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On January 23, 2020, North Carolina-based Watchhouse —Emily Frantz (fiddle/vocals) and Andrew Marlin (mandolin/vocals)— known at the time as Mandolin Orange, took the stage at one of Austin’s most prominent venues, Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater, in support of their sixth album, Tides of a Teardrop.

Formed in Chapel Hill, NC, in 2009, Watchhouse has released six albums of original American roots music. Signing with Yep Roc Records in 2013, they released four critically acclaimed albums—This Side of Jordan, Such Jubliee, Blindfaller, and Tides of a Teardrop. In the last several years, they have toured the United States and Europe, performing at Austin City Limits, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Pickathon, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and Merlefest, among others.

In 2021, the duo changed their name from Mandolin Orange to Watchhouse, of which Marlin noted, “Mandolin Orange was born out of my 21-year-old mind. The name isn’t what I strive for when I write” and that Watchhouse is a name that reflects their true intentions as a band.

Austin City Limits Live At The Moody Theater by Watchhouse, released 12 January 2024.

This version of Austin City Limits Live At The Moody Theater comes as a 2xLP in a(n) Gatefold Sleeve packaging.

The vinyl is pressed as a transparent, smoke disc. Another vinyl is pressed as a transparent, smoke disc.

Waxwork Records is proud to release NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Joseph Trapanese. From 20th Century Studios,

No One Will Save You is a captivating sci-fi psychological thriller introducing Brynn Adams (Kaitlyn Dever), a creative and talented young woman who’s been

alienated from her community. Lonely but ever hopeful, Brynn finds solace within the walls of the home where she grew up, until she’s awakened one night

by strange noises from decidedly unearthly intruders. What follows is an action-packed face-off between Brynn and a host of extraterrestrial beings

who threaten her future while forcing her to deal with her past.



Waxwork Records is proud to release NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU as a deluxe LP featuring 180 gram Blue & White swirl colored vinyl, heavyweight packaging, matte satin coating to finish.

Repress of Kal Marks' breakout 2022 LP, "My Name Is Hell," pressed on a limited edition "baby blanket blue" colored vinyl.

Pitchfork said "Where previous records feel bound by chains in a scrapyard, this album is feral and prowling, coursing with adrenaline."

"Partial Traces continue to evolve on their fourth LP, Stay Dreaming. The stripped down pandemic-era recording techniques they employed during the recording of their previous record, Wild Surf / Quiet Blues, helped the band evolved to a significantly sparser sound.

On Stay Dreaming the band has made a beautiful and sometimes haunting synth heavy record with rich, dreamy layers and plenty of feedback that evokes The Jesus and Mary Chain or Beach House."

Super Funky Forest Green and Blue Splatter Vinyl.

After the fall of the Deep City label, Rocketeers bandleader Frank Williams set up shop under the name of his twin daughters Saadia and Giwada and got to work reinventing the Miami Sound. Tracked between 1968-1970, this LP gathers 15 of Saadia's funkiest and deeply soulful moments, featuring Pearl Dowell, Joey Gilmore, Little Beaver, Frank Williams' Rocketeers, Robert Moore, Brother Williams, and Sam Baker. Your next sample, first dance, workout jam or closing credits is buried in here somewhere.

An autumnal treasure, East Village’s Drop Out has spent the past thirty years finding new ears to bewitch and new hearts to melt. The only album from this British four-piece, recorded and released in the early nineties, it’s long been considered one of the hidden jewels of its time, and is talked of with hushed reverence by people who know. Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne once called it “an elegy for a particular brand of eighties guitar music, sweet minor chords and Dylanesque lyrics”, which captures what makes it so special; in summarising its era, though, it also effortlessly transcends it.

Like all great guitar gangs, East Village fell together as a four-piece; having relocated from High Wycombe to London in mid ‘80s, brothers Martin and Paul Kelly on bass and guitar, set on forming a group together, were joined by John Wood (guitar) and Spencer Smith (drums). Wood and the Kellys shared writing and vocal duties; it was an ideal combination, and one of the many charms of East Village is their various song writing voices, a tip of the hat, seemingly, to the 60s folk-rock groups who influenced them.

Originally influenced by garage-rock and freakbeat, the band eventually came through via the same scene as groups like Felt, The Go-Betweens, The Weather Prophets, and Primal Scream. They’d formed as Episode Four, releasing an EP, Strike Up Matches, in 1986, which has gone on to become one of most sought after releases of the C86 era. Their first two singles as East Village, ‘Cubans In The Bluefields’ (1987) and ‘Back Between Places’ (1988), were released on Jeff Barrett’s Sub Aqua label.

When it came time to record Drop Out, East Village found a supporter in Bob Stanley, who bankrolled the album sessions until Barrett re-signed the band to his new imprint Heavenly Recordings in 1990. The album that took shape is dusky, heartfelt, lamplit, full of chiming minor chords, close harmonies, rattling organs, all buoyed by a rhythm section that moves as one, steady and elegant. There’s melancholy here, certainly, on songs like ‘What Kind Of Friend Is This’, but also pleasure and freedom, on ‘When I Wake Tomorrow’ and ‘Silver Train’. The group were obsessed with Dylan’s Eat The Document at the time, and the album’s rich with references to the film; Drop Out’s character is also somehow close to the thin wild mercury sound of Blonde On Blonde, and the lambent light of the Byrds’ Notorious Byrd Brothers.

In one of life’s gentler surprises, ‘Silver Train’ became an unexpected radio hit in Australia when released there as a single in 1993. The story of East Village seems marked by such unexpected turns and surprising events. None was more surprising for their fans at the time, though, than their onstage split in 1991, leaving an unreleased album in the can. Encouraged by Jeff Barrett the band revisited the tapes two years on and while mixing the album for its posthumous release in 1993 invited Debsey Wykes (Dolly Mixture, Coming Up Roses, Saint Etienne, Birdie) to sing the quietly devastating album closer, “Everybody Knows”, a perfect, sad-eyed sign-off.

Listening now to Drop Out, its timelessness is clear. It could have been recorded by young folk-pop hopefuls in the late sixties, taking their shot at the big time; but it could just as easily have been recorded yesterday, by a group that’s both reverent to music’s past, but forward looking in spirit and temperament. It’s that kind of album. Drop Out’s pop poetry is fully formed, with a singular charm that takes in wistfulness, romance, and good times, and a clutch of deeply moving songs that are overflowing with melody and gracefulness. It’s pretty much everything you’d want from a guitar pop record.

It's also an album that’s slowly accrued its own legend. From its stunning cover art, photographed by Juergen Teller originally for a Katherine Hammett campaign, to the ten perfectly formed songs within, Drop Out’s significance in the scheme of things is such that, a decade ago, it was given a rare 10/10 rating in Uncut magazine, who called the album “the lost classic of its era”. Drop Out comes round every decade or so, each edition introducing new fans to its understated beauty, and this latest reissue is its most elegant and deluxe yet.

The 30th anniversary edition of Drop Out lands in two formats: an LP with tip-on style jacket and four-page insert, designed to partner with the 2019 vinyl reissue of their singles and rarities compilation, Hot Rod Hotel; and a double CD, featuring an extra disc compiling the group’s early singles and alternative versions. This CD edition previously has only been available in Japan, though it now features a new, superior mix of their second single, ‘Back Between Places’. Both feature new, typically eloquent liner notes from writer Jon Savage.

