Suche:ish

Enki's promises have brought me to Eridu, now im full of hope and expectations.

In my dreams night falls over the city of art and creation and magic while my eyes adjust to the rays of the sun.

"Sounds Over Seas" is the new label bringing banging beats straight from the depths of the heart. Spearheaded by label head and DJ/Producer Julian Bainbridge, "Sounds Over Seas“ intention is to deliver groovy and dreamy vibes by new and established artists, whilst remaining genuine to its true nature; music not just for the dancefloor.

SOS001 brings all this together, delivering rhythmic and jacking beats on the A-Side and a more dreamy and spacious vibe on the reverse side.

The music of Hubur is full of details and small elements that trigger the big picture profoundly. You can call his music electronic. You can say he writes tracks. But then there are some song-ish moments in them - even if there is no singing at all. Not at least because his melodies are tempting. You can also find traces of hip hop. Traces of leftfield electronics. Traces of jazz without jazz. A gentle ride with a story arc that absorbs profoundly and that does not require a commercial value to exist and be meaningful.

Limited to 200 copies on yellow, labelless vinyl is the latest release on Leipzig's Minor Label, fusing the creative forces of the two artists that have been responsible for a main part of the labels output throughout the past two years. Whilst Yvat fuses heavy distortion, beat twisting and melodious Electronica in a kind of Aphex Twin-manner on the A-side we see Tlic explore cold, grinding, sci-fi'ish soundspheres based on a slow, pounding 4/4 foundation on his B1 tune "Digital Kautschuk" whilst things are speeding up with "Homeo Sapiens" on B2 to a not less grinding effect. Frosty.

KHT 008 is coming from no less than the man who is called The Prince of Techno' by his peers.
And that is for a reason: Blake was part of the first wave of Detroit techno artists and dis and contributed to the techno movement from the mid 80s. Tracks like When a dream becomes U' or Our love' are milestones of electronic music, his style, which he calls Poetry and Rhythm' is distinctive. For Killekill House Trax he delivers the Acid Life EP which comes along with two strong, acid driven tracks, the A-side darker and more chicago-oriented with its rhythmical focus and the punchy kick, the B-side more Detroit-ish with its uplifting chords.
Timeless!

Music from Tokyo / New York serves as the 2024 sequel to his previous release, Music for Joshua Tree. This conceptual album is divided into Side A (Tokyo) and Side B (New York), utilizing field recordings captured in each location. The ceramic images featured on LP jacket is the work of Namiko Ishikawa (NamipotNYC).

On this record, he incorporates Ambient, Downtempo, Trip-hop, and Dub—bringing to life the specific sounds currently resonating in his mind and his original roots.

Since the pandemic, he has been traveling and capturing "environmental sounds" through field recordings, which served as the primary inspiration for this record. Side A features tracks inspired by the atmosphere of Tokyo, including recordings from streets, parks near his home in Japan. Side B explores New York, incorporating the sounds of Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as the chirping of insects recorded in the New York mountains.

While the album remains centered on analog synthesizers and vinyl samples, he has introduced analog drum machines and glitch noise to craft the groove. Unlike his previous work, this release brings prominent bass lines and added more Dub elements to the forefront. His primary focus for this project was expressing a sense of "space" and "air" through the meticulous use of reverb and delay.

Throughout the album, he invites the listener to imagine the unique "local atmosphere" he experienced during his travels.

Japanese crossover and fusion are hot again now. As either an outgrowth of, or a spin-off phenomenon from, the global reappraisal
of city pop, Japanese fusion has been rapidly rising since around last year.
This is the 1978 debut album by Carioca, one of Japan’s leading Brazilian fusion units of the 1970s and 1980s.
The group began as the backing band for Kiyoshi Hasegawa, and on this debut release they used the name "Samba Calioca." True to that
band name, they were quite unusual at the time for presenting samba and bossa nova with a resort-flavored sound, and they also
produced specialists such as drummer Antonio Ishida and guitarist Masami Sato. This highly club-popular first album also features a
diverse lineup of guest musicians including Masayoshi Takanaka, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami, and Shigeharu Mukai.

Im Laufe des Jahres 2026 hat das Jazz-Piano-Trio Okonski (Steve Okonski am Keyboard, Aaron Frazer Bandkollege von Durand Jones and the Indications am Schlagzeug und Bassist Michael Isvara Ish" Montgomery) nach und nach eine Vielzahl von Singles veröffentlicht, um die Fans bis zum mit Spannung erwarteten Album LP3" im Jahr 2027 bei Laune zu halten. Die Tracks zeigen vielfältige Einflüsse und beinhalten Kollaborationen mit Künstlern wie dem Saxophonisten Cochemea und der Harfenistin Rachel Kitchlew. Zum Abschluss dieser Single-Reihe hat Colemine Records eine limitierte Auflage von Kassetten gepresst, die alle neuesten Tracks sowie ein paar Bonus-Live-Stücke enthalten. Die hochgelobte EP Trio Session Demos" der Band wurde auf die B-Seite der Kassette gepackt damit sind diese vom Hip-Hop inspirierten frühen Aufnahmen zum ersten Mal physisch erhältlich. Anfang 2025 veröffentlichte Okonski ihr zweites Album Entrance Music" und erntete dafür großes Lob. Das Spiritual-Jazz-Album wurde von Rolling Stone, BBC, Billboard, KEXP und unzähligen anderen gelobt und wurde bereits über 10 Millionen Mal gestreamt. Das Trio hat kürzlich ein ausverkauftes Konzert in LA absolviert und bricht diesen Herbst zu seiner ersten Tour durch Großbritannien und die EU auf. Von Okonski ist in den kommenden Jahren noch viel mehr zu erwarten.

Nach fast zwei Jahren meldet sich Okonski mit "Entrance Music" zurück - ein Album, auf dem sich das Trio auf dem Höhepunkt seines improvisatorischen Könnens befindet und das Spontane und Meditative zelebriert. Nach dem Debüt "Magnolia" von 2023 hat der Pianist und Bandleader Steve Okonski seine langjährigen musikalischen Mitstreiter (Durand Jones & The Indications-Bandkollege Aaron Frazer am Schlagzeug und Bassist Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery) für eine weitere Session im Geiste von Künstlern wie The Bad Plus, Gerald Clayton und The Breathing Effect wieder zusammengebracht. Letztendlich ist "Entrance Music" eine Einladung zu frühen Stunden, in denen die Songs in der Tür verweilen und ihre Anwesenheit ankündigen, bevor sie in die Luft zurückkehren, um sorgfältig in die nächste Runde zu treiben. "Entrance Music" wurde in einer fünftägigen Session aufgenommen und war eines der ersten Alben, die in Portage Lounge, dem Studio von Terry Cole in Loveland, OH, auf Band gebannt wurden. "Es war ein neues Setup, aber mit Terry hinter den Reglern war es sehr vertraut", sagt Okonski. "Ich kann nicht genug betonen, wie sehr sich Terry wie ein viertes Mitglied der Band fühlt, wegen des Raums, den er kuratiert, der Energie, die er einbringt, und den Produktionsideen." Die Energie und der Sound, die mit dem Colemine-Labelchef am Ruder entstanden sind, sorgen für ein Hörerlebnis, das sich mit den Katalogen von ECM oder Stones Throw messen kann. Während ein Großteil des Debüts auf seine Zeit in New York zurückgeht, fühlt sich "Entrance Music" "ein bisschen weniger wie ,auf den Straßen um 2 Uhr morgens' und ein bisschen mehr auf der Natur basierend an - ein bisschen mehr ätherisch", sagt Okonski. "Es ist definitiv das Alter, die Umgebung und die Familie - all das kommt in der Musik durch."

