity available for distribution

Limited split tape collaboration between like-minded pranksters Lagoss & Babau. Co-released by Sucata tapes & Artetetra in July 2025.

‘’The chars were emerging as some chunk of makeshift swamp coolers blasted the soil surrounding our motorbikes. Sunburn vapours floating grey all around, licking our necks with heavy hazy tongues. Just oppressive and gross. Blah.

Someone says heat waves are among the most dangerous natural hazards. I guess that the magnetic tides did not help at all. For sure, recreational sleep deprivation aside, it was days of relentlessly documented tipsy headaches, thermometric cicada noises and weird-ass hallucinations. It is what it is. The age of earthquakes. We drink from our black plastic bags with a straw pushing a bit of oxygen thru our reptile brains. Just half a pack of synthetic tobacco for the ride. No internet. Whatever.

She looks at me behind the war metal glasses and the silicone frog mask high on desert dust. Sweaty pools on her shoulders. Eyes purple with adrenaline. Map on the scratched screen. “It says that at this point we should be hearing that fucking flute”. We stop amidst the geysers. We can see the monoliths and stone gods ready to eat up all the solar storms and the thunder. Towards the horizon, second moon is up. Damn. Water rises to our knees, green with bloating sounds. Just what we needed. We’re stuck. "Turn up the radio. Let’s hope it lasts five minutes." After trashing a bunch of fake subtropical signals, the radio plays a flute. She takes off the mask and explodes in a grin: “This is it man, we made it! No man’s land. The real fucking thing.” I light one up and let the sight get blurred: “You betcha.”’’

After a storied first year as a band releasing and touring behind their critically acclaimed debut album Today, Galaxie 500 closed out 1988 with a quintessential performance at New York City’s famed CBGB with every bit of their signature intimacy and autumnal bombast on display. The unusual bill which also included Sonic Youth, B.A.L.L. and Unsane was a benefit show for the zine shop See Hear.

Captured here in a raw but inspired board mix by Kramer and restored and mastered from the analog source by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, CBGB 12.13.88 is a live snapshot of a Galaxie fully formed, punctuating the end of their first chapter while poised to step into their next with On Fire the following year.

After a storied first year as a band releasing and touring behind their critically acclaimed debut album Today, Galaxie 500 closed out 1988 with a quintessential performance at New York City’s famed CBGB with every bit of their signature intimacy and autumnal bombast on display. The unusual bill which also included Sonic Youth, B.A.L.L. and Unsane was a benefit show for the zine shop See Hear.

Captured here in a raw but inspired board mix by Kramer and restored and mastered from the analog source by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, CBGB 12.13.88 is a live snapshot of a Galaxie fully formed, punctuating the end of their first chapter while poised to step into their next with On Fire the following year.

Coming off the heels of 2022's A New Kind of Love, A Trip To The Moon sees GFO diving even deeper in the worlds of film music, exotica, and psychedelic surf rock. The aim is to create a layered and collaged listening experience with more elements than you could possibly pick out in a single listen. The guitars are fuzzy and flooded with spring reverb, and the horns are arranged in a studio big band fashion. It's full of big compositions with garage rock attitude. Influences range everywhere from Eddie Palmieri and Esquivel to The Lively Ones, Dusty Springfield, and War. The tracks are tied together by real recorded transmissions from the Apollo moon missions. The concept for the album is a story about a woman stranded on earth by her cosmonaut partner, left to ponder his whereabouts and whether or not he'll make it back from the cosmos alive.

Last summer, after living across the country from each other for several years, the four members of Anamanaguchi decided to try something new. Their label Polyvinyl had rescued the famed American Football house from potential destruction, so the band took the opportunity to move in and write together. Over the course of a month, Anamanaguchi – pioneers of hyper-melodic 8-bit rock, whose extraordinary ascent has led them to topping charts with virtual pop star Hatsune Miku and scoring Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game and Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off – flipped their typically meticulous digital process on its head. Anyway, the result, is the most personal record of their career. And it's a rock record for the ages.

