quête:idea 6

Filipovich is one of a kind. The Belarus-born, Paris-based artist works in a multitude of media - found footage films, painting, silkscreening and performance to name a few. It's her musical output that has caught the attention of late, though, with Filipovich dropping a run of releases in recent years which began with 2021's Magnificat on Time Released Sound. Filipovich takes as much of a novel approach to her music-making as she does with her other artistic endeavours - Magnificat was centred around treated samples of Sergei Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil, and she's also combined classical composition with contemporary electronic techniques on her subsequent drops.

For Idealized, Filipovich's debut on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit, she maintains the gothic air which characterised her previous releases and applies it to a record of widescreen contemporary techno joints. These tracks represent something of a gear shift for CPU, a label which has long made its name by delivering top-quality electro and machine-funk jams, but such is the quality of Idealized that these superbly-executed techno productions are sure to win over label fans both old and new.

Idealized is very much schooled in the German tradition of minimal/dub techno. Tracks like 'Physical', 'Wave' and 'Dance Minor' all anchor themselves on single, steady drum pulses and delay-drenched single-chord loops. Filipovich generally lets the central idea of these tracks play out across several minutes while introducing increasingly disorientating elements into the rest of the mix - wiccan atmospherics, clashing chords, spiralling delays and so forth. It's an approach at once respectful of Filipovich's predecessors - Basic Channel, Deepchord, Ellen Allien and so on - but also full of idiosyncrasies and individuality.

Many of the club cuts here hardwire us into the moody, murky environs of the darkest Berlin Basements. 'Ultra Red' rides forward on a crisp drum machine snap, a menacing burble of bassline and an eerie single-note synth whistle in the upper end of the mix; 'Dance Minor' shows off a bit of KiNK in the brain-bending modular loop that waxes and wanes at its centre; the second-half run from 'Wave' to closer 'Small Cave' travels ever-further out into deep space - the kick drums remain insistent, yet the textural elements are delivered with an edge and flair that evidences Filipovich's ability to think outside the box.

Filipovich's unusual methods, and the influence of sound art and electroacoustic composition on her music, are drawn out further when Idealized steps away from the dancefloor. 'Hydra' comes off like a more gothic version of Pole - its central pulse draws from dub techno but never quite settles into a danceable groove, and this beat is combined with the kind of unnerving keyboard work that would make John Carpenter proud. Although closer 'Small Cave' eventually locks into another dark-room techno roller, the opening section of the track delivers a weightless soundscape of bright, tinny chords and a scene-setting field recording.

Idealized, the first drop on Central Processing Unit from Paris-based Belarusian Lina Filpovich, broadens the label's horizons with a selection of finely crafted minimal/dub techno joints.

RIYL: Andy Stott, Deepchord, Ellen Allien, Moritz von Oswald

Highly wanted amongst collectors for its unique sound, this Italian psychedelic percussion heavy disco single was originally only released on 7" format sometime in the late 70s on the Idea label. Quite experimental for its time, it stands out not only for the reckless use of percussion but also the use of early synthesiser sounds in very rhythmic conscientious manners, some moments almost sounding as if a pioneering example of Acid House years before its time. While it seems like all possible percussion instrument sounds are chaotically employed into the drum salad that unfolds, the clavinet and vibraphone offer a contrasting dreamy nuance via a simple and slowly moving melody. Besides the original “Parte 02a” version this release comes with a new remix “Drum Implosion (Parte 10a)” further propelling the chaos commenced in the original release with the aid of flangers and delays, already striking the fancy of DJs like Marcell Dettmann. Severely remastered at Manmade mastering, now featured in 12” format with full cover artwork.

Much time has passed since the Queer Australian/Italian-Armenian, multifaceted artist, Kristian Bahoudian aka Kris Baha, swapped the parched red earth and searing midday sun of the Australian landscape for the brutalist communist-era apartment blocks and slate-grey skies of former East Berlin. Kris is now a fixture in Berlin’s club scene and has toured most of the world as a DJ & live artist with his own unique production style of cyber industrial, EBM, wave, post punk, and early ‘90s IDM mutations. Remixing some of the scene’s most notable artists such as Boy Harsher and techno pop lord Boys Noize, Kris has garnered respect and trust in the electronic music scene for the last 13 years. To respond to the current AI revolution, Kris uploads himself to the cyber ether through his latest project: GHOSTS IN THE MACHIИE.

Across Dual Timelines —
” GHOSTS IN THE MACHIИE ” unfolds as a sci-fi cyberpunk concept project inhabiting dual timelines. In one, we glimpse a trans-humanist future where human consciousness exists as intricate sequences of binary code, entwined and controlled by omnipresent AI systems. In this coded future, a profound awakening stirs among a select few who manage to mutate the code they were governed by, unlocking memories of their history that was erased by the AI. Through this discovery they realize they can traverse temporal boundaries and utilize this power to send warning messages back in time to their former fully human selves. These eerie missives carry a dire warning for humanity, urging them to rectify the course of society before the relentless march of artificial intelligence deprives humanity of its essence. In this terrifying future, humans are rendered mere specters within the digital expanse, stripped of their souls, to become Ghosts In The Machine.
Collaboration with the future self —
The cyber odyssey unfolds from a unique perspective— Kris’s very own future self (his future ghost): a spectral entity endeavoring to caution its present incarnation against the ominous path it treads, attempting to avert a dystopian future.Sonic Alchemy —
A fuse of cybernetic synth waves, hyper-punk, and pulsating drum and bass laid out against the dystopian, industrial sonic landscape of this grim future “civilization”. Each track recounts a new chapter in the gripping narrative, drawing listeners deeper into their own story and the role we all play as a collective society with the future possibilities of unregulated AI.Recorded in Berlin with software and hardware synthesisers. AI was used to assist me with lyric themes, concepts and ideas. I also used a trained AI model of my own voice as backing vocals in ‘Haunting Me’.ll music, words & concepts by Kristian Bahoudian aka Kris Baha and his future ghost,
GHOSTS IN THE MACHIИE

This album was a self imposed ambitious project for us. Something to kick in the creative flow. The last few years, having been a challenging time in general, felt like a good time for a pivot. The last two albums were so guitar and keyboard centric, I wanted a weird and fun set of parameters for us to work with. I demo’d everything at home on cassette 4 track (harkening back to simpler times) using drum loops, and just had at it 'til I had a pile of “songs”. Tom and I chose one sound each using synths and created a range of 3 octaves of that sample, then loaded them into Roland SPD-SX samplers and learned the transcribed songs using drum sticks. The idea was to change the way we wrote and to have 4 people along the front of the stage essentially playing percussion. So no guitar, no keys. As we were recording I kept thinking how the sounds, when paired up, sounded a bit like brass. So, we added a saxophone horn section to round out the horniness of the sound with a bit of reedy bell tones. Thanks to Cansfis Foote & Brad Caulkins on tenor and Baritone saxophones :) Sort of a Dexy’s Midnight Runners meets Von LMO meets The Flesh Eaters meets the Screamers kinda punk junk. Poppy and hooky, heavy at times.. Sort of vacuous and maybe a bit sci-fi in sound. Boneheaded in riff and heady in lyrics. Recorded at Stu-Stu-Studio by me on 8 track 1/4” tape . So pretty hot and raw. Lots to write about today. A lot of these lyrics were taken from things people said in passing about taking on life right now that stuck with me. Things that made me reflect. Things that made me laugh. Things that made me WTF. Some folks are kind, genuine & give you love and energy. Some are greedy manipulative ghouls who hang off your veins. You must be strong, composed and take care of yourself. Be self aware and check your mind for cracks. Learn to relax and be well. There are moments of beauty and redemption. Its not all bad news and there’s always hope. People continue to surprise me one way or another. Anyhow, Hope you enjoy and good luck out there. — John Dwyer

“Todavía No”, La Paloma’s debut album, consolidates the young band from Madrid as one of the realities of the current scene. Undoubtedly, it’s definitely a bold step forward in all senses: compositional, interpretative, and artistic. Noise-rock to combat all the noise out there.

In “Una idea, pero es triste”, their celebrated debut EP, La Paloma expounded something very serious, but they explained it only once. Five songs that instantly connected with an audience eager for new references. In “Todavía no” there is more depth; here practically each cut shows a different shade of being La Paloma. “Tiré una piedra al aire” is far from “Algo ha cambiado”, but both are unequivocally La Paloma. Surely, this is something that can be attributed to the baggage acquired during this time lapse, but it certainly speaks very well of the artistic ambition of a band to which now seems to have no ceiling.
We are not, therefore, facing a mere extension of their 2021 EP, although musically they pick it up from where they left off. “Todavía no” is an accessible and contagious work, equal qualities shared with “Una idea, pero es triste”. It’s a work that conveys discontent and liberation, ambition and boredom. In large part, it’s due to the accredited ability of its composers Nico Yubero and Lucas Sierra to observe the world with the right dose of skepticism and disappointment, avoiding tormented gesticulation.
The presentation tour that followed the publication of the EP was extensive and led La Paloma to defend their songs throughout the Spanish geography, as well as visits to Portugal, Mexico and the United States. That state of grace was transferred to the studio, where they tried to reflect their live sound and proposal. With an elegant production and without undue frills, the mission of preserving the sharp fang shown in concert halls was achieved, ensuring, in turn, that the elements, arrangements and the proposal of each instrument were heard crystal clear.
Right from the start, we notice in the sequence many of the virtues that make La Paloma one of the most advantaged groups of the current scene: gushing guitars, the solidity of its rhythm section with Rubén Almonacid on bass and Juan Rojo on drums and the color tone provided by the voices of Nico and Lucas, who share the vocal tasks on alternate tracks.
But there’s more: songs that destroy the most generic canon of noise-rock to take it to little-explored territories, frantic guitar games and a cascade of imaginative arrangements. It combines popular song constructions with unpredictable structures that prevent you from anticipating what twist is to come next, making listening experience exhilarating and addictive.
“Todavía no” is a tightly cohesive album, a remarkable fact considering the two creative inputs from which the band draws from and the artistic ambition with which they faced the building of this work. Because we are talking about a complete work, conceived as such. The first chords of “Sigo aquí” sound and the disorganization of reality… is still disorganized, but somehow it makes sense now.

2024 Repress

180 Gram, Tip On Sleeve RSD version of this classic. One of the rarer records of the mythical Strata East albums is finally reissued for the first time on Heavenly Sweetness!
The recording of Earth Blossom, the John Betsch Societys one and only album, seems something of an enigma nowadays. For even though Nashville is clearly one of the towns in the US with the highest number of recording studios, who would have thought that the capital of country music would give birth to one of the forgotten masterpieces of 1970s spiritual jazz. The path leading to the album starts in 1963 when John Betsch, originally from Jacksonville in Florida, arrives in Nashville to study at Frisk University. He is a young drummer and joins Bob Holmes trio. Holmes is one of the towns major jazz organists and pianists; he becomes Betschs mentor and, over the space of two years, John will play alternately with him and with the trumpeter Louis Smiths group. However, in 1965, John leaves town to go to the prestigious Berkeley University in Boston and do a two-year course along with his fellow debutants with names like John Abercrombie, Ernie Watts and Alan Broadbent. Two years later, he is invited by a pianist friend, Billy Chilf, to join the legendary singer/songwriter Tim Hardins group. Just after Woodstock, John Betsch and Tim record a psychedelic album Columbia will never release together with the members of the future group Oregon: Colin Walcott, Glen Moore, Paul McCandles and his friend Billy Chilf. But he soon leaves this group to return to Nashville where he hooks up again with his friend Bob Holmes. Two years later, he is accepted on Archie Shepp and Max Roachs famous course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMASS) and for the next four years he participates in this collective of intellectuals and musicians under the aegis of the two masters.
During this period he returns to Nashville to form his Society whose music is obviously influenced by the Afrocentric ideas of the UMASS student and political movement. However, the album, recorded in one day and in one take, also bears the hallmark of their generations psychedelic experiences, and in the themes and playing of the musicians we can hear a less violent form of music than the radical free jazz of New York or Chicago. Nature and environmental themes are the inspiration behind tracks touched by the spirit of Coltrane but also of Flower Power.

After Amherst, John Betsch joins Marion Browns group in 1976, leaves Tennessee for good and makes his home in New York over the next ten years or so. He plays and records with Dollar Brand, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and many others, before heading off to France. He has lived in Paris for the last twenty years and played in Steve Lacy, Mal Waldron and Archie Shepp bands, as well as forming groups of his own. He now lives in Paris and plays with many musicians/bands.

Crack Cloud has always been something beyond a rock band: both profound and grand, vaporous and elusive. The first iteration of Crack Cloud was formed nearly a decade ago as a proxy-rehab outlet on the fringes of Calgary. Over time, two EPs and accompanying visual pieces were produced out of the residence known as Red Mile. By 2017, several members had relocated to Vancouver, working out of harm reduction centers and low-barrier shelters. Sobriety, self-reformation and the idealism of their work further formed an ethos for Crack Cloud. It was during these years that the band produced their astounding 2020 album Pain Olympics. At once, their vision became expansive, cinematic. Now, Red Mile is a bit of a homecoming. Members have returned to Calgary. But Calgary/home has become a liminal space, a place of flux. After a decade of personal and collective growth, what does home even mean? Red Mile is, for them, something like samsara: a return and a rebirth. Red Mile's sound breathes expansive energy into the circuitous, street bound sonics of Crack Cloud's prior material. Fizzling synths intertwine with chiming pianos. Songs layer like Russian nesting dolls; one may find a Ramones chorus set within a desolate Western prog soundtrack only to watch it erupt into a joyous anthem. Real-ass guitars _ alternately lilting, scuzzy and soaring _ ring out across wide sun-bleached spaces. In 2024, the cumulative effect is (in rock instrumentation terms) naturalistic. Any whiff of embalmed nostalgia is absent. Even the close of the album - a winding, almost Jerry Garcia guitar noodle that leads us out of Red Mile - is delivered without sentimentality. Principal songwriter Zach Choy's lyrics are cutting but merciful, with a sharp self-awareness that never slides into self-satisfaction. Crack Cloud as artists are critical _ and ultimately as forgiving _ of themselves as they are the melting world around them. The songs balance an easy charm and cathartic power: affirming life without denying death. Recorded predominantly between the outskirts of Joshua Tree California, and Calgary, Alberta, this record is informed by a bittersweet mélange of old and new. The sprawling, novelistic structures of their previous albums are condensed and sharpened, while maintaining their refusal to delve into superficiality. Through playful melodies and elliptical guitar soliloquy, they deliver a final product of exceptional depth and distinctly unprecious warmth. Crack Cloud have produced a mature, vital work that interrogates the platitudes of the rock-n-roll lifestyle, but ultimately exalts its sacredness. Red Mile's de facto thesis statement "The Medium" is itself a rock song meditation: an ode to the form and its practitioners. This genre that _ typical, repeatable, corporatized as it can be _ somehow still has the power to help us live through life. We see the dusty sentiment of "I love rock and roll" exhumed, taken apart, and stitched back together. It's a song guided by faith _ if the medium helps us proclaim our love today, it's worth protecting from derision tomorrow. We live in an era where music seems to love hitting its head against the wall. Crack Cloud's Red Mile is the sound _ the feeling! _ of the bricks giving way.

