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- A1: Airborne Aquarium
- A2: Michael Knight
- A3: Montreux
- A4: Famous
- A5: Flight Briefing (feat. Trademark & Young Roddy)
- A6: A Gee
- A7: Real Estates (feat. Dom Kennedy)
- B1: Silence (feat. McKenzie Eddy)
- B2: Hold On (feat. Trademark & Young Roddy)
- B3: Fashionably Late
- B4: Highed Up
- B5: O.G. (The Jam) (feat. Fiend)
- B6: Micheal Knight (Remix) (feat. Raekwon)
Pilot Talk II is the fourth studio album by New Orleans rapper Curren$y, and follow up to his widely celebrated release, Pilot Talk. Originally released in November 2010, and initially only available on CD & digitally, Pilot Talk II was first pressed on vinyl and exclusively available in the Jet Life: Pilot Talk Collection Vinyl Box Set. For the very first time ever and after much anticipation from fans, Pilot Talk II will be released as a standalone vinyl product, exclusively available for Record Store Day Black Friday 2025 to celebrate the album's 15 year anniversary. Pilot Talk II includes standout tracks such as "Michael Knight," "Famous," "Hold On (feat. Trademark Da Skydiver & Young Roddy," & perhaps one of Curren$y's biggest solo songs, "Airborne Aquarium." Pressed on stunning Purple, Black & White 3 Color A Side B Side Vinyl and limited to 3000 copies worldwide, Pilot Talk II is a must have for any Curren$y or blog-era rap aficionado.
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- A1: Micå - Echoes Of Blue 6 21
- A2: Segensklang - Schauer der Musen 5 18
- A3: Ümit Han - Eines Tages 6 12
- A4: Pass Into Silence - Pale Blue Dot 6 40
- A5: Würden & Schäfer - Analysis of Variance IV 5 25
- A6: Richard Ojijo - Verzettelung Live@Filmforum 5 00
- B1: Sebastian Mullaert / Hush - Forever Traces 7 28
- B2: Luis Reich - Distant Ort 6 48
- B3: Morgen Wurde - Wusste Längst feat Tetsuroh Konishi 5 20
- B4: Dirk Leyers - Regolith 6 56
- B5: Thore Pfeiffer / Niko Tzoukmanis - Impuls 5 52
“Everything flows – nothing remains, there is only an eternal becoming and changing” is a well-known formulation of the river theory of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, also known as panta rhei (ancient Greek: πάντα ῥεῖ, “everything flows”). This teaching states that everything in the universe is subject to constant change and that nothing stays the same forever. The metaphor of the river illustrates this: You can't step into the same river twice because both the river and you are constantly changing. The water is constantly flowing, but the river stays in one place. Thus, reality is constantly changing, even if sometimes perceived as constant.”
„Same Same but Different.“ Always different – always the same. Chill-Out DJ Heraklit
For the 26th time, the most consistent of all ambient compilations, in a constant flux of static change, is released on Kompakt. Joining good friends from the early days and reliable confidants are some new additions to the non-hierarchical charts of contemplative rapture culture.
Leading the way is Micå, a Japanese electronic musician whose finely chiseled, graceful musical style has made it onto the new collection with two pieces. Also making his debut is Richard Ojijo, a seasoned sound engineer known, among other things, for his long-standing collaboration with the artist Marcel Odenbach and the Cologne-based label Magazine. Oskø aka Max Hytrek, a multi-talented newcomer to Kompakt and the music scene, debuts with his rapturously ecstatic piece "Ar Vag." He's followed by Sebastian Mullaert, appearing for the second time—this time teamed up with Sebastian Lilja aka Hush Forever. After his surprise return last year after a 20 year hiatus, we are delighted that Tetsuo Sakae aka Pass Into Silence is back again this year with one of his distinctive sound gems. As are Dirk Leyers (Closer Musik) and Mikkel Metal. 18 tracks are featured on this CD. "Erlösung" (Redemption) is the title of Segensklang's closing track. A kind of ambient bolero into infinity. Or at least until next year...
And what would Pop Ambient be without the iconic, artistic cover design of Veronika Unland, who once again, in her unmistakable way, says through the digital flower: The eye always listens...
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Originally issued in 1996 and now re-pressed for the first time by A.R.X. and Krisis Publishing, Pressure of Speech ''Our Common Past, Our Common Future'' remains one of the best-kept secrets of 1990s British electronica. Founded by Mickey Mann, together with fellow explorers Luke Losey (lighting designer for Orbital) and DJ Stika (already part of Spiral Tribe), their elusive second album is an obsidian relic of screwed ambient techno, mutant breakbeat and hypnotic radical sounds excavated from the goldmine of the UK's post-rave underground.
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Samuel Kerridge, with his signature sonic arsenal, stands alone in the worlds of rhythm and noise. A singular artist, his music is to be appreciated on its own terms. Here, he returns to James Ruskin's Blueprint Records with the eleven track album, "Memoir Of Disintegration".
The British producer has been carefully turning techno inside-out for over a decade. Taking a distinctly post-punk approach to the genre, he has become an integral part of Regis' legendary imprint Downwards. Kerridge has helped to define the label's contemporary sound: broken techno and snarling punk, informed by industrial music and metal.
Samuel Kerridge has released seven EPs and five albums (including a collaboration with Dva Damas' Taylor Burch) and his recent, "Kick To Kill", has become something of a statement of intent, blossoming into a new label and event series with a focus that broadens beyond techno tracks into full-blown song writing. Aside from his solo work, he collaborates with OAKE in what he describes as the "power metal techno" duo UF, and has recently started his own guitar band, Death Disco.
Kerridge ran the Berlin-based Contort label and party series and curated the legendary Berlin Atonal festival for three years, underlining his credentials as a stalwart figure in the world of experimental, boundary-pushing techno. He's also an accomplished live performer, most recently developing a hybrid live-DJ set that dismantles hundreds of tracks into a sampler to make new music in real time. It's an inventive process that places him in the lineage of iconic and ground-breaking techno acts, while still carrying the flag for the darkest corners of underground electronic music.