Recorded straight to tape by Grammy-winning rock producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Sleater-Kinney), Anyway united the members around live instruments and lyrics sung by everybody in the band. As Anamanaguchi has always been an instrumental band, the decision to sing suddenly confronted them with the question of what the band’s voice would ultimately be. They explore this newfound power in every song, making it their most emotionally resonant work yet.

Anyway captures a band creatively and personally energized by the experience of four best friends reviving their connection in a disconnected world. On “Rage (Kitchen Sink),” the band confront loneliness and boredom, two epidemics of the digital age that seem to be humanity’s only common bond. The power-pop ballad “Darcie” finds inspiration in small gestures from a local unsung hero, who brightens their lives and allows unforeseen amounts of fun to happen. Taut and dynamic, “Buckwild” is a rock sing-along that serves as the album’s genesis story: a band making an effort to do something new, while accepting the risks that may bring.

USA, Anamanaguchi’s critically-acclaimed second album and debut for Polyvinyl, anticipated a crucial cultural shift in moving from escapist, nostalgic fantasy to a more introspective exploration of digital identity. Described by Pitchfork as the band’s “most emotionally grounded record,” USA laid the foundation for the openness and honesty that defines Anyway. Where USA made sense of life online, their third album Anywayventures into the world outside the front door.

A heretical masterpiece with an overwhelming presence in the history of Japanese jazz. Jiro Inagaki was one of the central figures in the development of jazz rock in Japan. Inagaki, who had doubts about the existing jazz music, turned the helm to jazz-rock at once with this album recorded in 1970. From the opening track "The Vamp" to the closing "Head Rock," Inagaki poured all his ideas and passion into this jazz-rock album that leaves no time to exhale.

Southern Thailand, Songkhla-based Baa Records takes you on a guided tour of the grooviest tracks to come out of the
Golden Sound studios! From their headquarters on Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road, GS were pioneers of Thai studiocraft and
electronization, bridging the gap between the nightclub disco showbands of the '70s and major-label pop idols of the '90s.
Collected here are 10 rare and glorious cuts introducing you to this highly influential yet little-remembered scene.
All of the music that emerged from the studio, though, shared an unmistakable signature production sheen: like the
producers of Japan's city pop scene, Golden Sound was influenced by Southern California's "West Coast sound", an
amalgam of smooth soul, jazzy R&B and tight disco sounds, with an emphasis on both high-calibre musicianship and
adventurous incorporation of electronic gadgetry.
This excellent selection of tunes from the folks at Baa Records highlights some of the most vibrant and danceable of the
label's output, with an intriguingly synthesized sonic palate.

DAYBREAKERS are back from their first dive into the Music Station catalogue and hop from New Jersey to land in Germany’s Black Forest region for 002, more specifically they arrive into a basement in Freiburg.

In 2008, Rainer Trüby started on an album that ended up getting lost due to a crashed macbook. Two tracks were saved from this lost album and see the light of day 17 years later. After playing one of these tracks “Schoko-Bolla” in the woods at “Root Down With Love” at We Out Here 2024, miche and Rainer decided it was finally time to take this secret weapon for a full release.

The A Side is “Schoko-Bolla” features a looping brazilian vocal from an all time great, building gently into a real groove and the B side, a deeper than deep house track with latin elements. House deeper than the Neckar river, perfect for any dancefloor.

Don't miss out, buy or cry.

This work was released in 1988 by guitarist Yuji Toriyama, who continues to work as an arranger, producer, and studio musician.

This is his fifth album overall. This work is a culmination of his specialty, the programmed sounds, and it explodes with solid digital sounds.

Participating musicians: Hiroshi Sato (key), Hideo Yamamoto (drums), Kenji Takamizu (bass), and others.