Crack Cloud has always been something beyond a rock band: both profound and grand, vaporous and elusive. The first iteration of Crack Cloud was formed nearly a decade ago as a proxy-rehab outlet on the fringes of Calgary. Over time, two EPs and accompanying visual pieces were produced out of the residence known as Red Mile. By 2017, several members had relocated to Vancouver, working out of harm reduction centers and low-barrier shelters. Sobriety, self-reformation and the idealism of their work further formed an ethos for Crack Cloud. It was during these years that the band produced their astounding 2020 album Pain Olympics. At once, their vision became expansive, cinematic. Now, Red Mile is a bit of a homecoming. Members have returned to Calgary. But Calgary/home has become a liminal space, a place of flux. After a decade of personal and collective growth, what does home even mean? Red Mile is, for them, something like samsara: a return and a rebirth. Red Mile's sound breathes expansive energy into the circuitous, street bound sonics of Crack Cloud's prior material. Fizzling synths intertwine with chiming pianos. Songs layer like Russian nesting dolls; one may find a Ramones chorus set within a desolate Western prog soundtrack only to watch it erupt into a joyous anthem. Real-ass guitars _ alternately lilting, scuzzy and soaring _ ring out across wide sun-bleached spaces. In 2024, the cumulative effect is (in rock instrumentation terms) naturalistic. Any whiff of embalmed nostalgia is absent. Even the close of the album - a winding, almost Jerry Garcia guitar noodle that leads us out of Red Mile - is delivered without sentimentality. Principal songwriter Zach Choy's lyrics are cutting but merciful, with a sharp self-awareness that never slides into self-satisfaction. Crack Cloud as artists are critical _ and ultimately as forgiving _ of themselves as they are the melting world around them. The songs balance an easy charm and cathartic power: affirming life without denying death. Recorded predominantly between the outskirts of Joshua Tree California, and Calgary, Alberta, this record is informed by a bittersweet mélange of old and new. The sprawling, novelistic structures of their previous albums are condensed and sharpened, while maintaining their refusal to delve into superficiality. Through playful melodies and elliptical guitar soliloquy, they deliver a final product of exceptional depth and distinctly unprecious warmth. Crack Cloud have produced a mature, vital work that interrogates the platitudes of the rock-n-roll lifestyle, but ultimately exalts its sacredness. Red Mile's de facto thesis statement "The Medium" is itself a rock song meditation: an ode to the form and its practitioners. This genre that _ typical, repeatable, corporatized as it can be _ somehow still has the power to help us live through life. We see the dusty sentiment of "I love rock and roll" exhumed, taken apart, and stitched back together. It's a song guided by faith _ if the medium helps us proclaim our love today, it's worth protecting from derision tomorrow. We live in an era where music seems to love hitting its head against the wall. Crack Cloud's Red Mile is the sound _ the feeling! _ of the bricks giving way.

"I Erode“ ist vollgepackt mit den Markenzeichen der Blütezeit des US Death Metal und explodiert förmlich aus dem Tor mit gnadenlosen Riffs, wilden Tempi, geschmackvollen Soli und den bösartigen Unterströmungen aggressiver Death Thrash-Perfektion.

Mit einer idealen Balance aus Technik und Geradlinigkeit, Highspeed- und Midtempo-Breaks und einer prägnanten, auf den Punkt gebrachten Attacke voller Abwechslung bietet „I Erode“ einen rein süchtig machenden Schuss echtes Death Metal-Adrenalin in einer Linie, die Demolition Hammer, Morgoth und Suffocation umfasst.

Obwohl es vielleicht ein Gefühl von Nostalgie hervorruft, ist es eine Tatsache, dass Laceration's gewachsenes Selbstvertrauen und die Hingabe an die schonungslose Ausführung eines Songs jeden Fokus auf die Ära auf dem halsbrecherischen 'I Erode' auslöschen. Die Hingabe an die Zeitlosigkeit des Death Metal und der hohe Anspruch an wahre Anerkennung kennzeichnen Lacerations Schaffen mehr denn je.

"I Erode“ ist vollgepackt mit den Markenzeichen der Blütezeit des US Death Metal und explodiert förmlich aus dem Tor mit gnadenlosen Riffs, wilden Tempi, geschmackvollen Soli und den bösartigen Unterströmungen aggressiver Death Thrash-Perfektion.

Mit einer idealen Balance aus Technik und Geradlinigkeit, Highspeed- und Midtempo-Breaks und einer prägnanten, auf den Punkt gebrachten Attacke voller Abwechslung bietet „I Erode“ einen rein süchtig machenden Schuss echtes Death Metal-Adrenalin in einer Linie, die Demolition Hammer, Morgoth und Suffocation umfasst.

Obwohl es vielleicht ein Gefühl von Nostalgie hervorruft, ist es eine Tatsache, dass Laceration's gewachsenes Selbstvertrauen und die Hingabe an die schonungslose Ausführung eines Songs jeden Fokus auf die Ära auf dem halsbrecherischen 'I Erode' auslöschen. Die Hingabe an die Zeitlosigkeit des Death Metal und der hohe Anspruch an wahre Anerkennung kennzeichnen Lacerations Schaffen mehr denn je.

LOS ANGELES—To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the celebrated Talking Heads and Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense, the set will be re-released as a 2LP and 2CD/Blu-ray set this summer.

Released last year, the sold-out Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack will return as a 2-LP black vinyl on Rhino and 2-LP crystal clear vinyl at retail. Both variants feature a 12-page booklet with liner notes from all four band members –Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison—and band photos. The 2CD/Blu-ray version includes the entire 28-page booklet from last year’s Deluxe Edition and a Dolby Atmos mix of the complete concert, mixed by Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren, who also mixed the original release. Both will be available on July 26. Pre-order now.

The band appeared together for a sold-out screening and Q&A last night at the Pantages Theater, the same theater at which Stop Making Sense was recorded. They were joined by Blondshell, who performed “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel.” Another special screening with the band will occur in Brooklyn at the King’s Theater on June 13, with the Q&A hosted by Questlove and The Linda Linda’s performing “Found a Job.” The two events cap off a banner year of celebrations for what many consider to be the best concert film of all time.

The inspiration for Stop Making Sense came when director Jonathan Demme saw Talking Heads perform during the band’s 1983 tour for Speaking in Tongues. Afterward, he approached them with the idea of making the show into a concert film. They agreed and worked together over the next few months to finalize the details. Ultimately, Demme filmed three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 to create Stop Making Sense.

The concert film presents a retrospective of the band up to that point, with a performance that weaves together songs from all six of its studio albums. The show progresses methodically, opening with Byrne onstage performing “Psycho Killer” alone with a drum machine. After each song, he’s joined by a new band member until Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison are all on stage with him. The group continues to grow throughout the concert as members of the stellar touring band are added: keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Steve Scales, guitarist Alex Weir, and backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt.

The band performs 18 songs in Stop Making Sense, including its recent single at the time, “Burning Down The House.” That summer, the song was in heavy rotation on radio and MTV, helping the song become the band’s first top 10 hit in America. It was, however, a different song from Speaking in Tongues that was destined to deliver one of the film’s signature moments. Talking Heads would perform “Girlfriend Is Better” wearing the now iconic, oversized suit inspired by costumes worn in traditional Japanese theater. For good measure, a picture of David Byrne in the suit also graces the album cover.

Stop Making Sense focuses mainly on music by Talking Heads but does include a few songs recorded outside the band: “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club, “What A Day That Was” and “Big Business” from Byrne’s 1981 album, The Catherine Wheel. Limited edition vinyl versions of both of these albums, along with Harrison’s The Red And The Black, were released for this year’s Record Store Day.

When it arrived in September 1984, Stop Making Sense was an artistic and commercial triumph. The film had people dancing in theatre aisles, and the soundtrack sold over two million copies. Just last year, the Library of Congress added Stop Making Sense to the National Film Registry in recognition of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

Weymouth praises Demme as a collaborator: “…Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy who was just as good a listener as he was a talker and collaborator. From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined. Being team players, that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!”

Harrison says the film still holds up today: “To me, Stop Making Sense has remained relevant because the staging and lighting techniques could have been created in a much earlier time period. For example, Vari-Lights, lights with motors to re-aim them, had just come into vogue. Had we used them, there would have been a timestamp on the film, and it eventually would have felt dated...The absence of interviews, combined with the elegant and timeless lighting, created a film that can be watched over and over.”

Byrne says it’s interesting that this album was – for many people – an introduction to Talking Heads. “We had done a live album before this, but coupled with the film, and with the improved mixes and sound quality, this record reached a whole new audience. As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the studio recordings, so maybe that’s why a lot of folks discovered us via this record.”

Frantz recalls the sheer joy surrounding the entire Stop Making Sense experience. “I’m talking about real, conscious, transcendent joy… I’m talking about what the Southern gospel people call ‘getting happy,’ which means ‘to be filled with the Spirit.’ That is what happened to us onstage every night, and from my seat behind the drums, I recognized that this was happening to the audience too. Joy was visible in front of me and all around me every night.”

First reissue since its original release in 2014. Features by Sean Price, Guilty Simpson, Blu with production from DJ Premier, Illmind, Black Milk, Oh No & more.

The collaboration album from Brooklyn MCs Skyzoo and Torae is available once again after its original debut in 2014.

For years, fans of both Skyzoo and Torae asked the two to collaborate on a full-length LP, following the multiple singles they released together over the years. Classics such as the DJ Premier-produced "Get It Done" and "Click," and the !llmind-produced "Barrel Brothers" off Skyzoo's 2010 "Live from the Tape Deck" have been highly anticipated by their followers since 2006. The idea behind "Barrel Brothers" is what the people have asked for and come to know: the two wordsmiths for pure lyricism.

Skyzoo, known for his picturesque storytelling and jazz/orchestral background, and Torae, known for his gritty Coney Island depictions of life with a vintage yet modern lyrical approach, have briefly put their normal fortes to the side and crafted this album with one game plan in mind: lyrical exercise over hard New York City soundscapes. The current resurgence of NYC hip hop is the perfect grounds for two of its premier flag holders to continue doing what they never stopped doing in the first place: representing the city.

Squama regulars Enji and Popp join forces on ‘Nant’, the debut LP by their newly minted duo ‘Poeji’, exploring the confines of Post-Dub and Downtempo.
2022’s 3-track EP ‘031921 5.24 5.53’, released as a limited run of dubplates, was the first testament to their open approach to writing, which takes only very basic ideas and relies on non-verbal communication to define form and pace.
Enji’s vocals are less centre-stage than on her solo endeavors, piercing through reverb plates and guitar pedals while Simon inked his signature set of wooden and metal percussions with chains of tape echoes and analog delay.
Listening to ‘Nant’ as a snapshot of Poeji’s artistry at a certain time and place can instill a sense of gratitude within the listener that something so fleeting can be captured.

"Are Possible" is a spark-throwing, undulating fusion of styles played (mainly) on banjo, upright bass and drums, made possible by the individual perspectives of Nathan, double-bassist Casey Toll (Jake Xerxes Fussell, Mt. Moriah) and drummer Rex McMurray (CAVE) work together in an easy-rolling manner, but one that contains an expansive, ass-shaking confabulation of ideas. Music is time in redux: Are Possible"s many moments in time carry details from all over the place. Rex brought a rhythm to the table after drumming on buckets at work, Casey provided a bassline that redirected a previous jam, Nathan brought in a song he"d been fucking with forever and they figured it out together. Their diversity of sources moves easily within the arrangements, rendering a far-ranging set of feels, from transcendental to new country funk to good ol" jazz and the folk-rock, even - all of it drawn out exquisitely when they mixed at Electrical Audio in Chicago with the delicate hands of Cooper Crain upon the faders. The Nathan Bowles Trio have done their due diligence, passing their music through time and space on their way to now.

Repress auf purple & red splatter Vinyl. Das zweite, alles auf seinem Weg liegende vernichtende Album der Hardcore Thrasher aus Texas: POWER TRIP. Möglicherweise das beste Thrash Album des letzten Jahrzehnts! Massiv, riesig, über alle Dimensionen. Aufgenommen von Arthur Rizik (INQUISITION), gemastert von Joel Grind (POISON IDEA, TOXIC HOLOCAUST) mit Coverartwork von Paolo Girard. POWER TRIP sind eine echte Band, unvergleichlich. Ihre rohe Intensität, ihr musikalisches Können, die perfekte Songstruktur, fetter Sound, wilde Riffs, ihre Entschlossenheit und ihre bloße Einstellung machen sie zu einer der Speerspitzen im Metal, Punk und Hardcore Underground der USA. In den letzten Jahren haben POWER TRIP beinahe non-stop getourt und dabei Bands wie ANTHRAX, LAMB OF GOD, CRO-MAGS, NEGATIVE APPROACH, TURNSTILE, BACKTRACK, EYEHATEGOD, BANE, OFF! Und weitere supportet und Festivals in den USA, Europa und darüber hinaus beehrt.

On his new album, Samurai, Lupe retreats inward to give fans one of his most personal albums in his deep catalog. “I sometimes get tagged by my fans as not doing personal records,” Lupe says, “but I always tell people there's me in there if you listen closely enough. This album is one of my more personal records to date. It's not a full biography, but my personal experiences are tied up in all of my music. A lot of the records are me. Some are from the POV of a character. and some are me. The album weaves things from my life as an artist, touching on things other artists go through.” The narrative follows a battle rapper through various moments in his career, starting with how they honed their battle rap skills, following their career through different moments. Musically, the new album finds Lupe delighting in the simple pleasures of assembling assonant syllables into playful and poignant narratives. The 8-track album is smooth, yet cerebral, brimming with ideas, but always radiating Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. The album was produced in full by longtime collaborator and friend, Soundtrakk (“Superstar,” “Kick, Push,” “HipHop Saved My Life”), their second time linking up on a full album after 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, and is also the first time Lupe, Trakk, and longtime manager Charles “Chill” Patton were in the studio together since Patton’s release from prison in 2023. “It felt great to be back in the studio again as a family,” Lupe says. It’s the first time they’d worked together in the studio since Lupe’s seminal album, The Cool in 2005. “The word ‘samurai’ means to serve,” Lupe says on the album’s title. “My relationship to that word has always meant that you need to be at the service of other people, either in the overall community, or in this instance, the rap community at large that I’ve been a part of for years. You have some duty, some purpose to serve. The title alone is very important to me. Before rap even, martial arts was my whole life, and it still plays a huge role in my life. The album is me, but also inspired by a quote I heard from one of my favorite artists. The overall themes of the album speak to the constant fight and the battle one goes through being in the entertainment industry. Some of the things we need to defend.”

LOS ANGELES—To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the celebrated Talking Heads and Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense, the set will be re-released as a 2LP and 2CD/Blu-ray set this summer.

Released last year, the sold-out Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack will return as a 2-LP black vinyl on Rhino and 2-LP crystal clear vinyl at retail. Both variants feature a 12-page booklet with liner notes from all four band members –Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison—and band photos. The 2CD/Blu-ray version includes the entire 28-page booklet from last year’s Deluxe Edition and a Dolby Atmos mix of the complete concert, mixed by Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren, who also mixed the original release. Both will be available on July 26. Pre-order now.

The band appeared together for a sold-out screening and Q&A last night at the Pantages Theater, the same theater at which Stop Making Sense was recorded. They were joined by Blondshell, who performed “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel.” Another special screening with the band will occur in Brooklyn at the King’s Theater on June 13, with the Q&A hosted by Questlove and The Linda Linda’s performing “Found a Job.” The two events cap off a banner year of celebrations for what many consider to be the best concert film of all time.

The inspiration for Stop Making Sense came when director Jonathan Demme saw Talking Heads perform during the band’s 1983 tour for Speaking in Tongues. Afterward, he approached them with the idea of making the show into a concert film. They agreed and worked together over the next few months to finalize the details. Ultimately, Demme filmed three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 to create Stop Making Sense.

The concert film presents a retrospective of the band up to that point, with a performance that weaves together songs from all six of its studio albums. The show progresses methodically, opening with Byrne onstage performing “Psycho Killer” alone with a drum machine. After each song, he’s joined by a new band member until Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison are all on stage with him. The group continues to grow throughout the concert as members of the stellar touring band are added: keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Steve Scales, guitarist Alex Weir, and backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt.

The band performs 18 songs in Stop Making Sense, including its recent single at the time, “Burning Down The House.” That summer, the song was in heavy rotation on radio and MTV, helping the song become the band’s first top 10 hit in America. It was, however, a different song from Speaking in Tongues that was destined to deliver one of the film’s signature moments. Talking Heads would perform “Girlfriend Is Better” wearing the now iconic, oversized suit inspired by costumes worn in traditional Japanese theater. For good measure, a picture of David Byrne in the suit also graces the album cover.

Stop Making Sense focuses mainly on music by Talking Heads but does include a few songs recorded outside the band: “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club, “What A Day That Was” and “Big Business” from Byrne’s 1981 album, The Catherine Wheel. Limited edition vinyl versions of both of these albums, along with Harrison’s The Red And The Black, were released for this year’s Record Store Day.

When it arrived in September 1984, Stop Making Sense was an artistic and commercial triumph. The film had people dancing in theatre aisles, and the soundtrack sold over two million copies. Just last year, the Library of Congress added Stop Making Sense to the National Film Registry in recognition of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

Weymouth praises Demme as a collaborator: “…Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy who was just as good a listener as he was a talker and collaborator. From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined. Being team players, that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!”

Harrison says the film still holds up today: “To me, Stop Making Sense has remained relevant because the staging and lighting techniques could have been created in a much earlier time period. For example, Vari-Lights, lights with motors to re-aim them, had just come into vogue. Had we used them, there would have been a timestamp on the film, and it eventually would have felt dated...The absence of interviews, combined with the elegant and timeless lighting, created a film that can be watched over and over.”

Byrne says it’s interesting that this album was – for many people – an introduction to Talking Heads. “We had done a live album before this, but coupled with the film, and with the improved mixes and sound quality, this record reached a whole new audience. As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the studio recordings, so maybe that’s why a lot of folks discovered us via this record.”

