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On her debut album Switchbacks, Nashville-based artist Hannah Cole finds inspiration in the image of the switchbacks – sinuous twists in the road that obscure what's ahead. For a young artist making her way in the music industry, it's a powerful image: we can't really know what's ahead for us but – as Cole has learned – you should honk your horn to tell the world you're coming, and otherwise just enjoy the ride. Melding shoegaze and alternative rock with infectious pop melodies and strains of 90s nostalgia, Switchbacks is a commentary on the pursuit of success and how to protect the pure joy and love that lives at our core.

Across the ten tracks of Switchbacks, Cole swings her gaze at many unsettling aspects of the scramble toward success. Lead single "MMA" explores the ugly side of the music industry through the image of Las Vegas. On the brightly off-kilter "Give," she sings, "I feel like I've become an actor, / A TV pastor / climbing up a topless ladder," explaining that "the pursuit of success can feel like buying lottery tickets all the time for money that you'll never see." "Mechanical Bull" seethes with rage as Cole grapples with being seen as just the "girlfriend" in music settings and not being perceived as an equal to her partner, while on "Pitcher," she's paralysed in the face of wanting to achieve perfection. Later, she shrugs off the need to impress on "100 Bucks," reminding herself that she's enough for the people she loves.

Switchbacks is not only a finely-crafted debut album but also a deeply human artifact, tracing an arc that blazes like a comet to the height of ambition and then leaves you in the shimmer of self-acceptance and contentment. "Success is a moment that comes and goes," Cole concludes, "but I think the joy and experience that comes with making music is something I can take with me forever."

When hip hop trio FU-Schnickens emerged in Brooklyn in 1992 with a unique style that combined high-speed rapping, dancehall chatting, and backward rhymes with Looney Tunes-inspired voice impressions and craftily arranged grooves, the Rap world had never heard anything like it.

Following up on their debut F.U.: Don't Take It Personal, Nervous Breakdown, originally released in 1994, proved that the Fu-Schnickens could deliver the goods. The album shows an improved lyrical maturity among all three members, but most noticeably Chip Fu, whose hyperactive flow has more hilarious, colorful cartoon imagery than ever.

From the opening track, "Breakdown," on, this is a frenzied, fast-paced roller coaster ride of originality that doesn't let up until the last song ends. The album reached the nineteenth spot on the R&B Albums chart, and managed to

With S.I.K. (Sociedad Internacional de la Kumbia), Conjunto Media Luna maps a constellation of sounds, friendships, and underground connections stretching across Colombia, Mexico, the United States, and beyond.
Produced in Bogotá between 2024 and 2026 by Iván Medellín, the album draws energy from rebajada culture, low-end frequencies, vinyl obsession, rap, and the hypnotic pull of cumbia. Accordion melodies, sampled fragments, drum machines, and sound system pressure intertwine throughout the record, creating a world where tradition is constantly reimagined through contemporary urban culture.
Featuring contributions from artists such as La Gallo 3:20, Turbo Sonidero, Amantes del Futuro, Mextape, León Pardo, Mismo Perro, and Hito de Piedra, S.I.K. unfolds as a dialogue between scenes that have spent years exchanging records, ideas, aesthetics, and frequencies.
The artwork comes from Mateo Rivano, one of the key visual architects of Bogotá's experimental tropical underground, whose imagery perfectly captures the album's blend of street mythology, sonic futurism, and tropical psychedelia.
Part sound system manifesto, part love letter to the global kumbia underground, S.I.K. is dedicated to everyone expanding the culture from their own corner of the map, through music, dance, graphics, fashion, and noise.

Edition of 600 copies, not sealed

Made with Love by Little Beat More 2026
Published by Little Beat More

With S.I.K. (Sociedad Internacional de la Kumbia), Conjunto Media Luna maps a constellation of sounds, friendships, and underground connections stretching across Colombia, Mexico, the United States, and beyond.
Produced in Bogotá between 2024 and 2026 by Iván Medellín, the album draws energy from rebajada culture, low-end frequencies, vinyl obsession, rap, and the hypnotic pull of cumbia. Accordion melodies, sampled fragments, drum machines, and sound system pressure intertwine throughout the record, creating a world where tradition is constantly reimagined through contemporary urban culture.
Featuring contributions from artists such as La Gallo 3:20, Turbo Sonidero, Amantes del Futuro, Mextape, León Pardo, Mismo Perro, and Hito de Piedra, S.I.K. unfolds as a dialogue between scenes that have spent years exchanging records, ideas, aesthetics, and frequencies.
The artwork comes from Mateo Rivano, one of the key visual architects of Bogotá's experimental tropical underground, whose imagery perfectly captures the album's blend of street mythology, sonic futurism, and tropical psychedelia.
Part sound system manifesto, part love letter to the global kumbia underground, S.I.K. is dedicated to everyone expanding the culture from their own corner of the map, through music, dance, graphics, fashion, and noise.

Edition of 600 copies, not sealed

Made with Love by Little Beat More 2026
Published by Little Beat More

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .

When one thinks of the terms “mass” and “massive” in music, especially contemporary music, perhaps certain aural images come to mind: generic metal heaviness; dynamics-bereft noise; ear-battering dance floor madness; the multitudinous forms of drone darkness. All of these are massive in their own fashion. However, this newstudio album from 7FO (pronounced “nana f o”), a composer-performer based in northern Osaka, investigates and inhabits a different aspect of the massive. A glorious combination: dense low frequencies; sculpturally condensed blocks of sound, subtly swinging gravitational fields ― and a surprising sense of rolling and rollicking joyfulness and play. “Massive” doesn’t have to mean “dark” ― consider the sun. This is the third 7FO release on EM Records, following the well-received Ryu no Nukegara (Dragon's Husk) (2018). On these 2024-25 recordings, 7FO focuses his drum machines, synths and musical vision into eight compact structures which were partially inspired by the intense essence of American pre-war blues and the shining soul of traditional Ethiopian music, especially the works related to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. While not obviously evident, the glowing core of these musics has been captured and condensed here; another inspiration is the massive sculptural 1980s works of Yoshi Wada ― although there are obvious differences, there is a similar material tangibility to the vibration of the air. The final piece, “Shirohebi”, is an update of the b-side of 7FO's 7-inch single "Healing Sword" (2023), featured on Henry Rollins’ radio program. We invite you to experience and enjoy these eight massive blocks of sound, imbued with 7FO’s heartfelt warmth and humour, dense but not dark; shifting, rolling, appearing and disappearing: 7FO once picked up a roadside stone, which split as it sat in his palm. This experience, referenced in the release’s title, hints at the metaphysical magic of music, a realm beyond mere coincidence: even the massive density of stone can split, and reveal the magic within. Available on CD, LP and digital download.