Seattle punk rock 'n rollers The Drowns are proud to present their brand new live album Live At Rebellion, on Pirates Press Records. This is the band's first foray into recording a live performance, but it has been an idea on the table from very early on. While the band are rightfully acclaimed for their studio albums, the first thing anyone in the know talks about is their electrifying live shows. "Within the first year of starting the band, we saw the reactions we were getting from people live, and we had the idea to record a live album," says guitarist and singer Rev. "Almost a decade later now, we felt like the time was right." While a live album recorded during the first year may have captured the raw power of a hungry band kicking off their momentum, Live at Rebellion is the sound of a seasoned band playing in front of a veritable army of international fans on their largest festival stage at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, UK - fans that they have earned one by one, sweating it out with relentless transcontinental touring. "Rebellion has always been a highlight of our year, and we love the performances there because the energy from the crowd is raw and visceral," explains Rev. "That's why we made the choice to do it there in Blackpool." While far from a "Greatest Hits Live" preserved in amber, the setlist features selections from every era of the band's career and was determined by the band's knowledge of what songs get their audiences fired up - all killer, no filler, as the saying goes! The gritty attack of "Them Rats" exemplifies the band's streetpunk influences and lyrical calls to unite against abusive authoritarian power. Meanwhile, the vital ass-shaking boogie of "Live Like Yer Dyin'" was a direct result of the band fully embracing their collective appreciation of the energetic joys of both 70s glam and original 50s rock 'n roll! Their choice of cover song - "Ballroom Blitz," - truly hits the Sweet spot, if you'll pardon the pun, as one of the foremost glam-proto-punk-bovver rock masterpieces. It is executed here in masterful hands by The Drowns. The band acknowledges Daz Russell & Daryl Smith, the organizers at Rebellion, for backing the making of the record. David Casey (Success, One Step Beyond) helmed the boards to capture the recording, mixing and engineering was done by Evan Douglas Foster (The Sonics, Boss Martians), and the final master was produced by Seattle legend Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden), who also recently oversaw the re-master of The Drowns' debut album View From the Bottom. "This album was a cumulative effort between people who still believe in rock 'n' roll," sums up Rev. "We couldn't be more proud."

"A New Life is not an album. It does not belong to a ‘genre.’ Not aesthetic, not ironic, not for consumption. Not intellectual—it is felt. It speaks from coherence—structure beneath the noise. Grief, anger, stillness are not flaws here—they belong. Featuring harp and saxophone by Róisín and Cathal Berkeley. A return to truth. To be human without the mask. Integrated, not performed or bypassed."

Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis and Winona Ryder. The plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet
by a prestigious New York City company. Usually described as a psychological thriller, Black Swan can also be interpreted as a metaphor
for achieving artistic perfection, with all the psychological and physical challenges one might encounter.

The original score for the film was composed by Clint Mansell, an English musician, composer, and former lead singer of the band Pop Will Eat
Itself. Mansell was introduced to film scoring when director Darren Aronofsky hired him to score his debut film, Pi. Ever since Mansell wrote the score for many of Aronofsky’s films. Notable additional film scores include The Fountain, Moon, Smokin’ Aces, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Doom, and High-Rise.

Lou Bond only made one album but what an album it was. Politically charged, deeply introspective, and wonderfully lyrical, 1974’s Lou Bond is reminiscent of the Eugene McDaniels releases Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse and Outlaw (both out previously on Real Gone) in its outspoken, idiosyncratic social commentary. But there is a sensitivity here that’s devastating; Bond’s falsetto soaring over his strummed acoustic guitar brings to mind Bill Withers (whose “Let Me into Your Life” he covers) at his most affecting, while the orchestrated arrangements summon What’s Going On vibes. With comparisons like those, you know this record is special, but Lou Bond is a one-of-a-kind album that really defies comparison (despite our best efforts). For this ALLANALOG reissue, we had our friends at Well Made Music cut lacquers directly from the original tapes, and pressed the record at Gotta Groove Records. Available either in black vinyl or clear yellow. Both Outkast and Mary K. Blige sampled Lou Bond…that’s because it’s one of the lynchpin albums of Memphis soul.

Lou Bond only made one album but what an album it was. Politically charged, deeply introspective, and wonderfully lyrical, 1974’s Lou Bond is reminiscent of the Eugene McDaniels releases Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse and Outlaw (both out previously on Real Gone) in its outspoken, idiosyncratic social commentary. But there is a sensitivity here that’s devastating; Bond’s falsetto soaring over his strummed acoustic guitar brings to mind Bill Withers (whose “Let Me into Your Life” he covers) at his most affecting, while the orchestrated arrangements summon What’s Going On vibes. With comparisons like those, you know this record is special, but Lou Bond is a one-of-a-kind album that really defies comparison (despite our best efforts). For this ALLANALOG reissue, we had our friends at Well Made Music cut lacquers directly from the original tapes, and pressed the record at Gotta Groove Records. Available either in black vinyl or clear yellow. Both Outkast and Mary K. Blige sampled Lou Bond…that’s because it’s one of the lynchpin albums of Memphis soul.