Frantz recalls the sheer joy surrounding the entire Stop Making Sense experience. “I’m talking about real, conscious, transcendent joy… I’m talking about what the Southern gospel people call ‘getting happy,’ which means ‘to be filled with the Spirit.’ That is what happened to us onstage every night, and from my seat behind the drums, I recognized that this was happening to the audience too. Joy was visible in front of me and all around me every night.”

As deep as it comes, two unwinding cuts of beautiful deep house..

Hand scrubbed textured record sleeve, with custom stamp by Ciaran Birch.

“Escape” from abusive family ties is almost a cliche in modern media. In practice, the threshold for self-informed decoupling from said abuse is often socially out of reach for those that have in fact been abused, both physically and/or psychologically.

We feel shame for even entertaining the idea of getting rid of people in our lives that are joined to us by blood. Instead of genuine mutually-assured connection, we feel duty-bound to them - no better than a minimum wage retail job without which we would become homeless. Had these people been anything other than family, we would have ditched them long ago. I encourage a decoupling from the family unit and giving up on any hope you had for improved relations.

This record has been mastered without compression in an attempt to counter the over saturation of three minute, brick-walled, max-energy production trends in contemporary dance music.

"The Remedy," is I G Culture's latest album under Likwid Continutal Space Motion, Culture draws parallels between the complex world of fungi and London's Underground dance music scene. Both are intricate networks that thrive beneath the surface, connecting diverse elements and influencing one another. The London dance music scene, like fungi, encompasses a variety of styles and genres, from drum and bass to Garage Dance Subcultures may go unnoticed to the casual observer but are musical corner stones in our society. Dance floors and clubs serve as spaces for communal healing, allowing people to let go of daily stresses and connect through music and dance. I G Culture's "The Remedy" celebrates this vibrant underground culture and highlights the interconnectedness of all musical styles. Through his innovative production and thematic depth, he underscores the transformative power of dance music, emphasizing its role in promoting well-being and unity. The idea of Fungi also is expressed in the artwork by Amsterdams 'Machine' with IG's direction, who used fungi in an original collage revealing a secret world.

'Gemelo' is the new album from songwriter and pop auteur Angélica Garcia. Its title is a reference to the twin self – the idea of a second, more intuitive self within. It’s a vibrant, prismatic hybrid-pop record that soundtracks a journey through the different stages and forms of grief. Angélica explores its inherent loneliness, beauty, and tension, eventually finding liberation. 'Gemelo' also expertly deconstructs facets of universal themes like religion, spirit, heritage, womanhood, and ancestral veneration.

Born in East LA with Mexican and Salvadoran lineage, Angélica embodies the essence of contemporary America, a cultural landscape continually evolving through its fusion with rich Hispanic influences. In a reflection of modern America itself, 'Gemelo' also marks Garcia’s first album sung almost entirely in Spanish, inviting listeners to reconsider what they think an American record can be.

'Gemelo' was produced by Carlos Arévalo of LA-based rock band Chicano Batman, his first time working in such a role. Sequenced with extreme intent, the album progresses from a delicate, tender entry on Side A which serves almost like a meditation, to the visceral intensity of Side B, which immerses into the difficult, at times terrifying work of healing. With growth and exploration like wind behind her, Garcia arrives at her clearest and most fully realized vision of self on 'Gemelo.'

'Gemelo' is the anticipated follow-up to her 2020 breakthrough 'Cha Cha Palace,' which featured on several year-end lists and brought Angélica to NPR’s Tiny Desk.




[d] Ángel [eterna]

Perhaps one of the most exciting and anticipated projects in the world of heavy instrumental music is Parlor Greens, a fresh organ trio on Colerine Records! You could say that Parlor Greens are greater than the sum of their parts.. however, the individual parts are simply stellar on their own. Tim Carman (GA-20) on drums, Jimmy James (True Loves, formerly Delvon Lamar Organ Trio) on guitar, and Adam Scone (Scone Cash Players, The Sugarman 3) on organ. Parlor Greens started off as an idea before it even had a name. Carman had been chatting with Colemine label boss Terry Cole about their shared love for organ combo records of yesterday on labels like Blue Note and Prestige. Cole said he'd love to have an organ trio be the first project at the label's new studio, Portage Lounge, located in Loveland, Ohio, So when Carman tapped James and Scone for the session, the stage was set. Carman and Cole had started work a day early to dial in the drum sound, so when the rest of this murderer's row arrived they hit the ground running. It was instant chemistry, Within the first ten minutes of everyone plugging in, a song was written and recorded, "West Memphis". And over the next three days, these three maestros conducted a beautiful and soulful symphony straight to tape. As natural and fun as three old friends getting together after a long absence, only this was the first time they had written and performed together. True magic. So this is the result of that session. Eleven outs. Ten originals. Two sides. All killer, no filler. Straight to the old reliable Tascam 3BB tape machine, mixed up nice and dirty for your enjoyment. Parlor Greens are proud to present their debut long player, in Green / We Dream.

Perhaps one of the most exciting and anticipated projects in the world of heavy instrumental music is Parlor Greens, a fresh organ trio on Colerine Records! You could say that Parlor Greens are greater than the sum of their parts.. however, the individual parts are simply stellar on their own. Tim Carman (GA-20) on drums, Jimmy James (True Loves, formerly Delvon Lamar Organ Trio) on guitar, and Adam Scone (Scone Cash Players, The Sugarman 3) on organ. Parlor Greens started off as an idea before it even had a name. Carman had been chatting with Colemine label boss Terry Cole about their shared love for organ combo records of yesterday on labels like Blue Note and Prestige. Cole said he'd love to have an organ trio be the first project at the label's new studio, Portage Lounge, located in Loveland, Ohio, So when Carman tapped James and Scone for the session, the stage was set. Carman and Cole had started work a day early to dial in the drum sound, so when the rest of this murderer's row arrived they hit the ground running. It was instant chemistry, Within the first ten minutes of everyone plugging in, a song was written and recorded, "West Memphis". And over the next three days, these three maestros conducted a beautiful and soulful symphony straight to tape. As natural and fun as three old friends getting together after a long absence, only this was the first time they had written and performed together. True magic. So this is the result of that session. Eleven outs. Ten originals. Two sides. All killer, no filler. Straight to the old reliable Tascam 3BB tape machine, mixed up nice and dirty for your enjoyment. Parlor Greens are proud to present their debut long player, in Green / We Dream.

It was on the occasion of the bicentennial of the USA (1776 – 1976) that I recorded this album which had an international success. The musicians were perfect and the sound great; it gave me the idea and the crazy desire to make a record on the Africa that I love. Here too, I’ll let you know.

Glasgow septet The Joy Hotel are announcing their debut album Ceremony with the release of its lead single, the surging and rapturous 'Jeremiah'. It’s a song that grapples with the idea of approaching unknowns, and how conflicting attitudes illicit different responses to the same situation. More directly, it’s about staring death in the face and choosing how to come to terms with it.

Newly signed to SO Recordings and with a debut album proper in hand, The Joy Hotel have become a word-of-mouth success story in the Scottish DIY scene, and have since taken their live show across the UK and Europe, playing festivals including Hidden Door, Doune the Rabbit Hole, Connect, TRNSMT, Twisterella, Latitude, Sound City and The Great Escape.

The band spent eleven days at Rockfield, the legendary studio in Monmouth, Wales, recording live-to-tape. When they left, they had a sound. It is often contradictory, in that it combines the songwriting sensibilities of pop and country with arrangements reminiscent of the psychedelic scene of the 60s, six-part vocal harmonies with elements of noise rock, beautiful balladry with a sense of humour, and a cinematic quality. The result of those eleven days is debut album Ceremony, a record that searches for the profound in the seemingly routine, and reaches out with arms wide open to wring celebration out of each moment.

Ceremony will be accompanied by a short film documenting the creation of the album called ‘Come The Ringing Bell’.

Prolific Danish drummer Emil de Waal has come to be known for his unique and personal contributions to a wide variety of musical projects in jazz, pop, rock, and electronica, including Kalaha, Baghdad Dagblad, Maluba Orchestra, and his own quartet to name a few. Well versed in the art of collaboration, his new record is his first solo undertaking, combining his jazz musicianship with his affinity for the offoff-kilter and electronically manipulated. Comprised of seven original compositions, as well as creative reinterpretations of pieces by Charlie Haden, Duke Ellington, and Hans Henrik Ley/Jannik Hastrup, the record is a collection of intimate, interactive duo performances decorated with sounds and textures from the electronic world. The record s title translates to four eyes ", a double double-entendre alluding to the album s duo approach, under four eyes so to speak, as well as to the fact that de Waal wears glasses. Making a conscious effort to collaborate with more female instrumentalists as well as musicians de Waal hadn t played with before, Fire Ojne " features a wide spectrum of organic instrumental timbres on the prepared piano, clarinet, saxo-phone, pedal steel guitar, and bass flute. From sung melodies and winding improvisations to spacious, experimental textural approaches, each piece sees de Waal engage in a private conversation with a musician he s admired. From the bluesy New Orleans feel of Ellingtons Limbo Jazz "", to the glitchy, menacing, avant avant-garde groove of Halvfirs Fems "", to the spacious, twinkling, ethereal Diskurs "", the album showcases the staggering breadth of the drummer"s influences and ideas. Programmed drum beats, vast reverbs, foley recordings of flowing water, and ricocheting delays craft an expansive, surprising and inventive context for improvised music in the 21st Century.

Samosa Records cranks up the summer groove with another sizzling release in the outstanding (Re) Funk+Head series – a collection of juicy tracks from the Samosa back-catalogue selected and re-edited by the man himself, De Gama.

This sumptuous vinyl cut of ITALO Funk and Boogie kicks off with Mexico’s finest, The Funk District and the enigmatic ‘La Rapina’. This is pure, unfiltered Funk District chemistry from the first bar. Snake hips guitar, rolling bass and that super-solid 4-4-4 beat pound into your consciousness whilst the hypnotic chant and Latino-infused vocal tempt you into sin.

Next up on the A-side is Samosa head honcho DeGama and his deliciously refreshing ‘Piňa Colada’ - a new edit of the original 2011 version never previously released on Samosa. And what a mystery box it is. Tight beats, punchy bass, looped synth and house-tinged high-hat lead us to a haunting, melodic vocal breakdown. There’s a subtle Afro flavour to this one, definitely for sipping cocktails in a hammock or Caribbean beach bar.

On Side B Italian Maestro Paul Older takes the beats down several notches with the explosive ‘Daboom’ – the DeGama Re-Groove of Paul’s first vinyl release way back in 2019. This is a straight up, mid-tempo peacock strut down Funksville Boulevard. Possibly wearing a Zoot Suit. Imagine having breakfast with Herbie Hancock and you might get an idea of just how funky this tune is. He’s passing you the eggs and you’re buttering the toast.

The last track sees DeGama delve into his dark magic box for the mind-melting, film noir themed ‘Higher’. The tempo is scaled right back to 92bpm for this portrait of pain, joy, lust and hallucinogenic dreams. ‘Higher’ reveals a side of DeGama that we know lurks in there, but only sometimes makes it to the surface. Smokey, sassy and sultry, this is definitely one for the dimly-lit after party.

The latest episode in the (Re) Funk+Head has set the Samosa bar even higher. This simply has to be in your summer record box and don’t you dare leave home without it.

LRK are excited to announce their next full album release LRKLP-08

'ALL I EVER WONDER' By Johnny Burgos

Available on LP/CD/DIGITAL

Singer, songwriter, and producer Johnny Burgos converges with veteran soul producer, Jeremy Page, (Kendra Morris, Czarface, MF Doom) to offer their first joint album together titled, 'All I Ever Wonder.' The album is a vividly vulnerable and honest effort by Burgos, lyrically and vocally, supported effortlessly by Page's masterful production. The pairing of the two seems meant to be, with a sound steeped in retro soul techniques, the album is equal parts novelty and nostalgia, equalling a timelessness that speaks to the humanity in all of us. All I Ever Wonder will be released on Vinyl, CD and all digital platforms on Friday, JUNE 28th, 2024 via UK-based Soul label LRK Records.

Johnny - "Jeremy and I have been ships passing in the night for years now. However, our first official collaboration was a 2021 remix of my song The Grey, which featured his long-time co-collaborator Kendra Morris. From the get-go, the musical chemistry was strong, so we took a shot at writing some original tunes. Since then, we've locked in on a creative groove and churned out a bunch of material. As we learned how to complement each other's musical strengths, the project took on more form and purpose, exploring heavier subject matter and expanding its range of genres. I'm pretty sure that's what makes this project so fun for us, and possibly what the early gatekeepers and listeners resonated with most. Neither of us expected such a reception to the music, which only made us more excited to hone in with more intention towards a goal. This also allowed me to bring more raw ideas to the table and have the confidence in Jeremy to hear the potential, then work his magic to extrapolate on my foundation. The teamwork in this effort was inspiring as we listened and referred to each other in every step of the process, and had a crew of killer musicians on deck for when we needed the extra feels on some joints.

We worked really hard on this record and hope it reconnects our listeners to being human in a visceral way. It's accessible, honest, and soulful because I wanted it to speak to anyone who still wants music to relate to. Music to help you through the valleys, to celebrate the peaks, and handle everything in between. It's a journey of the soul that explores ego, insecurity, love, loss, survival, enlightenment and trusting the process. It's truly 'All I Ever Wonder.' "

"All I Ever Wonder" will have its digital release through LRK Records on all platforms on Friday, JUNE 28th, 2024.

Johnny Burgos is a Brooklyn - born singer, songwriter, producer & engineer. His brand of future-soul embodies a raw uncompromising sound revealing beauty from pain, hope from despair, and the will to keep fighting. Especially influenced by his uncle and world-class percussionist, Andre Martinez, Johnny grew a fascination with the percussive rhythms of salsa and soul music, eventually manifesting into a devoted passion for Hip Hop production using an Akai MPC. With influences from Michael Jackson, OutKast, J Dilla, Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo, Johnny's music draws upon the core principles of R&B, while encompassing elements of Hip Hop, Funk, Pop, Salsa and Reggae.

Johnny has collaborated with DJ Skizz, for Mobb Deep & M.O.P., Marco Polo, Frans Mernick, Liza Colby (The Gold Setting) and led his band Bridge City Hustle, with whom he toured nationally.

As a solo artist Johnny debuted with back-to-back brand endorsements from French's Mustard and Samsung US, using them as a platform to launch his 2018 EP 'Love Through it All.' His debut album 'Gone Into The Grey' was released to critical acclaim in March of 2021 and has since been added to multiple editorial playlists by Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal, creating exponential growth. In 2022, Burgos' song 'Wild About You' was heard as the soundtrack to Neiman Marcus' "It's Your Moment" global streaming campaign. Johnny's currently amid promoting his latest album, The Tangent Tape, performing with his band The Butter, recording new collaborations and preparing his upcoming LP with Jeremy Page & LRK Records.

credits

releases June 28, 2024

The limited edition Deep Purple “Pictures Of You” 12” Maxi Single contains the 2024 Deep Purple songs ‘Pictures Of You’ and ‘Portable Door’ as well as two unreleased live recordings recorded live in Milan, Italy in 2022.

'=1' is the highly anticipated new album from one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Deep Purple. Produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin, this album captures the band's seminal classic sound without relying on nostalgia, embodying the essence and attitude of their 1970s incarnation possibly more than any other recent album. The enigmatic title '=1' symbolizes the idea that in an increasingly complex world, everything can eventually be reduced to a single, unified essence. Everything adds up to one. With three consecutive No.1 albums behind them and a new energy driving them forward, '=1' represents Deep Purple at their peak.

Habibi Funk is thrilled to share a second collection of deep grooves and unreleased songs from Algeria's Ahmed Malek, often compared to Italian heavyweight Ennio Morricone. Malek’s music effortlessly switches between thematic jazz, funk, reggae and Algerian folk – creating indelible soundscapes that intersect the musical innovations made in African jazz by Mulatu Astatke, Bembeya Jazz National along with some of Europe’s finest experimental composers like Piero Piccioni and Janko Nilovic. “Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux” is out June 28th, 2024 via Habibi Funk.