The members of East Village have all gone on to do inspired things: Martin Kelly joined Jeff Barrett at Heavenly and has managed label mainstays Saint Etienne since 1993; Paul Kelly formed Birdie with Debsey Wykes, and is now a renowned film director and graphic designer; both Paul and Spencer Smith played in Saint Etienne’s live band; John Wood moved to China to teach, and released a lovely, understated folk album, Quiet Storm, in Japan in 2006. But with the hazy perfection of Drop Out, they’ve all already etched their names in the firmament.

* Lou Reed's final solo album finally available again * First time on vinyl * Produced in partnership with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive * Booklet features unseen photography by Lou, Q&A with Laurie Anderson & Jonathan Cott, essay by Eddie Stern, and archival interviews with Lou and Hal Willner * Remastered by GRAMMYr-nominated engineer John Baldwin * Package designed by multi-GRAMMYr-winning artist Masaki Koike // "I first composed this music for myself as an adjunct to meditation, Tai Chi, and bodywork, and as music to play in the background of life, to replace the everyday cacophony with new and ordered sounds of an unpredictable nature. New sounds freed from preconception. ...over time, friends who heard the music asked if I could make them copies. I then wrote two more pieces with the same intent: to relax the body, mind, and spirit and facilitate meditation." - Lou Reed Light in the Attic Records in cooperation with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive, proudly announces a definitive re-release of Hudson River Wind Meditations, the pioneering artist's final solo album. Originally released in 2007, the deeply personal project combines Reed's love of creating drone music with his passion for Tai Chi, yoga and meditation. The album's ambient soundscapes have been described as a counterpoint to his intense Metal Machine Music album-but they are similar outliers in Reed's 40+ year exploration of drone music and feedback harmonics. The album has been remastered by the GRAMMYr-nominated engineer John Baldwin with vinyl pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI). The Double LP set is presented in a gatefold jacket designed by GRAMMYr-winning artist, Masaki Koike and features new liner notes by renowned Yoga instructor and author, Eddie Stern, who guided Reed's practice for years. Also included in the physical editions is a fascinating conversation conducted earlier this year between author/journalist Jonathan Cott (Rolling Stone, The New Yorker) and Reed's wife, artist Laurie Anderson, who discusses the album, as well as her husband's devotion to Tai Chi - one of the album's primary inspirations. Hudson River Wind Meditations marks the latest release in LITA's Lou Reed Archival Series. Launched in 2022 in tandem with the late artist's 80th birthday, the ongoing series has celebrated one of America's most influential songwriters through such acclaimed collections as Words & Music, May 1965 featuring many of Reed's earliest (and previously-unreleased) recordings, including the earliest-known versions of "I'm Waiting for the Man" and "Pale Blue Eyes."

Es gibt nur einige wenige große Bands auf unserem Planeten, die man innerhalb weniger Sekunden unfehlbar identifizieren kann. Das einzigartige
Melodieverständnis, die geschmackvolle Instrumentierung, die richtige Balance aus Tiefe und Eingängigkeit, und dann natürlich diese charismatische
Stimme: Magnum sind Magnum!
Dies gilt auch für ihr neuestes Studioalbum ‚Here Comes The Rain‘, das am 12. Januar 2024 über Steamhammer/SPV als CD+DVD, Doppel-Vinyl-LP, als
Boxset und als Digitalversion veröffentlicht wird und einmal mehr beweist: Stimmungsvoller kann klassische Rockmusik kaum klingen.
Das fantasievolle Artwork stammt wie gewohnt aus der Feder des großartigen Rodney Matthews, der bereits für zahlreiche Magnum-Scheiben das
äußere Erscheinungsbild an die atmosphärisch dichte Musik der Band perfekt angeglichen hat.
Kein Zweifel: Mit ‚Here Comes The Rain‘ ist Magnum in der Besetzung Catley, Clarkin, Keyboarder Rick Benton, Bassist Dennis Ward und Schlagzeuger
Lee Morris erneut ein farbenfrohes, abwechslungsreiches und in jeder Sekunde inspiriertes neues Studioalbum gelungen.

Das erste DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN-Album mit Greg Puciatos Gesangstalent und Liam Wilson am Bass."Miss Machine" konzentriert sich auf die Key Elemente von THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, die die Band für immer als eine der einzigartigsten und aufregendsten Entitäten der lauten Musik etablierten.

Limitierte Vinylauflage in Green, White, Silver with Mustard, Blue White!

Nach dem erfolgreichen Debut "Out in the cold'" erhielt auch der Nachfolger "Home" im Jahr des Releases 2007 von Fans und Fachpresse absolute Bestnoten und zählt nach wie vor zu den Topalben der Band im Oliver Hartmann. "Home", welches musikalisch nahtlos an den Erstling anschließt, enthält neben den Opener "Coming home to you" weitere musikalische Highlights wie "The sun's still rising", "Higher than me" sowie mit ihren Soul- und Blueselementen auch die grandiose Ballade "Crying". Nun erscheint das Album nach knapp achtzehn Jahren erneut als Reissue auf Ltd. 180g High Quality Vinyl, das speziell für diesen Zweck von Miro Rodenberg (Avantasia, Kamelot u.v.m.) remastert wurde. Zusätzlich wurde auch das neue große Booklet mit weiterem zusätzlichen Bildmaterial versehen, das so in der ursprünglichen Version auf CD nicht enthalten war. Mit überarbeitetem Sound und in neuem Gewand ein absolutes Muss für Fans von Hartmann.

Unfairly underrated and somehow relegated to oblivion, they became one of our
personal favorites from the '80s Belgian Metal scene. Anyone who knows the
debut album "Breaking Out" knows this is one of the most solid and exceptionally
well-written metal albums ever to come out of Belgium. The album has everything
we could wish for in a heavy metal record: massive riffs with catchy choruses,
freedom anthems for the blue-collar townsman.

Of the standards, there are two lengthy versions of Johnny Green's "Body and
Soul", Kenny Dorham's "BlueBossa", Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight", and
Billy Strayhorn's "Take The A Train". To listeners not that familiar with Henderson's
playing, he brings new life to these often-overplayed jazz standards.

Hit Reset is their 4th studio album. They have been together for 20 years and
played their 1200th show recently. The band originally raised the funds to record
through Pledge and reached 100% of their target in 6 hours. Following a 2 year
hiatus, the band are back and all albums are now being re-issued on VinylFor fans
of Capdown, Rancid , The Clash , Less Than Jake , King Prawn, King Blues,
Sublime, The Skints

Kid Cudis neues Album „INSANO” ist ab dem 15.09. auf CD und Vinyl erhältlich!

Als einer der einflussreichsten Rapper und Produzenten des letzten Jahrzehntes, beeinflusste er nachhaltig eine Generation an Rappern wie Travis Scott, Juice WRLD, Drake und Kanye West. Mit seinem 9. Album liefert der 2-fache Grammy-Gewinner beeindruckende 21 Tracks ab und beginnt somit nach Abschluss der ”Man On The Moon”-Trilogy und seinem letzten Album ”Entergalactic”, dem Soundtrack zur gleichnamigen Netflix-Serie, eine neue musikalische Era!