"Enter The Dragon" is a tune I've been playing for a few years that people have been messaging me about non-stop, asking for track IDs, release information & up until now, there was no real likelihood of it coming out since it had been forthcoming on a release scheduled for Lucky Muffin Records (a Green Bay Wax sublabel), which had been on the cards for a long time, but there was no sign of any imminent plan for release.

That was until Percussive P sent me a new tune he'd done recently called "Vibrating Harmony", which I really liked & wanted to put out on the label. This reminded me of "Enter The Dragon" which was still not out by that point, so I approached Kid Lib to ask if he'd be up for letting me release "Enter The Dragon" with "Vibrating Harmony" on Future Retro London. Reluctantly, he did & here we are...

Big thanks to Percussive P on his excellent work on both tunes, to Kid Lib for allowing me to put out "Enter The Dragon" on Future Retro London and to all the people over the years who were curious what this tune was when they heard it on my Mixmag live set, my Resident Advisor podcast & wherever else me or other DJs that had the tune were playing it at.

GENE TOWNSEL’ is an accomplished singer/performer and internationally recognised vocal coach from Los Angeles. He majored in music at Florida A&M University and currently runs his own studio The Source in Deerfield Beach, Florida. His debut album Time Wounds All Heels was released on Jeff Lawrence’s Dobre label in 1978 and has long been a highly prized and much sought after original LP by soul collectors worldwide. A little-known fact that is appreciated on the Northern Soul scene is Gene’s arrangement of the iconic 1973 dancefloor hit “Come On Train” by Don Thomas (also available from Charly Records).
Gene’s philanthropic life choices have intertwined with his music career. He founded the Gene Townsel’ Studio of Theatrical and Musical Arts, Singers Workshops and The Artists Against Drug Abuse Program in Los Angeles. In 1997 Broward County Florida declared a “Gene Townsel’ Appreciation Day” in his honor.

Kobe Dupree unveils debut album, ‘Voice from the Inside’, arriving 21st May 2025. It lands on fellow Chicagoan DJ Hyperactive’s 4Trk (4 Track Recordings), and features twelve tracks already supported by the likes of Dustin Zahn, Truncate, Korea Town Acid, Amanda Mussi & more, coming out on wax alongside the digital release.

Dupree’s cosmic ambient opener, 'Jacurutu', sinks you into deep, sub-aquatic techno hypnosis before 'Heretics' layers up alien sounds and rolling kick drums. 'Syk' brings edgy, unrelieved loops and muffled spoken words over more mind-melting rhythm. The supple sounds and otherworldly atmospheres continue on 'Forms', which is marbled with static electricity, with 'Interlude of Voice' marking a moment to reset amongst gorgeous celestial synth smears.

The second half of the album takes in the more punchy but still perfectly loopy deep techno of 'Memory Replacement' and psychedelic swirls of 'Tongue of the Unseen'. There is a mystical charm to the harmonic tones of 'Gammu', a moodier vibe pervades the suspensory 'Fogwood', then 'Semuta Music' traps you in tightly coiled drums and hi-hats while a backlit glow soothes the soul. 'One of Many Faces' closes with a heart-aching piano piece that gets deeply emotional.

Kobe Dupree is a techno artist from Chicago with a deep interest in sound design and minimalism. His musical experiments have been released on Trax Research, Double Vision Records and DJ Hyperactive’s 4 Trk, on which he released the ‘Stimulate | Iterate’ EP in 2024. He has a hybrid approach to production, which involves using a modular rig for sound design before moving to a DAW for arrangement and final touches, heard on the sophisticated and cerebral ‘Voice from the Inside’ album.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The UK's renowned jazz-funk outfit Speedometer spawns a new single here that takes the form of a bunch of classy covers, all taken from their recent third album Four Flights Up. The A-side offers a refined version of 'Am I Your Woman?', plus a take on the Chi-Lites' classic 'Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)' with Ria Currie's standout vocals lodging deep in your soul. This one was inspired by a night spent dancing at a club in Osaka during their 2005 Japan tour and arms with a smooth groove. On the B-side, they do a fine job of 'Nam M'Yoho Ren'Ge Kyo,' originally by the Night Blooming Jazzmen, by delivering a tight, funky groove with exceptional horn and drum arrangements.