Whenever an interview asks about a “memorable moment” in Habibi Funk label history, one we always reference is how we got in touch Ahmed Malek’s (22K Spotify Followers, 285K Spotify Monthly Listeners) music and subsequently his family. It all started with us coming across Ahmed Malek’s music on YouTube in 2012. We were mesmerized by how effortlessly the music would switch between jazz, funk and Algerian folk while counterweighting it with an undertone of melancholia. Musical perception is different for every person, but there is a chance that his music will touch you in one way or another. At the time, we had just started the Habibi Funk label and we felt Ahmed’s music might be a good fit for the sound we were trying to highlight. Fast forward three years: we had become captivated with the idea of reissuing some of Ahmed Malek’s music. We knew some people had tried to locate his family but, but with no success. In the end it was an incredible amount of luck that made it possible for you to read these words and listen to Ahmed’s music. We were on a DJ gig in Beirut playing old Arabic records and we mentioned our passion for Ahmed Malek’s music to a friend. She said she knew one person in Algier, and as much as it would be a shot in the dark, she could ask her if she had an idea of how to find Malek’s family. Two weeks went by before we heard back, and what we got was incredibly good news - her Algerian friend was the neighbor of Ahmed Malek’s daughter! We’re not spiritual people, but it felt like the universe wanted to see the release happen. We started to speak with Henya, Ahmed Malek’s daughter and she was more than happy with our idea. She assured us that her father would have loved the plan as well. She provided us with tons of awesome material, from great photos, to unseen video footage and unreleased tracks. Eventually we visited Henya in Algeria and we licensed some of her father’s music, first for one (Habibi 003), then for another (Habibi 005), then we eventually organized an exhibition in June/July 2019 – Planète Malek – Une Rétrospective – at the Musée Public National D’Art Moderne & Contemporain in Algiers, focusing on Ahmed Malek’s artistic life. We also produced a small movie about him that our friend Paloma Colombe shot and directed. “Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux” is a deep collection of unreleased songs and stemmed grooves from the Algerian master, from jazz, funk, psych to reggae rhythms and Latin flavors, all under the sonic umbrella of “Planète Malek;” and to quote the maestro, “I didn’t choose music, music chose me.” Lead single is the subtlety funky “Thème Rythme Léger,” out May 3rd along with LP Pre-Order (coincided with Bandcamp Friday for a larger impact) a delicate sonic dance between flute, piano and Spanish guitar with a Bossainfluenced groove. The steady, swingin’ drum groove is cloudlike - definitely toe-tapping friendly so just grab a partner to feel the Rhythme Léger. Second single out May 17th is the reggae-infused “L’Empire Des Rêves” – a sultry sax melody weaves through a prismatic rocksteady thematic groove. 3rd and final single “Thème Djalti feat. Aïda Guéchoud” – is a true Western-inspired ode to his Italian counterpart Ennio Morricone. “Thème Djalti” features the haunting vocals of Aïda Guéchoud, and combines elements of baroque and Bossa-jazz in a timelessly thematic way that seems grandiose yet remains uniquely personal to your ears. Swelling strings, trumpet, fem vox, flute, and plucked guitar expertly arranged, feels like you’re riding a horse into the sunset. Focus track “La La La” is fiery afro-arab-funk of the highest order! Put on your dancing shoes as Ahmed cuts the rug and gets us grooving along. Sonically the cut sounds like if Ahmed ran into The JB’s and Fela Kuti at a Cymande concert. Driving guitar and organ solos vie over pulsating bass riffs and afro-funk drumming that’ll have you out on the dance floor in no time. As always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background and interviews with Ahmed compiled through found newspaper clippings and newsreels, also including unseen photos, scans and more. “Ahmed Malek: Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux” will be out everywhere June 28th.

Suns of the Heart is a follow up to Junior Boys and Caribou live collaborator Colin Fisher's Reflections of the Invisible World and the preceding album V le Pape.

Suns of the Heart was created as part of the process of building on the relationship of documenting Fisher's live solo process and augmenting it over the course of 3 records with studio compositional ideas.

With Suns of the Heart, Fisher connected with his good friend David Psutka, who released Reflections of the Invisible World on his label Halocline Trance, to engineer and produce the project.

The concept for the album was to deconstruct Fisher's live process and apply a studio sampling methodology from hip hop to establish foundational layers for each track. Psutka was the perfect partner for this endeavor considering his long history of electronic music as well as his appreciation for interesting conceptual ideas.

Psutka essentially became a co-composer for a few tracks and was an indispensable force in constructing this unique document. Together they sampled various sounds, textures, incidental sounds from me on various instruments, reconfigured them in Psutka's daw and then built compositions on top of them.

Conceptually this reflects Fisher's live process, where he samples and loops sounds in transparent ways and orchestrate textures, sounds, chord changes into fully realized compositions in real time. The freedom in the studio scenario enables complete separation of each sound and texture for mixing, orchestration, and composition. The result is a compelling augmentation of his live process with the addition of Psutka's skill and conceptual sense for an entire new synthesis of ideas to something not previously possible or imaginable.

The album title and track titles were all inspired by the work of Henry Corbin.

Repress.

Welcome to “Through Lines”, a collection of hand picked tracks by genre nomad and bass innovator Martyn, made between 2005 and 2015, carefully recovered and remastered for vinyl and digital release on 3024. Previously only available on 12” across a scattering of different labels, this set includes essential ‘Martyn Music’ (as the producer likes to classify it); tracks like “Vancouver” (A 140 staple to this day), “Mega Drive Generation” and his classic remix of TRG’s “Broken Heart”, as well as deeper cuts like the rare “Friedrichstrasse” and house gem “For Lost Relatives”.

This is not just a compilation of remastered music, it’s a document of an era of UK inspired dance music where ideas, genres, tempos and scenes seemed to rapidly merge and splinter off. An exciting time where producers constantly tried to one-up each other with new ideas and influences, in a vibrant international scene of small club nights from FWD>> and DMZ in London to Red Zone (co-run by Martyn) in the periphery, the earliest online forums like Dubstepforum and radio shows like Dj Flight’s BBC 1xtra show and Mary Anne Hobbs’ Breezeblock. Innovation in music never happens in a vacuum and is always a product of community, producers, writers, and other makers continuously inspiring and pushing each other to come up with the next thing. This ethos is present in all of Martyn’s music throughout the years, but also in his work with Jeroen Erosie as 3024 and within the 3024 Mentoring Program he runs today.

Palmyra’s full length LP You Are What You Absorb was released in 2013. “The title comes from a lifetime of absorbing music and pinching production ideas, not just listening to music, but deconstructing it and putting it back together my own way” as described by Palmyra. With the release of two singles, Shy Boy and You’re My Brian Jones, Stevie Van Zandt took notice again, and added You Are What You Absorb to the Underground Garage music library. Palmyra has signed with Wicked Cool Records, released Come Spy With Me with her band The Doppel Gang, formed all gal trio , The Coolies with Kim Shattuck and Melanie Vammen, and released an EP, Uh Oh... It’s The Coolies, and various 45’s with the label. Now, a decade later, Wicked Cool Records is reissuing You Are What You Absorb on vinyl for the first time. “I’m thrilled that this album is finally coming out on vinyl. I’ve always been proud of this one, and feel that it holds up in every way - the songwriting, the production, and am looking forward to a new life and audience for the record.” Palmyra Delran

Here at Mr Bongo we have been inundated with people asking us to reissue this release. Ana Frango Elétrico's petit cult classic masterpiece 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' from 2019, which was only ever released on vinyl and CD in Brazil and Japan, has fast become a collector's item.

Well received by fans, DJs, and reviewers on release, The Needle Drop expressed "Ana Frango Elétrico's authentically vintage fusion of chamber pop, rock, samba and jazz is a real blast!" listing it as one of its Top 50 Albums of 2019. The album's reputation has been slowly building ever since, gaining a Latin Grammy nomination in 2020, and now solidly cementing itself as a gem of contemporary Brazilian music.

Across the albums nine tracks, Ana blends elements and influences from MPB, Tropicália, indie rock, punk and pop, forging them together with a sumptuous dose of her signature style. The finesse of 'Saudade' kicks off the LP, one of Ana's most known tracks to a non-Brazilian audience. A sublime opener, beginning with a spellbinding piano solo before transcending into a beautiful dream-laden slice of warmth, complete with luscious jazzy horns and deft vocal delivery. ‘Promessa e previsões’ follows, the only track on the album not to be written by Ana, instead being penned by Chico França. It’s a swelling and sweeping twilight groover, building and breaking across absorbing peaks.

Other highlights on the album include the anthemic 'Chocolate', which was a firm favourite with a packed sing-along crowd when we heard Ana perform it live. Elsewhere, 'Se No Cinema' hits with its quirky allure, charm and catchy melodies before transforming into a carnival spirit.

Tapping into the richness of Brazil’s new wave of musical energy, the album also includes a heavyweight lineup of collaborations with artists such as Dora Morelenbaum (Bala Desejo), Tim Bernardes, Antonio Neves and Guilherme Lirio to name but a few.

A short, sweet and refreshing record, that leaves nothing to waste, marrying playful ideas with poignant themes. 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' is a future classic and will beguile fans of ‘70s Brazilian recordings, Gal Costa, Mac DeMarco, Stereolab, Superorganism, Caetano Veloso and more.

"1996-97? Yeah, that’s when New York was still NEW YORK!

That was around the time we really started to get hold of exotic herbs. Copper Haze, hydroponic! The vibes in the studio were always lovely. I had hair at the time! Dread-Locs down to my shoulders... I was still rockin’ the Wallabees, or British Walkers as we called them - representing for Brooklyn and my West Indian roots!

There was no social media, no supervision, nobody all up in our business… It was classic "mind your own business" NYC Vibes! I was DJing at a lot of the hot clubs and THE hottest afterhours in the city. There were nights when I saw Micheal Douglas roll into the afters with Grace Jones - they were there to party and unwind and I was there dropping the dope tracks for the people.

When it was studio time, with my homie Matt Echols...I was probably setting things off with some quality herbage, a big ass bag of Funyuns and my trusty SP-1200, lol. I had picked up some tips and tricks from Todd Terry and by '96-'97 I was a Shaolin with it myself! This was around the time tracks like "Flowers" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Dub)" were tearing up the clubs. I wanted to be able to get my ideas out with no problem, and by then I had a lot of confidence...

Being able to Dj in some of the hottest NY hot spots at the time, I was able to really see what worked and what didn't on the dancefloor. The best House Dancers from around the world and around the Tri-State area would be at my jams. I'm talking Ejoe, Voodoo Ray, maybe kids from the Mop-Top Crew... I was definitely taking note of the kind of rhythms and sounds that would make them go crazy on the dancefloor!

And that's how we went about it - I laid down the rhythms that made it happen in my sets and translated the vibes I was picking up from NYC itself. Matt threw down musically and we were just being as creative and inventive as possible! But we always kept in mind that our job was to make the people on the dancefloor jump!

A lot of the jams from those days got signed to various record labels, we dropped a lot of them on our own label...and some of them ended up in the archives - until now!"

- DJ Romain

Keep on Dancing EP by Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg on 10-inch 45 rpm vinyl with four versions fresh out of the oven. Faithful to the essences, the band of the only Ramone still standing trims all the fat off the originals and makes every second count. High voltage. DESCRIPTION Marky Ramone needs little introduction. The only Ramone still standing was born in 1952 in Brooklyn and joined the band in 1978, replacing Tommy, and remained with the Ramones until they disbanded in 1996 (with a 1983-1987 hiatus due to personal problems). He is a restless person and has never stopped recording and performing live, either solo (MR & the Intruders, MR & the Speedkings) or in projects and collaborations (Joey Ramone, Teenage Head, Tequila Baby, Wardogs...). MARKY RAMONE'S BLITZKRIEG is the name of the band with which he has been touring the world for 15 years celebrating the Ramones' legacy, as well as adding some own-penned songs and some covers of other iconic punk rock bands to his repertoire. Over the years the line-up has varied, but in recent times the band has consolidated its position on stage with the resounding presence of Vitoria-Gasteiz's own Iñaki Urbizu "Pela" (La Excavadora, Victima's Club) as frontman and vocalist, and the Argentinians Marcelo Gallo and Martín Sauan (Expulsados) on guitar and bass. So, the time seemed right to transfer all the energy generated live to a 10" plastic EP. Four versions fresh out of the oven. Three tracks under two and a half minutes and one just over three minutes. True to the Ramones essence, they remove all the fat that was left over from the originals and make every second count. The Gentrys' "Keep On Dancing" opens the selection. The original track reached number four in the US charts in 1965 and, after passing through the hands of MARKY RAMONE'S BLITZKRIEG, classic Ramones covers like "Do You Wanna Dance" inevitably come to mind. The idea is easy, speed up the original a bit, in 4/4, and then play it faster. The hard part is that the result is so exciting and energetic. "It's Not Unusual", the Tom Jones hit, becomes maximum fun. The familiar, catchy tune is elevated to a whole new level of energy and intensity so that the chorus can be belted out loud. The Beatles' "Octopus's Garden", originally composed and sung by Ringo Star, is transformed into a playful punk-pop song to escape, if only momentarily, from the worries of the earthly world in the backdrop of a bar with a good sound system. Closing "New York, New York", the classic song from the Frank Sinatra songbook, celebrates New York City. It fits perfectly with Marky's identity as a native of the city, rooted in its culture and spirit, capturing the vibrant energy and rebellious attitude of the city that never sleeps. Some can cover hundreds of different songs and make them their own, and others can't. MARKY RAMONE'S BLITZKRIEG, like their originators, are certainly one of those who can. The band is just as comfortable with a colossal song as they are with a ditty, it's all about electric atmosphere and chemistry and, on each of these new recordings, the voltage is very high. One euro from the sale of each record will go to the victims of war. Stop the war!

After five long years, Balance and Composure return with Too Quick To Forgive––newly signed to Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip’s label, Memory Music, the alt-rock dar- lings sound more assured and adventurous than ever across two vulnerable tracks. Too Quick To Forgive is a reflection on personal perseverance in the wake of confrontation, told through two distinctly different scenarios. “Savior Mode” finds frontman Jon Simmons baring his soul in a way that is unparalleled in their discography, while “Last To Know” is an emotionally-resonant highlight that leaves a lasting impact well after its final notes play out.

Simmons’ vulnerability and emotional delivery across both tracks cut through with unflinching precision courtesy of Andy Slaymaker (guitar), Matt Warner (bass), Erik Petersen (guitar), Dennis Wilson (drums), and who the band considers their 6th member––producer Will Yip. In the fall of 2022, the group got together at his Conshohocken, PA studio, Studio 4, with a few ideas that Yip helped turn into these otherworldly tracks. “It was all magic,” Jon says.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Balance and Composure will return to the stage for a series of Too Quick To Forgive release shows in some of the biggest rooms they’ve ever played.

The color green can represent many things. It can symbolize money, of course, but also weed. And envy. It implies newness, the rebirth of spring, but it can also evoke illness and infection. It’s an apt name for a band that is defined by its adaptability, by its knack for doing many different things all at once. On the Color Green’s second full-length—their first as a quartet—they ground their cosmic jams in earthy melodies, drawing from ‘60s SoCal folk-r0ck, ‘70s classic rock, ‘80s underground rock, ‘90s psychedelic dance-rock, and many other sources.

In the two years the band has been touring, it has already shared stages with a range of groups that reflect both the sophistication and the wild malleability of their sound, including Fuzz, Kikagaku Moyo, Circles Around the Sun, and Young Guv. “When we play live, I don’t really know what’s going to happen,” says guitarist Noah Kohll. “You really have no idea what you’re going to get with this band, which keeps things fresh for us and maybe makes the live experience special.”

Adds drummer Corey Rose, “One thing about this band that I really appreciate is that we can camouflage into any environment or any show. We can play with Hiss Golden Messenger and lean into that funky country vibe, or we can play with the Brian Jonestown Massacre and get evil. We all love a variety of music, so let’s not put ourselves in a box.”

That wild, mercurial quality is reflected on Fool’s Parade, a meditation on loss, grief, confusion, frustration, and the clarity to which they all lead. Their songs are vehicles for self-explorations, not just a means of putting their feelings into lyrics and notes but molding them, night after night, into different shapes to get different insights.

“MARK” is the new solo record from acclaimed drummer and composer Mark Guiliana: an auditory manifestation of one of theworld’s most creative and innovative musical minds. Ever since the first day he picked up a pair of drum sticks, Mark Guiliana has been instinctively exploring and absorbing themusic and rhythms that have been ever-present in his life. Fast forward to the present day and he has earned a formidable reputation as a world-class drummer, composer and thinker at the forefront of contemporary jazz and beyond. Guiliana’sartistry defies convention, weaving together a musical output beyond jazz with the ultimate goal of creating compelling musical narratives.