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- A1: Hard Up For A Man (KFM Radio Introduction)
- A2: Hard Up For A Man
- A3: Hard Up For A Man (KFM Radio Orgasm Outro)
- A4: I Need Love
- A5: Yesterday's Lovers
- A6: Man Power (KFM Radio Introduction)
- A7: Man Power
- A8: You've Got To Work Harder, Try Harder (Acapella)
- A9: A Real Man
- A10: Female Drag (KFM Radio)
- A11: The Man In My Life
- A12: Anything Is In Your Key
- A13: You're A Man
- B1: I Live In Prestwich, Manchester (KFM Radio)
- B2: Rock And Roll Makes Me High
- B3: Sex Slaves Of New Orleans (KFM Radio Introduction)
- B4: Sex Slaves Of New Orleans
- B5: The Piano And Me Are Great Friends (KFM Radio)
- B6: Lady
- B7: Little Lady Dynamite (KFM Radio Introduction)
- B8: Little Lady Dynamite
- B9: Love Power
- B10: Once You've Been Touched By Love (Acapella)
- B11: Where's The Feeling? (KFM Radio Introduction)
- B14: Paris Is For Lovers
- B15: I Don't Give Up (Acapella)
- B16: Through The Night
- B17: See You At The Next Show (KFM Radio)
- B12: Where's The Feeling?
- B13: Cult Following (KFM Radio)
Housewives, househusbands, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between… Avril A is ready for relaunch.
A - V - R - I - L
Never released Hi-NRG, synth-pop, wonky rock n' roll from a queer Manchester underground icon of the 80s and 90s.
By day, Avril Eventhal was a housewife in North Manchester's Orthodox Jewish community. By night, she was the fabulous Avril A, a larger than life cabaret performer who found a loyal audience in gay venues across the country and was adored for her outrageous live shows.
With her signature leopard print dress and feather duster in hand she delivered an unforgettable song and dance routine - as it was billed, “an audio-visual assault on the audience”.
She celebrated her unconventional style, finding joy and space for creative reinvention with the queer community.
Avril died in 2017, leaving behind a massive archive of material documenting every aspect of her career in songwriting and performance. For two years, Memory Dance has been working with Avril's niece and family on a digitisation and restoration project bringing these audio recordings back to life.
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This project was created to celebrate fragments of Brazilian underground culture, shining a light on the stories, sounds, and movements that shaped our scene.
We begin in Curitiba, with Rolldabeetz, a duo that became a milestone in the history of Brazilian electronic music. With Fábø’s restless vision combined with Soundman Pako’s 30 years of dancefloor experience, they created a timeless language that inspired a whole generation of clubbers.
These 4 tracks are fragments of that era, produced between 2010 and 2019, when Curitiba’s scene was exploding with identity and boldness. Each one carries the energy of those dancefloors at that moment in time. The sound blends influences of techno, minimal, house, and funk, designed for serious dance floors.
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Montreal’s NAFF Recordings presents Rest Here, the sophomore album of Car Culture (also known as Physical Therapy). Across 12 tracks, Rest Here plays like a well-worn mixtape: from fuzzy dream pop to hypnotic downtempo. Layers of guitars, drums and samples build a heartsick wall of sound. Warm psychedelic shoegaze is primed for emotional projection. Featuring Patrick Holland, Priori, & J. Albert, plus vocals from Squirrel Flower and Ms Ray.
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Musikalisch bleiben Northern Lite ihrer DNA treu. Elektronische Popästhetik trifft auf clubtaugliche Beats und gitarrengetriebene Rockmomente. Die Songs balancieren zwischen tanzbarem Electropop und introspektiven Arrangements, mal kühl und reduziert, mal warm pulsierend. Es ist ein Klangbild, das vertraut und doch neu wirkt, getragen von klarer Produktion, in der Vocals, Synths und Gitarren zu einem atmenden Ganzen verschmelzen.
Die Texte kreisen um Alltag, Zweifel, Hoffnung und das Sichbesinnen. Statt lauter Parolen gibt es ein Gespräch: direkt, manchmal ironisch, manchmal verletzlich, aber immer mit dem Blick nach vorn. Parallel zur Veröffentlichung des Albums startet im November die Vorwärts Leben Tour, mit der Northern Lite ihre neuen Songs und ihre beliebtesten Klassiker dorthin bringen, wo sie ihre größte Kraft entfalten - auf die Bühne und mitten ins Publikum.
Vorwärts Leben ist kein trotziges „alles wieder gut“. Es ist ein Plädoyer fürs Weitermachen. Northern Lite liefern damit nicht nur ein Album, sondern eine Haltung: realistisch, zugewandt und zukunftsorientiert.
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Tre Turner bounces back on Belters4u with two unashamedly old-school Scottish club cuts alongside two remixes from London prog trance upstarts Close Proximity.
With shared spiritual roots in the West of Scotland early 90s rave scene, Belters4U and Tre Turner realise their adolescent dream in releasing this love letter to a decadent lost reality. Title track ”Scottish Piano” amalgamates a million shared moments on Scottish dance-floors and living room afterparties. On the flip, Ultra-Free samples the vocal hook from the ultimate Scottish old skool rave anthem ”Obsession” by legends ‘Ultra-Sonic.’ Hardcore pianos meet gated synths and thumping solid bass, the sound of many a misspent youth.
Through the haze of smoke and strobes, the Close Proximity Trance Mix recalls the wildest, most ecstatic, face-melting moments from the legendary Metro and Hangar 13 clubs. Close Proximity round things off by taking you further into euphoric dreamland with their ever-evolving Paradise Mix of Ultra-Free.
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It's been a long time coming, but finally the Berlin duo New Frames makes their debut onto PRSPCT Recordings with a powerful four-track EP: PRSPCT332
Built by Mathis Mootz (The Panacea) and David Frisch, New Frames have become a driving force in the darker corners of modern electronic music. Their sound pulls from the roots of techno-rave culture, from its earliest sparks to its current state, by fusing those classic sounds with completely new twists.
Their music blends the intensity of industrial and hardcore but by holding up the momentum of techno and drum & bass. This EP is the perfect example of genre-bending music, hard to keep in just one simple box, but held together by a focused, contemporary sound: Expect this EP to be tense, layered, and engineered with precision.
PRSPCT332 captures all of that energy in four heavy tracks:
A1 Mono Tone
A2 The Killing
B1 Moon 44
B2 The Masterpiece
Out at the end of November on vinyl and digital via PRSPCT Recordings.