"Northern Electronics presents ’The Vanity Project’, the new LP by Vanity Productions.
Like a fractured reflection, images appear distorted and incomplete. A series of fragments revealing influences, methods, and decisions where life and work remain inseparable. Moving through the residual noise of contemporary media space, Christian Stadsgaard draws from social media remnants, dark web transmissions, and untreated human sound.
These elements are processed through noise electronics and tape manipulation, collapsing source and signal. ’The Vanity Project’ is constructed as a dense, uneven surface. A collage of found sound, environmental interference, and emotional residue. The result carries Vanity Productions’ characteristic melancholy, Nordic restraint, and accumulated debt, forming a quiet but insistent tale of romance and reflection from the source.”
Album credits:
All music recorded by Christian Stadsgaard in Copenhagen, Denmark 2025
Mixed by Christian Stadsgaard and Malthe Fischer
Mastered by Giuseppe Tillieci at EnissLab, Rome
Photos by Christian Stadsgaard
Collage by Anthony Linell
Sound contributions by Shredded Nerve, Jackson-Pratt, Ashley C, Hannes Norrvide, Malthe Fischer, Daniel Svanberg Bøtcher, Vagn Olsson, Yuri Umemoto, Lise Westzynthius, Qiuyao Ning, Peter Peter, Government Alpha and Merzbow – A big thank you to everyone involved.
“The Vanity Project” was kindly supported by KODA kultur, Copenhagen.

This album is a masterpiece in which the three core pillars of Akira Ishikawa’s musical vision—jazz, rock, and African music—are fused in a sublime and thrilling balance. One arresting track follows another: the solemn and majestic “Prayer”, evoking the eternal land; the clear yet subtly psychedelic “Dawn”; the serene and beautiful “Love”; and the highly dynamic, explosive “Jumbo”.
The brilliance of Hirmasa Suzuki’s arrangements deserves special mention—simple yet profoundly deep, they give vivid clarity to the album’s overall concept and imagery. Among Ishikawa’s serious, non–instrumental-cover works, this album stands shoulder to shoulder with Electrum, Bakishinba, and Uganda, and should be regarded as one of his definitive achievements.

When everything around is racing blindly toward ruin, change direction and spin as fast as you can until you defy gravity and rise above the ground into blissful madness. "K-drone", the debut album by three renegades—Jakub Šimanský, Michal Vaľko, and Ján Podracký—is like a hallucinatory Calvary with five stations. Each station is a time-loop capsule, a tiny utopia sneering at the phantom progress of the world outside.

The opening track, "Speedrone", is pure vertigo; for seven long minutes, there's nothing to hold onto. Šimanský’s banjo cuts through the air, Vaľko’s hurdy-gurdy sounds like someone scraping a rusted sheet of metal with a handful of nails, and Podracký’s bass recorder hums like a slowly intensifying migraine. "Sine" is like a train journey through a barren wasteland, where the images outside the window constantly repeat like a bad trip. "Pro DJ" starts like a gig in a bar at the end of the line—a gig that never actually goes anywhere. It’s as if all three are locked in a spasm, their repeated motifs turning into haunting earworms. "Alien Radigue" shifts into a strange idyll in a clearing in the middle of the forest, where an unknown bird species trills in the background. The end and definitive dissolution come in "Slush", where everything suddenly slows down. Šimanský plucks a simple guitar melody, Podracký’s harmonica drifts from side to side like a boat gently rocking by the shore, and Vaľko’s hurdy-gurdy drones like a drunken mosquito buzzing around.

"K-drone" sounds like an acid anti-western movie recorded in a tucked-away burrow, like smoke-soaked folk and experimental campfire songs echoing through a deep forest. It evokes Third Ear Band's "Alchemy", it screeches and repeats like some of Henry Flynt's experiments, and you could easily imagine hearing it drifting from one of the windows on the cover of Hala Strana's eponymous album.

Jakub Šimanský is the bard of Czechoslovak guitar primitivism, an earthy folk sommelier whose fingerpicking you may also know from the duo Šimanský Niesner. Michal Vaľko, aka Line Gate, needs no introduction to fans. He has released three albums on mappa, and his hurdy-gurdy meditations hold an important place in the drone and minimalist music scene. "Den", "Apex", and "Trap" have become essential listening. Ján Podracký is a self-taught composer and musician whom you might know from various participatory music projects, such as an orchestra where all the players play diatonic harmonicas. Besides harmonicas, he has long explored a wide range of flutes. In short, a pied piper who will guide you through other worlds.

Illusive Bristolian beatmaker Claude Cooper returns with a visceral blast of psychedelic-hip-hop, enlisting IDLES frontman Joe Talbot and BEAK> bassist Billy Fuller for ‘Perfect Execution’, a limited edition 7" single in aid of War Child UK.

Claude Cooper has found a kindred spirit in Joe Talbot. The IDLES frontman has long worn his hip-hop influences as openly as his post-punk ones, and on ‘Perfect Execution’ that affinity finds its fullest expression yet. Cooper's raw, dissonant production collides with Talbot's breathless, confrontational lyricism in a track that draws its lineage from Public Enemy as readily as it does from Bristol's own bruised musical history.

The lyrics pull no punches. Talbot inhabits a landscape of public spectacle and private suffering, circling images of crowds, chains, hanging and the hollow comfort of slogans. The repeated refrain of “No pain no gain” hits differently when set against the track's subject matter, its bludgeoning repetition somewhere between protest chant and bitter irony.

Joe says, “It’s an honour to work with some beautiful Bristol heads on this track for Warchild. All is love”.

After a career spanning over thirty five years, from UK underground upstarts and outliers, to major success on the international stage - including tours with UK icons Iron Maiden and genre legends Dio - My Dying Bride have themselves become a firmly established pillar of metal history with a refined and influential brand of Death/Doom metal. With enduring popularity across subsequent decades, My Dying Bride remains a productive and captivating vessel for tragedy and despair, with their studio output spanning fourteen full-length albums to date.

As part of the “Peaceville Three”, along with fellow countrymen Paradise Lost and Anathema, My Dying Bride truly became a primary force in highlighting Britain as an epicentre of this Doom revolution of the time, creating a highly distinguishable sound assisted by the inclusion of violin & a more poetic approach to the delivery of morbid and salacious topics, lending an additional air of eccentricity and eloquence to the darkness.

Anthology of Sombre Reflections is an expansive and comprehensive collection of the early and much-celebrated works of the Doom Gods, from the formative deathly rawness of the revered Towards the Sinister demo, ‘God is Alone’ 7” tracks and subsequent debut album, As the Flower Withers, through to the gothic-tinged funereal seductive delights of 1996’s highlight, Like Gods of the Sun.

With the addition of all-time genre classic opuses Turn Loose the Swans, and The Angel and the Dark River also representing My Dying Bride’s much-loved early to 90’s period, the band’s three cult EPs are also featured in this deluxe eight-vinyl boxset, with each record presented on 180gm heavyweight black vinyl. The four studio albums themselves have also been treated to new half-speed masters courtesy of Air Studios.