Das Studio in der 122 West Loveland Avenue war für Steve Okonski, den Leiter seines gleichnamigen Trios Okonski", kein unbekannter Ort. Seitdem sich das Label Colemine in Loveland, Ohio, niedergelassen hat, war es Gastgeber für eine Reihe von Bands, die auf der Durchreise waren, darunter auch Durand Jones and the Indications, zu denen alle Mitglieder dieses Trios Verbindungen haben. Nachdem er sich im Winter 2020 etwas Zeit genommen hatte, lud Okonski, der ursprünglich als klassischer Pianist ausgebildet wurde, Michael Isvara Ish" Montgomery und Aaron Frazer ein, an einem Album zu arbeiten, das ursprünglich als beatgetriebene und vollständig komponierte Trio-Instrumentalstücke geplant war. Nachdem diese erste Session mit einigen Improvisationen abgeschlossen war, wurde im Sommer 2021 eine zweite Woche gebucht, um zu versuchen, noch mehr von dieser spontanen Energie einzufangen. Während dieser Session wurden alle Stücke improvisiert und live auf einem Tascam 388 während mehrerer später Nächte im Colemine-Hauptquartier aufgenommen. Sie waren so strukturiert, dass die kollektive Intuition der Gruppe die Melodien und den Verlauf der Musik voll und ganz prägen konnte. Das Album beginnt mit Runner Up", wo eine triumphale und doch melancholische Melodie am Klavier zu einem zurückhaltenderen B-Teil überleitet, der von Schlagzeug und Bass von Frazer und Montgomery getragen wird. Auf deiner Reise durch den Rest des Albums begegnest du einer Fülle von hervorgerufenen und erforschten Emotionen. Die Ruhe, die man empfindet, wenn man nach Mitternacht eine mondbeschienene Straße entlanggeht, die Verbindung zu einer Person, die nur für einen Moment oder ein ganzes Leben in deine Welt tritt, und die Nervosität und Katharsis, die man spürt, wenn man sich auf eine neue, unbekannte Reise begibt. Magnolia" endet mit Sunday", einem Titel, der spät in der Nacht am Ende ihrer ersten Aufnahmesession aufgenommen wurde. Ohne die Spontaneität von Sunday" wäre der Rest von Magnolia" wahrscheinlich nie zustande gekommen. Magnolia" entstand aus dem Herzen und dem Geist derer, die in jenen späten Nächten in Loveland im Studio waren. Es ist der Höhepunkt einer emotionalen und künstlerischen Befreiung, die erst möglich wurde, als die Band sich an ihre Instrumente setzte und gerade deshalb ist das Album introspektiv, meditativ, spirituell und neuartig.

With Random Constraint Satisfaction Problems, the ever elusive and shape-shifting Thomas Bush offers up a new album of category scrambling song craft. Since earlier solo efforts like Old And Red (2018), Preludes (2022) and The Next 60 Years (2024), Bush—currently based in Malmö—has traced a digressive path that has proven him capable of everything from murky wobbling dirges to uptight head-bopping laments to crystalline synth chords that hang precariously in the air over your new favourite bass line. Like its title, the album's songs/tunes/opportunities for pleasure offer the listener further evidence of a sensibility that is equal parts ambiguity and clarity.

In addition to his solo work, Bush has worked with a range of collaborators in one-off configurations and longer term projects like RAP (with Guy Gormley) and cATHOLIC CHURGH (with Jon Auman). Critical responses to Bush's output have often focused on his predilection for certain folk-ish impulses and instrumentation, but, judging from releases like 2026's guld, his definition of "folk music" seems to have as much to do with A Guy Called Gerald as it does with Shirley Collins or John Martyn.

For all of its diversity, what unites Bush's ever-expanding body of work is its dual commitment to experimentation and a job well done.

“Random Constraint Satisfaction Problems was recorded at Vista Studio 1, Malmö between 2022 and 2025. After creating an account at academia.edu for the purpose of reading a text now forgotten, I began to get emails asking me questions such as ‘Thomas Bush, did you write “Brucellosis and Sacroiliitis: A Common Presentation of an Uncommon Pathogen”?’ or ‘Are you the Thomas Bush who wrote “ATR-dependent phosphorylation of FANCA on serine 1449 after DNA damage is important for FA pathway function”?’, which began to make me wonder if I was, or if not, perhaps I should.

The resulting work is an attempt to find meaning in this, and other chaotic and ambiguous situations through analysis using materials and equipment available to hand. Being sensitive to signs and following them with enthusiasm. Both the source material and evaluation is presented.”

Over the course of 2026, jazz piano trio Okonski (Steve Okonski on keys, Durand Jones and the Indications bandmate Aaron Frazer on drums, and bassist Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery) have been trickling out a wide variety of singles to keep fans at bay ahead of the highly anticipated 2027 LP3. The tracks offer a variety of influences, and include collaborations with the likes of Saxophonist Cochemea and harpist Rachel Kitchlew. To conclude this series of singles, Colemine records has pressed up a limited number of cassettes including all the newest tracks and a few bonus live tunes. The group's regarded EP 'Trio Session Demos' have been added to the flip of the cassette, the first time these hip-hop inspired early cuts have been available physically.
At the top of 2025, Okonski released their sophomore LP 'Entrance Music' to wide acclaim. The spiritual jazz record received praise from Rolling Stone, BBC, Billboard, KEXP, countless others and has streamed over 10 million times. The trio recently completed a sold out LA show and embark on their first UK/EU tour this fall. There is much more to come from Okonski in the coming years.