70's Movie Hits Collected is a compilation of Coloured Vinyl, High Quality, Insert 33 pop tracks released as 2-LP on 15 Dec 2023. 70's Movie Hits Collected includes a.o. the following tracks: “Giorgio Moroder - Chase (from "midnight Express")”, “Mick Jagger - Memo From Turner (from "performance")”, “Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (from "the Exorcist")”, “Isaac Hayes - Theme From "shaft" (from "shaft")” and more.

High Roller Records, reissue 2022, 1st unreleased mix, transparent electric blue/ red splatter vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony.

Midnight Creeper was the third in a series of stellar soul jazz outings saxophonist Lou Donaldson made for Blue Note in the late-1960s with key players including Hammond B3 organ virtuoso Lonnie Smith, young guitar star George Benson, funky drummer Idris Muhammad, and the bluesy trumpeter Blue Mitchell. This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.

After two spare trio outings for Blue Note, drummer Elvin Jones expanded his ensemble with additional woodwinds & percussion on his unfettered 1969 post-bop exploration Poly-Currents while maintaining spacious realms for the musicians to delve into on modal originals like ‘Agenda’, ‘Agappe Love’, and ‘Whew’. This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.

SYEOR 2024 - Indie Exclusive 30 days - 2LP Expanded Edition of the legendary final concerts with Lou Reed recorded in 1970. Limited Edition Purple and Magenta Vinyl. Includes “I’m Waiting for the Man”, “Sweet Jane”, “Pale Blue Eyes”, “Femme Fatale” and more.

Rook Road – steht für eine Symbiose von Blues, Classic Rock und zeitgenössischer Rockmusik. Groovige Drums und ein druckvoller Bass schaffen ein Fundament, in das sich melodische und rhythmische Hammond Orgel- und Gitarrensounds einfügen, um einer Stimme mit einem unverwechselbaren Timbre die Möglichkeit zu schaffen, sich in all ihren Facetten voll zu entfalten. Aufgrund der großen Bandbreite verschiedenster Einflüsse der einzelnen Musiker, erschafft die Band einen eigenen Stil, welcher durch internationale Presse bekundet wird, den sie selbst als „Diversity Rock“ bezeichnet. Im Vordergrund stehen für alle Beteiligten die Songs, die, bedingt durch die Devise „No Limits“, von klassisch einprägsamen ocksongs
bis hin zu experimentellen Klangwelten reichen. Dabei können alle Beteiligten durch ihr langjähriges Wirken als Profimusiker auf einen reichhaltigen Erfahrungsschatz zurückgreifen, der dieser Band eine unverwechselbare eigenständige Note einhaucht. Durch unzählige Auftritte im In- und Ausland, ganz Europa und Nordamerika mit Bands, wie Lancelot, Uriah Heep, Nazareth, Scorpions, Meat Loaf, Fish, Manfred Mann haben sich die Musiker in der Vergangenheit ihre Sporen verdient und sich nun zusammengefunden, um gemeinsam neue Wege zu gehen.

Die neue VERVE BY REQUEST-LP-Serie präsentiert rare Kultalben, die von den Fans immer wieder gefordert wurden, gepresst in audiophilem 180-Gramm-Vinyl bei Third Man Pressing/Detroit. „Ptah The El Daoud“, Alice Coltranes viertes Album, wurde 1970 im Kellerstudio des Hauses der ColtraneFamilie in Dix Hills aufgenommen und ist ein transzendentes Meisterwerk des spirituellen Jazz. Der Titeltrack ist eine Ode an den ägyptischen Gott Ptah (El Daoud bedeutet „der Geliebte“). Gatefold-Hülle, gepolsterte Innenhülle. „Beat“ wurde für Berry Gordys kurzlebiges Workshop-Jazz-Label im Hitsville-USA-Studio aufgenommen. Schlagzeuger Roy Brooks, zusammen mit seinen Detroit-Landsleuten George Bohanon und Hugh Lawson, sowie seinen Bandkollegen Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook und Eugene Taylor vom Horace Silver Quintet, mischt eine ordentliche Dosis Souljazz in die Hard-Bop-Wurzeln dieses mitreißenden Albums von 1964. Gemastert von den analogen Originalbändern, gepolsterte Innenhülle.

Texan country blues kingpin Lightnin’ Hopkins was rated one of the top 100 guitarists of all time by Billboard, and was a notable influence on Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others. Recordings for Aladdin and Gold Star cemented his reputation, and after performing at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, ‘Mojo Hand’ was a breakthrough hit. The superb 1961 LP Lightnin’ (The Blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins) benefits from the understated presence of King Curtis’ drummer, Belton Evans, and jazz bassist Leonard Gaskin, placing Hopkins’ guitar licks and raspy voice at centre stage, playfully relating heartbreak and woe.

Texan country blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins was a fingerpicking genius with a mournful voice who, after a spell in prison, first came to prominence through recordings for Aladdin and Gold Star in the late 1940s. Somehow, by the mid-1950s, his star had waned, but when Samuel Charters appeared at his one-room Houston apartment with a bottle of gin, Hopkins agreed to cut ten unaccompanied songs for Folkways, the resultant Lightnin’ a pivotal success that reignited his career, sparking the blues revival in the process. Full of haunting loneliness, despair, sly innuendo and doses of good humour, this must-have LP is absolutely brilliant!

Blues And The Abstract Truth is Oliver Nelson’s triumph. Featuring his all-time classic ‘Stolen Moments’, Nelson assembled one of the most potent modern jazz sextets ever. Lead trumpeter Freddie Hubbard is at his peak of performance, while alto saxophonists Nelson and Eric Dolphy (Nelson doubling on tenor) team to form an unlikely union that was simmered to perfection. Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums) can do no wrong as a rhythm section. Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Texan rhythm and blues icon Barbara Lynn made an incredible impact in 1962 with the chart-topping debut single, ‘You’ll Lose A Good Thing,’ which has since been covered by Aretha Franklin, Freddy Fender, and countless others. A southpaw guitarist who wrote her own material, debut LP You’ll Lose A Good Thing captured our heroine at her best, the soulful smoky voice a striking contrast to the blues base of her backing musicians (including Dr John on keyboards). Containing the follow-up hits ‘Second Fiddle Girl’ and ‘Letter To Mommy And Daddy’ as well as the cherished title track, it’s a winner from start to finish.

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At one time participating in ground-breaking medical scientific research, in another a relentless road-trip, hoovering up rare records and tapes, in the nooks and crannies of France, Algeria, or any country that he happens to land in. And then there’s his long standing show for Rinse France.

Following his slamming mix for the Japan Blues show on NTS last year, he kindly offered up a selection for Japan Blues’ first tape release. Algeria is the focus of this tape, taking a brief dip into Sameer’s broad collection, coinciding with his research for his documentary film about the social history of Rai music, "Rai is not Dead" for Arte.