New Frames show how it's done once again, proving that genre and BPM boundaries don't really exist.
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The electronic producer Franz Kirmann returns to Bytes for his eighth solo album. The “Almadies” are long wooden boats used by Senegalese fishermen. It is also the name of the neighborhood where Kirmann grew up, in the suburbs of Dakar, Senegal, near the Atlantic Ocean. "These new compositions are the result of sound experiments conducted over the past few months and reflections on the concept of mind-constructed geographies," Kirmann explains. "The way memories and souvenirs shape an image of a place or country that is part reality, part fantasy, part cliché, yet also deeply personal. This experience is influenced by education, social background, history, and other socio-economic factors. " The ten tracks are crafted from collages of electronic sounds blended with field recordings from various places Kirmann has visited — from Dakar to the Caribbean, as well as London and Paris. His aim is to blur the line between electronically generated sounds and real soundscapes, creating music where it becomes difficult to distinguish the real from the constructed. All the sounds on the album were produced using synthesizers and field recordings. No drum machines, percussion or traditional acoustic instruments were used. Influences include Brian Eno and John Hassell’s Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics (1980), described by Hassell as "a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques" , which also works in the context of Almadies. Another big influence was Ariel Kalma’s Le Temps Des Moissons (1975) as well as artists including O Yuki Conjugate and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe to Susumu Yokota and Michael Banabila.
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2025 Repress
Following up last summer’s dark and driving ‘Amotik 013’, Amotik returns with the hypnotic rhythms of his next instalment on his self-titled label. For the ‘Amotik 014’ EP, Amotik is joined by Tina Ramamurthy, whom Amotik previously worked with on his 2020 Bpitch record and his second album ‘Patanjali’ in 2022. This time, Ramamurthy joins Amotik for the entire ‘Amotik 014’ EP, with ‘Chauhattar’ starting things off with psychedelic spoken word vocals over dubbed-out hits and a chugging beat.
The track is neatly followed by ‘Pachattar’, which continues that early 2000s drummy, New York feel on the B-side of Amotik’s ‘Amotik 014’. Here, Tina’s vocal echoes through cavernous halls while its massive low-end-heavy drums keep steady in a real trip. ‘Chihattar’ then emerges from the darkness, bright pads and subtle percussion accompanying poetry recited by Tina Ramamurthy, evoking the familiar comforts of nostalgia and closing this three-track EP from the husband and wife duo.
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- A1: Midnight Cowboy
- A2: Herbs & Wine (feat Ivar)
- A3: Nothing Is Forever
- B1: Travel Light (feat Ivar)
- B2: Heat
- B3: Velvet Seas
- C1: Isn't It Strange
- C2: All I Need (feat iogi)
- C3: Come What May (feat Ivar)
- D1: Morning Reverie (feat Berenice van Leer)
- D2: Real Love
- D3: Ear to the Ground
- D4: Open the Blinds (feat Ivar & Berenice van Leer)
DOUBLE VINYL ALBUM RELEASE
Kraak & Smaak Announce New Album Velvet Seas.
Dutch electronic pioneers Kraak & Smaak return with their highly anticipated seventh studio
album, Velvet Seas. Penned and produced between their hometown of Leiden and the sun-
drenched sprawl of Los Angeles, the album channels a rich seam of West Coast psychedelia,
deep funk roots, and that unmistakable K&S groove, all wrapped in shimmering synths and
electronic soul.
The record captures the essence of the band's genre-defying journey, blending radiant nostalgia
with forward-thinking production. True to form, the Dutch trio have enlisted an eclectic roll-call of
collaborators: from the dreamy stylings of Kosta G (formerly known as PWNT and memebr of Rio Kosta) and Butter Bath to the powerhouse
vocals of Izo FitzRoy, plus contributions from The Undercover Dream Lovers, Kainalu, Iogi, and
longtime live partners IVAR and Berenice van Leer.
With hundreds of millions of streams under their belt and a legacy as industry tastemakers, Kraak
& Smaak are set to take Velvet Seas to the global stage, with a world tour slated for next year.
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Skylax Records is proud to unveil the reshaped and definitive edition of Blue Mondays’ "The Homage" EP – a record that bridges the golden age of Italo Disco, the raw proto-house energy of Frankie Knuckles & Ron Hardy, and the resurgence of true underground dance music. This release has been meticulously refined to give it the space it deserves: a future classic, driven by iconic reworks and a visual identity worthy of its legacy. A1. The Homage (Vedichecista Mix) delivers a hypnotic journey into Italo Disco euphoria, A2. The Homage (Instrumental) strips it down to pure musical essence, and A3. Countach (Driving Mix) propels us into the unstoppable energy of classic Italo Disco, showcasing Blue Mondays’ unmatched ability to capture the era’s true spirit. On the B-side, B1. The Homage (Floorfillers Remix) injects a raw acid energy designed for peak-time floors, while B2. The Homage (Jolene Remix) delivers a filtered French house gem straight out of 1998, crafted by one of our leading torchbearers of the "real music" renaissance. Wrapped in a stunning sleeve designed by H5, evoking the iconic aesthetics of Joy Division, New Order & Peter Saville, "The Homage" EP captures the essence of an era when the dancefloor was sacred, the music was raw, and the underground thrived. We took our time to reshape this release because it deserved nothing less. Now it’s ready – sharpened, elevated, and destined to become a definitive Skylax classic. This is not just another EP. This is Blue Mondays. Skylax. The resurrection of the underground.
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Break 3000 - Human Nature EP
A special collaboration with Partout records from Paris. Break 3000 digged deep in the archives for this one and found some old unreleased music on his dusted DAT tapes ranging from 1993 to 2002.
Now released for the first time ever on vinyl 12” and digital.
“Human” and “Komputerok were produced in the same project in his Maastricht bedroom studio back in 2002 and reflect to great influence artists like David Caretta and The Hacker had on his sound back then, a mix of banging Electro Clash meets EBM, 80s Proto House.
“Overdrive” opens the B-side and a window to the late 90s. This track was produced together with his classic “Plastique People” around 98/99 and was an instrumental track luckily found again, Break 3000 added a new vocal and made a fresh shorter Edit. Thanks to the excellent mastering by Salz Music this one is back in todays sound standards.