Accompanying the audio is a 48-page book featuring photographs and artwork, plus new interviews with Andrew Craighan and Aaron Stainthorpe exploring some of the influences and thought-processes behind the creation of such cherished works of the 90s, as well as reflections of their output over this period.

Anthology of Sombre Reflections also contains 2 large posters depicting the Turn Loose the Swans CD artwork image, plus the original poster included in As the Flower Withers. A selection of photo prints of the band from this era are also included.

LIMITED EDITION FIRST PRESS OF 300 COPIES ON TRANSPARENT RED VINYL WITH JAPANESE STYLE OBI. NON-RETURNABLE.
Osaka quartet HIBUSHIBIRE return this August with their fifth studio album ‘Phantom Fuzzy Exotica‘.
Phantom Fuzzy Exotica continues to find the band exploring their own little universe, where psychedelia, 70’s hard rock and folk rock influences collide. You’ve got the short punchy riff heavy songs, the mellow time-out bits, and of course the epic psych jams and more vocals then previously. It’s all here, and as always they deliver the goods.
Phantom Fuzzy Exotica … in the bands own words
The initial image behind this album was “phantoms”- things that seem to exist, yet somehow don’t. Another thing that sets this album apart from our previous releases is that four of the five tracks feature vocals. The only instrumental is “Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Electric Nonsense.” We didn’t consciously plan it that way; it just happened naturally. After finishing last year’s tour, we didn’t have much time, but everyone’s ideas came together, and I think we’ve created an album we’re truly satisfied with.
Mandrake Oracle: The opening track of the album.Built around a single guitar riff by changchang, while the other instruments and electronics keep pushing the music forward. Personally, I imagined Deep Purple playing a Pink Floyd song while writing this one.
Minagoroshi Western: Imagined as the soundtrack to a fictional spaghetti western. In the end … everybody dies.
Daydream Rendezvous: A piece of daydream acid psychedelic folk.
Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Electric Nonsense: Hard psychedelic jazz rock. The title is a little nod to Frank Zappa.
Ai Vist Lo Lop (Cover): I’ve always loved Ai Vist Lo Lop by the wonderful Occitan traditional band Mont-Jòia, and I’d wanted to cover it someday. We especially enjoyed creating the a cappella section and finding the right sound for the main melody.
We sincerely hope you enjoy listening to this album as much as we enjoyed making it. — changchang
The Phantom Fuzzy Exotica European Tour 2026
AUGUST
19th Archive, Liverpool (UK) , 20th Ivory Blacks, Glasgow (UK), 21st The Golden Lion, Todmorden (UK), 22nd The Bunkhouse, Swansea (UK), 23rd Beautiful Days, Devon (UK), 25th The Peer Hat, Manchester (UK), 26th Le Pub, Newport (UK), 27th Strongroom Bar, London (UK) with Black Helium, 28th The Holloway, Norwich (UK), 29th The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham (UK), 30th The Piper, St Leonards (UK) with Black Helium
SEPTEMBER
1st DND, Dunkirk (FR), 3rd Pilsen Busking Fest, Pilsen (CZ), 4th Pilsen Busking Fest, Pilsen (CZ), 6th Riff, Budapest (HU), 7th Végállomás Klub, Szombathely (HU), 8th A Beton, Győr (HU), 9th Chemiefabrik, Dresden (DE), 10th Bar Neun, Berlin (DE), 11th Subsol, Dusseldorf (DE), 12th Magasin 4, Brussels (BE), 13th De Onderbroek, Nijmegen (NL), 14th La Bulle Café, Lille (FR)
HIBUSHIBIRE are
Changchang (Guitar/Vocal/Bouzouki/Electronics/Melting Eye Spectacle), Tetsuji Toyoda (Bass/Vocal/Mermaid Mountain), AOI HAMA (Drums/Vocal/Cat Tongue Queen), Kohei Katsuma (Conga/Vocal/Theremin/Percussion/God Dog Family)

The compositions recorded here are a product of work with computers in synthetic speech, song and vocal sounds and were created between 1972 and 1975. The music was realized on two different computer music systems and takes advantage of, and attempts to extend and explore their features. The system employed to realize speech songs was created at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for research in synthetic speech and speech communication. Since the system was not designed for musical purposes, its limitations were severe and its musical use a great (and often rewarding) challenge. The system used for In Celebration and The Story of Our Lives was designed with the expressed purpose of creating synthetic musical voices, and was therefore much better suited to the task at hand. As with any high technology project, there was extensive collaboration in the production of the works.

The works on this disk are called computer music because the sounds were created numerically in a computer before reaching magnetic tape and loudspeakers. The computer did not compose the music. However, it was only used as a sound synthesis and analysis medium. In order to hear the sounds which are represented in the computer as successions of numbers it was necessary to attach a digital-to-analogue converter to the computer. The converter transformed the succession of numbers into a fluctuating voltage which was recorded directly on to audio tape.

The technique used to create the synthetic voices is called speech synthesis-by-analysis. For this method of speech synthesis, only those words, phrases and sentences which have been spoken into the computer previously (via an analogue-to-digital converter) may be synthesized. First the digitally-recorded speech is analyzed by programs which extract the attributes (parameters) of the speech for short time segments (.01 sec.). From these parameters the speech may be recreated in a form which resembles the original recording very closely. But for musical purposes the parameters are most often altered before synthesis. It is possible, for example, to change the natural pitch contour of the speech into a melodic line or to change the speech speed without altering the natural pitch level.

The variety of musical patterns which may be created from the analytic parameters is limited only by the composer's imagination. Most of the speech sounds on the recording were created by changing the pitch and duration attributes of the original on resynthesis, but for a few, the resonances (the formants) of the speech were altered as well. The voice of the book in The Story of Our Lives was created by replacing the program which simulates the sound of the human vocal cords with one consisting of 64 sine tones glissandoing at different rates. All the textures in which more than one voice is heard were obtained by mixing the synthetic voices together digitally.

offerings is a new project from Bruno Silva (Ondness, Serpente) and Gonçalo F. Cardoso (Lagoss, Prophetas, Hannibal Chew III).

Born from a shared obsession with the peripheral—rain puddles, empty city spaces and the flickering crawl of late-night credits—the album occupies a stalled threshold; a space that refuses to resolve into a clear image. It does not strive for the "new" nor the "old"; it exists in a state of suspension, like end credits that refuse to roll, fixed in a permanent noumenal state.

Composed through a frantic exchange of files during the stormy winter of 2026, End Credits Noumena functions as a document of inner domestic spaces. It captures a floating, jam-like camaraderie between two artists with shared fixations and divergent sound palettes. The result is gritty and acetic — a series of random, eerie transmissions that remain strangely inviting. These are offerings, left over for whoever chooses to claim them.