Words from the Hadj: “The medehates are traditional vocal formations of women from western Algeria. Their main role is to give some compliments to the future wife during a wedding, and pray to all the saints through long songs which could last for hours, until reaching a sort of transcendental state amplified by looped percussions, traditional flute, and violon notes. Exclusively for women, no men (including young boys) admitted. This ceremonial tradition gave an intimate space for women to speak out about taboo topics like men-women relationships, love, sins like alcohol consumption etc. Since then, some of them started freely to mention all of that in this small circle and some of them have been recorded live for release on 7″. I picked up a few from my collection in order to make this mix. They represent one of the most powerful and wildest roots of the raw traditional form of rai which appeared in the 50/60s in Algeri

Colbie Caillat is a master storyteller whose breezy SoCal folk-pop songs laced with a country shimmer speak truth to both the pain of endings and hopefulness of what’s to come when you’re brave enough to follow your wild, wild heart. Along The Way, Caillat’s solo country debut, embodies the positivity in heartbreak’s wake. Though her move to Nashville was done as one-half of a romantic partnership - a personal and professional adventure to the southern city for this west coast girl - she thrived in all of life’s changes. In her musical journey and experimentation with new sounds, Caillat vividly captured a moment in her life through song. The California-raised, Nashville-based girl delivered songs with gratitude for having known this love, learned so many lessons and the joys shared along the way. “The love that you shared shouldn’t be wasted: you help each other grow and become a wiser and more evolved person. We needed to be together to become who we are today, even if we didn’t end up together.” If Joni Mitchell’s quintessential Blue is the deep dive into the caverns of grief following a break-up, Along The Way is a bright, shiny compass Caillat offers to guide people through the tough times and raw feelings that accompany any dissolution. Lover, leaver, left, the woman who’s sung at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert wants to sow compassion for all parties involved.

Originally reissued as part of the Promise Kept: The Complete Artist House Recordings boxed set, now available separately. LP contains the original 4 tracks – CD/Digital include an additional 6 bonus tracks. Remastered by Grammy® winner Michael Graves, with vinyl cut by Jeff Powell.

I see lucid blue flames moving before my eyes.
I hear voices melting. Voices somewhere from within.
Speaking words I do not know but feel connected to, almost as if I have known the meaning once..
Noises that obscures the multiple pictures hidden in these digital compositions.
Iku Sakan have created a set of five tracks that takes the listener on a
trip deep into the human psyché. Emotional flickering movements that twists and turns. The albums have a darker, much more intense feel than some of Ikus earlier magical and often hypnotic music. A myriad of different voices creates pulsing patterns and constantly morphing pictures for my inner eye. It's an album that might work as a hack to our lingual structures, pushing limits, pushing possibilities of meaning.

A pool of over-saturated information boils and out of the vapor new contours take form.
The magical and hypnotic is not gone, I still recognise the softer aspects of Ikus highly detailed hybrid sound design. But I no longer see where it takes me. It excites me. It feels like the world is expanding again, breathing. The sounds on the album asks us questions and points in several directions at once. In the shadows, weeds of lucid dreams grow deeper roots, reaching for my inner ear.

The faint sounds on the track Nature Morte reminds me of expeditions to the local witch house ruins as a child. Something almost not there, something felt. History, Memories and the connection between the two seems to have played a part in these compositions. Emotional reactions that plant reactions in other people, all around creating soft movements on the face of our planet.

Whether our collective psyché is an open field or an impenetrable dark forest, is of less concern with a key like Omnitopoeia, that works like an enhanced mirror, reflecting the dreams of the words we speak everyday, reflecting the emotional charges of significant places. Unrecognisable but still remembered.

For fans of Dead and Company, Digital Tape Machine, and Jazz Improvisation! Chicago native and Guitar prodigy, Marcus Rezak has connected with GRAMMY-award-winner Paul Nelson (Johnny Winter) to produce his next body of work entitled Guitar Head, a blues-oriented album that melds his prestige in the jam, improvisation, and songwriting world with his roots that hail from the “Home of the Blues.” Rezak is joined by fellow stalwarts on today's scene Ray Paczkowski (Trey Anastasio Band), Adrian Tramontano (Twiddle & Kung Fu), and Chris DeAngelis (Kung Fu & The Machine) throughout the album, and Little Feat's saxophonist, Erik Lawrence joins the ensemble for four tracks. Guitar Head comes highly anticipated as Marcus’ best work to date. With a outstanding team in place and properly coordinated merchandise, performances, and promotion. This album will bring Marcus to the top, once again, as one of the nations most prominent guitarists and composers.

Repress.

"Urban Ethiopian music stands out within the African continent thanks to its creativity and originality. Whatever the shade -- pop, blues, jazz or soul -- it comes from a fusion of local musical traditions mixed with an echo of Western music. It bewitched Ethiopia during the Swinging Addis decade before recently winning the favors of a well-informed audience all over the world. This first vinyl volume of Ethiopian Urban Modern Music presents some of the Ethiopian grooves & jewels drawn from the essential CD Ethiopiques series directed by Francis Falceto and published by Buda music;

In the 1950s Chicago was the blues capital of the world. But by 1966 musical tastes had changed. R & B had morphed into hard soul and newer soft soul musical stylings had coalesced from earlier doo wop motifs, with bigger and more sophisticated productions. This was the era of the small independent owners / producers, all vying for airplay and sales in a hugely competitive marketplace. This landmark LP showcases many of the best of this output – the sounds that hit music listeners and buyers straight from the street. The mix here is a perfect blend of the tough hard soul style and the softer soul sounds. Just right for the feet and the heart. Enjoy!

Most southern soul fans will tell you that that the music produced in Memphis in 1967 and 1968 was the pinnacle of quality. So following on from our look at the River City’s soul output in 1967, we now turn our attention to an album covering the next year. As before, the singers here are a heady mixture of local Tennessee talent and welcome soulful guests who journeyed down south hoping that a little of the famous Memphis magic would rub off on their songs. There are soul genres to suit all tastes here – from the deepest ballads to upbeat tracks that will rock your socks off. Soul doesn’t get much better than the artists and their tunes on this LP!

Hailed as the ‘Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll,’ the pioneering singer and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first major gospel star, her skills on electric guitar and blend of the sacred and secular a major influence on Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Elvis, as well as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck. She began recording in the 1930s and Gospel Train, her first for Mercury, was a dynamite comeback, recorded in 1956 with quartet the Harmonizing Four, its popularity leading to a four-month UK tour. It’s a killer set from start to finish and required listening for lovers of rock, blues, and gospel. Get it and be awed!

Ray Charles' 'Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music' plus bonus
track pressed on limited edition 180g blue coloured, comes with it's own
unique sticker

Ray Charles' 'Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music' plus bonus
track pressed on limited edition 180g blue coloured, comes with it's own
unique sticker

Ray Charles' 'Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music' plus bonus
track pressed on limited edition 180g blue coloured, comes with it's own
unique sticker

EASYGOING PORTRAIT OF DOWN-HOME SOUL SINGER COMING INTO HIS OWN AND ESTABLISHING AN INDELIBLE BOND BETWEEN PERFORMER AND AUDIENCE
1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analogue master to DSD 64 to analogue console to lathe


On par with the most treasured concert albums of the 60s and 70s, Bill Withers' transformative Live at Carnegie Hall is a forgotten classic – an easygoing portrait of a down-home soul artist coming into his own in front of an audience eager to share every moment of his brilliance. Soothing with subtlety, charming with calmness, and healing with a vocal timbre as relaxing as his grooves, Withers uses the stage to expand the range of favorites and engage in dialog with the crowd. Distinguished with sonics that restore the performances' balance and improve the sound-staging, this reissue takes you inside the venue.

Moreover, aspects that really make this concert document unique – the energetic crowd, Withers and his band's willingness to extend arrangements, and the undeniable communicative bond between the performer and his fans – are brought into fuller relief. While most live albums give you the sense of what transpired, our reissue allows it to seem that what you're hearing and sensing is happening right now, in the moment. You are as much a participant as listener. For this reason and more, Live at Carnegie Hall ranks with James Brown's Live at the Apollo and B.B. King's Live at the Regal. No small claims, but the proof is in the grooves.