After nearly two years, Okonski returns with Entrance Music — an album that finds the trio at the height of their improvisational prowess and celebrating the spontaneous and meditative. On the heels of 2023’s debut Magnolia, pianist and leader Steve Okonski has reconvened long-time musical collaborators (Durand Jones and the Indications bandmate Aaron Frazer on drums and bassist Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery) for another session in the spirit of artists like the Bad Plus, Gerald Clayton, and The Breathing Effect. Ultimately Entrance Music serves as an invitation to early hours, where songs linger in the doorway, announcing their presence before returning to the air, in a meticulous drift into the next.
Recorded over a five day session, Entrance Music was one of the first albums committed to tape at Portage Lounge, Terry Cole’s studio in Loveland, OH. “It was a new setup, but with Terry behind the dials it was very familiar,” says Okonski. “I can’t emphasize enough how much Terry feels like a fourth member of the band because of the space he’s curating, the energy he is bringing, and the production ideas.” The energy and sound created with the Colemine labelhead at the helm makes for a listening experience equally at home with ECM or Stones Throw catalogs.
From the rippling notes of the pastoral opener, “October,” Entrance Music is lush with anticipation, both band and listener feeling the tension in the tranquility — where the interplay of jazz improvisation and boom bap beats never shortchanges the musicianship but the talent is ever in service of the song.
While the band does not play together as often as they would like, not much time is needed for the three to lock in. Montgomery’s bass opening to “Passing Through” bends and moves with a singular meditative grace before piano and percussion joins the daylight filling a room with breath and light. If Magnolia resonated with last calls and late nights, Entrance Music counters with early mornings and first cups of coffee.
Whereas much of the debut resonates with his time in New York, Entrance Music “feels a little less ‘on the streets at 2 A.M.’ and a little more nature-based…a little more ethereal,” says Okonski. “It’s definitely age, environment, and family — all of that does come through in the music.”

The studio at 122 West Loveland Avenue was not an unfamiliar space for Steve Okonski, the leader of his eponymous trio Okonski. Ever since the Colemine label set up shop in Loveland, Ohio it has been a host to a number of groups passing through town, including Durand Jones and the Indications who all of this trio's members have connections to. After setting aside some time in winter of 2020, Okonski, trained initially as a classical pianist, invited Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery and Aaron Frazer to work on an album that was initially planned to be beat driven and fully composed trio instrumentals.

After finishing this first session with some improvisations, a second week was booked in the summer of 2021 to try and capture some more of that spontaneous energy. During this session, the tracks were all improvised and recorded live to a Tascam 388 during several late nights at the Colemine HQ. They were structured to allow the group's collective intuition to fully shape the melodies and arcs of the music.

The album opens with Runner Up, where a triumphant yet melancholic melody in the piano leads to a more reserved B-section driven by the drums and bass of Frazer and Montgomery. As you journey through the remainder of the album you are met with a plethora of evoked and explored emotions. The calmness one has walking down a moonlit street after midnight, the connection one has for a person who comes into their world for just a moment or a lifetime, and the nerves and catharsis one feels when starting upon a new, unknown journey.
Magnolia closes with Sunday, a track that was recorded late into the night at the close of their first recording session. Without the spontaneity of Sunday, the remainder of Magnolia would likely have never come to fruition.
Magnolia was composed from the heart and from the spirit of those in the studio those late nights in Loveland. It is the culmination of an emotional and artistic release that was not afforded or recognized before the band sat at their instruments, and because of that it is introspective, meditative, spiritual, and new.

There is a pivotal scene in “August in the Water” (dir. Sōgo Ishii, 1995) where the surface of a pool turns into a stone wall. The water that gave the protagonist's life its meaning becomes a threat. As you fall through this stone wall, you appear in a set of underwater coral-reef corridors, and one of the most beautiful musical themes begins to play: Aquatic Ambience, composed by David Wise for Donkey Kong Country (1994). It's a theme that represents the weightless vibe of your new deep-sea life, where you go about your mundane errands, collecting bananas while driving on a swordfish, or, as HerzMayhem put it: "Poor monkey... always swimming, never going anywhere..."

Synthetic Water Music is the second of three compilations, following Synthetic Bird Music and timed to mappa's 10th anniversary. As with the birds, it gathers friends of the label, artists who have released with mappa or played our shows. Most of the music is new, made to measure for this compilation, much of it from Central and Eastern European hands. Birds and water mix well, so please feel invited to play them together, creating your own environments.

Where the birds were in one flock, water is dispersed across four chapters. You live your life as a droppity drop: vapour in the heavens, condensing in clouds, falling into a swamp, trickling into the deepest sea.

Tlālōcān (Cassette 1, Side A)
A place of eternal spring, of aquatic energy that nourishes everything and allows all things to bloom. Bubbly and splishy-sploshy, it is full of dripping sounds and moist caverns (“Emerald Pool” by Pauline Anna Strom), a landscape filled with living fountains (“Oh, to be a Fountain” by Eva Sajanová) and winding streams that flow through the area, forming part of its organic architecture. It is also a paradise reserved for those whose deaths were water-related, where the aquatic and terrestrial beings live in symbiosis and perspectives shift rapidly, from observing a single droplet (Shakali, Lau Nau) to dew (Feronia Wennborg & Lucy Duncombe) and on to flowing currents (Visible Cloaks) that gradually transform into river music (Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton).

Nephelora (Cassette 1, Side B)
A celestial anti-gravity sound world made of evaporation, steam and the formation of clouds, as if looking at “The Sky At The Bottom of the Well” (by Natalia Beylis) or at “The Cloud That Never Rains” (by Henrique Vaz).

If a cloud never rains,
it is not a cloud at all, but a veil that parches the earth with its gaze.
It generates only its own shadow —
a looming mass of suspended longing,
a sky that hoards but never yields,
a reservoir that swallows every river and returns nothing but echoes.

The water in this world is often invisible but sometimes all the more present, as Bint Mbareh describes it: “Recently been obsessed with invisible waters because I come from a place where you have to imagine the water is there even though you cannot see a river, a sea, usually no rain, so water is in the air, the voice and the imaginal realm, drought is imagined to be negotiable.”

Žaboglach Zha-bo-glahch (Cassette 2, Side A)
A fusion of Scottish lochs and Slovak ponds: a misty, foul-smelling, swampy realm, the kind of place that swallowed Artax from The NeverEnding Story. Stagnant waters full of decay become a blooming habitat for sirens (“thereby losing the weightless delight of being swept along with it” by Adam Badí Donoval) and beings straddling the line between fauna and flora, inventing their own communication systems (“Water-lily phase” by Action Pyramid).

R'lyeh (Cassette 2, Side B)
A brooding sunken city at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a journey to get there. Let this chapter guide you, from the shore down to the depths, to the gates of an unexplored world that is inherently dark, unfathomable, and beyond the limits of human perception: starting with seasickness ("Seasick" by Nikolaienko), passing through a classic Poe-esque maelstrom ("Flurry at the Whirl-pull" by Atte Elias Kantonen), a gateway into the darkness and emptiness of the ocean floor, and finally traversing the city itself (“last waves of 2025” by Jules Reidy).
But what is pulling you to a place like this that only a few explore and even fewer leave? Maybe “the darkness that water can contain, the expanse of things we don't know and that can trigger fear instincts even as we try to rationalise them and think we are in control of the rest of nature” (“supercritical fluids” by Diane Barbé).

Dive in and surface wherever you like. Always swimming, never going anywhere. Just don’t forget to take water breaks.