The next pearl from the past is a real favourite and is the oldest track featured on this EP. “Ambizone” was recorded back in 93/94 and marks the transition from his first musical project Amazone to becoming Break 3000. Recorded in an amazing analog studio in Venray Netherlands where Break 3000 worked on a full album.
More music will follow from these old sessions! Stay tuned.
Closing out with “Nature”, a true hommage to the early Rephlex sound and produced around 97/98. Acts like Bochum Welt, D’arcangelo and µ-Ziq had an immense influence on Break 3000 and are a reason why he started to make more electro orientated music.
All tracks mastered by Salz Mastering in Cologne.
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- A1: Got One
- A2: Undastatement
- A3: Turn Up (feat. Cap 1)
- A4: Wreck (feat. Big Sean)
- A5: Sofa (feat. Wiz Khalifa)
- B1: Stunt (feat. Meek Mill)
- B2: Vi-agra
- B3: Spend It (feat. T.I.)
- B4: Murder (feat. Kreayshawn)
- C1: Slangin Birds (feat. Young Jeezy, Yo Gotti & Birdman)
- C2: Addicted to Rubberbands (feat. J Hard)
- C3: Money Makin Mission
- C4: K.O. (feat. Big Sean)
- D1: One Day at a Time (feat. Jadakiss)
- D2: Letter to da Rap Game (feat. Dolla Boy & Raekwon)
- D3: I Got It (feat. Trey Songz)
- D4: Kesha
T.R.U. REALigion is the seventh mixtape by Atlanta rapper and legend, 2 Chainz and first release under his current artist name (formerly known as Tity Boi). The mixtape served as a major launching point for 2 Chainz as it was his first release to chart on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and led to numerous major guest appearances ("Mercy" & "Beez In The Trap"). It achieved viral status in the mixtape era, having amassed over 1 million downloads on popular mixtape hosting site, Datpiff. Rereleased on streaming platforms for its 10th anniversary with 2 new songs featuring Wiz Khalifa & Big Sean, & now for Black Friday, the project finally sees the vinyl treatment during its original anniversary month (November 2011). Pressed on double Red, White & Blue Marbled Vinyl & housed in a denim-coated jacket, this album is a must have commemorative release for any Dirty South rap fan aficionado and serves as one of the great mixtapes of the early 2010s
2xLP, Pressed on Red, White & Blue Marbled Vinyl & Housed in a widespine jacket inside an embroidered denim outer slipcase.
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- A1: Countrymusicdisco45 4 08
- A2: Sometimes Shooting Stars 2 57
- A3: Short Cut Home 3 25
- A4: Disappointment 3 00
- A5: Days Are Mighty 2 46
- B1: Don't Dance With Me Tonight 3 27
- B2: You Got It Wrong 2 39
- B3: Ring The Bells 3 57
- B4: Let's Make It Up 2 49
- B5: When Did You Stop Loving Me 3 54
- C1: Just Beginning 4 00
- C2: Wintering Of The Year 3 16
- C3: Let It Rain 3 04
- C4: We Tell Each Other Who We Are 3 27
- C5: Trip To You 4 06
- D1: Dirt 2 54
- D2: Heaven Right Here 3 38
- D3: If Later Ever Comes 3 03
- D4: Remember The Season 3 10
- D5: A Little Love 3 35
- D6: Weary Traveller 3 20
“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone
“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt
“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy
“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood
“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson
Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.
In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.
The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”
His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.
"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."
Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!
The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!
The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.
The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.
The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."
With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.
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Making this album was an absolute joy. We used Rothko’s artwork as a major influence. His use of colour fields, blending, mood and scale really helped us build an album of tracks that could stand on their own and also work together as a coherent whole across all the tones we had been working with. It was also a chance to fall back in love with our 909, 808 and 707.
While working on music for several other projects, the “Rothko” project got renamed Loud Ambient because it did not really sit right with the My Brutal Life series. We often talked about what people make of The Black Dog and whether they think we only make ambient music. We do not. Over the last year or so, one of us would be working on something and someone else would say, “That is a Loud Ambient track.” The name stuck. We liked the funny side of it.
With Loud Ambient, everything just fell into place creatively. Surprisingly for us, the tracklisting never changed, just small tweaks here and there. That rarely happens. It marks a first for us as a band. All the stars aligned and the confidence in this album is the strongest we have ever had.
Loud Ambient was made to dance to, something we have not done in a while. We welcome the return to the dancefloor with both hands. Will you join us?
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Ludien comes here with 3 news tunes.
A side is a pearl with two shamanik Acid Pumpin tunes, positive and fresh... A bit in the vibe of his tune on Ovnivor the "Mystérieuses Trip Et Dort".
The flip is the 10 minutes long "Reality Goes Beyond Fiction", a trippy travel... live set style !
Remastered by Stefan ZMK with love !
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- A1: Against The World
- A2: Gunfire
- A3: Easy Bruh
- A4: Look At Me feat. Clipse
- B1: The M. The O. The B. The B. feat. Big Noyd
- B2: Down For You feat. Nas & Jorja Smith
- B3: Taj Mahal
- B4: Mr. Magik
- C1: Score Points
- C2: My Era
- C3: Pour The Henny feat. Nas
- C4: Clear Black Nights feat. Raekwon & Ghostface Killah
- D1: Discontinued
- D2: Love The Way (Down For You PT2) feat. Nas & H.E.R
- D3: We The Real Thing
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The first ASFON release has been a year-long labour of love that has come into being from what felt like a lucid dream, off in the distance, too crazy to believe was real. From our first meeting in the Freerotation yurt to late-night exchanges in Bristol, Winkles (Jamie Slater) has been sharing tracks that lingered long after the party ended. Their raw textures and warped sense of time found a natural home in our sets, eventually leading to the emergence of ‘The Unavoidable EP’, a collection of four diverse tracks which form a singular, immersive experience.
On A1 journey, The Unavoidable Consequence Of Familiarity, a knocking kick opens the door to this new sound world, introducing us to the granular clicks, crazed telephony and vocoded grunts which populate the deep space of Winkles’ imagination. Machines whir and perception shifts in the space between distant synth stabs, while a pulsating bassline battles to break through the filter and create a throbbing low end. Hallucinatory and deep, this is the perfect introduction to both the EP and the ASFON outlook.