The antithesis of the sweaty R&B shouter that prowls the edge of stages, Withers deals in mellowness and vulnerability, qualities that come to fore. The songs here span soul, blues, and folk and often times, contain elements of all three styles. Live at Carnegie Hall also deals with serious subject matter with unflinching honesty and simple directness. Companionship, poverty, war, maturity, family, and love all crop up within Withers' tunes, yet the messages are never overly cumbersome or preachy. Credit goes to his easygoing style and relatable lyrics, not to mention a tight-as-a-vice band that on this night is simply "on."


"One more time?" Withers asks in response to a request for another stanza during "Use Me," and like the snap of fingers, his musicians are right back on cue, the crowd clapping along on every beat. This classic, as well as the instantly familiar "Ain't No Sunshine," poignant "Grandma's Hands," and all-time favorite "Lean On Me" are delivered with utmost soulfulness, passion, and electricity. Few, if any, live albums demonstrate such a bond between the crowd and artist as Live at Carnegie Hall. You'll definitely want to be there.

SOURCED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES: 2LP SET PRESENTS 1991 ALBUM IN 45RPM SPEED FOR FIRST TIME.

PCM Digital Master to Analog Console to Lathe.

Dire Straits never made a big to-do about its final run. In classic understated British fashion, the band simply let its music speak for itself. And how. Originally released in September 1991, On Every Street became the group’s swan song – a lasting testament to the influence, musicianship, and integrity of an ensemble whose merit has never been tainted by cash-grab reunions or farewell treks. It remains an essential part of the Dire Straits catalog and a blueprint of the distinctive U.K. roots rock the collective played for its 15-year career.

Sourced from the original master tapes, housed in gatefold packaging, and pressed at RTI, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set of On Every Street presents the album like it has always been meant to be experienced: in reference-grade audiophile sound. Recorded at AIR Studios in London and produced by Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler, it features all of the band’s sonic hallmarks – wide instrumental separation, visceral textures, seemingly limitless air, broad soundstages, atmospherics that you can almost reach out and feel. Each element is made more vibrant, physical, and lifelike on this collectible reissue, which marks the first time this 60-minute work has been available at 45RPM speed.

Afforded generous groove space and black backgrounds, the songs from On Every Street burst with nuanced details and vibrant colors. Dire Straits’ playing appears to float, their intricate performances organized amid hypnotic, fluid, three-dimensional arrangements. Mobile Fidelity’s definitive-sounding set also brings into transparent view Knopfler’s finely sculpted guitar lines, expressive tones, and laid-back vocals – as well as the balanced accompaniment from his band mates. Here’s a record on which you can hear the full blossom and decay of individual notes, and imagine the size and shape of the studio. It is in every regard a demonstration disc. And it happens to be filled with timeless fare.

Remarkably, On Every Street almost never came to light. Dire Straits initially dissolved in September 1988 after touring behind its blockbuster Brothers in Arms and suffering the departure of two members. At the time, Knopfler professed his desire to work on solo material; bassist John Illsley also explored side projects. But Knopfler’s decision in 1989 to form the country-leaning Notting Hillbillies reignited a spark to reconvene his primary band and craft a fresh batch of songs. Six years removed from Brothers in Arms, Knopfler, Illsley, keyboardist Alan Clark, and keyboardist Guy Fletcher teamed with A-list session pros – steel guitarist Paul Franklin, percussionist Danny Cummings, saxophonist Chris White, guitarist Phil Palmer included – to create what still stands as an unforgettable farewell.

The platinum record brings the band full circle in that it returns Dire Straits to a quartet formation; finds the group refreshingly out of step with the era’s prevailing trends; and sees Knopfler and Co. knocking out song after song with the deceptive ease of a punter tossing back a pint at a pub. That subtle cool, clever poise, and innate control – signature traits that no other band ever matched – dominate On Every Street. Knopfler’s clean, virtuosic six-string escapades unfurl with dizzying melodicism and economical efficiency. Led by his winding fills and focused solos, Dire Straits traverse a hybrid landscape of rock, jazz, country, boogie, blues, and pop strains with near-faultless prowess.

More than any other entry in the group’s oeuvre, On Every Street welcomes quick detours down back alleys and into the depths of human souls. What makes it more brilliant is its staunch refusal to cater to commercial expectations or take advantage of prior successes; every passage feels true, every measure echoed in the service of song. It’s evident in the humorous satire of “Heavy Fuel,” closeted desperation of the witty “Calling Elvis,” and shake-and-bake bounce of “The Bug.” It pours from the album’s darker corners, as on the high-and-lonesome melancholy of the title track and bruised emotionalism of “When It Comes to You.”

Hinting at the open-minded approaches and boundless curiosity he’d embrace as a solo artist, Knopfler doesn’t limit himself when it comes to style or subject matter. Look no further than “You and Your Friend,” a shuffle whose all-inclusive lyrics encourage an array of interpretative meanings. Another of the album’s deep cuts, “Iron Hand,” comes on as one of the band’s most memorable moments – the narrative addressing the abuses of power at the 1984 Battle of Orgreave during the U.K. miners’ strike. Given cinematic heft by the expert production, the true-fiction account puts into perspective the richness, poetry, and depth of On Every Street.

“Every victory has a taste that’s bittersweet,” sings Knopfler on the title track. At least that bittersweetness seldom sounded so damn good on record.

Boukou Groove – the soul-funk band from New Orleans – consisting of the charismatic singer/keyboardist/songwriter Donnie Sundal and the virtuoso guitarist/songwriter Derwin 'Big D' Perkins, is the best-kept American soul secret of the moment. Donnie, the frontman of Boukou Groove, is rightly considered one of the best white soul singers of the past fifty years. His soulful and funky voice evokes comparisons with greats such as Curtis Mayfield and Ronald Isley.
But let's not forget Big D, who is celebrated as one of the best guitarists in New Orleans. As a regular session musician, Big D regularly showcases his unique mix of jazzy and funky guitar playing on albums by icons such as Maceo Parker, Dr. John and Snarky Puppy. The latest album, 'Groovin'', released for the first time on vinyl under the 'Juicy Records' label, is a collection of their best work to date. After two successful tours in Japan with performances at the Live Magic! Festival and at the Blue Note in Tokyo, the album serves as a wonderful introduction before the European tour begins. While Donnie controls the vocals and bass role with his funky Moog Bass, Big D enchants with catchy guitar riffs and sublime guitar solos. Together with a talented drummer and sometimes horn players, they create an irresistible mix of New Orleans Funk, Southern Soul and Rhythm 'n' Blues. Boukou Groove has delivered one of the most enchanting modern funky soul records of this decade with 'Groovin''.

Colbie Marie Caillat (born May 28, 1985 in Malibu, California) is an American acoustic-folk singer and songwriter from Malibu, California. She has won 2 Grammys, namely for "Lucky", her duet with Jason Mraz, and for her collaboration on Taylor Swift's album Fearless in the song "Breathe".