P.S. Birds, then water, can you guess what comes next? Synthetic Soil Music, an elegy for insects and worms? Synthetic Glaciers, or maybe Pollinators? Which sounds would you miss the most if they disappeared? Or what if the third one never comes at all, and somebody, or something, makes Synthetic mappa Music instead. Don't you worry, with the right training data, it can all be replicated, better than the real thing.

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.

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.

Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions in 1993, & with each subsequent release, Sigh grew to become one of the country’s greatest & most revered metal exports. With a journey through the strange & the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots, as witnessed with the stellar 2022 album, ‘Shiki’. 2025 also saw Sigh remaking their ‘Hangman’s Hymn’ album for a release on Peaceville as part of the band’s 35th anniversary celebrations, in the shape of ‘I Saw The World’s End: Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV’.

With the ongoing early line-up of Mirai Kawashima, Shinichi Ishikawa, & Satoshi Fujinami, ‘Scenario IV: Dread Dreams’ was the band’s fourth studio album, originally surfacing in 1999. This was also notably the final title in partnership with Sigh’s then-label, Cacophonous Records. Delving evermore into the experimental side of music to conjure an interlinked gallery of twisted soundscapes; ‘Dread Dreams’ became more of a journey into the realm of psychedelia & rock over black metal, with this Zappa-inspired odyssey acting as somewhat of a direct pre-cursor to what was to follow with the celebrated ‘Imaginary Sonicscape’ opus.

‘Dread Dreams’ was once more recorded at Shinjuku On Air Studio with J. Yamada, with a selection of guests including Damian Montgomery of Ritual Carnage lending lyrics plus guest vocals, along with King Fowley (Deceased), & Killjoy (Necrophagia) supplying additional song lyrics. Cover art came courtesy of renowned artist Joe Petagno (Motörhead, Autopsy).

Continuing with Peaceville’s re-issues of Sigh’s classic works, this edition of ‘Dread Dreams’ contains a new master created by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony.

The release also includes a new interview with main-man Mirai Kawashima conducted by Dayal Patterson of Cult Never Dies, with his thoughts, influences & reflections on the album & its challenges.

,White Van Music" ist das Debüt-Studioalbum des amerikanischen Hip-Hop-Produzenten Jake One. Es erschien am 7. Oktober 2008 bei Rhymesayers Entertainment. In den USA erreichte es Platz 10 der Billboard Heatseekers Albums-Charts, Platz 49 der Independent Albums-Charts und Platz 94 der Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums-Charts. Der Superproduzent aus Seattle und selbsternannte ,perfekte Beat-Writer" Jake One tritt aus dem Schatten des Mischpults hervor, um sein eigenes Debütalbum ,White Van Music" zu präsentieren. Jake One hat seine Produktionskünste im Laufe des letzten Jahrzehnts verfeinert und die musikalischen Klangwelten für Künstler wie De La Soul (,Rock Co. Kane Flow" feat. MF DOOM) bis hin zu 50 Cent (,All Of Me" feat. Mary J. Blige) gestaltet. Mit einer beeindruckenden und vielfältigen Diskografie ist es Jake One gelungen, seinen Sound aus dem Underground in die Billboard-Top-10-Charts zu bringen. Mit einer spannenden Mischung aus aufstrebenden Underground-Künstlern sowie einigen der angesehensten Mainstream-Acts des Hip-Hop wird Jake Ones ,White Van Music" die sogenannten Grenzen zwischen Underground- und Mainstream-Hip-Hop verwischen _ genau wie es seine herausragende Karriere als Produzent bereits getan hat.

Japanese black metal legends Sigh formed in 1989/1990. The genre-classic debut ‘Scorn Defeat’ followed on Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions in 1993, & with each subsequent release, Sigh grew to become one of the country’s greatest & most revered metal exports. With a journey through the strange & the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots, as witnessed with the stellar 2022 album, ‘Shiki’. 2025 also saw Sigh remaking their ‘Hangman’s Hymn’ album for a release on Peaceville as part of the band’s 35th anniversary celebrations, in the shape of ‘I Saw The World’s End: Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV’.

With the ongoing early line-up of Mirai Kawashima, Shinichi Ishikawa, & Satoshi Fujinami, ‘Scenario IV: Dread Dreams’ was the band’s fourth studio album, originally surfacing in 1999. This was also notably the final title in partnership with Sigh’s then-label, Cacophonous Records. Delving evermore into the experimental side of music to conjure an interlinked gallery of twisted soundscapes; ‘Dread Dreams’ became more of a journey into the realm of psychedelia & rock over black metal, with this Zappa-inspired odyssey acting as somewhat of a direct pre-cursor to what was to follow with the celebrated ‘Imaginary Sonicscape’ opus.

‘Dread Dreams’ was once more recorded at Shinjuku On Air Studio with J. Yamada, with a selection of guests including Damian Montgomery of Ritual Carnage lending lyrics plus guest vocals, along with King Fowley (Deceased), & Killjoy (Necrophagia) supplying additional song lyrics. Cover art came courtesy of renowned artist Joe Petagno (Motörhead, Autopsy).

Continuing with Peaceville’s re-issues of Sigh’s classic works, this edition of ‘Dread Dreams’ contains a new master created by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony.

The release also includes a new interview with main-man Mirai Kawashima conducted by Dayal Patterson of Cult Never Dies, with his thoughts, influences & reflections on the album & its challenges.

This limited vinyl edition of Brain Invaders offers another chance to experience the album in
its most iconic format. Faithful to the original release, it features high-quality pressing andpackaging, making it a must-have for collectors and fans alike. Part of Be the Change, a project conceived and developed by Rude Cares to raise awareness about climate change and environmental sustainability within the music
community, this exclusive eco-friendly variant is more than just a vinyl release. Created in collaboration with artists who share this vision, each edition supports a more sustainable future: a donation is made to Green Future Project for every release, and 100 new trees are planted to fully offset the project's residual environmental footprint. A timeless album with the same energy and impact that made it a fan favorite, Brain
Invaders remains an essential addition to any punk rock vinyl collection—now with a positive
impact beyond the music.

Since The Summoned announced Mama Terra as one of Britain's more intriguing modern jazz propositions, anticipation has only gathered pace, and this latest offering more than answers it, with Marco Cafolla's Glasgow ensemble stretching spiritual jazz into widescreen territory, enriched by Conrad Roberts' evocative narration on the title track and 'Bliss'. Elsewhere, 'Isha' drifts with serene assurance, then 'The Observers' gives way to a far more expansive finale. It's another bold step from a group whose musical vocabulary seems to grow richer with every outing.

Originally released in 2012 the "Collider EP" by Romanian producer x sound artist YVAT caters a hefty set of six tracks for advanced, yet bass aware and low end loving late night dancefloors. Fractured IDM meets HyperPhonk, dense layers of slightly off-kilter synths, fragmented echoes of Bass Music and Post-Glitchstep, scattered remnants of Drum'n'Bass, cheeky vaporchrome melodies and highly detailed structures, all bound and glued together by gnarly, oftentimes overwhelming sawtooth synth basslines for the braindance crew. This sounds like a WARP Records release that never happened.