His songs serve as a conduit for his relentless quest for creativity, striving to share his sonic visions withthe world in their most unadulterated form. Guiliana’s new album “MARK”, represents an introspective voyage into his creative depths. On the record, Mark performs soloon a wide array of devices; you can hear his quintessential grooves intermixed with intriguing percussive soundscapes,sublime tapestries of synthesisers and fragments of spoken word. “MARK” is an album that peels back the layers of Guiliana’sexperiences, reflections, and the wisdom gleaned from a life immersed in music. It transcends genres and defiescategorisation, floating in the boundless space of pure expression.

Through music and through life, Mark looks into the mirrorand asks eternal questions of identity and growth: who am I, where am I going and what do I stand for? This album invites listeners to share in Mark’s personal dialogue, offering a sanctuary where they can begin to untangle and examine themselves track by track. “MARK” is an exploration of new and uplifting musical territory, unrestricted by norms andfree from preconceived ideas or satisfying (but ultimately unfulfilling) genre expectations. It embodies the impact of Guiliana’sjourney, marking his evolution as an artist. This record echoes the spirit of freedom, the courage of inquiry, and the beauty of unfettered expression.

Pearlescent White Vinyl with A5 card inserts.

Over the last 20 years, Portland, Oregon's Federale has carved out a unique niche within the indie music landscape, blending their signature spaghetti-Western instrumental sound with increasing doses of moody vocal arrangements in the spirit of Lee Hazlewood or later-period Leonard Cohen. Still, through it all songwriter (and lead singer, when there is one) Collin Hegna has maintained a strictly retro vibe, and Federale's records have always sounded period-correct for an alternate-universe 1971 where rock and roll never caught on.

Reverb & Seduction, Federale’s sixth studio album, marks the band’s 20th anniversary, and finds them beginning to color outside those Ennio Morricone lines. Perhaps Hegna—who also spent the last 20 years as a dues-paying member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre—has finally decided to give his psych-rock alter ego a seat at the Federale table.

“Before, I'd have an idea and think, ‘Well, that can't be a Federale song’, because it had distorted guitars or whatever,” says Hegna. “But then I thought, 'Well, why not?’” This openness to a broader palette of influences allows Reverb and Seduction to veer into psychedelic and even gothic territory—think Love and Rockets or Sisters of Mercy—that the 2010s Federale might have considered off limits.

The album's first single “Heaven Forgive Me,” for example, draws on Goblin (the Italian prog-rockers who scored Suspiria) and perhaps even a little Depeche Mode, while “Advice from a Stranger” borrows the fuzz and feedback of DIG!-era BJM and The Electric Prunes.

The first time we discovered Emanuel‘s voice was during the making of Pinnacle Sound‘s album Soul Medicine (BAT 007), it was in 2021. Some slaps leave a deep and indelible mark. We knew then that a new adventure was about to be born. Everything comes in time to those who wait, and what was supposed to happen happened: Emanuel contacted Bat Records for the realization of his new project. Nations Shall Know is the fruit of this meeting.

Emanuel & The Bionites are the many facets of one man. A diligent producer, it is with a selection of his best compositions that he knocks on the door of Bat Records to put his unique style on tape. The idea is clear, to produce a Showcase album: for each vocal, a dub mixed by the flagship duo Dub Shepherds. From a children’s song with soulful power in the introduction to “Arkitect“, to Africa as the central theme on “Imansion“, to the pure song of praise on “Jah Love“, through warm riddims carrying texts with apocalyptic resonances like on the title “Nations Shall Know”, there will be something for everyone.


And in discomix, ladies and gentlemen, following Emanuel‘s favourite format! Latest illustration of a rising figure of a certain Roots revival in Europe, this album will reconcile young zealous dubbers and old reggae backpackers.

a a1. Arkitect (Discomix) 8.25
[b] a2. Imansion (Discomix) [7.28]
[c] b1. Jah Love (Discomix) [8.26]
[7.42]

HIGHLIGHTS Originally released in 1980, this was Stiv Bators' first solo album. Now reissued with 2 bonus tracks, not available on the original version, a slightly different picture on the cover (the actual unfiltered photo as used on the 1980 issue) and a booklet with extensive liner notes and photos. Bators was the man who destroyed Rocket from the Tombs, from which he hijacked half the members to found one of the most influential American punk bands to have existed, The Dead Boys. Stiv had turned in his broken teeth for a more power pop oriented solo career. This is not an album recorded by a has-been former punk idealist; instead it's a true step forward into another unknown arena packing all the glare and attitude that remained from the last. The music is more similar to 60's power pop than the vicious punk rock that Bators became known for originally, while a member of The Dead Boys. New generations continue to discover it. It still holds up very well and sounds as fresh and vibrant as ever. DESCRIPTION On August 11th of 1980, Stiv Bators, David Quinton Steinberg, George Cabaniss and Frank Secich flew to Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. They were there to do the West Coast leg of the "URGH! A Music War" tour. On the bill of the tour were Pere Ubu, Magazine, the Members, and they were billed as Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys or just the Dead Boys. After the tour they were supposed to embark on a 6-week tour of Australia, New Zealand, and the Far East. During the beginning of the Urgh Tour the Australian Tour was abruptly canceled. Greg Shaw who owned Bomp Records decided that since the band were already going to be in California that they should do Stiv's solo album which they had planned to do after returning from Down Under. So, Bators and the rest of the group set up camp at the infamous Tropicana Motel in West Hollywood and Greg booked them into Perspective Studios in Sun Valley, CA. Before going into Perspective, they went into Andy Chappel's Stone Fox rehearsal studio in North Hollywood, CA for a few days to rehearse the songs and arrange them for the album. "We had 'Evil Boy' (Zero-Secich), David Quinton's 'Make Up Your Mind' and my song 'A Million Miles Away'. We also rearranged mine and Stiv's 'The Last Year' changing the key from D to F# and making it much easier to sing in a power pop vein. In addition, we had 'Swinging A Go-Go' another great contribution by George Cabaniss. Stiv and I had written two more for the album 'Ready Anytime' and the album closer 'I Wanna Forget You (Just the Way You Are)'. We also had a moody dark instrumental (written by Cabaniss-Quinton-Secich) that we were playing around with for some time. Stiv was supposed to write lyrics for it, but he never got around to it, so we left it as an instrumental. It had a great vibe and reminded me of the John Cassavetes 1956 film "Crime in The Streets" and was thus christened that. The last song we picked for the LP was 'I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)' which was the one cover we did that suited Stiv's voice perfectly. After a few days of rehearsing at Stone Fox, we went into Perspective Studio in Sun Valley, California. Greg hired Thom Wilson (who would later become a famous punk rock producer of Offspring, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, T.S.O.L., Bad Religion and many others). Stiv co-produced with Thom and Andy Chappel and Thom did the engineering." Frank Secich recalls. In September, after the "Disconnected" mixing sessions, Stiv went to Baltimore to film "Polyester" with Movie Director John Waters and actors Tab Hunter and Divine. Stiv then went to the UK to record with the Wanderers doing their LP "Only Lovers Left Alive". He wanted to have both bands going simultaneously but logistically and practically they all knew that could never work. The "Disconnected" Band would do one last tour to support the album release of "Disconnected". The LP was released by Bomp Records on Monday December 08th, 1980. Later that night, John Lennon was murdered in New York City. So many of the principal characters involved in the creation of "Disconnected" have passed on. Stiv Bators (June 3rd, 1990), Greg Shaw (October 2nd, 2004), Thom Wilson (February 8th, 2015), and George Cabaniss (July 17th, 2020). But "Disconnected" lives on and on and has left quite a legacy for itself. There have been over 100 cover versions internationally of the songs from "Disconnected" and it has been in print and reissued in various forms in many countries around the world. New generations continue to discover it. It still holds up very well and sounds as fresh and vibrant as ever.

The Californian funk-pop singer is due to release her new album. Remi is set to perform at Glastonbury this year and will be supporting Olivia Rodrigo on the UK leg of her world tour. She will be also headlining her solo tour later this year. Wolf previously revealed her new album was about “transition” in a press statement, focusing on her interpersonal relationships. “I think in writing this record, there was no ounce of my life that was grounded except for this one relationship I have which a lot of the record is about”, she said. “And I love writing about love and the trials and tribulations of love, and of my own mind and living in my own body, so those themes are still running very strong.”

I have no neat and tidy way to summarize Joan of Arc. The group's obdurate dedication to shape-shifting reinvention charmed and frustrated in equal measure, and often simultaneously. Any conversation of who or what Joan of Arc is must also consider what the band is not—beyond a unit that avoided convention. Only one person, bandleader Tim Kinsella, remained in Joan of Arc from its 1996 debut to its final days in 2020. For nearly a quarter century, Joan of Arc maintained a fluid lineup that drew from a multitude of subversive Chicago music communities. Every musician and behind-the-scenes collaborator that played a role in Joan of Arc (a number that exceeds 100) influenced the band's direction and character. All the while, Tim helped maintain Joan of Arc's singular identity throughout all the shifts. No two Joan of Arc albums sound identical, but if you listen close enough, you trace ideas that took root on one LP and blossomed in the next. This book expands and deepens the story of Joan of Arc's first five albums (its Jade Tree period) with archival photos and pages ripped from Tim's journals, presented alongside Tim's recollections and a compact early history. This book comes with a live recording of the one and only show by Red Blue Yellow the band Tim started just before Joan of Arc presented here on a 7", along with download code for a couple hundred bonus tracks from the group's archives.

Never before had the lyrics of Peruvian cumbia been able to touch the reality of migrants from the countryside living in the capital. In 1974, Grupo Celeste, under the direction of Víctor Casahuamán Bendezú, recorded 'En el campo', a first single that not only broke sales records, but also brought thousands of people into contact with their homeland. The band not only wove the nets of that urgent, necessary reconnection, but also gave birth to one of the most relevant popular singers in the history of Peru: Lorenzo Palacios Quispe 'Chacalón'. The year was 1974. Until then, only Los Destellos had recorded a non-instrumental cumbia song, 'Elsa', in 1970. Víctor Casahuamán Bendezú, a musician, creator and the composer behind Grupo Celeste understood that in order to continue the legacy of Peruvian bands from the sixties like Los Demonios de Corocuchay, Los Yungas and Los Demonios del Mantaro, it was necessary to address in his lyrics a special and urgent topic: the feeling of displacement from the homeland and the vicissitudes of the migrant sector. The experiences of those who traveled from the provinces to the capital in search of opportunities they could not find in their towns of origin; the process of settling and adapting in a foreign city; the challenges derived from this change of environment; the recognition of a different culture and the creation of a space they understood as their own were the stories that had to be told in the songs. This is why Grupo Celeste was the backbone of cumbia in Peru: it established a common story that thousands of migrants would identify with. From this idea and impetus was born 'En el campo', the band's first single.

When Jazz Meets Italo-Disco. Two Italian legends meet and deliver a unique contemporary jazz-house fusion! ''Stefano Cantini is a well-known saxophonist in the Italian and international jazz scene. In recent years he has focused on a project called Living Coltrane with Ares Tavolazzi, Francesco Maccianti and Piero Borri. Stefano and Maurizio Dami (Alexander Robotnick) had worked together for a while in the mid '80s and Stefano also played on GMM's album (''Love Supreme'' is the best known track). Since then, Stefano has focused totally on Jazz whilst Maurizio Dami produced World Music in the '90s and later on, under the artist name Alexander Robotnick, retrieved in 2000, turned to electronic music again, so the two musicians lost track of each other for 40 years. Robotnick says, ''In March 2023 I received a call from a club in Pisa, Cantiere San Bernardo. They asked me whether I could play live with Stefano ''Cocco'' Cantini on the occasion of a special event dedicated to Giovanotti Mondani Meccanici. I called him and he answered enthusiastically. Shortly before the concert we rehearsed at the Follonica Music School which he directs. He improvised with me on the bases of my live. We liked our rehearsal and a few days later, on June 2nd 2023, we played in Pisa with much success. So came the idea of doing something together. We decided to produce an EP featuring 3 tracks. On some of my bases Stefano created a harmonic texture to improvise on. I mainly took care of the arrangement and the production. But what we play is the result of improvisation, with hardly any editing. It's amazing how we managed to work together so smoothly after so many years, as if we had never stopped. We called this project 'Robocok'''. They are modal tracks with a techno approach and harmonically open. Almost a provocation to the staticity of contemporary dance. On ''Francocco'' and ''Frigiococco'' Stefano plays soprano sax whilst on ''Afrococco'' he plays alto. Guglielmo Bottin took the task of making a remix. He picked ''Francocco'' and skilfully turned it into a pure drums and piano groove. Perfect for the dancefloor.''

Valley of Rain was Tucson’s Giant Sand’s debut album recorded in 1983, and eventually released by 1985. It included Howe Gelb on vocals, guitar and Winston Watson on drums for most of it, Tommy Larkins on drums for some of it and Scott Garber on fretless bass for all of it. At the time of the recording, Howe was unacquainted with the possibilities of tube (valve) amps and had recorded most of the album with a Roland JC120 at the miraculous 8 track facilities of The Control Center in Korea Town, Los Angeles by Ricky “Mix” Novak. This impromptu recording had occurred because the band refused to cancel their first Los Angeles live gig, at Madame Wong’s, when the band (Giant Sandworms) had broken up days before in Tucson. Instead, Howe headed out anyway with Scott, the newest member who’d only been in the band for about a year, after band mainstays Billy Sed and Dave Seger reasonably decided ‘enough was enough’ following a rough and tenuous year spent in the lower east side of NYC attempting to further the band circa 1981/82. Tucsonan Winston Watson, (who would go on to tour with Bob Dylan in the 90s, as well as Alice Cooper, Warren Zevon etc ) was already living in Los Angeles and was brave/kind enough to jump in for the live date with no rehearsal. The result was so sparked with adrenalin, that the trio set up an impromptu studio session the next day to attempt to capture the sonic thrust on tape. The total cost of the day and a half recording was $400 including one 1” reel of 30 minute tape. When Enigma Records offered to release the album they requested another 15 minutes of music to make it a full LP. Ron Goudie was then called in to oversee the extra recordings at a Venice, CA studio called Mad Dog with Eric Westfall engineering. Tommy Larkins, who had been on the previous country punk album of Howe’s “The Band of ... Blacky Ranchette” came in to drum for those last 3 songs. It was there when Howe borrowed an amp that had been stored at the studio did he discover the bolster of a tube amp and his world changed. The amp was a slightly modified Fender Twin Reverb owned by Robbie Krieger of The Doors. 30 some years later, now that the band had been put to sleep indefinitely, those very first songs had begun creeping into the last Giant Sand tours. It somehow seemed appropriate to give them another shot with the proper amp just to see what they could’ve been. What made the idea more approachable was the availability of both original drummers living back in Tucson. The first attempt came last summer with both Winston & Tommy and Thøger Lund on bass, as well as the 2 newest members, 29 year old Gabriel Sullivan and 23 year old Annie Dolan on double neck guitars. The sound was insane. The funny part was Gabriel, who engineered and mixed the session, gave it an intentional 80s production sound. Howe later explained to Gabe he had been at war with that production trend since those first original recordings. So they all tried it again at Christmas time, this time with a newly discovered Fender 30 amp that had only been in production from 1980 – 1983. This new re-recording of that first album now sounds like it should’ve sounded. It was re-done for $400 and the same day and a half session time as the original. Scott Garber even drove up from Austin TX with his fretless to play so that the album is literally the originally line up for at least half of the songs. And yes, no pedal boards were used too. The band intends to tour this summer playing only those Valley of Rain songs. Giant Sand Returns To Valley Of Rain.

Circling guitar lines; the rise of fall of delicate bass; deep, breathy horns: sonic elements that exist in a state of slow, perpetual motion, like ideas sprouting from some kind of cognitive compost. With wonder and charm, G. S. Schray's new solo album, Whispered Something Good, evokes a realm of new growth while offering a fitting soundtrack for its exploration, as if tailor made for both the daydreamer and silly adventurer.


We start in the darkness of "Unlit Center" with elliptical phrases of jazz guitar. A conversation between double bass, synthesiser, and piano plays out on "In Tears Twice A Page" before we're ushered into the reflective zone of "Another Haunted Mirror." There is synth mist which trumpet cuts through decisively like a shaft of light from the sun: warm and clear. As the album proceeds, firmer rhythms coalesce. On "Prelude for Probably," clattering drums lock into a triumphant groove with horns. And then, to close, the instrumental art-pop of "Gone in Amber," probing not necessarily towards a final destination but another stop-off, one of distant birdsong and the faintest flicker of synth. Intimate and inviting, the act of listening to Whispered Something Good is akin to digging through an imagination. It's a place of subliminal melodies blooming into rhizomatic musical shapes, stray musings coalescing as bolts of inspiration — change fostering yet more change.