"Nido de Espinas" is the fourteenth studio album by Buitres. Uruguayan Punk Rock band formed in 1989, heirs to the legacy of the iconic Post Punk band "Los Estómagos" It began to be composed in 2022 and was recorded in early 2024. The texts are inspired by the Diary of a Desperate Heart, an arbitrary overflow of feelings written disorderedly with an improvised rein, which demanded exhaustive work from the band to reach maximum expression in each track. Artistic production was handled by Ale Vázquez (Spinetta, Intoxicados and more) and Sebastián Teysera (La Vela Puerca), who landed the runaway chariot set on fire. buitres formed in late 1989, following the dissolution of the group Los Estómagos, a band that sparked a new era of Uruguayan rock in 1983. José "Pepe" Rambao, a close friend since childhood, joined the Parodi-Peluffo duo. Buitres has toured extensively throughout the entire Uruguayan territory and has participated in massive international shows both in Uruguay and abroad. Additionally, they have completed six tours across Spain, where the album En la Vuelta (CD and DVD) was released. Their discography features 14 studio albums. They have released three live albums, two documentary DVDs, and three live DVDs. Three books have been published about the band. The band has received numerous acolytes and awards, but most importantly, after more than thirty years, they continue to maintain a close and emotional relationship with their audience - one that has endured throughout their history and grows over time. For this reason, the band dedicates their absolute best effort to every new work and every performance. "Nido de Espinas" is their new Studio album. These are wild and excessive times. Perhaps this statement applies to our life history just as it did to ordinary people in bygone eras. However, we assimilate the changes, adapt, and move forward. Nothing new under the sun. We grew up assuming static realities without trying to understand that they were newborn and would not last forever. The "forever" was declining into premature obsolescence. Every accessory is fleeting in the dizzying change of language.

Archaic Vaults is proud to present »Ley Lines«, the debut album by St Circul.

Concise collection of folkloric grime instrumentals to rise from a new moniker taken on by the elusive First Circle. A breadcrumb trail of effortlessly crafted early 2000s-era grime, trap and drill instrumentals can be found on a fairly sparse Soundcloud account and numerous NTS shows spanning the last ten years, on which he is known to play almost entirely his own material. Now a different energy takes hold on »Ley Lines«: ten tracks by the enigmatic producer to be released both on a label and in physical format for the first time.

»Ley Lines« was born from a meandering quest through South London’s more leafy dwellings. These cherished regions became a place of refuge in which to ruminate on the hopes that love and community can outlast the dwindling state of Britain’s social and political climate. Photo documentation was made which would later form the genesis for each track, and a return to the studio resulted in something which could not be fitted into the existing First Circle discography.

Harpsichord and brass samples (»A Plan Is Formed«, »Hilly Fields«) are underpinned by murky bass loops and tight militaristic percussion – motifs recognisable amongst white label grime’s most influential producers (Wiley, Skepta, Lewi White etc.) that push the formula into far more rapturous territories than any of FC’s previous productions. The more introspective moments of the album (»Wares at the Ivy House«, »Blythe Vision«) put local field recordings and devotional reverberant ambience to the forefront, alluding to St Circul’s proto-dungeon synth influences and giving the whole album a unique world all its own.

Archaic Vaults is proud to host an album which shares intrinsic roots with the label’s own South London birthplace. »Ley Lines«’ ten tracks of psychogeographic drifting are available in digital and limited cassette format via Archaic Vaults.

Mastered by Owen Pratt Design by Severin Black Artwork image by St Circul

Roy Montgomery, a key figure in the experimental underground rock scene, lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, just a short drive from the sea. Avant-garde vocalist and songwriter Martha Skye Murphy is based in London. Though geographically worlds apart, the pair inhabit an intimate and almost tactile shared sonic world. Their collaboration feels transformative, like the gradual shifting spell from night to day.

What draws them together is the emotional force of each other’s music. Montgomery’s cyclical, decaying compositions are shaped through intricate guitar and piano work, blending post-rock, folk, and drone. Murphy, meanwhile, possesses a rare gift for transformation, from the intimate cracked whispers of 'At Dawn' to the hypnotic drift of 'The Play of Dark and Light'. On the latter, she evokes old maritime folk tales of fishermen lured into the darkness by the sea’s siren call. The song both seduces and warns, finding something magical and frightening in the temptation of drowning. Though her vocals often resemble fragments of words, consonants, or vowels, they frequently function as pure sound, drawing on glossolalia and prioritising feeling over any ‘learnt’ language.

Emotion and intuition are the driving forces behind Nebular, an album that oscillates between the intimate with the unknown. This spirit is reflected in its artwork. Murphy shared a painting by Irish artist Simon English depicting a solitary house bathed in dusky blue light, and the pair quickly settled on it as the cover image. Both were captivated by its atmosphere. Montgomery related it to the isolated, seemingly uninhabited houses he encounters while travelling through rural New Zealand—places that inspire a desire to knock on the door and discover what lies beyond. “Terra incognita springs to mind. A search into the unknown,” Murphy agrees.

The nocturnal and remote nature of the artwork mirrors the process of making Nebular. With Montgomery in New Zealand and Murphy in London, the album was created entirely through remote correspondence, with stems exchanged via email. Their messages were often written and read at different times of day, and, because of the time difference and the demands of daily life, replies usually were sent late at night and the music too often composed at nocturnal hours. Their exchanges took on the quality of pen pals sending letters across great distances. This suspended sense of time is echoed in Nebular’s sound, with its feeling of temporal drift and timelessness.

On Nebular, Montgomery and Murphy have harnessed raw emotion and launched it into a time capsule bound for the stars. It allows you to drift, to be present, and to feel; creating something timeless.

TRACKLISTING

Great Television unfolds as a loose, emotionally driven narrative about navigating love, identity, and self-destruction against a backdrop of memory, movement, and Southern imagery. It begins with “Sunset Promenade,” where a deep, possibly lifelong bond offers comfort amid internal turmoil, establishing a desire for connection strong enough to withstand a restless mind. This sense of identity expands in “Girls of Atomic City,” where independence and womanhood are celebrated, though tinged with performance and uncertainty.

As the story progresses, songs like “Okeechobee Mud” introduce instability and intensity, portraying relationships that are passionate but corrosive, where love becomes inseparable from pain. “Thiokol Tripwire” honors the lives lost in the 1971 Thiokol Chemical Explosion and those affected in the south Georgia community of Woodbine. “Razorwire Wall” reinforces this devotion to chaotic love, suggesting loyalty even in destructive circumstances. A turning point arrives with “The Easy Kind,” where Cook reflects on attempts at self-repair, acknowledging her contradictions and rejecting simplicity in favor of a more fractured self-understanding. This awareness deepens in “Caldonia and The Love Convoy” and “In Your Veins,” where freedom blurs into recklessness and love takes on addictive qualities, revealing her complicity in cycles of harm. “19th Nervous Breakdown” provides crucial context, tracing her instability back to a turbulent upbringing marked by neglect and emotional disorder. “Feverfew,” leaves the narrative unresolved, as she recognizes her repeated attraction to destructive paths yet continues to follow them. In contrast, the closing track “Lightly” offers a rare glimpse of pure, protective sisterly love. Altogether, the album portrays a cyclical journey of longing, damage, and partial self-awareness, where clarity emerges but transformation remains uncertain.