Press quote:
".... this one can be best described as a conjunctional work of Autechre and Aphex Twin, teaming up with the likes of Michael Forshaw on a dark'ish, but still melodic structure of Industrial patterns. Heavy, but still accessable and even spiced up with a slice of humour, a release to hunt down and watch out for - hard to find but important for the collection of an open minded spirit." [baze.djunkiii / nitestylez.de / 07/2012]

Repress of the 13th chapter of this highly acclaimed compilation series, originally released in 2017.

As usual FSOJ is compiled by Compost head honcho Michael Reinboth with a solid sense of leftfield tracks, punchy floorfillers, ghostly, cinematic, balearic, frazzled, bitter-sweet or mind-shaking hybrid tunes.
Several magazines voted FSOJ as the one of the best compilation series of all time. With this series starting 1995 the term Future Jazz became a genre landmark.

FSOJ 13 including some exclusives, sought-after tracks and previously unreleased tracks. Some highlights are: First of all the Van Hai track in a Ripperton remix is a perfect opener into a tranquil music venture. A sheer bliss tune. Montezumas Rache „Wu Du Wu“, which was only released on vinyl before - still difficult to find the original 12“ - is a freaky outstanding funk hybrid. Karim Sahraoui – with a punchy Detroit-ish track, picked up from Derrick May’s Transmat label - is currently in the works with a follow up 12“ later in 2017 on Compost. Acid Pauli delivers a brand new dubby balearic remix, which he recently did for Matanza, a live band from Chile. Peter Kruder came up with something special exclusive, a warm breath in the open air tune, which drives listeners into a chilled wormhole. Beside new names, bigger names like Axel Boman, Tony Allen with a Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer remix, you’ll find more lefties tracks from respected labels like Studio Barnhus, Innervisions, Lovemonk, Transmat, Mule, Tru Thoughts, Rebirth, Ninja Tune and m.o. next to other exclusive deliveries by Manuel Tur, Marsmobil, coupled up with semi exclusives: the first time on vinyl or digital.

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.

A1 – Natural Calamity – Vibeka
A2 – Jimetta Rose – Ebb & Flow
A3 – Dea Barandana – Licik (Tribute) (Love Injection Edit)

B1 – We Are Echo People – Bird Brain
B2 – Ensemble Entendu – Wasp Jam
B3 – Fatback – Is This The Future? (Disco Version)

C1 – Mind Fair – Hiding From My Shadow
C2 – Gigi Testa – Oriental Express

D1 – Gayance, Dal Bò – Liberation Lullaby
D2 – Kaoru Inoue presents Chari Chari – Tidal Wave
D3 – ICAN – Pa' Mi Gente

E1 – Angela Johnson – Inclusion (The Soul Feast Cosmic Arts Dub)
E2 – Jimi Tenor – The Duel

F1 – Antonio Ocasio – Love For The Loft
F2 – Ken Ishii ft. Metropolitan Harmonic Formulas – Can You Feel It

2026 Repress

DJ Support: Noizu, Seth Troxler, Marco Carola, MEDUZA, Dombresky, Carlita, Bob Sinclar, ALOK, Oliver Heldens, BLOND:ISH, Nicole Moudaber, D.O.D, Gorgon City, David Penn, Mousse T, Mau P, Nic Fanciulli, Barry Can’t Swim, ACRAZE, Groove Armada & more.

Toolroom’s next Sampler showcases 4 big releases from Mark Knight, James Hurr, Roland Clark, Wh0, David Penn, CHANEY and Crusy.

When I first heard YELKA play I thought to myself: “I’d like to play in that band.”

In the meantime I have realised that it would not be as easy as I imagined. The fluffy easy sound that gets created is so particular that it would not be so easy to execute those exact sounds of the band. This is mostly due to the unconventional harmonies of the guitar. Daniel himself said he is content with the guitar and added an extra one on almost all of the songs. Which I, as a fan of Daniels anarchic approach to playing, love.

Also Yelka’s groovy smooth bass playing is in the forefront of the album once again. Her sound bounces through the guitar riffs as if it's the most common thing on earth. Once Yelka adds her vocals to the songs, that’s when they almost become pop and reminiscent of Velvet Underground.

Christians drums hold these two together through the track list, with a fun Krautrock and jazz influenced style. Everything was recorded live and it sounds fantastic!

The 6th track of the YELKA album "Jeans" is a highlight with the piano support from Federico Corazzini, who adds lush open jazz chords to the incredible intricate harmonies of the band. Arne Bergner (Studio Popschutz) who is once more responsible for the production of the album, also added a beautiful choir arrangement. The finishing touches completing YELKA´S wonderful sound as always added by Norman Nitzsches Mastering (Mokik Studio).

From top to bottom an amazing album: "King of the World" (Steely Dan cover), a pop song with a fantastic keyboard solo from `the one and only Dan Ra´ alias Daniel Nentwig (The Whitest Boy Alive), "Moon for Now", an atmospheric jazz-ish tune, to "Walking Whispering", a strong 9-minute guitar heavy number... I think there are more than two guitars in this one.

American indie rock/pop/jazz whatever - school (after all, it's the third album in the band's America trilogy) and yet above all Berlin, in its most likeable and perhaps even coolest form.

Masha Qrella

Drawing on the principles of infinite canons, the album is constructed around minimal, repetitive structures and music-box-like melodies that evolve gradually over repeated listens. Selected tracks from the album appear in Hideo Kojima's cult sci- fi video game DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH. Recorded with guest musicians including Lori Goldston on cello, Eiko Ishibashi on piano, Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Jem Doulton on drums, and Paz Maddio and Josephine Foster on vocals, the album was mastered by Amir Shoat

Born Hovhannes Sargsyan, D.zúk (”dzook” = fish) is a Yerevan-based producer influenced by the delicate qualities of nature, juxtaposed against the concrete imprint of human existence. His debut, Ishkhan (“eesh-khan” = prince; also refers to an endemic trout found in Lake Sevan) is a pensive journey through ethereal, underwater landscapes. He calls his music “fishwave”; a swinging mélange of dub, house, bass and ambient sounds. “Ishkhan to me is at its strongest when it gets deepest into its reveries and abstractions... Wobbly electronic weirdness collides with duduks and whatnot - and maybe reach maximum fish-ness with ”Poghpatits Sarer”. Reserved grooves strolling astride plenty of great musicianship. As a debut, it shows great promise of things to come, too, and I hope creator D.zúk continues to plumb to watery depths soon.” - Peter Kirn for CDM.link

TRACKLIST: 1. Mutq 2. Impulse 3. Punge 4. Reverse 5. Anush 6. Nane 7. Tses 8. Sa 9. Poghpatits Sarer 10. Elq

Multi-instrumentalist Sarah Lipstate brings her innovative music to life under the name Noveller. Forming unexpected sonic routes, her songs are vivid and cinematic. Following several years spent collaborating with Iggy Pop, and touring the world as his guitarist, Lipstate returns with a new album of her own. I Am The Weather further expands her inventive explorations, creating what Pop once described to Jim Jarmusch as “symphonies for people that don’t have a lot of time.”