- 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF TESS PARKS DEBUT ALBUM.
- GOLD VINYL, GATEFOLD SLEEVE, HANDWRITTEN LYRIC BOOKLET.
A native of Toronto, Tess Parks moved to London, England at the age of seventeen where she briefly studied photography before deciding to focus on music.
Tess made an impression on industry legend Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records, albeit the timing of their meeting could hardly have been less ideal; McGee was no longer involved in music and Tess was due to move back to Toronto. After moving back to her hometown in 2012, Tess formed a band on the advice of McGee and less than a year after their meeting, he returned to music with his new label, 359 Music.
Tess became one of his first signings and released her debut record ‘Blood Hot’ in November 2013 to excellent reviews. One reviewer described her as “Patti Smith on Quaaludes”. Others have mentioned her “gauzy psychedelic sound” and“smouldering voice”.
Alan McGee himself said: “She’s only 24 and is already an amazing songwriter... she just doesn’t quite know she is yet ... her most beautiful quality is her lack of ego. Tess is an amazing lady”.
‘Blood Hot’ is inimitably confident. It’s slow and psychedelic at times, while being loud and ready to fill a stadium at others. There isn’t a moment on the album that isn’t relatable or that doesn’t ring to the tune of a timeless classic to be talked about for years to come (the same way people discuss The Velvet Underground or My Bloody Valentine records today).
Her cult-like following has turned into a movement. And Tess is gladly leading us all back into that space within ourselves, both deeply personal and entirely universal. Incredibly relevant yet timeless.Cool and anti-cool. An enigma that doesn’t need solving. Tess Parks is as she’s always been. Her best work is already out there. And her best yet is still to come.

Lumberjacks In Hell is the Amsterdam based label run by Marcel Vogel that was established in 2010 and has long been a great source of leftfield club tunes. Having worked with a variety of international artists like Jamie 3:26, Philou Louzolo, Rayko, Karizma and Giovanni Damico, LJIH proudly presents its first release in two and half years from Lu/Lu & LYMA with ‘Hotmoltenlava’.

Production duo Lucas van Ee and Tjerk Lammers are collaborators extraordinaire, brothers speaking in code and working in unison, a hive mind of ideas and creativity that was always bound to erupt like a Vulcano. Lu/Lu & LYMA is a side project of the Amsterdam based LIKEMINDS, and together they share a studio together on the outskirts of the city. Both Artists are heavily involved in the local

Across the seven tracks of ‘Hotmoltenlava’, the music serves as a captivating odyssey of electrifying new house anthems that seamlessly combine the pulsating production rhythms of Lu/Lu with the sultry tones of LYMA. Prepare to be transported to euphoric heights as ‘Hotmoltenlava’ marks a triumphant return for Lumberjacks In Hell spearheaded by the visionary Marcel Vogel, propelling it into a stratosphere all of its own.

To say that The Sinseers play oldies would be a misnomer. Fronted by bandleader and son of East Los Angeles Joey Quiniones, the group has quietly chipped away at the sounds of R&B and soul for the last half-decade. Quinones and his crew have continuously created a distinctive vibe that explores all aspects of a timeless genre, bringing together their interpretation of music through an unmistakable modern lens.With their most recent effort, the aptly titled Sinseerly Yours (Colemine 2023), the band recorded most of the album live in the studio. With Quinones on vocals and keys, vocalist Adriana Flores, Christopher Manjarrez on bass, Francisco Floreson on guitar, Bryan Ponce on guitar and vocals, Luis Carpio on drums and vocals, saxophonists Eric Johnson and Steve Surman, and Jose Luis Jimenez on trombone, The Sinseers achieves their most fully realized sound to date.All of the album's stunning tracks were recorded in a converted studio space in Rialto, California, known as Second Hand Sounds. The converted studio space, which used to be a dentist's office, allowed the group to experiment with their sound like never before - this time, the group managed to take a series of big swings, only to emerge with a fuller, more pronounced version of themselves. Despite those new strides, the band remains wholly committed to its sonic aesthetic while injecting its brand of vibrant 21st-century cool.Of course, the group has never been the type to shy away from their influences as they expertly toggle between 60s pop vis-à-vie early Beatles records to obscure dancehall Jamaican tunes - all fully extrapolated and reinterpreted through modern Chicano soul sound that the group has built their everlasting repertoire on.Quinones and bandmates have continued to apply what they've learned from their previous releases and their relentless touring schedule throughout the country. It's clear here that the work is paying off, putting to practice their musical chops thoroughly with all members expertly honing their sound. The melting pot of ideas is showcased with incredibly lush orchestrations and arrangements, married with pitch-perfect harmonies, allowing the group to further solidify themselves in the pantheon of the Southern Californian songbook.

Emerging from the vibrant Leeds DIY scene, Pop Vulture wield influences from the dissonance of the No-Wave movement and the unconventionality of post-punk and drape them over tightly-wound grooves. All of this simmers away underneath stream-of-consciousness narratives, often of mental health and the relentlessness of living. Having received radio support from Steve Lamacq, Emily Pilbeam and Jericho Keys, as well as sharing stages with Yard Act, English Teacher, KEG and DITZ, Pop Vulture’s “potential is tantalising”, as noted by Louder Than War. Performances at Long Division, Live at Leeds and In Colour festivals have spotlighted the band’s “angular rock with a heavy dose of percussion”. The debut EP from Pop Vulture sees them pushing the boundaries of guitar music. This EP is a culmination of musical tastes. From the rowdy, driving nature of punk and its commentary on social issues, to the pulsing flirtatiousness of electronic music, and experimental edges of alternative rock. ‘Another Success’ sees an eclectic mix of songs inspired by the post-brexit mindset of Britain along with self reflection of mental state. It has a distinct and tasteful soul to it leaving behind thought provoking notions and romanticised ideals.

Past collaborators of Decosimo include indie/folk artists Jake Xerxes Fussell, Wye Oak, and Hiss Golden Messenger. Past collaborators of Schrey include experimental/sound artists Alvin Lucier, Gordon Mumma and Yasunao Tone. In April 2021, Joseph Decosimo, Luke Richardson, and Cleek Schrey three of the most compelling interpreters in the American traditional music scene gathered at a cabin in Tennessee to explore their collective repertoire of Old-time fiddle and banjo tunes, gleaned from visits with older players, field recordings, and vintage 78s. Working with fiddle, hardanger d’amore (a fiddle with sympathetic strings), banjos, and a 19th-century pump organ, the trio captured both the sonic details of their instruments and a generous musical interplay rooted in a dozen years of collaboration. Their debut album, Beehive Cathedral, presents resonant, thoughtful, and expansive explorations of Appalachian and American music. The results showcase deep Details study and enveloping, exhilarating performances. A rich vein of stories and relationships to people and places underpin Beehive Cathedral. Much of the album draws on Decosimo’s experiences learning the music of Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, where he grew up and worked as a folklorist. A key source of inspiration was fiddler Clyde Davenport (1921-2020), “Clyde was a social and musical trickster who knew hundreds of old tunes and had an uncanny ability to recall each piece in exquisite detail,” says Decosimo. “During my visits, he’d play breathtaking local pieces from his father Will, who was born in 1868. His father had learned some of them from a neighbor who was born in 1829.” "This record expresses some of what we hear in Southern traditional music: the ring of the strings, the buzz of the tunings, the hum of the organ,” explains Schrey. Spending time listening to old recordings and imagining how those sounds were made has made the trio keenly interested in the relationship between physical motion and sound in their source material. The result is a dense layering of sounds and interaction. Of this sonic interplay, Irish fiddle luminary Martin Hayes observes, “The sound of a beehive conveys the idea of a unified harmonious soundscape which is how this recording sounds. Beehive Cathedral is a sonic delight, a beautiful blend of Old-time soundscapes and more. This is a hypnotic recording that is grounded, subtle and refined

Malphino is a mysterious band from an imaginative tropical island of the same name that plays Cumbia and a heady mix of exotic sounds. The musicians of Malphino reinterpret the traditional banda, playing organ, accordion, tuba, and an array of percussion and rhythms from all corners of the world. Malphino has an unique style and is a gathering of nationalities, hailing from Japan, Malaysia, Colombia, France, UK and the Philippines. This central idea of multiculturalism is the foundation for Malphino’s conceptual music project.

DJ Support: Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 6 Music), Tom Ravenscroft/Deb Grant – New Music Fix (BBC Radio 6 Music), Huey Morgan (BBC Radio 6 Music)

Cut from material recorded in April 2021 at Fish Factory studios in London, the album’s title Abbreviations nods to the editing and post-production processes that trimmed the original recordings into seven succinct and intricate tracks. Making space for collaborators Ernesto Marichales (percussion), Miryam Solomon (vocals) and Valeria Pozzo (Violin, viola), it builds on the critically-acclaimed success of Sound & Reason (supported by Gilles Peterson and Mary Anne Hobbs) to bring out different shades of the group’s shape-shifting sound.

‘Elevator Company’ condenses twenty-minutes of jamming around Tal Janes’ hypnotic guitar line into a low-lit lounge groove that subverts the tropes of elevator music associated with some forms of easy listening jazz. Featuring Solomon’s wordless vocals, the piece blurs the lines between ambient and improvised music, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere reminiscent of classic RnB recordings.

On a different tip, ‘The Spin’ is a trance-like freak-out drawing on the final reserves of energy at the tail end of two days of solid recording. Reflecting guitarist Janes’ idea that "music really starts happening after a while, once you feel like you have nothing left to offer," the hypnotic rhythm section sets the tone for an fraught and frazzled guitar solo that seems to dissolve the very edges of time and space in the process.

An album that speaks to Qwalia’s endless capacity for self-renewal and uninhibited expression, Abbreviations takes its cue from the group’s name to communicate something ineffable about the nature of music, rhythm and sound that must be experienced to be truly understood.

From da Split V, is composed of House, Electro-House, Progressive tracks. An EP of 3 tracks/side, with on the A side, an EP of GRiNCH and on the B side, an EP of Tim B. The idea of these mini EP is to "Increase" the music through genres and bpm to make the public travel in the universe of each artist.

alphacut sets off into brushy tribal jungle

the early 2010s have been a prosperous era for a lotta fast dance and bass music. dubstep's magic was fading due to brosounds taking over but the idea of some fresh air inbetween drums and basslines was thankfully carried on into the jungles too. not only halftime but also tribal beats grew strong, whether it being in warm dubby or cold darker reincarnations.
speaking of living on, this plate is not only a sequel to that era but also a tribute to the one like morphy, who brought dubby tribal brushy jungle onto alphacut around that time. it light up a spark to head for new territories, its soul is vibing on in 45seven and especially in this new alphacut - post morphem!

rude operator are opening with a minimal dancehall feel, wriggling from 8bar to 8bar, switching tensions with patterns with a slice of footwork dna inside - zero chances to freeze!
rainforest is stepping on with enlightening skanks and mystic basses under a riddim one simply can't escape as well.
paradox effects is not only flipping sides but vibes pretty much too. keeping it tribal and one-seventy but much darker with an amen from the vaults in a bunker-conrete jungle - the raw and free sound of leipzig.
dreadmaul is closing with a masterpiece which could have been executed by the homaged dubbing don himself. moody pads meet distant dub sirens and robotic amen leftovers step up into a hypnotising groove, taking you back down in the woods.

we are happy to be back with a solid round-up package which should never leave your tribal crates again, zooom!

Bugger Off! picked up where its predecessor left off, and rampaged on from there. Covers of Zappa’s “Willy the Pimp” and the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” might have seemed a little obvious, but both are battered down with such a glorious lack of finesse that it’s impossible to object — anybody familiar with, respectively, Juicy Lucy and the
Hammersmith Gorillas’ versions of the same songs will come in with at least a vague idea of what to expect, but that’s about it.

“Hoochie Coochie Man” is even more disheveled, and when John Peel’s liner notes reminisce on the group’s insistence on recording live, you can tell he’s not necessarily looking back with any fondness.
On one occasion, he suggested they do a little overdubbing.

The band’s response to his words would become the album’s title. Including “Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut” as bonus track taken from the 1972 John Peel Session.

First ever reissue of this excellent self-titled South African jazz album by Spirits Rejoice.
Check out tracks like 'Woza Uzo Kudanisa Nathi' or 'Papa's Funk' !

The 1970s is regarded as a period of experimentation, boundary-breaking and hybridization in modern music and this spirit certainly informed the mushrooming of ideas that occurred in South African jazz during this time. In the shadow of more commercial township jive and soul, South African jazz evolved on the fringe, nurtured by passionate and enterprising independent producers who courted the interest of the mainstream with enchanting concoctions of jazz with folk, rock, soul and funk.

With a lineup hailing from far flung regions of South Africa, the mercurial sound of Spirits Rejoice and its willingness to weave a patchwork of different influences into its recordings is not hard to account for. More difficult to reconcile is that the band didn’t manage to level up to the status enjoyed by its peers in larger music markets abroad. Nevertheless, Spirits Rejoice has maintained its revered status in the collective memory of South African jazz for over four decades and their recorded artifacts return in the 2020s with the group’s vitality and energy undiminished.

In the late 90s, the bands that Mike Badger had been part of vanished in the rear-view mirror. The La’s and The Onset were no more. With a young family and his tin-can sculptures emerging as his primary source of income, the evenings in Allerton (south Liverpool) found him quietly strumming his acoustic guitar, careful not to disturb the sleeping children. Weekends often led to the Penny Lane Wine Bar and later to Henry Epstein’s residence, a haven for revelry after closing time. A place where acoustic guitars adorned the walls, and impromptu musical sessions unfolded. In the midnight hours at Henry Epstein’s house, Paul Hemmings conceived the idea of compiling an album featuring Mike’s new tunes, which seemed to carry a basic “pastoral” theme reflective of settled domestic life. Demos were recorded on a porta-studio, and the album, initially titled “Naked and Beyond,” was crafted with starkness and simplicity, adorned with selected embellishments contributed by associates who shared drinks and stages. Recording took place at “The Lab” studio just north of the city, utilizing a Teac 24 Track machine and the warmth of analogue recording. The studio featured an old Italian “Eko” acoustic guitar, a classical guitar, Louis Johnson’s cello arrangements, and Tommy Scott’s backing vocals. Once the core of the album was laid down, the journey continued to Anglesey, to Henry Priestman’s “Gossamer Dome” Studio, where a baby grand piano, Farfisa organ, and “Parrot” accordion were added to enrich the songs with colors, harmonies, and magic, all against the backdrop of a sea view. The front cover of the album was adorned with an objet d’art created from a spiraled frying implement, part of Mike Badger’s “Lost and Found” exhibition. As the need to release the album arose, Mike Badger and his collaborators established their own label, “Viper,” and secured a distributor. The album, titled “Volume,” reflected its creation – from its initial sound considerations to the organic body of work composed in recent years. The recording process, though thorough, embraced imperfections, as Mike Badger believed that completeness emerged from these flaws, giving the performance its distinct character. The spirit of the performance took precedence over perfection, resulting in a product that felt genuine, unfettered, and honest – created simply because it was meant to be made. Now the album turns 25 it is released on vinyl for the first time via Nine X Nine Records.

Mike Mooney presents his debut solo album The Cthulu Mythos via Nine X Nine Records. Mike Mooney has had a storied career in the music business, over the years he has had stints in Echo & The Bunnymen, The Psychedellic Furs, Spiritualized and The Wild Swans to name a few. Reknowned for his incendiary guitar work and distinctive style it seems incredible that only now are we seeing a solo debut proper. This record is inspired by the work of American authour and the godfather of the cosmic-horror genre H.P. Lovecraft. Mooney had long been a fan of Lovecraft’s work but through rereading much of his work during the coronavirus lockdown an idea for an album was planted. Using the titles of Lovecraft’s work as a springboard, Mike started recording. The songs came easily, almost as if being channeled via a conduit from some unknowable dimension of Old Gods and unspeakable horrors. The Cthulu Mythos is a larger-than-life, rock n’ roll affair. Purposefully distorted guitars are layered to a create a caucophonous effect that immerses you in Mike Mooney’s world populated by the creatures, characters and cosmic forces of H.P. Lovecraft’s mind.