This is the soundtrack to flipping through the filing cabinet at the mortuary in Return of the Living Dead. You are running out of time before ending up on the slab yourself at the end of a bad day at work. Wash away the blues with a pint and 12 tracks clocking in at just under 14 minutes whilst Stiff Meds take you on a journey to see the many faces of death. Starting in 2019, Stiff Meds arose from the grand tradition of fast as fuck music that has always been at the centre of UKHC from Napalm Death to Voorhees. Taking that history, along with some more US influences such as No Comment and Infest, vocalist Seth marries that with tales of the macabre as metaphors for daily life. Each song contains more riffs than most brains can compute in real time and is a testament to the skill level of the band. Not surprisingly they have grown a reputation as a ferocious live machine that blasts through 20+ songs with ease and without stops with wild crowd reactions to match. If you don’t believe us, then check out the Live at the Mersey Shore Set as an exclusive special feature of the physical vinyl release of Tales from the Slab. Don’t delay, it’s time to pick up your prescription. Check them out on tour in Europe, November-December 2023.

For fans of Mountain, Grand Funk Railroad, and Dr. Hook! Kelakos is a seventies rock band with roots in Boston and Upstate New York, known for fusing powerful rock rhythms and guitar leads with strong vocals, catchy songwriting, and rich, varied production. Now forty-four years after their first album, Gone Are the Days, Kelakos returns stronger than ever with a new 12-song album release, Hurtling Towards Extinction. The band consists of its namesake George Kelakos Haberstroh on vocals/guitar, Mark Sisson on rhythm guitar, Linc Bloomfield holding down the bass, who after Kelakos wound up in a high lever career in Washington, and rounded out by Carl Canedy who went to play with The Rods and produce albums by Anthrax, Overkill, Blue Cheer, Exciter, etc… Hurtling Towards Extinction consists of 12 new songs with highlights such as “Livin on the Planet Love” and“Smoke and Mirrors”, while making sure there is something for everyone on this release.

Muireann Bradley is a young blues, ragtime, roots and folk guitarist and singer based in Ballybofey in County Donegal Ireland. “This is my first album. Most of these tunes were originally recorded by the great blues men and women who were making records from the 1920s and 1930s right up in some cases to the early 1970s. I have also found inspiration for the renditions recorded here in the playing of some of the musicians who began recording this music in the 1960s and later, and who in some cases learned at the feet of the greats. Many of these guitarists played pivotal roles in the 1960s blues revival and subsequent “rediscovery” of many of the greats of country blues. I grew up steeped in these old blues in the hills overlooking the valley of the River Finn just outside the town of Ballybofey in County Donegal. My father would play this music constantly at home and wherever we went in the car and talk about it endlessly whether anyone was listening or not, telling stories about the lives of these musicians as if they were legend, mythology or the evening news. My father could of course play all this stuff on guitar, I remember watching him when I was very young and thinking “I want to be able to do that”. When I was nine he agreed to teach me and bought me my first little travel guitar. I worked hard to learn how to play but as time wore on I seemed to have less and less time to practice as I became more and more invested in the combat sports I was regularly training and competing in. Then in March 2020 the first Covid lockdowns happened and all contact sports were shut down. I was lost for a while but soon found my way back to the guitar. I was now listening, playing and practicing with a new intensity and focus. In a very serious moment, I wrote out a list of tunes I was going to learn. The first tune on that list was Blind Blake’s “Police Dog Blues”. I’m not sure now how long it took to get that arrangement together but when it was ready we videoed me performing it and posted it on YouTube. It ended up getting a lot of attention, I remember my parents being quite shocked and soon after that Josh Rosenthal got in touch… and here we are! Each individual track on this album was recorded live in the studio and represents one entire take with me singing and backing myself up on guitar simultaneously. Most are either first or second takes. Nothing has been added or taken away, no overdubs or modern recording tricks of any kind have been used at all so at least in some respects this album has been recorded in the same way as those classics of the 1920s and 1930s

David Tattersall, the Wave Pictures guitarist and frontman releases a solo album of interpretations of John Fahey tunes, recorded live in the studio. "I have been a fan of John Fahey's music since I was very young; it has always been with me and I can't remember a time when I wasn't affected by it. It is weird music, and very good. Of course, Fahey is an important cult figure in the history of music: as the first man to find a language for steel string guitar that can stand proudly alongside the established tradition of nylon string classical guitar; as one of many men who rediscovered obscure old blues musicians and recorded them for a new generation in the 1960s; as one uniquely able to reconcile 20th century avant-garde music with folk tradition; as an early indie-label DIY pioneer. For me personally, Fahey went beyond technique, and to some extent beyond historical or intellectual justifications for his work. He explored his emotions through his instrument of choice, and in so doing made the case for the guitar as the ultimate conduit for emotional expression. While there are many imitators who try to play ''like Fahey'', I avoided using his fingerpicking style or sense of rhythm, and tried instead to use his music to explore my own emotions, my own dreams and memories. I was more interested in the lyrical and expressive aspects of Fahey's music than in the techniques of it. I tried to find myself within his compositions and without composing anything I feel that I have managed to make a David Tattersall record that says as much about me as any of the many albums that I have written. John Fahey's beautiful discography shows that the guitar can carry as much mystery and soul as the human voice, and simply put, I wanted in on a little of this action. This is my second all-instrumental solo acoustic album, and where this differs from my first attempt, Little Martha, is that here I improvised freely. I used Fahey's originals only as guides. I'm not sure what I was looking for, perhaps something beyond explanation, but I tried to be as free as possible, and I am delighted by the spontaneous results. Hopefully, they will make the listener feel happy and dreamy, just like the effect that Fahey's many albums have on me. One of the most important things that Fahey ever said was his advice to guitarists to try to feel the emotions that each chord they play on a guitar brings forth. He is telling guitarists to not only play the guitar, but to let the guitar play them. I did my best to follow this advice. I hope you enjoy listening to the album, that it brings you some dreamy moments, and that it sends you back to happily explore the originals. I had a great time recording it. Naturally, I can't put the experience adequately into words but that's the whole point. I think Fahey was a genius of the kind that creates a whole genre single-handedly. There could be thousands, millions, of reinterpretations of his compositions. In fact, there probably already are. And long may this continue. All tracks were recorded live with no tampering."

Originally released as a hand-numbered CD on New Year's Eve of 2004, Last Light captures Tor Lundvall 's hushed songcraft at its most ghostly and grayscale, stripped bare like branches bracing for winter. Initially conceived of as "a piano album with sparse electronics" (with the working title November), Lundvall's palette steadily expanded, incorporating synthesizer, samples, bass, metronomes, and his signature spectral vocals. A journal entry from the spring of 2002 proved formative to his evolving vision: "I remember watching the blueish-grey light shimmering outside and hearing distant sounds echoing far away, eventually sinking into silence and stillness." The album's 12 tracks are steeped in this sense of autumnal transience, of bearing witness to what fades. The music moves in whispered swells, between dirge, drift, and devotional. Synths chime like slow-tolling bells; percussion shuffles and shivers, icy and isolated; bass traces a low-lidded plod - it's a mode both austere and seductive, lulling the listener into its landscapes of deepening dusk. Lyrically, Lundvall's language skews observational and depressive ("through lace curtains / grey light falls / dark clouds gather / in my soul" ), with each song like a gauzy glimpse into a different tableau framing winter's descent: rust - colored leaves, frozen ponds, cold crescent moons. Lundvall has long considered Last Light a "personal favorite" in his discography, and it's easy to hear why. In texture, finesse, and pacing, it vividly evokes the rare mood of fragile, frosty pastoral noir depicted in his iconic oil paintings. His is an art of the half-seen and half-remembered, of fleeting figures, shapes and shadows, and gathering darkness. Of all that disappears, and the ghosts that never leave: "So I wait / as the years / slowly drain the magic and the light / and the girl / I never loved / haunts me through the dark roads of my life."