Nothing have always been rule-breakers. Shoegaze renegades who've rebuilt the stereotypically lightweight genre in their own bloodyknuckled American image. Outlaw poets spilling existential dread on mile-wide canvasses of fuzz and reverb. Beginning as a Philly-born bedroom solo project in 2010, Nothing's music has always captured the full scale of the human condition, both the blaring anger and the whispering sadness. a short history of decay, Nothing's fifth solo album and first for Run For Cover Records, widens that aperture even further, providing the most hi-def rendering of Nothing to date. The band have never sounded this colossal, never felt this intimate, never been this honest. With the strongest arsenal in Nothing's ever-shifting lineup locked in -- guitarist Doyle Martin (Cloakroom), bassist Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), drummer Zachary Jones (MSC, Manslaughter 777), and third guitarist Cam Smith (Ladder To God, also of Cloakroom) -- singer-songwriter Domenic "Nicky" Palermo knew he had the manpower to make the band's most ambitious record yet. Co-written and produced with Whirr guitarist Nicholas Bassett, and with additional production and mixing work from Sonny Diperri (DIIV, Julie), a short history of decay, is the most evolved musical statement in Nothing's catalog. Songs like "Cannibal World" and "Toothless Coal" are cataclysmic lashings of mechanized industrial-gaze that sound like My Bloody Valentine -- except more extreme. On the other end of the spectrum, the ornately morose "Purple Strings" boasts a beautiful string arrangement that includes harpist -- and two-time Nothing contributor -- Mary Lattimore. That baroque delicacy permeates other a short history of decay, highlights, particularly "The Rain Don't Care," a lilting ballad that channels the worn-down elegance of Mojave 3, and also "Nerve Scales," a pattering bop that resembles Radiohead in its marriage of otherworldly atmosphere and mortal precision. Palermo calls the new record "a final chapter." Not the end of Nothing, but the conclusion of a story that began with Nothing's 2014 debut, Guilty of Everything -- another album about time, regret, and confronting uncomfortable truths -- and now resolves with a short history of decay,. As much a snapshot of Palermo's past as it is a leap into Nothing's future.

includes DL code and insert with English & Japanese lyrics

The terms “nursery rhymes” and “children’s songs” may give rise to visions of idyllic innocence and the charms of childhood, but "Play Nursery Rhymes and Children's Songs" by Tokiyo Ooto & Orhythmo, their first release on EM Records, brings forth quite different aural imagery: this is an eerie and unsettling sonic picture book which hints at the darkness and mystery which form the hidden heart of many traditional songs and rhymes. The length of the songs provides a hint: each piece delves deeply into the latent uncanniness of the music, with superficial innocence gradually displaced as electric guitar, bass, field recordings and concrete sounds draw the listener into a chilly forest, while Tokiyo Ooto’s voice croons dark “lullabies for adults,” blending elements of folk, slowcore and dream pop. The Tokiyo Ooto & Orhythmo duo formed in 2023, releasing their first album in 2024. This release updates two pieces from the first album, and also includes a traditional Japanese children’s song from Shiga Prefecture and a masterpiece for children by composer Yasushi Akutagawa. Both musicians are Osaka-based: Ooto is a guitarist and singer-songwriter who also works in band and solo contexts; Orhythmo is a bassist with hardcore punk roots who focuses on improvisation, drone, noise and ambient sound. This release is available on CD, vinyl and DL; physical versions feature a printed insert with Japanese and English lyrics. The evocative cover is by Yoshitomo Ano.

Marking the band's long-awaited recording return, the 7-inch release features the
title track "Pandemonium" alongside the exclusive B-side "Candlelight", available
exclusively on vinyl and omitted from the digital release.
With "Pandemonium", DEATH SS once again channel their unmistakable artistic vision,
transforming apocalyptic imagery, esoteric symbolism and occult references into a striking
metaphor for today's world. Demons, broken seals and the Great Beast become powerful
symbols of war, fanaticism, mass manipulation, collective anger and the profound spiritual
crisis affecting modern society.
As always, DEATH SS invite listeners to explore multiple layers of interpretation beyond the
song's narrative. Beneath its dark imagery lies a reflection on human consciousness and the
urgent need for inner awakening, reinforcing the symbolic and philosophical approach that
has distinguished the band throughout its entire career

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the highly anticipated debut album of Poland’s TORPOR, Ɖungeon Ɖescent, on CD and vinyl LP formats. TORPOR were formed in Warsaw by three school friends and music fans under the huge influence of Bathory. While recording their first release, Burning Realms / Behold the Spell of Black Fortress, in dusk of 2017, the band were laying their music foundations inspired by the epic side of black and the haunted / melancholic side of early ‘80s heavy metal. Since their last release – 2021’s The Ancient Tales EP, which was actually recorded in 2019 – TORPOR parted ways with their drummer, who alongside Mike Magister I.V. and Franciszek Archont, was a founding member of the trio. Upon the arrival of a new drummer and long-time friend, Bloodhammer, they recorded their debut album. It marks the result of their work and path undertaken. "We knew it was our direction to follow and polish, so now, after some time, we can happily present our debut album, Ɖungeon Ɖescent,” the band state. “It is our first real record that pictures our vision exactly how we liked to. After years of wandering around basement rehearsal rooms and two self-released demos, we are finally coming out of our lairs with this LP under the banners of DYING VICTIMS." Their past connections with fellow labelmates ARMAGH and FUKKIN’ VENGEANCE somewhat explains TORPOR’s link to the idiosyncratic side of ancient heavy metal, which has taken far more prominence on Ɖungeon Ɖescent over the first-wave black metal side – but that’s only part of the picture. Some might call it “cleaning up,” others might liken it to a harnessing of feral energies, but TORPOR’s emphatic-yet-stoic strut conveys equal amounts of energy and mystery, finesse and fine-tuning. Of course, the power-trio can kick into high gear when they want to, be it heroic gallop or even hypnotic blast, but their sense of movement from one moody segment to the next imparts a narrative flow that’s part and parcel of their lyrical imagery. Or, perhaps it’s true swords & sorcery metal without belaboring the point – no “COOL IMAGERY DUDE” without the music & atmosphere to back it up, more specifically – that harkens to a glorious, sadly bygone era. However you approach this Ɖungeon Ɖescent, TORPOR have surely delivered a cult classic in the making. Passion, authenticity, the reverberating ring of truth…ancient powers arise from time immemorial