Jaqee – is rhythm and life ”Places becoming journeys in themselves… Different places where I have lived and learned, places that have made my heart beat, the emotional realms that I have experienced. This is where it all starts, every time. Where I am is where it happens, because I am, there. Here.” She sings. She laughs! And she cries, too. Jaqee cannot tell when music and singing became her life, it has ”just always been there, in my head” she says. Now with the fourth album she has taken a closer look at herself, from every possible angle. No hiding. Different phases, different sides of her personality and musical creativity are all there. All as one. ”I am a diaspora kid, I fell in love with all kinds of music, I let myself embrace it all, because good music, is good music. All the way from Uganda at age 13 to the new home and culture in Sweden, then leaving Sweden as an adult for Berlin – has made me the Jaqee that I am”, says the Ugandan /Swedish artist who also received a Swedish Grammy nomination for her past work. Being on the move is without a doubt an important part of her life. “For me travelling is about being exposed to different perceptions, situations, cultures and extreme emotions, it has always made me grow. How many times have I not thought that: I wouldn’t have experienced this or that, if hadn’t been here. I love that feeling!” Jaqee’s music reflects this constant movement and progress. The album is inspired by places like Berlin, South Africa and Jamaica. The trip to Jamaica resulted in the only collaboration track on “Yes I am” recorded in Kingston with reggae artist Anthony B. Teka, the “Kokoo Girl” and “Yes I am” Producer says: ”This time around, like on the last album, we have worked with our colleagues in different countries. Musicians we love and musicians that are inspiring like Martin Hederos (The Soundtrack of our lives) who arranged the strings on the album. We also had New York drummer Daru Jones of Rusic Records play on some tracks. All these talents enhance the idea and expression that we wanted for “Yes I am”. With the album done, it is again time to hit the road and tour for Jaqee. “Getting out there and meeting the crowd is a high. We laugh, we dance and we get loud together. This is the best part of working with music – having a good time together. Music is a universal language.” On composing music, she admits that this time, more than ever, the words matter. Newly found motherhood has made this album in particular a significant legacy. Every song has a life punctuation of its own she has not limited herself by thinking in genres. Making the tone very straightforward. “The melodies and lyrics are closely intertwined, how I sing a word makes all the difference. Even though I love word play, it has to be very clear. Since I am not educated in reading music, I instead visualize and hear it, it seems to be the way my system works. It is all about rhythm and life, it is “YES I AM“.

For the fourth time now Jaqee introduces herself to the World with her impressive voice and her unique attitude. Born in Kampala, the Capital of Uganda, she began her vagabond like life the moment she was born. During her childhood, she travelled the rural areas of her home country with her parents. This is where she collected her first impressions of the life as a nomad. From birth on, wandering the earth became a part of her destiny. In the early nineties she undertook a huge step and immigrated to Sweden. The City of Gothenburg would become her adopted home from where she was able to access all the different destinies and directions, which were on offer to her. Through all the borders Jaqee crossed, music has always been her steady companion whereas it never was a stereotype thing that let her get down with any special genre, than more like a special feeling. “To do what I want in a particular moment is my motivation. I like to express myself in all kind of sounds.” So above all, she became a true nomad in the world of music. After several successful co-operations with numerous artists, in 2005 Jaqee made an impact with her debut album “Blaqalixious”, which was mainly a Soul and R&B album. “That was my direct contact to the music that a rural community in the Diaspora plays” she explains. But it did not end up there because a nomad like Jaqee does not settle anywhere. After further creative and fruitful collaborations, Jaqee released her second long player “Nouvelle d´ amour” in 2007. This time, the sound was more of a rocking, bluesy vibe. It seemed to be the total opposite to her debut album but for Jaqee it was only the next step on her path in the circle of life. “Everything is possible as long as it is real. I never wonder about things like genre as long as the vibe fits.” One step further on, she encountered the songs of Billie Holiday, which lead to the album “A letter to Billie” recorded together with Bohuslänbigband, a lovely homage to the great American Jazz Singer. Both of her first two albums each received a Swedish Grammy nomination and several appearances in the Swedish national television increased her standing as a passionate and soulful Singer. So Teka, producer and creator of many successful riddims for his co-found German label, Rootdown Records considered her to be part of his new project “Koala Desperados“, which link Caribbean vibes like Cumbia to Reggae, and while working on it a totally new idea was born. Jaqee and Teka decided to combine both their talents into one album. The results of which you can now hear on “Kokoo Girl” a refreshing mix of Old School Reggae sounds from the seventies combined with up-to-date Beats, electronic twists and turns and of course the amazing voice of Jaqee. For her, this means that she has achieved some of her ambitions. “I grew up with African Gospel, in sad and turbulent environment, so for me, this means I grasp and totally understand the reggae and its non ending struggle for the common man.” No sooner said than done and “Kokoo Girl” will become Jaqee’s fourth and newest release. All the paths she followed, countries she crossed and influences she absorbed are a part of this album. She sings with the freedom of spirit of the travelling people. The word “Kokoo” is the only memory that remains everlasting. It is just a word but its impact is so huge that Jaqee does not really like to explain it. “It implies irony and seriousness as well as sarcasm and fun.” It is more than a gimmick. “Kokoo” is a very special feeling and a clear view of the world from an artist who has seen more of it than all the people that have settled down.

All Again. That's the title of the upcoming full-length record from Philadelphia's Queen of Jeans. The LP tracks an entire arc that, by the final hazy vibrato wash of "Do It All Again," bleeds back into the ambient first seconds of the record. "Thought I'd call tonight, hear how you're dealing," Miriam Devora sings to a distant lover on opener "All My Friends" in a neon-lit, melancholy tenor, the precise sound of lonesome love. The full band joins her in a beautiful night time sway, but it's still no use: "I got all my friends around, but I'm not home til I'm alone with you."The rest of the record follows this relationship as it tumbles through loneliness and longing, to elation and joy, to pain and anger, and finally to its foggy close, where Devora admits, "If I got to do it all again, I'd find you there like I did back then."Releasing on Memory Music, All Again is principally an enveloping, rich indie-rock record, changing dance partners between cheek-to-cheek '60s pop sweetness, '90s alt-rock dirt, spacious and pained emo, and the songcraft and melodicism of the sharpest acoustic singer-songwriter acts. Devora (vocals, guitar, keys) and Matheson Glass (lead guitar, piano) took extra care this time to create a Queen of Jeans full-length that reflected in sound and structure the emotional depths they were exploring.It's the first time since their 2015 debut, Dig Yourself, that they've had a full band, with drummer Patrick Wall and bassist Andrew Nitz, to build with. Where on releases like 2022's sparkling lockdown-pop Hiding In Place Devora and Glass had gone into producer and mix/master engineer Will Yip's Studio 4 with sketches and worked with Yip to arrange the songs in studio, this time, they went in with a complete vision for the record. That allowed them to use studio time to expand the record's sonic boundaries. "We had a lot more room to play with some of the ear candy we've always wanted to explore and get weirder in the studio," says Glass.Those elements lend a physicality and playfulness to the memory and emotions that unfurl through All Again. "We're trying to tell the story of when you look back at an important relationship," says Glass. "Years go by, and the more you reflect on it, it becomes more warped and the facts become a little bit more murky. We wanted to play with that and get surreal with the story." (Literally: listen for a "monster" voice in the already-released banger "Karaoke.") The record's artwork, conceptualized by Devora, renders this idea with devastating clarity.

Step into the unknown with URN's latest masterpiece, 'Surprise Me.' In this kaleidoscope of sound, genres intertwine like threads in a tapestry of boundless creativity. Led by the enigmatic Jakub Volovar, each track is a journey into the depths of emotion and imagination.


From haunting melodies to pulsating rhythms, 'Surprise Me' defies classification, inviting listeners on a sonic adventure through uncharted territory. Like a meticulously crafted collage, it weaves together elements of jazz, trap, and beyond with effortless grace.

While a sense of doom lingers in the shadows, it never overwhelms; instead, it adds depth and texture to an already mesmerizing landscape. With 'Surprise Me,' URN proves once again that true art knows no boundaries.

We're excited to unveil our inaugural vinyl release, introducing the first Neptune ‘Disc’ to the world. Trance-inducing progressive genres, which dive into the magnetic allure of '90s progressive sounds with a distinct tilt towards the club scene. Four tracks resonating through the depths of a festival ambiance, enveloped in an enigmatic mist and bathed under shimmering purple strobes.

A1 introduces Cybernet, an emerging force hailing from the vibrant scene of Aus. Delving beyond the sounds of the '90s Cybernet brings forth a distinctive sonic narrative, intertwining intricate vocal hooks before unleashing the pulsating acid-line. An instant classic unfolds, resonating with the essence of the dance-floor.

Glen S swiftly becomes a Neptune Disc regular with "Uh!" on A2. Tailored for the club, he infuses his signature alien scattered pulses and a rolling bassline. With a deft touch, he creates a surge of energy by cutting off all elements on the drop, leaving only the bass and kicks. Expertly crafted.
Aiden's "Fanks" on the B-side boasts a mesmerising appeal, again reminiscent of the 90s-2000s era, with its pulsating bassline and entrancing soundscape. It delves into the realm of trance, offering a hypnotic journey that echoes the allure of that bygone era. With its captivating blend of trippy elements, the track creates a nostalgic yet timeless vortex of sound, drawing listeners into an otherworldly experience that resonates with the spirit of classic electronic music.

B2 showcases Tourman's prowess as a versatile producer, seamlessly delving into different genres. Overflowing with progressive energy and adorned with scattered UFO sounds, this track stands as a testament to Tourman's evolving artistry—a dynamic force ready to command diverse sonic landscapes. An ideal opener for peak-time set.

A feverish essay of transcendent drumming: Chris" solo approach, rooted in the exploration of elements of extended technique, sought another level, via possibilities facilitated by a self-made string drum! The Key (Became The Important Thing & Then Just Faded Away) brings his encompassing focus on free improvisation and noise into a granular fusion with acoustic experiments and hot-wired ideations of hard rock riffing and the post-punk sound.

Deb Demure's powerful presence and hypnotic sound has firmly defined the identity of Drab Majesty. After releasing the debut album, Careless, Drab Majesty split time between touring and studios, piecing together the ideas for the follow-up album, "The Demonstration", an album depicting Deb Demure as only one part of Drab Majesty's overall being and storytelling saga.With "Induction", Drab Majesty sets up an ethereal backdrop for which the rest of the album follows. Tracks such as "Dot In The Sky" and "39 By Design" (a song pointing to the doomsday Heaven's Gate cult) use lush, shoegaze approach to portray the fragility of humanity's loss of self, looking only to the heavens for answers. "Cold Souls" flawlessly executes Drab Majesty's arpeggiated finger picking signature, complete with washes of hazy noise and atmospheric reverb. With the addition of Mona D. to Drab Majesty's mysterious portfolio, songs from The Demonstration perpetually create new meanings and depth with every listen. After Drab Majesty wraps up The Demonstration with "Behind The Wall", one is left wondering what kind of identity is truly their own Compact disc features two bonus tracks plus four exclusive remixes by Cold Cave, Drew McDowall, Silent Servant and Martial Canterel.

Lenticular Sleeve / White Vinyl. When Jack Tatum began work on Life of Pause, his third full-length to date, he had lofty ambitions: Don't just write another album; create another world. One with enough detail and texture and dimension that a listener could step inside, explore, and inhabit it as they see fit. "I desperately wanted for this to be the kind of record that would displace me," he says. "I'm terrified by the idea of being any one thing, or being of any one genre. And whether or not I accomplish that, I know that my only hope of getting there is to constantly reinvent. That reinvention doesn't need to be drastic, but every new record has to have its own identity, and it has to have a separate set of goals from what came before." What came before: a rightfully acclaimed, much beloved display of singular pop craftsmanship. Tatum's dreamy, unexpected 2010 debut, Gemini, was written while he was still a student at Virginia Tech University. Its equally disarming follow-up, 2012's Nocturne, marked the first time he'd been able to bring his bedroom recordings into a studio, to be performed and fully realized with the help of other musicians. There has been a set of wonderfully expansive EPs in between_each hinting at new directions and punctuating previous ideas_but with Life of Pause, Tatum delivers what he describes as his most "honest" and "mature" work yet, an exquisitely arranged and beautifully recorded collection of songs that marry the immediate with the indefinable. "I allowed myself to go down every route I could imagine even if it ended up not working for me," he says. "I owe it to myself to take as many risks as possible. Songs are songs and you have to allow yourself to be open to everything." After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, recording took place over several weeks in both Los Angeles and Stockholm, with producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks) helping Tatum in his search for a more natural and organically textured sound. In Sweden, in a studio once owned by ABBA, they enlisted Peter, Bjorn and John drummer John Ericsson and fellow Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra veteran Pelle Jacobsson, to contribute drums and marimba. In California, at Monahan's home, Tatum collaborated with Medicine guitarist Brad Laner and a crew of saxophonists. From the hypnotic polyrhythms of "Reichpop" to the sugary howl of "Japanese Alice" to the hallucinogenic R&B of "A Woman's Wisdom," the result is a complete, fully immersive listening environment. "I just kept things really simple, writing as ideas came to me," he says. "There's definitely a different kind of `self' in the picture this time around. There's no real love lost, it's much more a record of coming to terms and defining what it is that you have_your place, your relationships. I view every record as an opportunity to write better songs. At the end of the day it still sounds like me, just new."

With an ageless magnificence and rich musical imagination, Mastodon unleash Leviathan, an unabated testimonial to the band's earthshaking ability to rock. Their thundering musical muscle, talent and vast sea of ideas triumphantly unite on Leviathan, delivering heavy, organic music that melds exhilarating ambitiousness with a well-honed accessibility.

SABÏRE has now returned in 2024 with a 15 track epic, self-styled "half-concept" album, "Jätt", 5 years in the making. SABÏRE began at the tail end of 2010 as an idea to have a band that played simply what came naturally on guitar to Scarlett Monastyrski with no set genre or category. Simply the natural music. Shortly thereafter, the concept grew to accompany that sound with a big show and distinctive stylisation. The biting and sharp sound production, along with their personal lyrics, birthed for them a label for their music: ACID METAL. Not to be confused with the mind altering substance, Acid Metal took its name from the concentrated corrosive fluid not unlike the blood of the Xenomorph in the Alien films. The instruments are awash with acidic modulation, "like a drop of acid in the dark." The lyrics all hold a tinge of biting realism that once realised by the listener, stings them like a droplet of acid resting upon their skin. To take their metaphor further, their distinctive production style let's stand apart from the rest of the "modern" sound that degrades the potentcy of many new bands. They call it "brick culture," because it all sounds the same. Concentrated acid burns all the way through anything solid leaving a hot trail behind it, like the band continues to do so with garnering the attention of the world of heavy music. Band leader Scarlett Monastyrski comments : " 'Jätt' is meant to be THE sound of SABÏRE. A monolith to what we stand for artistically. We wanted this album to be its own art piece rather than simply a collection of arbitrary songs, a really 'blue' coloured sound. The physical copies hold beautifully styled texts detailing the concept for those chosen songs, as well as small epistles to accompany each track," says . “ 'Jätt' is a “blue” sounding album; the colour. You may understand that more when listening to the album yourself. The cover of 'Jätt', “Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle of Hell” - Gustav Doré, 1861, could be seen through a symbolic lense in which the listener is symbolised as Dante, the artist as Virgil, and the bodies locked within the ice of frozen lake as the music surrounding them; we as the artist are shepherding the listener through the mire. This could be perceived like this, or you may just see it as an attractive album cover. “ "We put our heart and soul into this one and can't wait to give our Wild Ones and Acid Fiends what they've been so patiently waiting for

Tekno substances, from 150 to 170 BPM.
A deep Hard Tekno/Tribe one, mental and hypnotic, daring textures and structures... mMny surprises for a "Mental" EP, addictive ideas that need to be scanned really :)

Super soundcut !!

A must have !

The hugo toolbox - A lasting place.

Just as my dad with words unspoken gave the tools to me, I’m passing these down to you.

A place to keep ideas safe, to hold the music, to give you space away from your phone.



Contents:

• 1x Toolbox

• 1x Chess Board with Custom chess pieces (Made by Sunny)

• 1x Incense (Made by Cremate)

• 1x Incense Burner

• 1x hugo car key with keychain

• 1x Pin Badge

• 1x Certificate of authenticity

• 1x Notebook

• 1x hugo Process Book

• 1x Georgetown Flexidisc

• 1x Plastic Flexidisc

• 1x hugo: reimagined (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) Vinyl LP

• 1x hugo Picture Disc Vinyl LP

• 1x Hidden Message

Music From Memory is pleased to announce the upcoming release of ‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’, a collaborative album from Tim Koh and Sun An.

Tim Koh is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist born and raised in Los Angeles. He has been touring, releasing music and showing art works internationally for nearly two decades. Sun An is a Southern California-based graphic designer, art director, and sound designer who has self-released music since 2012.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ plays somewhat like a dreamlike collage; across 18 short compositions, finger-picked guitars melt with electronics and warped samples to create a form of American Primitivism bent and refracted through Tim and Sun’s unique lens.