Sarah’s work as a composer, notably for the HBO Docuseries Breath Of Fire, as well as the Anthony Bourdain documentary Roadrunner, has greatly influenced her new constructions, incorporating piano, percussion and a new studio filled with excitement into her signature guitar sculpting. It is the baby grand at the center of her studio that welcomes you to the record on “Sunday in Copenhagen” before ceding to a celestial six string swell. The percussive rhythms of “Divining Dance” awaken a new morning in "The Way of Our Flood” and walk towards the bowed grace of “Otherside of Mountainside." Surging into the sky, “Portmerion” allows “Beyond the Fells” to glide back down to Earth, revealing the album’s biggest surprise - a vocal track!

It seems fitting given their past, that the first vocals on a Noveller record would be delivered by the legendary Iggy Pop. Written specifically for The Godfather of Punk, a noir-ish tale of a man over-matched by a femme fatale, “The Girl Who Was Death” builds with tension and release. Following their collaboration on the title track to Iggy’s album Free, (also used in a global campaign for PETA) and their interpretation of Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gently Into The Night”, Iggy was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to add vocals to another Lipstate composition. A scene set as if on opposite ends of a corner booth at the Double R Diner in Twin Peaks, he delivers each line with the weight of a thousand lives lived. The result is a song so vivid that you can see it projected ten feet tall on the walls all around you.

I Am The Weather is the first new release for the Experimentia label, which will soon be the home for the entire Noveller catalogue.

WRWTFWW Records is thrilled to announce their 5th archival release taken from cult Tokyo label FORM@ RECORDS' catalogue, this time with the first-ever vinyl edition of Re-Form Ver-1.0. The remarkable, yet not widely known, 1999 remix compilation is now available as a limited edition 45rpm cut double LP housed in a heavyweight sleeve, as well as in digital format.
Originally only available on CD in extremely limited quantities, Re-Form Ver-1.0 resurfaces as a fascinating document of FORM@ RECORDS' late-1990s creative peak. Re-imagining key pieces from the label's catalogue, the remix collection offers a rare glimpse into Tokyo's electronic underground, where techno, house, ambient, and IDM breathe freely through FORM@'s soulful and exploratory vision.
Highlights include two remixes of Missing Project's adored gem "Poisson D'Avril" (including its well known ethereal ambient Galaxy Dub which appeared on Music From Memory's Virtual Dreams II) as well as the otherworldly Fossil (aka the legend Virgo) Mix of Penance's "Cure & Soul". Throughout, the compilation balances dancefloor sensibility with introspective listening, embodying the warm human approach to machine music FORM@ RECORDS excels in.
Another essential time capsule from a crucial era of underground music, Re-Form Ver-1.0 echoes the spirit of Warp's Artificial Intelligence era, alongside the forward-thinking energy of Ken Ishii, Carl Craig, The Black Dog, and Ian O'Brien, while keeping its feet and individuality firmly rooted in local context - the magic recipe for creating a universal, timeless language of electronic expression.
Re-Form Ver-1.0 follows the vinyl edition of Virgo's Landform Code (1998) and Remnants (1999), as well as the FORM@ compilations Art Form I (1997) and Art Form 2 (1998), further expanding WRWTFWW's archival series dedicated to uncovering hidden gems of late '90s Japanese electronic music.

Freiheit, Rebellion und Trotz – die Rock-/Psychedelic-Rock-Revolution, die Anfang der 1970er-Jahre durch Japan fegte!

"Diese Compilation wurde vor allem zusammengestellt, um Ihnen die freien, innovativen und zutiefst experimentellen Klänge japanischer Musiker näherzubringen, deren Leidenschaft der ihrer britischen und amerikanischen Kollegen in nichts nachstand. Auch über fünfzig Jahre später wirkt die Musik dieses Albums erstaunlich frisch und überrascht und beeindruckt noch immer wie bei ihrer Erstveröffentlichung!" – Sally Kubota

– Vollständig lizenzierte Nippon Columbia Masterbänder.
– Inklusive Track-by-Track-Liner-Notes von Sally Kubota.
– 180g Heavyweight Vinyl-Pressung, Reverse-Board-Cover.

Persistence of Sound releases a new work by Brunhild Ferrari called »L’oreille Voleuse« (The Thieving Ear). The LP features an extraordinary live reinterpretation by Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O’Rourke, recorded in October 2025 in Paris.

»No, without listening at doors, the ear captures noises here and there and unexpected sounds without choice, but remains attentive to the messages of each one picked up over the years. It gathers surprises and impressions, bringing them together in a simple mix. In waking up these ear memories again, which were mostly recorded on magnetic tapes, I am very happy about the collaboration of Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O'Rourke in playing on this mix tape.« Brunhild Ferrari

Eiko Ishibashi is a Japanese composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist who has developed a unique body of work blending experimental pop, improvisation, and film music. Her work, praised for its expressive intensity and sensitivity to sonic textures, has led her to collaborate with numerous musicians on the international scene, including Jim O'Rourke, with whom she forms a long-standing duo. She is also the composer of several film scores, notably for the films of Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car, Evil Does Not Exist), which have helped to bring her work to a wider audience beyond experimental music circles.

Jim O'Rourke is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, and has been a major figure in experimental and independent music since the 1990s. His work spans rock, improvised music, electronic music, and contemporary music. A former member of Sonic Youth and a collaborator with Wilco, Gastr del Sol, and Merce Cunningham, he has released numerous solo albums and film scores. Based in Japan since the early 2000s, he continues to pursue a rich and multifaceted musical practice, where formal rigor and freedom of invention coexist.

Persistence of Sound was founded in 2019 by Iain Chambers (Langham Research Centre, Rubbish Music). The label explores the world of electroacoustic music, contemporary global field recordings, and the unclassifiable music spanning these genres.

Mit Assikel präsentiert die ikonische Sahara-Rockband Tamikrest ihr sechstes Studioalbum - ein Werk voller Tiefe, Intimität und atmosphärischer Wucht.

Live und direkt auf Analogband aufgenommen, fängt das Album die rohe Energie, die hypnotische Präsenz und das intuitive Zusammenspiel der Gruppe ein.

Seit fast zwanzig Jahren stehen Tamikrest für die Stimme und das kulturelle Bewusstsein der Kel Tamasheq. Ihre Songs erzählen von Widerstand, Gemeinschaft und Sehnsucht - geprägt von Exil, Verlust und der ungebrochenen Hoffnung ihres Volkes. Assikel ("Reise", "Voyage") markiert einen bewussten stilistischen Schritt: organischer, unmittelbarer, ehrlicher.