Semi Stretches sees Winkles pick up a signal from beyond the outer rim, fire up the hyperdrive and lock into the rolling hum of intergalactic techno. Juggernaut bass forms the perfect counterpoint to the rapid fire rim shots trembling away up top as this Venusian club craft battles static, drives through the milky cosmic and transports the dancing bodies to a Multicoloured Plasticine Universe.
Cutting the engines and switching to suspended animation, Winkles lets us drift through a hazy dream-space where there’s no up or down, where twinkling arps, insectile electronics and hazy sirens coalesce into a psychotropic swirl.
Out of this multicoloured mirage comes Osaka-based astral traveller Erik Luebs, who translates that peak-time ambient bubbler into a Balearic chugger which emerges from the ether to add another dimension to the EP. Rubberised bass, velvet pads and nuanced percussion ensure this is perfect for poolside play in a land of pink sand and sideways tides.
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Hasvat Informant's debut album, Pluripotent XII, is a 12-track journey that reads between the lines of psychedelic electronics and contemporary techno. From driving, precise grooves to slow, textured explorations, the album carries the organic resonance of Australian underground culture while threading sharp influences from Detroit and beyond into a singular, unmistakably distinctive sound.
On this dual release, Naarm-based artist alternates between his Hasvat and Intellegama personas, moving between them like a figure navigating parallel realities. Each track balances mechanical precision with expansive, trance-infused textures, creating a liminal space where urban and natural influences converge.
More than a display of technical skill, this debut conveys a sense of place, heritage, and lineage. Dwelling in both conflict and harmony, Pluripotent XII invites listeners into an otherworldly, lysergic landscape - complex, evolving, and fully realized.
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- A1: Shahrokh - Man Va Tou ("Me and You")
- A2: Shahram Shabpareh, Shohreh Solati - Ghesmat ("Fate")
- A3: Farzin - Eshgheh Man ("My Love")
- B1: Aldoush - Vay Az In Del ("Woe To This Heart")
- B2: Fataneh - Mola Mamad Jan ("Mola Mamad Jan")
- B3: Ebi - Kolbeh Man ("My Cottage")
- C1: Sattar - Khaak (
- C2: Susan Roshan - Nazanin ("Sweetheart")
- C3: Delaram - Gharibeh ("Stranger")
- D1: Black Cats - Rhythm of Love
- D2: Leila Forouhar - Hamsafar ("Fellow Traveler")
- D3: Hassan Shojaee - Nazi Joon ("Dear Sweetheart")
Discotchari is delighted to release a first-of-its-kind various artists compilation: Tehrangeles Vice (Iranian
Diaspora Pop 1983–1993), fully licensed from Taraneh Enterprises. The album is a groundbreaking exposé of
the vibrant subcultural hub of Tehrangeles (portmanteau of Tehran + Los Angeles), and the action–packed, true
story of the Iranian diaspora music industry. Featuring 12 tracks remastered by award–winning Osiris Studio,
lyrics and translations to all featured songs, original cassette covers, a 20+ page album note booklet by Dr.
Farzaneh Hemmasi and more! Sprawling from Westwood to Glendale across the San Fernando Valley, the
Tehrangeles scene was cultivated by the same producers and artists who industrialized the “golden age” of
entertainment in pre–revolution Iran and fled from the 1979 Islamic Revolution along with millions of Iranian
citizens. Through music and visual media, Iranian producers and artists working out of Tehrangeles have
engaged in what the Iranian government calls a “cultural attack” against the Islamic Republic for over 40 years.
The album title Tehrangeles Vice underscores the illicit nature and daring circumstances from which
Tehrangeles pop music was born and compares its legacy within Persian media to one of the most significant
crime–drama TV shows of all time. In the same manner that Miami Vice and its aesthetics had a dynamic
impact on sonic, visual and cultural trends in the United States and around the world, Tehrangeles media was a
shock to the systems of Islamic Republic ideology and Iranian expatriate communities. Listening to these songs
in hindsight, the contribution of Tehrangeles can be better understood as a triumphant effort to preserve Iranian
identity by realizing it in conjunction with prevailing music genres of the ‘80s and ‘90s, and to rebel against the
oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran through the most seductive of means: dance music.
g C1. Sattar - Khaak ("Home Land")
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Delsin invites you to submerge into the prismatic electronica of Xenia Reaper. Across nine tracks of exquisitely rendered sonics, the shadowy producer engages in the time-honoured craft of introspective sound manipulation, folding gaseous pads into dissected breaks and running heavyweight machine pulses through achingly beautiful synthesis. The sound is sharply realised, modernist music that revels in the finegrain detail afforded by technology, but never at the expense of warmth and charm. It's nuanced electronica for deep listening, but it also hits on an instinctive, physical level.
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Charlotte de Witte releases more hot news on her eagerly awaited eponymous self-titled debut LP, which drops November 7th on her KNTXT label. Fans already stirred to frenzy by two killer LP singles can now pre-order/pre-save the album digitally and on vinyl. She also reveals the cover art and track list in its entirety.
Already hailed by Vogue DE, BBC 6 Music, Resident Advisor, DJ Mag, Mixmag, Rolling Stone, Billboard amm., the acid-drenched, unstoppable lead single and set staple ‘The Realm’, and powerful organ-heavy cut ‘No Division’ (feat. XSALT) reflect the power of the full 11 track release. The ‘No Division’ vinyl was pre-released during her recent six instantly sold-out New York City shows in four days triumph. With one more LP single promised before the full drop, fans will have to wait and see which that will be…
After a fifteen year long career of propelling the techno scene forward and 25 standout EPs, the Belgian DJ & producer ‘started to feel the urge to embrace a format that allowed me to showcase my sonic identity in its entirety.’
Though the album is deeply personal – ‘these are tracks that move me, songs that carry me away like only club music and a night lost in it can’ – it’ll be a must-have for fans & techno/acid fiends. ‘Make no mistake, this is a true DJ album. I’m a club kid, always will be, and every track on this record makes me want to dance.’
It’ll do the same for other ravers. One more LP single to come… which of these is it to be?
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Alkaline is sound forged in FM — metallic surfaces, syncopated pulses, and cinematic structures. An alternative path that doesn’t reject acid, but moves into a realm less warm, more mineral, more futuristic.