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Eighteen years ago, Oppenheimer Analysis made its indelible mark with the iconic track ‘The Devil’s Dancers,’ heralding the birth of the Minimal Wave label. Founded with a singular mission, the label set out to share this musical gem with the world. The inaugural release was the self-titled Oppenheimer Analysis EP, meticulously pressed onto high-quality 180-gram black vinyl, accompanied by a striking 18” x 24” poster adorned with captivating photos and lyrics. This historic release graced the world on December 6th, 2005. Remarkably, this EP has been elusive for a decade now.

In an exciting development, the fifth edition of the Oppenheimer Analysis self-titled EP is set to debut in December 2023, featuring the original remastered version of ‘The Devil’s Dancers.’ This EP is presented as a loving tribute to Martin Lloyd (1950-2013 R.I.P.), one half of Oppenheimer Analysis. The EP showcases select tracks from the 1982 Oppenheimer Analysis cassette titled “New Mexico,” along with two previously unreleased gems. The story behind Oppenheimer Analysis began when Andy Oppenheimer, a nuclear weapons consultant, and Martin Lloyd, also known for his work with the Survival Label and the project “Analysis,” crossed paths at a Science Fiction Convention in London in 1979. They shared the stage with notable bands like Hawkwind and Spizz Energi and garnered attention in the pages of Melody Maker.

This fifth edition release consists of 999 meticulously hand-numbered 180-gram black vinyl copies, each accompanied by the first edition poster insert. Notably, the spot color on the sleeve distinguishes each edition: green for the first, deep blue-green for the second, light powder blue for the third, mint green for the fourth, and a brighter aqua mint for this current fifth edition.

2023 Repress

Noisia & Foreign Beggars are extremely proud to present I Am Legion's much anticipated self-titled, 16 track, debut album.
"The album was made during countless sessions (no more than 40 full studio days max) over the last five years. Many passes of production and scrutiny reached every track, alongside a plethora of feedback spread sheets and whiteboard summaries. We never set a deadline for ourselves; the whole idea of a full album only took shape later in the process when we realized how much material we had generated and how cool it could be to put it out as one big thing." I Am Legion nods to rap's erstwhile forays into electronica, absorbing elements of its present whilst laying out a reassuringly disturbed vision of what's to come.

Van Halen did more than announce to the world the earthshaking arrival of a revolutionary guitarist. Performed by an enterprising California quartet that took its name from two of its principal members, the 1978 debut ripped headlines away from punk, injected fresh energy into a then-moribund rock 'n' roll scene, reimagined how heavy music and throwback pop could coexist, and invited everyone to experience the top-down pleasures of a beach-front Saturday night every day of the week no matter where they lived. Painstakingly restored by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, and the first of a multi-album series in an exciting partnership between the famous reissue label and Van Halen, Van Halen delivers feel-good thrills and hormonally charged desires like never before.

Limited to 12,000 numbered copies, pressed on dead-quiet MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, and mastered from the original analogue master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's ultra-hi-fi UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector's edition pays tribute to the record's merit and allows fans to experience Van Halen's original blend of raw power, Hollywood flair, and vaudeville fun for generations to come. Playing with reference-setting sonics that elevate a 10-times-platinum landmark whose importance cannot be quantitatively measured, this definitive version provides a clear, clean, transparent, balanced, and turn-the-volume-up-to-11 view of an album that birthed entirely new styles. Since MoFi's unique SuperVinyl compound allows you to crank the decibels to your wildest desires without risking noise-floor interference, prepare to not only hear but feel Van Halen in your chest, no fifth-row concert seat necessary.

The premium packaging and gorgeous presentation of the UD1S Van Halen pressing befit its extremely select status. Housed in a deluxe box, it features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. No expense has been spared. Aurally and visually, this UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artefact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the iconic cover art to the meticulous finishes and, yes, of course, Eddie Van Halen's pioneering fretwork and his brother Alex's double-bass percussion.

Indeed, could a piece of music that transformed how countless guitarists approached their instrument be more fittingly named than "Eruption"? Likely not, and in just 102 seconds, Eddie Van Halen rewrote, reimagined, and reconfigured a vocabulary last significantly updated a decade earlier by fellow six-string wizard Jimi Hendrix. Akin to the Washington State legend, Eddie Van Halen developed his own techniques and tones all the while making his seismic accomplishments seem effortless. Devoid of the pretence, ego, and showiness that infected many of his imitators, the Dutch native sticks to a straightforward approach that underlines the authority, prowess, and visionary scope of his playing and then-unheard-of finger-tapping skills. Throughout Van Halen, he establishes himself as an instant idol – a savant whose otherworldly combination of breadth, poise, feel, speed, force, and melody seems beamed in from another galaxy.

As does nearly every song on the record, whose cohesiveness and dynamic put into perspective the advanced chemistry and one-for-all spirit the youthful band had out of the gates. Having paid its dues for years in bars and clubs – going as far as recording a 24-track demo for Kiss bassist Gene Simmons at Village Recorders only to be spurned by management companies that felt its music wouldn't go anywhere – Van Halen finally got a deserved break when Warner Bros. executives signed the group in 1977. The subsequent recording sessions further testify on behalf of the band's synergy and alignment. Completed in just a few weeks with producer Ted Templeman, Van Halen was primarily cut live in the studio with minimal overdubs and edits. The explosiveness, energy, and electricity remain definitive, and as heard on this UD1S set, put the group on a private stage – humming amplifiers, Frankenstrat guitar, bright spotlights, sweaty headbands, and then some.

Van Halen yielded just one hit in the form of a Top 40 single (a breathless cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me") but practically every song on the revered LP has become a staple. Named the 202nd Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone and considered by countless experts as one of the best debuts in history, the record displays what can happen with four distinct talents gel and strive for the same purposes. In Van Halen's case, the latter almost always involved partying, freedom, sex, and, in the immortal words of singer David Lee Roth, living "life like there's no tomorrow." The celebration manifests from the opening notes of the strutting "Runnin' with the Devil" – announced with the blare of droning car horns, Michael Anthony's robust bass line, and Alex Van Halen's thumping drumming – and continues through the conclusion of the white-hot "On Fire," goosed by Eddie Van Halen's race-track-ready lines, Roth's flamboyant deliveries, and the rhythm section's cat-like pounce.