Simsara Records is proud to announce Syrr, the new album by Egyptian artist Maryam Saleh, arriving 27 March 2026. A mythic and introspective work, Syrr transforms memory, loss, and lived experience into a shifting world of sound, voice, and embodied emotion. Written and composed by Saleh, the album traces a three-part journey—Origin & Image, Vessel, and Intuition & Echo—in which the self is fractured, questioned, reassembled, and ultimately expanded. Blending raw expression with subtle dramatics, Saleh crafts an immersive sonic autobiography rooted in intuition, embodiment, and human becoming.
Co-produced by Maryam Saleh, Maurice Louca, and Kamilya Jubran—who also perform keys, oud and backing vocals throughout—the album’s songs are set to or inspired by existing Egyptian and Arabic song forms (including mawwal, lullaby, madih, muwashshah, taqtuqa and more). The project underwent a rigorous three-year journey of songwriting and composition by Saleh with Kamilya Jubran as mentor before recording.
“Syrr” is mixed by Mokhtar El Sayeh and mastered by Heba Kadry, with artwork by Pauline Gouablin (photography), Omar Mostafa (image editing, treatment and inserts design), and Maged El Sokkary (typography and illustration). Lyrics translation by Nariman Youssef. Produced by Simsara Music with support from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

Der Erfinder der "Infinite Guitar", der kanadische Musiker Michael Brook, schuf mit seinem 1992 bei 4AD erschienenen Album Cobalt Blue eine zeitlose und leise überwältigende Sammlung instrumentaler Stücke und schimmernder Klanglandschaften. Mit Beiträgen des Ambient-Pioniers Brian Eno, des Komponisten und Multiinstrumentalisten Roger Eno sowie des Grammy-prämierten Produzenten Daniel Lanois. Live at the Aquarium, später im selben Jahr aufgenommen, dokumentiert einen seltenen Soloauftritt Brooks in London und hebt das hypnotische Sustain und die atmosphärische Tiefe hervor, die sein Werk prägen. Über seine Alben hinaus komponierte Brook Filmmusiken für gefeierte Filme wie Into the Wild, Brooklyn und An Inconvenient Truth. Neu remastert von Rashad Becker und präsentiert als kristallklares 2LP-Set mit Artwork von Alison Fielding auf Basis der originalen v23-Designs, markiert diese Veröffentlichung die erste Vinyl-Wiederauflage von Cobalt Blue sowie das Vinyl-Debüt von Live at the Aquarium - eine längst überfällige Würdigung eines unterschätzten Juwels im 4AD-Katalog.

First time double-cassette reissue of 1987's double LP opera rock by Spain's legendary punk band Eskorbuto. "Los demenciales chicos acelerados" is a political satirical work against any kind of dictatorial regime. "Los demenciales chicos acelerados" is Eskorbuto's fourth studio album, originally released by Discos Suicidas in 1987. It was their most ambitious project, a double LP rock opera in the vein of "Quadrophenia" by their beloved The Who. It tells the story of an unscrupulous young man who wishes to achieve power at all costs, stepping over everyone and everything in order to do whatever he wants politically. In the end, he falls due to his ego and is betrayed by those around him. Hence lines such as "crowds are a nuisance", "I'll come unscathed out of the attacks planned by my image consultant" or "shouting in front of the scum". In 1988 band members Iosu and Juanma narrated the album's concept and story on a Radio Euskadi show, the Basque Country's public broadcaster. This satirical political plot also explains the controversial sleeve art, Eskorbuto were equalling the unprincipled politician of their rock opera with the Nazis and Franco's dictatorship. It's a conceptual record that attacks any kind of dictatorial political regime. The original sleeve caused some trouble, to say the least, with its combination of Nazi photos and the Spanish flag on the back accompanied by the words "Of national interest". lthough "Los demenciales..." came out on Discos Suicidas, in typical Eskorbuto fashion the band stole a copy of the master and sold it to the Twins label, which also released it a few months later with new cover art.The album contains new versions of a few previous tracks such as 'Ratas rabiosas' and 'Enterrado vivo' plus the studio version of 'Más allá del cementerio'. For the recording the band enrolled keyboardist Aitor Amezaga, who would also collaborate on their next album.

2026 Repress

A (new) vinyl version for one of our favourite Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic) albums; originally recorded between 1999–2004 and issued on CD only under his revered Ø alias for Finland’s Sähkö Recordings in 2005.

»Kantamoinen« is perhaps the most intimately beautiful yet little-known LP in the Ø canon, bridging the gap between his classic ’90s minimal techno productions and the project’s subsequent turn to more ambient, kosmic, and dubwise dimensions in the coolly brilliant »Oleva« and »Konstellaatio« albums.

Dedicated to Mika’s grandma, Laina Vainio (1913–1991), and adorned with a cover image of her garden in Artjärvi, Finland, the 16-part 2LP is the closest you’ll get to a type of nostalgia in Mika’s catalogue.

Whilst recorded 1999–2004 at an early crest of his game-changing work with Pan Sonic, the album clearly manifests a quieter space for Mika to emote far more nuanced feels, from the wide-eyed vastness of »Galaxy« to a breathtaking »Sound Picture«, transitioning from Hans-Ulrich Obrist’s snippet of Oskar Sala into icy bliss, and the rosy warmth of »Summerland« clearly dedicated to his nan’s garden. The rest is better defined as ephemeral snapshots adding up to a broader picture, like a mind’s eye filling gaps in the memory from illusive vapours and sensations, generating all-time gems in the steepled choral synth voice of »In Wind«, or a sense of magic realism in the swaying organ of »Antenna-ant«, with the blooz folk wheeze of closer »To Home« that could feasibly score the most haunting moments of a Béla Tarr flick.

Between her elaborately conceptual Drag City singer-songwriter albums and celebrated soundtracks for Ryusuke Hamaguchi, in recent years Eiko Ishibashi has quietly self-released a significant body of solo and collaborative work on her Bandcamp page. At times resembling her solo live performances in their organic interweaving of instrumental, electronic, and concrete sounds, each of these less feted online releases offers a snapshot of the experiments always underway at Atelier Eiko. Some Fine Legacy is pleased to announce a vinyl edition of one of the most intriguing of these works, Gasping_Sighing_Sobbing, made in collaboration with Hiroshi Minami and first released in 2021.

Active since the 1980s, Hiroshi Minami is a key figure in the Tokyo jazz scene, as well as a respected memoirist. Devoted to the great standards, which he explores with an Evans-ish delicacy of touch and Impressionist harmonic extensions, he is equally at home working up variations on tunes by Ryuichi Sakomoto and The Beatles or experimenting with ambient electronics. A single note from his piano is the first thing we hear on Gasping_Sighing_Sobbing, the space left by its decay unexpectedly filled by a synth arpeggio that quickly fades away as the piano returns with a balladic chord sequence.