With CT012, Cosmic Tribe takes the Alkaline Sound into the uncharted: music as a tool for deep-space and hidden-dimension exploration. Each track is a fragment of an expedition beyond known frontiers — charting invisible territories, intercepting signals from other worlds, and navigating encounters that alter the course of the mission.
From EC13 and Calagad 13 comes a radical, visionary approach: not just tracks to hear, but cinematic sonic devices designed to remodel the listener’s inner architecture, ignite their imagination, and expand the very map of perception.
A work of meticulous sound and mastering, paired with exceptional artwork, presented in a strictly limited edition of 150 copies on crystal-clear transparent vinyl.
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Born-and-raised Detroit staple DJ Holographic unveils her album, House In The Dark LP via her newly launched label, Through The Veil.
The LP taps into the core of Afrofuturism that defined the foundation of Detroit techno but reimagines it in a femme, queer, and conscious way. The project draws from her deep-rooted relationship with astrology and shadow work—a therapeutic practice used to explore and heal repressed parts of the self. These transformative inner journeys serve as the creative bedrock for the album, which navigates themes of self-discovery, healing, and empowerment.
“Through healing practices like shadow work, astrology, and more, I’ve found a profound sense of arrival while writing House In The Dark. I’ve stepped into who I’ve always wanted to be as a creative and so much more. ‘Pisces’ is a journey through the depths of illusion, where the home becomes both a sanctuary and a mirror for our inner world, revealing what’s real and what we choose to believe.” — DJ Holographic
A celebrated DJ whose talents have taken her to Berlin’s Panorama Bar to Pitchfork Music Festival in Mexico City, Holographic has upcoming stops at London’s fabric, New York’s Public Records, Circoloco’s opening Ibiza party, and more. Her work has been covered by PBS, CRACK Magazine, Ransom Note, Billboard, DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, and more.
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Born-and-raised Detroit staple DJ Holographic unveils her album, House In The Dark LP via her newly launched label, Through The Veil.
The LP taps into the core of Afrofuturism that defined the foundation of Detroit techno but reimagines it in a femme, queer, and conscious way. The project draws from her deep-rooted relationship with astrology and shadow work—a therapeutic practice used to explore and heal repressed parts of the self. These transformative inner journeys serve as the creative bedrock for the album, which navigates themes of self-discovery, healing, and empowerment.
“Through healing practices like shadow work, astrology, and more, I’ve found a profound sense of arrival while writing House In The Dark. I’ve stepped into who I’ve always wanted to be as a creative and so much more. ‘Pisces’ is a journey through the depths of illusion, where the home becomes both a sanctuary and a mirror for our inner world, revealing what’s real and what we choose to believe.” — DJ Holographic
A celebrated DJ whose talents have taken her to Berlin’s Panorama Bar to Pitchfork Music Festival in Mexico City, Holographic has upcoming stops at London’s fabric, New York’s Public Records, Circoloco’s opening Ibiza party, and more. Her work has been covered by PBS, CRACK Magazine, Ransom Note, Billboard, DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, and more.
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Triple Five Sol drop 75 Racks on Dark Entries, an EP featuring 5 cuts of raw and jacking house music. San Francisco-based producers/DJs Johnny Five and Vin Sol linked up during a trip to New Orleans, and they began hatching plans to collaborate. After setting up a new home studio in Vin Sol’s abode, jam sessions ensued, and soon the duo had cemented their sound. Their analog house tracks harken back to the roughshod and unembellished vibes on 80s Chicago and New York labels like Nu Groove or Gherkin Records, influences they wear with pride. “Boxxx that Rocks,” “Just a Freak,” and “Everybody Loves Triple Five Sol” deploy chunky beats with sprees of minimalist bleeps, sounding like Chip E retuned for the 22nd century. It’s not all jagged drums and acidic squelch on 75 Racks, though; “Gonna Get Out” and “Halfway Home” saunter with the confidence of a New Dance Show participant, soulful and grooving with a dash of garage. 75 Racks comes in a sleeve designed by Primo Pitino featuring bold retro primary colors. Triple Five Sol brings us timeless dance music: deep, real, and weird.
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Pyatigorsk-born dynamo b0n dishing out some naughty breaks for his debut on X-Kalay sub-label, Another Place.
Four distinct traxxx going from full-blown seismic tremors to lithe, dreamier fare. A love letter to the halcyon days of ‘90s hardcore, perhaps?
Synths darting (just how we like ‘em), ragga vocal samples enhancing that UK kinda feel. First track sounds a bit like something you might have heard in some disused airplane hangar circa ’92.
Kicking off with a trio of straight-to-the-point accelerators and closing on some lush, levitational gear. Hi-octane rave utopia or blistering ride into oblivion? You decide.
He said not to mess with his breaks. Nuff said really.
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FSL returns with a 12" from Germany born, Dublin based artist Small Crab on her label debut.
Deemed "one to watch in 2025" by Mixmag, real name Anastasia Rigaud takes us on an education of Introspective and laid out steppers for the smoked out dark room.
To top it all off the release features a very driving main room cut mix from London based, Dublin's son Glimmerman.
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Latest record off the Kalahari production line comes courtesy of a real one. Klon Dump in the building, moving like a madman across four barrelling tech house scorchers.
Part-producer, part-engineer and a long time co-conspirator of A Colourful Storm’s Moopie. Better known to some under the alias Mark, but always surefire for some serious dancefloor potency. Doubters, look no further-this is another demonstration of his mastery.
Big with the radiant stabs, even bigger on the earworm groove. Ploughing the furrow of tough, direct but deft as the Klon Dump faithful will have come to expect by now. Proper belters.
Always flexing outstanding rhythmic ingenuity, whether it’s hardcore hybridity as Mark or the tech house innovation shown here. If anything in life is certain, it’s that a KD record will lay down some serious torque.
There’s also an off-kilter playfulness that kinda feels reminiscent of T+++’s ‘Space Pong’ or Fiedel and Errorsmith’s MMM project. Another ace in the hole from the Antipodean shapeshifter.
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For their first album as Gilla Band (formerly Girl Band), the
foursome have redrawn their own paradigm. ‘Most Normal’ is like
little you’ve heard before, a kaleidoscopic spectrum of noise put in
service of broken pop songs, FX-strafed Avant-punk rollercoaster
rides and passages of futurist dancefloor nihilism.