Formerly managed by DJ Ghost — a key figure of the hard trance scene and one half of the legendary Cherry Moon Traxx duo alongside Youri Parker — Ghoststyle has now joined the Diki Records family. The label remains a true reflection of the raw energy and hard-hitting sounds that define Ghost’s dynamic DJ sets.

With Traky 2025 Remixes, Ghoststyle brings new life to a cult classic: Traky, originally produced by the group People of Cactus, reimagined here in a series of explosive remixes made for the most demanding dancefloors. This release gathers a powerhouse lineup of Belgian artists: DJ Ghost & Danny Corten, DJ Furax & Sandy Warez, Lethal MG, Binum, Greg S, and the timeless 1998 version by DJ HS.

Each remix breathes fresh energy into this iconic track, blending rave power, acid lines, and intense build-ups. A selection that perfectly fuses raw drive, retro vibes, and modern edge — a must-have to ignite any set.

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Anciennement géré par DJ Ghost — figure emblématique de la scène hard trance et moitié du duo légendaire Cherry Moon Traxx avec Youri Parker — Ghoststyle rejoint désormais l'équipe de Diki Records, fidèle reflet de l'énergie brute et des sonorités percutantes qui résonnent dans les sets de son fondateur.

Avec Traky 2025 Remixes, Ghoststyle ressuscite un classique culte : Traky, signé par le groupe People of Cactus, dans une série de relectures explosives taillées pour les dancefloors les plus exigeants. Ce package réunit une sélection d’artistes phares de la scène belge : DJ Ghost en tandem avec Danny Corten, DJ Furax & Sandy Warez, Lethal MG, Binum, Greg S, et la version intemporelle de 1998 par DJ HS.

Chaque remix insuffle une nouvelle vie à ce titre mythique, oscillant entre puissance rave, lignes acid, et montées frénétiques. Une sélection qui mêle parfaitement énergie brute, ambiance rétro et modernité — un incontournable pour faire vibrer les platines.

Early support from Mark With A K, Anonymize, Manu Kenton, Franky Kloeck, Jan Vervloet, DJ Wout, Bestien, DJ Dinamyk, Don Diablo, Tom Leclercq, DJ Liberty, N.O.B.A, etc…

For the first time on vinyl a collection of tracks by Cortex, Alain Neffe (Bene Gesserit,Insane Music) experimental spoken-word project originally released on tape in 1984.

Cortex was never intended to be a conventional musical project.
From the very beginning it was centered around free live performances. These encounters were stripped down and highly visual: Alain Neffe constructed a trapezoidal fluorescent white screen lit by black light.

The narrator—la récitante—was only illuminated in the face, while the rest of the stage remained in complete darkness.
This created a ghostly effect where the audience could see only her glowing face and dark silhouette. She was a beautiful young woman, with a striking presence, and beside her, Alain Neffe played synthesizer and created sonic effects.
The aim of Cortex was to deliver a minimalist and emotional experience, one centered on text and the voice of the narrator.

Most of the tracks that exist today were recorded informally during rehearsals, using two microphones placed in front of Marshall amps, captured directly to cassette.
La récitante could choose a text from a collection of hundreds. Then, the music was improvised in real time around her voice. That process, simple, direct, and instinctive produced a body of work that’s rough around the edges, but full of presence. It’s not polished, but that’s the point.

Cortex was focused entirely on the connection between voice and sound.

Limited to 300 copies

“Only Skies Stay Eternal” is a full length album from Fille – the final chapter in a sonic trilogy that began earlier with two captivating singles. A restless explorer in the oversaturated wilderness of digital soundscapes, Fille brings her vision to a powerful conclusion.