Zwischen Ishumar-Gitarren, schwebender Lap Steel, druckvollen Basslinien und poetischem Storytelling entsteht Musik, die gleichermaßen erdet wie entrückt.

Mit Gästen wie Ibrahim Ag Alhabib (Tinariwen) verstärkt das Album seine emotionale und kulturelle Resonanz. Tamikrest klingen 2026 konzentrierter, entschlossener und eindringlicher denn je. Assikel ist ein musikalisches Statement - kraftvoll, zeitlos und zutiefst menschlich. Musik für diesen Moment. Musik für Menschen, die Tiefe suchen.

America’s Volume Dealer is the sixth studio album by Corrosion of Conformity. On this album the band's Southern tinge is more pronounced than ever. Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule) lends his slide guitar to the Skynyrd-ish acoustic-driven ballad "Stare Too Long." What's most immediately obvious, though, is that this is COC's most radio-friendly record yet- the production is more polished, but the record still has that typical COC sound.

America’s Volume Dealer is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on black & white splatter vinyl and includes an insert.

Through her work across five Vastum albums, Leila Abdul-Rauf has been a sonorous contributor to 20 Buck Spin’s discography for more than 15 years now. Concurrent to that she’s also amassed an impressive body of solo work whereby she could showcase the full range of her multi-instrumental artistic and vocal talents. We now bring that part of Leila’s output to 20 Buck Spin showcasing her darkest and most confrontational material to date with new album ‘Andros Insidium’. On ‘Andros Insidium’ Leila draws us into a ceremonial descent, through the architecture of shadow itself. Unfolding like a ritual text etched in obsidian, each movement traces the violent and sacred geometry of transformation. The presence and wisdom of the feminine divine looms throughout, as an ancient and uncompromising force, in conflict with everything buried, exiled and made monstrous by the machinery of societal pressures and unrealistic expectations. The album delves deep into the dark vastness of the psyche of woman: wild, ugly, vulnerable and powerful. Sonically ‘Andros Insidium’ is a mutation of the cinematic dark-ambient, industrial and ritual folk expressed in prior releases, now sharpened into something far darker, more narrative and intimate. Leila’s vocal work becomes a new focus with a wider variety of styles and characters, exorcising the demons of patriarchal fragmentation and revenge fantasy as lived myth. In its most potent moments, ‘Andros Insidium’ suggests that wholeness is not purity or light, but the terrifying act of reclaiming everything that was discarded, and learning to speak with its voice. * New solo album of Leila-Abdul Rauf of VASTUM (also has played in Amber Asylum, Hammers of Misfortune, and others) * Dark and heavy mix of Dark Ambient, Industrial, Ritual / Neo Folk, Electronic

* FFO: Dead Can Dance, Diamanda Galas, Arcana, Amber Asylum, Jarboe/Swans, Chelsea Wolfe, Cold Meat Industry

DJ Support: Carl Cox, Gorgon City, SethTroxler, BLOND:ISH, Noizu, Sam Feldt, Armin VanBuuren, ALOK, MistaJam, Judge Jules, Martin Garrix,MK, Wax Motif, Dombresky, Danny Howard, Afrojack,Oliver Heldens, MK, Lucas & Steve, ACRAZE & more

Toolroom’s next Sampler showcases 4 big releases from Low Steppa, Rue Jay, Reza, Chuck Roberts, Fedde LeGrand, Crusy, Jem Cooke, Martin Ikin & Hayley May.

Pete Lambrou, the visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist behind VLMV (pronounced "Alma"), is one of the most singular voices emerging from the ambient, post-rock, and experimental scenes in the UK. With a career that spans atmospheric solo work, film and television scoring, and evocative live performance, Lambrou has carved out a distinctive sonic universe he describes as "ambient-ish post-something" (Pete Lambrou) a playful yet accurate summation of a sound that is at once genre-fluid and deeply immersive. The album takes its title from Sara Teasdale's 1918 poem and Ray Bradbury's later short story, both of which imagine a world continuing quietly after humanity's disappearance. This idea became the gravitational centre around which the record formed. Written during a period of deep engagement with climate fiction and ecological thought, `There Will Come Soft Rains` reflects on humanity's legacy, its technological ambition, and its uneasy relationship with the natural world. A century on from Teasdale's poem, the balance of power feels less certain, and Lambrou's music inhabits that tension with remarkable subtlety. "The initial ideas stem mostly from chaos, randomness or sound exploration and then get shaped as I go. Typically, and certainly for this album. It's evolved since album 1, which was more song / chord based. It's a fun process of finding the sound and then working out whether it's speaking to me - or merely just a cool noise. That's fun, but it sometimes can't evolve or progress, so then begins the long journey of shaping it into some sort of song format - which doesn't have to be a-typica,l but whatever feels right to me. The subject matter and overall theme is important too - it's got to all make sense within itself. There's no point having a slowly creeping theme and then rush the music." (Pete Lambrou) VLMV embody an emotional honesty that works with patience and nuance. Whether you're encountering his music for the first time or returning to its quiet depths, VLMV offers an aural space that resonates long after the final note fades. Lambrou's singular sonic language sits at the intersection of ambient, post-rock, modern classical, and experimental electronic music, while remaining unmistakably human at its core. "Instrumentally it's far more synth based - as soon as I had the concept, I wanted to make sure technology clash and marry with traditional instruments (at different times) in a sort of slow-moving dance I suppose. One is nature, one is human development and technology. Sometimes working together and sometimes in opposition. On my previous albums I'd say that at least half of the tracks started life as songs, whereas with `There Will Come Soft Rains` I think the majority (if not all) started as experiments in sound." (Pete Lambrou) Sonically, the album is VLMV at its most cinematic and textural. Warm, intimate piano figures and elegiac string arrangements are set against unstable modular synthesis, fractured rhythms, and evolving sound design. The organic and the artificial are locked in a slow, shifting dialogue, mirroring the album's central themes. At times the music feels tender and nostalgic, at others unpredictable and mournful, yet it never tips into despair. Instead, a quiet resilience runs throughout the record. "The album is slightly unusual in that it was mixed in Dolby Atmos before being mixed down to stereo. Most, if not all, do it the other way round. That's because I got to work with a superb mix engineer who just happens to live opposite. It was extremely random and lucky, moving to a tiny hamlet in the South of England and there being a Dolby Atmos studio opposite with a genius of an engineer. We had in mind that we would do it this way round and enjoy the mix process and give everything its own space - it still had issues when folding down to stereo, but overall a more pleasurable mix!" (Pete Lambrou) There Will Come Soft Rains has a geological sense of time: themes creep, expand, erode, and reform, resisting conventional structures in favour of something more patient and immersive. Each sound exists because it needs to; they move, recede, and emerge with a three-dimensional clarity that enhances the music's cinematic quality, giving each element room to breathe while maintaining an enveloping sense of cohesion. Lambrou's unique voice is Intimate and fragile, his vocals hover above the instrumentation, a guiding thread through the expansive soundscapes, drawing listeners closer into the emotional core of each piece. "Long time vocal collaborator Anja Madhvani did lots of harmonies on the album - I wanted to include her voice as much as possible on this album. In terms of string players - 3/4 have been long term collaborators with me. Marie Schreer actually recorded all strings on my first album ALMA, and Fraser & Clodagh have worked on every album (and occasional live shows) since Stranded Not Lost. In terms of art - Joel Cammarata designed the cover, and accompanying art - he designed Sing With Abandon and I absolutely adore his work, but also - he's so great at understanding and developing and capturing the concept." (Pete Lambrou) Layered harmonies drift through the music like distant signals or half-remembered voices. Madhvani's presence adds a human fragility to the album's vast soundscapes, reinforcing the sense of memory and longing that runs beneath the surface. The strings, performed by a close circle of trusted collaborators, further ground the record in warmth and physicality, acting as a counterweight to the synthetic elements that threaten to unravel it. "Despite the heavy subject matter, I wanted to create an album that imparts hope and optimism, marrying traditional instrumentation as nostalgia, with technological innovation through the randomness of modular synths." (Pete Lambrou) The partnership with Pelagic Records feels both organic and significant. Known for championing artists who value emotional weight, sonic ambition, and artistic integrity, the label provides a natural home for VLMV's work. Lambrou's music shares Pelagic's ethos: immersive, patient, and unafraid of scale whether intimate or vast. With There Will Come Soft Rains, Pete Lambrou has crafted a work that feels timely without being didactic, expansive without being overwhelming. It stands as a quiet, but powerful statement that lingers long after the final notes fade. FOR FANS OF Sigur Ros * Olafur Arnalds * Radiohead * Keaton Henson * This Will Destroy You