Lockdown robbed Gilla Band of any opportunity to try the new
material out live, but the pandemic also incinerated any idea of a
deadline for the new album. They were free to tinker at leisure, to
rewrite and restructure and reinvent tracks they’d cut, to, as
drummer Adam Faulkner puts it, “pull things apart and be like,
‘Let’s try this. We could try out every wild idea.’”
The group also fell under the spell of modern hip-hop, “where
there’s really heavy-handed production and they’re messing with
the track the whole time,” says Fox. “That felt like a fun route to go
down, it was a definite influence.”
‘Most Normal’ opens with an absolute industrial-noise banger that
sounds like a manic house party throbbing through the walls of the
next room as a downed jetliner brings death from above. What
follows is unpredictable, leading the listener through a sonic house
of mirrors, where the unexpected awaits around every corner.
The common thread holding ‘Most Normal’’s ambitious Avant-pop
shapes together is frontman Dara Kiely. Throughout, he’s an antic,
antagonistic presence, barking wild, hilarious, unsettling spiels,
babbling about smearing fish with lubricant or dressing up in binliners or having to wear hand-me-down bootcut jeans (“It was a
big, shameful thing, growing up, not being able to afford the look I
wanted and having to wear all my brother’s old clothes,” says
Kiely).
‘Most Normal’, then, is a triumph, the bold work of a group who’ve
taken the time to evolve their ideas, to deconstruct and reconstruct
their music and rebuild it into something new, something
challenging and infinitely rewarding. It’s a headphone masterpiece.
It’s a majestic exploration of the infinite possibilities of noise. It’s a
bold riposte to your parochial beliefs on whatever a pop song can
or should be. It’s the best work these musicians have put to
(mangled) tape.
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- A1: Dj Nuts - Tire O Calundu (Remix)
- A2: Criolo; Daniel Ganjaman; Mario C - Abertura (Remix)
- A3: Emicida; Nave; Rael - Saudação Ao Rei Nagô (Remix)
- A4: Pupillo Feat Rogê - Obaluaye (Remix)
- A5: Marcelo D2; Mario C; Lucio Maia; Pupillo - Lembarenganga (Remix)
- A6: Mix Master Mike - Tire O Calundu (Remix)
- A7: Tropkillaz - Damurixá (Remix)
- A8: The Gaslamp Killer; Mophono - Agô (Remix)
- B1: Pedro Dom; Zilladxg - Rei Zumbi (Remix)
- B2: Cut Chemist - Abertura (Remix)
- B3: Taso - Saudação Ao Rei Nagô (Remix)
- B4: Mexican Institute Of Sound - Preto Velho E Yayá (Remix)
- B5: Ricardo Imperatore - Obaluaye (Remix)
- B6: Kassin - Agô (Remix)
- B7: J Rocc; Mario C - Tire O Calundu (Remix)
Firing remix package of cuts from two legendary album's from Brazil's Orquestra Afro-Brasileira. Feat
Two albums - Obaluayê (1957) and Orquestra Afro-Brasileira (1968) - were enough for Orquestra Afro-Brasileira to mark its history in music forever. Born in 1942 in Rio de Janeiro by its founder Abigail Moura, it remained active until 1970 and, in 2021, was revived by the only living member of the original line-up at the time, Carlos Negreiros, when the third and final album in the orchestra's career, entitled 80 years, was released by Amor in Sound/Night Dreamer. Today (31) the album gets its remix version with tracks signed by names of the caliber of Marcelo D2, Criolo, Pupillo, Emicida, Rael, Cut Chemist, Mexican Institute of Sound, among others.
Aiming to keep the legacy of the Orquestra Afro-Brasileira alive, the album 80 Anos (Remixes) reaffirms the group's relevance as a creative source for different generations of musicians and listeners, based on new interpretations produced by artists who are also fans of the orchestra. According to Mario Caldato Jr., the album's musical director, "it was a great joy when I got to know the work of the Afro-Brazilian Orchestra and, soon after, had the honor of meeting and working with Carlos Negreiros. Producing 80 Anos alongside him was a gift and being able to look back on it, having the remix album to celebrate this legacy, is really wonderful."
For Amor in Sound - Mario and Samantha Caldato's record label - this release faithfully represents their values: Respect for memory, diversity, friendship and the possibility of creating new worlds. Made in a totally collaborative way, the album is born as a historical record, interpreted by great names in current music and, above all, great friends. “Being able to do this is indescribable, the value of relationships makes up and continues the legacy of the Orquestra Afro Brasileira,” says Samantha.
The project brings together Brazilians Criolo, Emicida, Rael, Marcelo D2, Lucio Maia, Pupillo, Rogê, Tropkillaz, Kassin, Pedro Dom, Zilladxg, Nuts, Daniel Ganjaman, Imperatore and Nave, as well as international DJs and producers such as Mix Master Mike, Cut Chemist, Gaslamp Killer, J Rocc, TASO, Mexican Institute of Sound and Mophono.
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Bringing together the elder statesman of the Zulu guitar Madala Kunene and internationally acclaimed Sibusile Xaba, kwaNTU pulls two generations of South African guitar mastery into a single point of focus. Under-represented on recordings outside of South Africa, Madala Kunene (b. 1951), the ‘King of the Zulu Guitar’, is revered as the greatest living master of the Zulu guitar tradition. Sibusile Xaba, whose collaboration with Mushroom Hour Half Hour reaches back to his first recording in 2017 (Open Letter To Adoniah/Unlearning), has garnered international acclaim for his unique voice and virtuoso guitar stylings, which bring together multiple South African guitar lineages in an original, spiritualised fusion. Collaborating with Mushroom Hour and New Soil for kwaNTU, the two players come together to weave a filigree sonic fabric which reaches down to the heartwood of Zulu guitar music but moves resolutely outward, building on the past to create a deeply rooted statement about present conditions and future travels. kwaNTU – which can be roughly translated ‘the place of the life-spirit’ – is also conclave of teacher and student, as Xaba has been taught by Kunene for the last decade. Meditative, rich and sonically sui generis, kwaNTU finds these two musicians linking up within the inimitable space of sound and spirit that they share through Kunene’s teaching.