Like her frequent collaborator Jim O’Rourke, Ishibashi possesses the virtue of patience, recognising the beauty of lingering at length in a single musical environment. Throughout its 40-minute duration, Gasping_Sighing_Sobbing remains lost in this maze of obstructed and fragmented piano balladry. The musical surface is in one respect placid, but close listening reveals dynamics and processes that are deeply strange: the resonance of a chord dying away is frozen, expanding to become a cloud that suddenly makes way for the piano’s return; or the piano is looped into a ticking glitch or a time-stretched shudder, momentarily sinking under lapping waves, distant bells, and snatches of conversation. Ishibashi’s subtle vocals and synths colour the piano passages like views through distorted glass. The metaphor of cinéma pour l’oreille is perhaps overused in discussions of the musique concrète tradition, but here the visual associations are almost unavoidable: especially when Daisuke Ijichi joins on upright bass, it’s hard to shake the cinematic image of a smoky jazz bar—shown in a sequence, perhaps, that cuts repeatedly to the musicians’ and audience’s thoughts and dreams. Like much of Ishibashi’s work, this collaboration with Hiroshi Minami is inconspicuously radical, shaped at the deepest level by electro-acoustic procedures even as it luxuriates in melancholic beauty.

African visions, Middle Eastern mirages, and cosmic pulsations: the map of Giuliano Sorgini’s sonic universe continues to expand, revealing new, uncharted territories.

Set for release on 10 July, the 7-inch Savana Selvaggia brings together two extraordinary, previously unreleased tracks, shedding light on one of the most visionary facets of Sorgini’s library music aesthetic. On Side A, “I misteri del mondo” (The Mysteries of the World) transports us to an imagined, ancestral Africa suspended between endless horizons, elegiac wilderness, and analogue electronics.

On Side B, “Arabian Safari” opens the door to a mystical, Arabic-tinged soundscape where African imagery blends with Middle Eastern influences and kosmische futurism. Driven by a potent mix of electronic drums, hypnotic sequencing, and fiercely inventive synths, it strikes a sonic kinship with the finest European Krautrock.

The dialogue between these two tracks perfectly highlights the composer's artisanal, experimental approach. Here, the Solina, Minimoog, modular circuits, pulsating synth lines, and suspended melodies intertwine to form a fascinating, enigmatic, and deeply personal sonic world—one built entirely by Sorgini in his Cat & Fox Studio in Rome, located a mere stone's throw from the RAI headquarters.

Two forgotten tracks. Two cinematic journeys whose original visuals have been lost to time. Two missing puzzle pieces in the ongoing recovery of the work of a composer who sounds more modern today than ever before. A magnificent sonic transmission from a bygone era that lands with the force of a contemporary revelation.

Joa Joys (Joaquín Ledesma) is a visual artist and musician from Santa Fe, Argentina, now based in Buenos Aires. Since 2015, he has released solo and collaborative works on labels across Argentina, Japan, Belgium, and France — and now with Discrepant — while also composing for documentaries and installations. His music approaches sound as a habitable space, closely intertwined with a visual sensibility, creating cinematic soundscapes that oscillate between everyday observation, dream states, and surreal fantasy.

His new album Alivie explores the experience of physical pain, its different phases, and the ways we cope with it. Built from a palette that merges analog synthesizers (some hand-built by the artist) with flute, mandolin, guitar, and other textures, the record shifts between atmospheric passages, folk-like elements, and moments of energy and abstraction. Alivie is not confessional but poetic — an attempt to translate the weight of pain into images, sounds, and atmospheres that also carry humor, joy, and relief.

Strut Records proudly presents the first definitive expanded reissue of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Sun Ra’s 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana, presented across three Vinyl LPs or as a two CD set.

The Arkestra were at the peak of their powers in 1977, releasing revered albums like The Soul Vibration Of Man and My Favorite Things with Arkestra regulars Marshall Allen, Danny Ray Thompson, Michael Ray and Luqman Ali among the core musicians. Ra also continued his touring in Europe with historic gigs in Italy. During this period, Arkestra live performances were often loosely structured into thematic blocks that moved from reflections on jazz history to cosmic “space narrative” sections featuring collective chants, extended Africa/Egypt-inspired grooves and selections from the Great American Songbook. This recording brings in all of these features with re-imagined versions of standards like ‘Take The “A” Train’, ‘St. Louis Blues’ and title track ‘Over The Rainbow’ alongside rarely recorded Ra compositions like ‘Make Another Mistake’ and ‘Amen Meni Many Amens’. Ra conducted improvisations to guide the listener seamlessly from one musical scene to the next. As Sun Ra himself described it: “It’s like a party—we enjoy ourselves and everybody’s invited to enjoy it with us.”

The original version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow assembled a handful of clearly delineated tracks drawn from the flow of two complete concert recordings, re-arranged out of sequence. Strut’s new edition restores previously excised material and preserves more of the natural transitions between pieces, offering a fuller glimpse into the distinctive aesthetic of Sun Ra and his Arkestra.

This definitive reissue is pressed across two CDs, or three vinyl LPs housed in a triple gatefold sleeve, newly remastered by Technology Works from the original source tapes and features extensive new liner notes by Chris Cutler alongside video stills from the original concert.

Unit Nine is a The Hague-based musical collective weaving together soulful melancholy, minimalist composition and soft grooves. Their debut album, Disaster Jester, will be released digitally and on 12?? vinyl on The Hague imprint PIP Records on November 14th, 2025, celebrated with a release show at Paard, Den Haag. The album was recorded under guidance of renowned producer Tijmen van Wageningen, at The Womb Studio. Disaster Jester revolves around the archetype of the jester, the trickster who embodies both chaos and wisdom, humour and tragedy. Across the album, music video and cover artwork, he appears as a clown in a shadowy crime narrative and as a weary detective who eventually dons the fool?s hat himself. The image becomes a mirror for the artist: observing, stumbling, laughing & fooling. The track ?Afgesproken Plek? features rap artists KC and MC Lost, who provided an imaginary crime skit playing on the detective persona central in the story telling of the album. While their universal and timeless sound could travel anywhere, there?s something distinctly The Hague about Unit Nine; a mix of irony, unpolished charm, and understated design sensibility. Their city?s blend of rough edges and refined aesthetics runs through their work and places the debut album within a historical tapestry of not-so-mainstream culture and art that the sea town is known to embody.

Newly signed to indie heavyweights Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s) EP two: ‘Marionette’ has been produced by Daniel Fox (Sprints, Melts, Psychotic Monks, Naked Lungs, Nerves, Ronan Group) and it’s set to be seminal. A set text for future musicians with aspirations of innovation. “The theme of the marionette is present throughout each song, involving some aspect of a power struggle and a lack of control within oneself.” Opener ‘Chocolate’ bounces in on a synth line as slippery and hyperactive as anything Aphex Twin ever cooked up. Crispy offbeat electronic cymbals play counterpoint to atonal guitars and pugilistic drumming before the track dry-wretches its way into a nauseating cacophony of euphoria. It’s a tale of crippling social anxiety and a preference for an unflattering, lonely reality. The muted guitar pluck in the intro to ‘Crows’ is the sonic equivalent of biting one’s nails. An anxious, involuntary tic that speaks to the theme of guilt, especially surrounding digital culture: “children can watch what they please, just with viewer discretion.” The track lurches between textures, weaving themselves in and out of focus. Guitars blare like sirens, interrupting paranoid urban centres at 2am, while the bass sounds like the inside of an insomniac’s head on day four of a REM drought.