This album dives into profound and final questions: the meaning of human existence, the nature of dreams and reality, the evolutionary mission of our species, and the fragile, intricate microcosm of the self. Fille embraces the contrasts of our new era – the tension and harmony between technology and nature, the digital and the analog. Her sound is a refreshing fusion of IDM, breakbeat, and dreamy textures, layered with extraterrestrial vocals that feel both ancient and futuristic.

Kristoffer Eikrem Releases “Beneath the Sky and Moments Between” – A Journey into Ambient
Soundscapes

Mutual Intentions proudly presents Beneath the Sky and Moments Between, a 12-track ambient exploration by
Kristoffer Eikrem. Known as one of Norway’s leading jazz trumpeters and a skilled instrumental hip-hop producer,
Eikrem now debuts as a solo artist in the ambient genre, blending his musical heritage with serene, textural
soundscapes shaped by FM synthesis.
For fans of 80s-inspired ambient works like Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music for Nine Postcards, or artists such as Gigi
Masin, Brian Eno, and Aphex Twin, this album offers an introspective experience. It captures fleeting moments
and expansive skies with minimalist elegance, balancing warm, organic tones and spacious sound design.
Having collaborated with artists like Ivan Ave and Fredfades—whose earlier ambient project with Eikrem hinted at
his potential in this space—Beneath the Sky and Moments Between stands as one of Eikrem’s most complete
artistic visions to date

In recent years, Blackploid has come to be one of Central Processing Unit's signature artists. The German producer has averaged more than a record a year for the Sheffield imprint since he first landed on CPU in 2021. This prolific run continues withCosmic Drama, Blackploid's second LP for the label. The album takes the baton from its predecessorEnter Universein style, delivering twelve tracks of top-quality machine-funk that draw down from electro's classic artists while also imbuing proceedings with a playfulness that very much gives things a signature Blackploid-ish flavour.

Cosmic Dramasets its stall out from the off. The opening run of 'Alien', 'World Construction' and 'Virtual State' all deliver piston-snapping beats which anchor pleasing melanges of B-movie synth lines. Alongside this, Blackploid adds little flourishes which add buoyancy to each joint - a syncopated bassline reminiscent of I-f's late-90s classic 'Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass', crackling robo-voiced commands, skittering synth chords which wash across the mix and so on. It's the work of someone completely at ease with their craft, comfortable enough to take risks without upsetting the apple cart of their sound's core appeal.

Blackploid's idiosyncratic approach to synth work is something which distinguishesCosmic Dramafrom the pack. Electro has long been a genre which prides itself on innovation on the keys, but few producers are willing to push their sonics as far as Blackploid does - take the seasick churn of pads and processors on 'Multiverse', for instance, or the way John Carpenter-esque single-note lines dovetail with gurgling synthetic pulses and eerie, spacious chords on 'The Lab', a highlight ofCosmic Drama's midsection.

Cosmic Dramaskips along at club tempo throughout - every one of these joints will get bodies moving in dark rooms across the galaxy. However, even when tracks maintain their single-minded pursuit of machine-funk perfection, they never forget to deliver on the hooks. Blackploid has lead lines (and counter-melodies) to burn here, and each track knots them together in ever-more intriguing ways as they plough onwards. Drexciyan heads will be thrilled by the sci-fi delights of 'Species', for instance, while Blackploid brings melodies as cold as they are catchy on the aptly-named 'Polar Dunes'. By the timeCosmic Dramahits upon the vroom-vrooming bassline line of closer 'Contact', you're fully enthralled to the album's combination of broken-beat heft and synthetic melodiousness.

Central Processing Unit mainstay Blackploid comes through with another delightful dozen of electro heaters for the Sheffield label.

RIYL:Drexciya, I-f, Cygnus, AFX

Ty Segall follows 2022"s acoustic introspection opus "Hello, Hi" with a deeper, wilder journey to the center of the self. With Three Bells, he"s created a set of his most ambitious, elastic songs, using his musical vocabulary with ever-increasing sophistication. It"s an obsessive quest for an expression that answers back to the riptide always pulling him subconsciously into the depths. Questions we all ask in our own private mirrors are faced down here - and regardless of what the mysterious "Three Bells" mean in the context of the album"s libretto, you can be assured that Ty"s ringing them for himself, and for the rest of us in turn.