The great masters of South African music have not all had equal exposure. For many years the generation of musicians who were exiled during apartheid took centre stage, as the regime made it very difficult for those at home to be heard. More recently, a new cohort of important voices, especially in jazz, has broken through to international consciousness. But for the generation of musicians in between – those who shone like beacons in the most difficult final years of apartheid and immediately afterward – international recognition has been slow in coming.
Madala Kunene, ‘the King of the Zulu Guitar’, is among this number. A revered figure for current generations of South African musicians, Kunene began his recording career in 1990, at the bitter end of apartheid, with a now classic self-titled LP for David Marks’ storied Third Ear imprint. Born in 1951 in Cato Manor, near Durban, he had determined to be a musician from early childhood, and by the time he first entered a recording studio he had already had a long career as a popular performer. His virtuoso absorption and transformation of the venerable Zulu maskanda guitar tradition and his richly spiritualised approach to music immediately marked him out as someone special, and in the years that followed, Kunene cemented his position as one of South Africa’s musical elders. He is without doubt the grand master of the Zulu guitar tradition, but his sound and sensibility ranges far beyond it into varied sonic terrain, and he has collaborated with a wide range of musicians both at home and abroad. Now in his mid-seventies, he remains a shining light for those that are making music in contemporary South Africa.
‘He is really an amazing person,’ says the guitarist Sibusile Xaba, who has been mentored by Kunene for over a decade, and now invites a collaboration with him on kwaNTU. ‘As a mentor, he's really powerful in showing us the way. For us to have this opportunity to make music together and have a project together is really a blessing to me.’
Xaba himself grew up in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, where his mother had been in a band and his father sang in a church choir, and from early childhood Xaba played homemade tin guitars. He only later realised that music was his calling. ‘I just loved music. I was fortunate. My parents loved music. And when it was time for me to leave home and go to study outside Newcastle, I knew that music was what I wanted to do. There was no second option. It was just music.’ Moving to Pretoria to study music formally, Xaba committed himself to his craft, developing a unique style that draws on both US jazz masters such as Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall, and the rich and varied heritage of the South African guitar, from inspirational jazz players such as Allen Kwela and Enoch Mthalane, to the music of the Malombo groups and Dr. Philip Tabane (Xaba has previously collaborated with Dr. Tabane’s late son, Thabang), and the Zulu guitar tradition embodied by Kunene.
‘I was really in love with the jazz guitar, I really admired it, and I was digging a lot in that direction,’ says Xaba, recalling his first encounter with Kunene’s music, over a decade ago. ‘And then one day on my timeline, Kunene popped up, and I was like – “What's this sound?” I was so connected to it. It really touched me deep. I started checking out his records, and then I found out he's from the same region as I am, which is Zululand.’ After Kunene played a show at the Afrikan Freedom Station in Johannesburg, Xaba make contact with him, and visited him at home in Durban. They struck up a friendship, and Xaba became the elder’s student, as Kunene began to pass on his knowledge and his inimitable way of playing.
kwaNTU is a tribute to this relationship and the deep learning that has defined it. The album was recorded in Zululand in the town of Utrecht, at a cultural centre called Kwantu Village, which gives its name to the album. ‘It's such a broad word,’ Xaba says, ‘but the elders teach us that Ntu is basically an energy, almost chi, an energy, a force that all living beings have within them. It's a living energy, so kwaNTU is like, almost the place of this energy.’ The two men sequestered themselves for five days of jamming, improvising and planning, and then the session was recorded in one take over a single night, with Gontse Makhene joining on percussion and backing vocals and Fakazile on vocals. Other voices and overdubs were later added in the studio in Johannesburg.
The result is a rich and meditative recording that finds two generations in a deeply engaged dialogue. Teaching and passing on his knowledge, the elder Kunene has brought Xaba into a space of sound and knowledge that they now share; Xaba’s own practice of deep communion with nature and his dedication to his musical craft make him the perfect interlocutor for Kunene. The result is an album that foregrounds the two musicians engaged at the highest levels of responsive listening, sympathetic unity, and collaborative concentration. Bringing an elder statesman of South African music to an international listening audience for the first time in decades by pairing him with one of South Africa’s most important new voices, kwaNTU is a meeting of generations and a powerful demonstration of musical lineage and continuity.
‘Before music, there is sound,’ Xaba observes, speaking of Kunene’s unique approach to music. ‘And sound is like a common compartment…it's not restricted to particular people or particular geographic places, you know what I mean? It's sound. Everybody can hear it. So when he constructs that sound into music, I think everybody resonates with the energy behind his construction of sound into song. Here at home, we really love him for preserving our history through the guitar, through his stories as well the music, the songs that he writes. We really, really admire him.’
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The latest release in the Party Tricks reissue series bridges rediscovery with new horizons.
Sebastian Barrymore plays a role in each project, appearing alongside friends throughout the record with unreleased gems and long-lost favorites.
On the A-side, Spilt Coffee (Barrymore & Steven D Wakeling) present two Electro/Tech-House explorations. One cut (A1) previously appeared on vinyl (SPC 001), while the other (A2) resurfaces after disappearing from their website and the realm years ago.
The B-side reveals two unreleased works from the past, which showcase different shades of Barrymore’s collaborations.
M3 Project - Editors (Barrymore & Dan Braine) blends deep house with strong synthpop influences, echoing the peak era of those sounds that once defined dancefloors.
Closing the journey on a life-affirming moment of calm, Droppenkiken - Take Life (Barrymore) delivers a heartfelt downtempo finale.
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Leeds based IMAGINARIUM announce their record label delivering a four track EP featuring music from residents Pete Melba (Planet Orange), Phil Warner (Plant & Deck / Pic N’ Mix), and Roya Brehl (Creatures of the night / Last days of Rome). Joining the crew is rising star and one half of duo Le Frequency, James Geeson.
Pete Melba kicks things off in his signature style of groovy tech house with skipping percussion, twinkling melodies and a touch of darkness. Phil Warner takes the A2 into techno leaning tech house territory sporting spacey pads, acid licks and spooky vocal snippets. On the B1, Roya Brehl moves into darker realms utilising cascading synths, eerie vocals and jangling percussion. Closing out the EP James Geeson continues the dark theme of the B-side warping the classic moonraker vocal into a deep dance floor chugger.
A well-rounded EP for cultured diggers bound to scintillate dance floors and after parties across the globe.
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