Pete Lambrou, the visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist behind VLMV (pronounced "Alma"), is one of the most singular voices emerging from the ambient, post-rock, and experimental scenes in the UK. With a career that spans atmospheric solo work, film and television scoring, and evocative live performance, Lambrou has carved out a distinctive sonic universe he describes as "ambient-ish post-something" (Pete Lambrou) a playful yet accurate summation of a sound that is at once genre-fluid and deeply immersive. The album takes its title from Sara Teasdale's 1918 poem and Ray Bradbury's later short story, both of which imagine a world continuing quietly after humanity's disappearance. This idea became the gravitational centre around which the record formed. Written during a period of deep engagement with climate fiction and ecological thought, `There Will Come Soft Rains` reflects on humanity's legacy, its technological ambition, and its uneasy relationship with the natural world. A century on from Teasdale's poem, the balance of power feels less certain, and Lambrou's music inhabits that tension with remarkable subtlety. "The initial ideas stem mostly from chaos, randomness or sound exploration and then get shaped as I go. Typically, and certainly for this album. It's evolved since album 1, which was more song / chord based. It's a fun process of finding the sound and then working out whether it's speaking to me - or merely just a cool noise. That's fun, but it sometimes can't evolve or progress, so then begins the long journey of shaping it into some sort of song format - which doesn't have to be a-typica,l but whatever feels right to me. The subject matter and overall theme is important too - it's got to all make sense within itself. There's no point having a slowly creeping theme and then rush the music." (Pete Lambrou) VLMV embody an emotional honesty that works with patience and nuance. Whether you're encountering his music for the first time or returning to its quiet depths, VLMV offers an aural space that resonates long after the final note fades. Lambrou's singular sonic language sits at the intersection of ambient, post-rock, modern classical, and experimental electronic music, while remaining unmistakably human at its core. "Instrumentally it's far more synth based - as soon as I had the concept, I wanted to make sure technology clash and marry with traditional instruments (at different times) in a sort of slow-moving dance I suppose. One is nature, one is human development and technology. Sometimes working together and sometimes in opposition. On my previous albums I'd say that at least half of the tracks started life as songs, whereas with `There Will Come Soft Rains` I think the majority (if not all) started as experiments in sound." (Pete Lambrou) Sonically, the album is VLMV at its most cinematic and textural. Warm, intimate piano figures and elegiac string arrangements are set against unstable modular synthesis, fractured rhythms, and evolving sound design. The organic and the artificial are locked in a slow, shifting dialogue, mirroring the album's central themes. At times the music feels tender and nostalgic, at others unpredictable and mournful, yet it never tips into despair. Instead, a quiet resilience runs throughout the record. "The album is slightly unusual in that it was mixed in Dolby Atmos before being mixed down to stereo. Most, if not all, do it the other way round. That's because I got to work with a superb mix engineer who just happens to live opposite. It was extremely random and lucky, moving to a tiny hamlet in the South of England and there being a Dolby Atmos studio opposite with a genius of an engineer. We had in mind that we would do it this way round and enjoy the mix process and give everything its own space - it still had issues when folding down to stereo, but overall a more pleasurable mix!" (Pete Lambrou) There Will Come Soft Rains has a geological sense of time: themes creep, expand, erode, and reform, resisting conventional structures in favour of something more patient and immersive. Each sound exists because it needs to; they move, recede, and emerge with a three-dimensional clarity that enhances the music's cinematic quality, giving each element room to breathe while maintaining an enveloping sense of cohesion. Lambrou's unique voice is Intimate and fragile, his vocals hover above the instrumentation, a guiding thread through the expansive soundscapes, drawing listeners closer into the emotional core of each piece. "Long time vocal collaborator Anja Madhvani did lots of harmonies on the album - I wanted to include her voice as much as possible on this album. In terms of string players - 3/4 have been long term collaborators with me. Marie Schreer actually recorded all strings on my first album ALMA, and Fraser & Clodagh have worked on every album (and occasional live shows) since Stranded Not Lost. In terms of art - Joel Cammarata designed the cover, and accompanying art - he designed Sing With Abandon and I absolutely adore his work, but also - he's so great at understanding and developing and capturing the concept." (Pete Lambrou) Layered harmonies drift through the music like distant signals or half-remembered voices. Madhvani's presence adds a human fragility to the album's vast soundscapes, reinforcing the sense of memory and longing that runs beneath the surface. The strings, performed by a close circle of trusted collaborators, further ground the record in warmth and physicality, acting as a counterweight to the synthetic elements that threaten to unravel it. "Despite the heavy subject matter, I wanted to create an album that imparts hope and optimism, marrying traditional instrumentation as nostalgia, with technological innovation through the randomness of modular synths." (Pete Lambrou) The partnership with Pelagic Records feels both organic and significant. Known for championing artists who value emotional weight, sonic ambition, and artistic integrity, the label provides a natural home for VLMV's work. Lambrou's music shares Pelagic's ethos: immersive, patient, and unafraid of scale whether intimate or vast. With There Will Come Soft Rains, Pete Lambrou has crafted a work that feels timely without being didactic, expansive without being overwhelming. It stands as a quiet, but powerful statement that lingers long after the final notes fade. FOR FANS OF Sigur Ros * Olafur Arnalds * Radiohead * Keaton Henson * This Will Destroy You