The metallic intent of ‘Discipline’ squats on the chest as though Steve Albini is your sleep paralysis demon. The pain of accountability spews from the industrial regularity of the beat, apt to the narrative of a soldier coming to terms with the lies that made him commit atrocious, violent acts. EP closer ‘Servant’ starts like a Spectrum loading screen. Dial-up modem-coded, it pauses for moments of white-noise-vomit and existential bloops. Fitting for a more abstract take on the idea of the power struggle filtered through religious imagery and self-awareness of one’s own actions, coupled with an inability to exert control over them. The band pile on the textures with sadistic glee until the evil is exorcized and the modem melts. Connection severed. Across the EP, vocalist Joseph has a tendency to hyper-fixate on themes of control and unhappiness. Creating rooms in which doom and isolation ricochet. Not that it’s all bad news “we like to think that by shedding light on the negative, it commands a sense of hope.” Influenced as much by the liminal-space horror and uncanny dread of Silent Hill as the existentialist theatre of The Twilight Zone or the absurdity of Twin Peaks, they occupy a space between unease and impulse. Makeshift Art Bar are not a band interested in being liked. They’re a band interested in being necessary. There’s so much eating and drinking in their work that multiple listens simply don’t satisfy; something new reveals itself on each return visit. Audacious. Idiosyncratic. Vital. A young band carrying identity, defiance and an uncompromising vision as if it isn’t a rare cargo.

Newly signed to indie heavyweights Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s) EP two: ‘Marionette’ has been produced by Daniel Fox (Sprints, Melts, Psychotic Monks, Naked Lungs, Nerves, Ronan Group) and it’s set to be seminal. A set text for future musicians with aspirations of innovation. “The theme of the marionette is present throughout each song, involving some aspect of a power struggle and a lack of control within oneself.” Opener ‘Chocolate’ bounces in on a synth line as slippery and hyperactive as anything Aphex Twin ever cooked up. Crispy offbeat electronic cymbals play counterpoint to atonal guitars and pugilistic drumming before the track dry-wretches its way into a nauseating cacophony of euphoria. It’s a tale of crippling social anxiety and a preference for an unflattering, lonely reality. The muted guitar pluck in the intro to ‘Crows’ is the sonic equivalent of biting one’s nails. An anxious, involuntary tic that speaks to the theme of guilt, especially surrounding digital culture: “children can watch what they please, just with viewer discretion.” The track lurches between textures, weaving themselves in and out of focus. Guitars blare like sirens, interrupting paranoid urban centres at 2am, while the bass sounds like the inside of an insomniac’s head on day four of a REM drought.

The metallic intent of ‘Discipline’ squats on the chest as though Steve Albini is your sleep paralysis demon. The pain of accountability spews from the industrial regularity of the beat, apt to the narrative of a soldier coming to terms with the lies that made him commit atrocious, violent acts. EP closer ‘Servant’ starts like a Spectrum loading screen. Dial-up modem-coded, it pauses for moments of white-noise-vomit and existential bloops. Fitting for a more abstract take on the idea of the power struggle filtered through religious imagery and self-awareness of one’s own actions, coupled with an inability to exert control over them. The band pile on the textures with sadistic glee until the evil is exorcized and the modem melts. Connection severed. Across the EP, vocalist Joseph has a tendency to hyper-fixate on themes of control and unhappiness. Creating rooms in which doom and isolation ricochet. Not that it’s all bad news “we like to think that by shedding light on the negative, it commands a sense of hope.” Influenced as much by the liminal-space horror and uncanny dread of Silent Hill as the existentialist theatre of The Twilight Zone or the absurdity of Twin Peaks, they occupy a space between unease and impulse. Makeshift Art Bar are not a band interested in being liked. They’re a band interested in being necessary. There’s so much eating and drinking in their work that multiple listens simply don’t satisfy; something new reveals itself on each return visit. Audacious. Idiosyncratic. Vital. A young band carrying identity, defiance and an uncompromising vision as if it isn’t a rare cargo.

Factory Benelux presents a blue vinyl edition of Short Stories for Pauline, the ‘lost’ fourth album by cult Manchester group The Durutti Column. Limited to just 500 copies, this edition also features a new cover image by photographer Mark Warner.
 Originally recorded by Vini Reilly in Brussels in November 1983, the 14 track album features several key Durutti works including College, A Room in Southport and (best of all) Duet. Recorded with Tuxedomoon viola player Blaine L. Reininger, this poignant instrumental proved - ironically – to be the downfall of the album, after Factory founder (and Durutti manager) Tony Wilson insisted that Duet form the basis of an entire neo-classical album. Thus Duet became Without Mercy in 1984, and Short Stories for Pauline was shelved.
Other guest musicians on the album include drummer Alain Lefebvre, harpist Anne van den Troost and sax player Eric Sleichim.

The seven tracks are imbued with a sound that is at times harsh and angular, yet always cultivates a dreamlike and sometimes epic imagery. It is the first album with vocals by the talented Elisa Brusati (then the singer of Noema) and lyrics by drummer and synth player Federico Rivoli. This choice has strengthened the band's cinematic and expressive inspiration, which in previous albums was entirely instrumental. The guitar and bass parts complement a less prominent use of synths and keyboards compared to the last album, "From Sunset to Dawn" although there is no shortage of themes and long psychedelic digressions, such as in the songs "Hidden Places" and "Sleeping Brain".

One of the first Grunge Records ever released. Sourced from the original 1985 Master Tapes. Includes Unreleased Bonus Track. Mark Arm & Steve Turner of Mudhoney, Jeff Ament & Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam. Features Studio Master Tape Box image w/ lyrics. Released in 1985, Green River “Come On Down" was a record existing in its sonic universe out of step with its own time. Was it glam? Was it punk? Was it metal? Was it cool? We now know it was one of the building blocks of what Mark Arm would coin as "grunge" but in 1985 this record was a silent groundbreaker. It was not only the raw, sludgy, slower guitar sound that makes this band important in its place in rock history, but the members of Green River would go on to lead some of the biggest names in the genre: Mudhoney and Mother Love Bone, the latter of which also contained the roots of Pearl Jam. The record includes the iconic original cover artwork, now pressed on black vinyl, and includes a printed inner sleeve with lyrics and photo of the original master tape box, plus an unreleased rare bonus track!