Their collaborative journey unfolded gradually, exchanging snippets via email over the span of a year or so, Sun in LA and Tim in Berlin. Amidst personal struggles and uncertainties, the act of recording and composing became a refuge, a safe space where they could navigate life's complexities together. Though they didn't converse much, mostly just sending music, their musical dialogue spoke volumes, shaping a narrative that evolved naturally over time. As they shared their musical ideas, they discovered a profound sense of connection and understanding with one another. The music became a conduit for healing, bridging the gaps between them and offering comfort in times of need.

Their musical influences and backgrounds anchored them. From reminiscing about past scenes to exploring cultural intricacies of being Korean American in Los Angeles, infused with a natural sense of shared identity, their collaboration reflected a mergence of old and new memories into a hallucinatory, dream-like experience. Across the 18 compositions that make up the album, incense emerges as a poignant motif, symbolizing the passage of time. Each incense stick becomes a vessel carrying the essence of moments gone by, while the holder becomes the custodian of these ephemeral memories.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ invites the listener on a boundary-transcending journey of introspection, joy, and pain, creating an experience that lingers long after the last note fades.

Sleeve art by Brian DeGraw, design by David McFarline.

Released in 1999 on Taylor Deupree’s 12k label, »optimal.lp« was the debut album by Dan Abrams under his Shuttle358 moniker. For its 25th anniversary, Keplar presents it on vinyl for the first time with three previously unreleased tracks—the digital version also includes a alternative version of »Tank«—as well as a new artwork recreated by Daniel Castrejón and a remaster by Andreas LUPO Lubich based on the original pre-masters that were been restored and cleaned up for the reissue project by Abrams. »optimal.lp« was inspired by the rich tradition of ambient music and the rhythmic complexity of 1990s electronica while also sharing many traits with the then-emerging clicks’n’cuts movement, making it a true sui generis piece of work—both informed by tradition and visionary, idiosyncratic and seminal for many artists after him.

Abrams developed an interest in ambient music when he was still a child, scouring through cassette tapes of environmental sounds, new age music, and world percussion. Discovering Brian Eno’s »Thursday Afternoon« as a young teenager marked a turning point for him. »It gave me the idea that ambient music could be an intentional creative act, that tone itself is a legitimate form of expression,« he says today. During the 1990s, he increasingly immersed himself in the electronica scene and the output of labels such as Instinct, where Deupree worked as an Art Director and released his first records as Human Mesh Dance. Abrams found a home on 12k after sending Deupree a demo tape that would later evolve into »optimal.lp,« released as the label’s fifth catalogue number.

Abrams was still in college when he started experimenting with a sound module, his laptop and a mixer as well as a MIDI card and a small controller. »Each note was composed in MIDI and played back when I was ready to record,« he explains his working process at the time. »The tracks could be replayed, but the sound interactions with glitches and noise would be a little different each time. I decided to base the concept of the album on these interactions.« Each piece started with a single sound or tone that, as Abrams puts it, already contained the entire composition: »I let these interactions guide me, and tried to complement them as I added sounds. It’s a conversation of sorts with the medium.«

While refining this technique that he would go on to use on every album until 2004’s »Chessa,« reissued by Keplar in 2021, he also used the first-ever Native Instrument product, the Generator soft synth, to write the record’s title track—possibly making it the first album on which it was being used. »optimal.lp« is marked by this curious interplay of cutting-edge technology, the limitations with which every college student with a small budget is faced, and boundless creativity. »I’ve talked with other artists about how we feel about our early work,« Abrams says today. »We all agreed that there were elements that remain a part of us in a timeless way, despite our techniques—or lack thereof—at the time. ›optimal.lp‹ has a lot of things that will always be with me, that are me. I think I left some clues in there for my future self.«

This sense of timelessness remains tangible after a quarter of a century after the album’s original CD release and is even being expanded upon by the vinyl reissue, which is complemented by three pieces that were made while Abrams was working on the album. The digital release even features an entirely new take on the original album’s final piece, »Tank.« While Abrams let one of the masters go through his customised reverb unit when preparing the reissue, he started recording the results of this accidental dialogue between past and present. It’s a fitting tribute to an album whose delicate circular rhythms, rich textures, and ethereal melodies are precisely so exhilarating because their interplay seems to suspend the passing of time altogether.

Jenifa Mayanja is a favourite amongst true deep house heads. Her work is smoky, jazzy, and emotive, and has come on labels like Underground Quality before now. Here she arrives on the sixth EP from fledgling but already cultured label Sole Aspect and shows off her sophisticated sound once more. 'Rise To The Top' is full of elegant harmonies and jazz melodies that dance on pulsing rhythms, 'Like A Dream' brings spiritual vocals to bold chords and dusty drums while 'Our World' has piano lines floating high over the languid drums and bass.

'Rose Colored Glasses' has fresh melodies and challenging synths that defy usual genre norms and bring all new ideas to deep house. This is music that elevates mind, body and soul.

Three years in the making, Livity Sound alumni Azu Tiwaline and Forest Drive West combine their distinct but compatible styles into an EP of advanced, reduced soundsystem immersion.

The idea for the collaboration took shape not long after Tiwaline’s first Livity release, the Magnetic Service EP, and the pair took time to settle on a sound set which now shapes out Fluids In Motion. Drawing on a cohesive palette, the tracks they pieced together in a remote exchange between Tunisia and the UK explored a variety of tempos and rhythms ranging from pure ambience through to spring-loaded 4/4, with a focus on minimalism and dub-spirited spatial sound design.

The end result naturally evolves from each artist’s existing work, matching subtlety and space with intricate detail to present a complete, considered release that runs as deep as an album over the course of four tracks.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground electronic music.

After releasing “Columbo No.5” last September, the band went into the infamous Tunbridge Wells Forum to record their debut album. Having never recorded a debut album before, perhaps the idea of nailing it in 5 days may have been optimistic but with the budget blown and the studio engineer committed to other work for the rest of the year the band were left scratching their heads.

They knew a local bee keeper was the mother of a producer who was raised on metal but recently had engineering credits with artists such as Stefflon Don, Stormzy and Skepta...
..... A call was made, and Jake Jones delivered!

Wytch Pycknyck are LOUD yet maintain a trashy garage feel. Off the blocks with Rawkuss, almost distort with the guitar cacophony hitting the redlight in parts, and ending with Frostbite a spoken word / rap intro metamorphosis into a space rock psychedelic wig out with bassist Ewan Fitzgerald’s passion for analogue synths coming to the fore.

Sometimes the guitars shred and sometimes the bass takes pole position. Two and half minute thrash-outs sit shoulder to shoulder with nine-minute psych monsters AND it all makes sense.

2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Schizo, the first full-fledged album by Heideroosjes on Epitaph Records. The album features fan favourites “Time Is Ticking Away”and “Fistful Of Ideals”, the track “Iedereen Is Gek” was in high rotation on the Belgium radio station Studio Brussel, and “Jerry Rules In The Land Of The Free” even made it on the famous Jerry Springer TV Show. This landmark album introduced them to the rest of Europa and United States and was followed-up by an extensive tour, playing with kindred spirits such as Pennywise, The Misfits, and The Offspring. Celebrating its anniversary, Schizo is available as an expanded edition for the first time, including live versions of “Sjonnie & Anita” and “Fistfuckparty At 701”, recorded at Pinkpop Festival in 1999. Schizo (Expanded Edition) is available as a limited edition of 667 individually numbered copies on white coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve featuring updated and revised artwork.

After ‚Running in Waves‘ the Cologne based label ‚Serial Sound’ is back with the second release. ‚´till things ghost‘ is going to be Jonas Landwehr´s debut solo EP. After publishing collaborative works or various artist EPs he is now ready to take the next step. The newest project is tied around the idea of a diverse taste and inspirations while it’s centered around playing with different rhythms. Multiple styles such as House, Techno or Reggaeton as well as various tempos come together on this project. ‚ginko‘ serves as an intro and shows what kind of contrast the rest of the record will be about with it’s airy chord pads that cut to a growling bass accompanied by a slow burning reggaeton groove. ‚disaronno straight‘ adopts this idea but gives it a faster UK influenced twist with a wobbly bassline and chopped vocals ready for the club. ‚sin tí‘ closes the A-Side and aims for summer vibes and floating lightness. ‚overcome?‘ opens the B-Side with a hypnotic pulsing bass and percussion interaction and leads into ‚something about u‘, a soulful vocal feature from LAINE which sits on a broken beat with deep chords and House accents. ‚seeds‘ is closing off the record with an aggressive, faster paced metallic Dancehall rhythm contrasted with enthralling pad sounds.

Mick Harris is one of the world's greatest compositional treasures. Starting his career as the energy dynamo behind the drum kit of the UK's Napalm Death, he made the term Blastbeat a household reference, wrote the band's music on his mother's one string guitar, and joined the Guinness Book of World Records for composing the world's shortest song. In the decades succeeding, he has re-inventedmusic several more times, from the wild abstract jazz of Painkiller with John Zorn and Bill Laswell, to the drowning ambience of his Lull project, all while continuing to build a world that he can truly call his own - the dark post-dub of SCORN. "Reaching 54 this year - this won't stop the challenge, driving me more so now than ever" - says Mick Harris, commenting on the recent phase in his creativity. The pandemic isolation and lockdown pushed the work of the maestro more than anything else could have. In 2021, his output is ever-increasing, releasing the newest collabs with Justin K. Broadrick and the single "Distortion", featuring one of the most outstanding voices of hip-hop - Kool Keith - his closest collaborator, Ohm Resistance founder - Submerged. Commenting on the release of "Distortion", Mick Harris said to mxdwn: "I enjoy collabs - they bring something different to the swim." Working on his own and collaborating with everyone from Sleaford Mods' James Williamson, on the previous SCORN release or with Kool Keith and Submerged on "Distortion", Mick Harris never had problems with putting energy into beats and sound landscapes, combining various surreal elements with three basic elements that always push Harris further, that are extremely crucial for both Mick Harris and SCORN as a project - frustration, anger and anxiety. Combining the signature soundscapes of Scorn with tartareous textures, the newest album "The Only Place" reaches a psychedelic groove, based on what Harris calls "Pushing an original idea further" with his own shades of light and dark and celestial electricity of what SCORN is. These 10 new tracks add elements unheard in Scorn since Evanescense and Gyral - ethereal ambiences and floating, near-melodic-but-not-quite moments, a signature of Harris' abilities to generate feelings in a lost world of his own creation. 2024 vinyl version on orange coloured vinyl!

Compassion combines ethereal pop with ‘80s synth textures, and slacker-rock charm. It's got a bit of Matthew E. White, chilled out BC Camplight and Conor Oberst.

The inviting and perceptive songs on Rui Gabriel’s debut LP Compassion all tackle growing up. It’s about how the older you get, your priorities shift, friendships evolve, and responsibilities become inescapable. For Gabriel, the Indiana-based, Venezuela-born artist and co-founder of the acclaimed band Lawn, the changes in his own life inspired him to write a solo full-length that sounds like nothing the indie rock journeyman has done before. Across 10 vibrant tracks that combine ethereal pop with slacker-rock and piano-driven dance music, it’s a galvanizing showcase of personal growth and the grace you give yourself to push forward.

Work on Compassion started in 2018 when Gabriel was living in New Orleans. “I was living a pretty teenage life in many ways,” says Gabriel. “I worked at a pizza restaurant and would just go to shows or parties. I wasn’t doing anything other than music. I didn't have many responsibilities.” The songs he was working on at the time—tracks that didn’t fit Lawn but Gabriel still liked—initially went unfinished. But as Gabriel’s life changed, so did his songwriting and his desire to see his ideas through. “When I was writing lyrics, I was settling down with my partner and about to become a dad,” says Gabriel. “I was making choices about my life that contradicted the existence I had before. I had a different set of priorities.”

The songs on Compassion deal with youthful carelessness ("Dreamy Boys") and coming face-to-face with newfound responsibilities ("Change Your Mind"). It's consistently a biting, observant look at getting older thanks to Gabriel's unique perspective as a South American immigrant who's lived across the United States for the past 13 years. “When you are Hispanic, English isn't your first language, and you're in a music scene with a bunch of white people, you're going to stand out a little bit,” he says. On “Church of Nashville,” “Hey, Leonard Cohen is singing poems by the gentrified alley” he humorously aims at scene pretension and industry gatekeepers.

Compared to Gabriel’s work with Lawn, where he writes frenetic post-punk songs and yells, for Compassion he explores more straightforward pop sensibilities and showcases his singing voice. “I wanted to do a solo record to prove to myself that I could sing,” says Gabriel. Take the meditative, piano-based lead single “Target,” which is inspired by Dido and finds Gabriel gorgeously harmonizing with singer Kate Teague. He reaches similar infectiousness on the sunny rocker “Summertime Tiger,” which guests Stef Chura. Co-produced by Gabriel and Nicholas Corson (The Convenience, Video Age), Compassion is consistently warm, generous, colorful, and adventurous.

“Compassion is a record about change,” says Gabriel. “It's a coming-of-age record but for somebody who's coming of age into their thirties.”

First full-length release on new Rise Above Records subsidiary label: Popclaw Records. An eight-song trip through the mind of a music obsessive with ideas to burn, Caldwell is both a paean to the past and a quietly subversive contribution to the future. This is deftly
evolved psychedelia, fed through many decades years of sonic mischief and rendered in the bright, warm colours of garage rock and baroque pop. Drawing from dust-covered psych explorations on both sides of the Atlantic, Caldwell has hit a rich vein of inspiration.
Debut album from this enigmatic New Orleans purveyor of psychedelic pop and rock. Tour dates to be announced soon. For fans of The Kinks, Small Faces and 1960s garage pop & psychedelia

The Dutch-American legend Orlando Voorn is back on the block with a very, very yummy 4-tracker that is masterfully channeling his deep love for Detroit techno and Chicago house. “No Cellphones” recalls Green Velvet’s classic Relief Records sound, applying a sinister bouncer voice that commands everybody to put their f***ing cellphones away. It’s quite a tantalising idea to drop this tune at an Afterlife party. “Raise The Bar” is a primo minimal heater for prime time usage, classic Voorn intensity through and through. The flipside harbors two gorgeous, summerly house tracks with plenty of soul for those sun flooded festival floors. Orlando Voorn reigns supreme.

Die niederländisch-amerikanische Legende Orlando Voorn ist zurück mit einem wirklich sehr schmackhaften 4-Tracker, der seine tiefe Liebe für Detroit Techno und Chicago House meisterhaft kanalisiert. „No Cellphones“ erinnert an den klassischen Relief Records-Sound von Green Velvet, mit einer düsteren Türsteher-Stimme, die allen befiehlt, ihre f***ing Handys wegzulegen. Es ist eine ziemlich verlockende Idee, dieses Stück auf einer Afterlife-Party zu spielen. „Raise The Bar“ ist ein erstklassiger Minimalheizer für die Primetime, klassische Voorn-Intensität durch und durch. Die Flipside beherbergt zwei grandiose, sommerliche House-Tracks mit viel Soul für die sonnenüberfluteten Festival-Floors. Orlando Voorn liefert.

Bed Maker's origins date back to summer 2019, when bassist Arthur Noll (Light Beams, Kid Congo Powers) and drummer Vin Novara (The Crownhate Ruin, 1.6 Band), each having played in Alarms & Controls, invited guitarist Jeff Barsky (Insect Factory, Time Is Fire) to collaborate and see what might happen. By autumn, they invited Amanda MacKaye (Desiderata, Routineers) to join them, and the chemistry was immediate. In February 2020 at DC's Rhizome, Bed Maker played their first show and then paused their activities the follow- ing month, as did most people.
Due to the state of the world in 2020 and 2021, they continued writing music through sharing recordings. Mike Schleibaum assisted by assembling home recordings of their individual parts into working demos. This allowed them to keep momentum, and by the time in-person rehearsals resumed, a handful of songs and new ideas were close to fruition. Bed Maker resumed playing shows in November 2022.
Following a self-released digital single ("Miss Dickens") and an EP (Three on the Tree) -- each recorded with Schleibaum and Matt Michel at Viva Studios -- Bed Maker began work on their self-titled LP in May 2023 with Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara at the original Inner Ear Studio in his basement in Arlington, VA, and with Mike Schleibaum at his home studio in Maryland.
That their debut LP even exists is only possible thanks to the support of family and many friends, and also serves as an act of defiance to the horrors of the last four-plus years.

Originally released on Firstcask Records in 2003. A selection of my styles and ideas at the time, ranging from drum n bass, ambient, acid etc etc