Picking out individual highlights on Van Halen is akin to trying to count all the stars in a clear nighttime desert sky: There are far too many to identify, once you see one you notice another dozen you didn't spot before, and the cluster is best enjoyed as a whole. What's evident over repeat listens is the sheer diversity, a fact that's often overlooked: The high harmonies and background funk of "Jamie's Cryin'"; the insistent cane-and-a-tophat shuffle and doo-wop shoo-bop vocal break on "I'm the One"; the throwback acoustic blues that spreads into fast-paced, single-entendre wildfire on the Roth-led standout interpretation of John Brim's "Ice Cream Man." Like the man says, on Van Halen, all the flavours are guaranteed to satisfy.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior


Instead of utilizing the industry-standard three-step lacquer process, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's new UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) uses only one step, bypassing two processes of generational loss. While three-step processing is designed for optimum yield and efficiency, UD1S is created for the ultimate in sound quality. Just as Mobile Fidelity pioneered the UHQR (Ultra High-Quality Record) with JVC in the 1980s, UD1S again represents another state-of-the-art advance in the record-manufacturing process. MFSL engineers begin with the original master recordings, painstakingly transfer them to DSD 256, and meticulously cut a set of lacquers. These lacquers are used to create a very fragile, pristine UD1S stamper called a "convert." Delicate "converts" are then formed into the actual record stampers, producing a final product that literally and figuratively brings you closer to the music. By skipping the additional steps of pulling another positive and an additional negative, as done in the three-step process used in standard pressings, UD1S produces a final LP with the lowest noise floor possible today. The removal of the additional two steps of generational loss in the plating process reveals tremendous amounts of extra musical detail and dynamics, which are otherwise lost due to the standard copying process. Every conceivable aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the most perfect record album available today.

MoFi SuperVinyl


Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analogue lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

The entity known as ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, would like to express its excitement to be working with the Seattle, WA based BAND Sandrider, and enjoyed the previous relationship of Damm and Weisnewski in their former entity known as AKIMBO. ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES is very much a fan of previous work from the BAND on Satanik Royalty Records and highly recommend new listeners investigate the discography further. The upcoming 2-song single by BAND, hereafter referred to as AVIARY/BALEEN has a limited-edition initial pressing on blue and white splatter vinyl pressing of 300 copies, and successive runs will not be as colorful. Immediate orders are encouraged. This cheeky duality of Sandrider is also captured perfectly in the subject matter of the EP’s two tracks: The explosive first track, “Aviary,” portrays the modern hellscape of social media as sinister, soulless mama bird, willfully vomiting disinformation into the eager mouths of enthusiastically consenting participants. “PLEASE MOTHER, FEED THEM YOUR BILE. DOUSE THE BABES WITH YOUR WHOLESOME RETCH,” vocalist/guitarist Jon Weisnewski wails over massive, frenetic riffs, rounded out by bassist Jesse Roberts’ warm low end and drummer Nat Damm’s ultra-hard, punch-like beats. The song concludes in a frenzy of danceable beats, with Weisnewski doing his best Painkiller-era Halford screams as he commands you to flood the whole damn thing – drown those who wish to destroy us. As pissed off as the song is, you’ll feel triumphant by the end anyway. Side B’s “Baleen” on the other hand (while ironically the angrier-sounding song of the two), is about a lighter thought that keeps Weisnewski up at night: Do you ever think about how fucking weird whales are? They’re enormous floating creatures that can't handle gravity, and they hang out in the deepest oceans. Yet they can’t breathe underwater, so they have to stay near the top and come up for air all the time. Seems inconvenient. And you’d think that the biggest mammal that ever lived would be a brutal carnivore, right? But no. They eat the tiniest creatures, through a bunch of hair in their mouths. What the fuck? Anyway, ponder on that while you bang your head along with Sandrider’s signature primal, hypnotizingly heavy riffs.

Oscar Peterson’s trio with Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen is widely regarded as Peterson’s “classic trio,” considered by fans as the most popular and in-demand of his long and storied career (featured on releases such as 1963’s Night Train and 1964’s We Get Requests). Recorded during their creative peak in 1964 (5 years into their collaboration), this previously unheard and unreleased live performance is destined to become a fan favorite from the Oscar Peterson vaults. In his memoir Peterson reflects on the dedication that Ray and Ed brought to the group:

"In addition to our trio rehearsals, therefore, Ray would call his own rehearsals in his or Ed’s room and they would simply practice ‘time.’ They created a flexible and multi-faceted rhythmical language that they could apply to any musical statement I might make and enhance any direction I might choose. In short, they practiced ‘all the possibles.’” - Oscar Peterson

Listen Here Limited-edition double green/ red vinyl. 12 tracks spread across three sides and a screen-printed fourth side. We are very pleased to announce a special 10th anniversary vinyl version of this classic Dean Wareham live album, recorded over two nights in London back in December 2013 and featuring a mix of songs by Galaxie 500 and Luna as well as solo material. It is pressed on double red and green vinyl, with the 12 tracks spread across three sides and a screen-printed fourth side. The recordings were mixed by Britta Phillips and have been remastered especially for this release by Mikey Young (of Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Total Control and others). The new artwork by Marc Jones includes a printed insert featuring photos from the shows, which almost didn’t happen at all after Dean and his band got stuck on a train between Manchester and London. “We left Piccadilly Station at 12:15 but stopped rolling after just 20 minutes,” he recalls. “A voice informed us that a tree had fallen on the track somewhere up ahead, and this tree was on fire. We sat there for a couple of hours and started to think about alternate ways to get down to London, someone sent out a plea on Twitter and one kind fan did offer to drive us, if only there was a way to get off the train. But at around 3 o’clock the train lurched forward at last, we made it to Euston and cabbed it straight to St Pancras Old Church. “I’m not a believer but there’s something special about playing in churches, especially one that dates to the 12th century; the cavernous spaces and wooden pews make you speak softly and play quietly too – if you play too loud the sounds will just bounce all over the place. And the engineer doesn’t need to add reverb to your vocals – it is there already. “Nat from Sonic Cathedral promoted the shows and had the presence of mind to record them to multi-tracks, and I’m so glad he did. When we got back to Los Angeles, Britta mixed the live tracks, and the result is this record

Das Überraschungs-Mixtape "Trip Tape" des deutschen Alternative-Superstar-Duos Milky Chance aus dem Jahr 2021 ist jetzt auf Vinyl als limitierte Blue Splatter LP erhältlich. Auf dem Mixtape performt die Band in ihrem eigenen, unverwechselbaren Stil Hits von The Weekend, Dua Lipa, Soft Cell und Rosalia sowie einen umwerfenden Gast-Remix des Produzenten Icarus aus Bristol. Als ob das noch nicht genug wäre, enthält das Trip Tape" auch noch ein paar Originale, einige davon als Demoversionen, die sicherstellen, dass alle Arten von Fans ihrer Musik mehr als zufrieden sind. „Trip Tape" erlaubt es Milky Chance, ihren unverwechselbaren Stil mit einer eklektischen Songauswahl frei zu erkunden.

Repress!

We were planning the release of the NUfrequency new single when the terrible news of the sudden death of Cristiano Massera, one half of the duo, has left us without breath. We are still shocked, because Cristiano was not only a great musician and producer but a friend and a wonderful person. The production of the album 'Connected', and songs such as 'Go That Deep' and 'Fallen Hero' will remain in our hearts forever, because the music he produced with NUfrequency is timeless !
'Promised' features again the beautiful and touching vocals of the legendary Shara Nelson, A soul singer with a voice from heaven, who achieved the success as member of British dance collective and trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack. Shara wrote and sung one of the biggest and most memorable anthems, and the group's biggest hit, 'Unfinished Sympathy' and also co-wrote several other songs on their groundbreaking debut album 'Blue Lines'.
Recorded in 2010, 'Promised' gets a vinyl only release, with remixes from Adesse Versions and Charles Webster.The mysterious Adesse Versions, hot on the heels of his releases on Prime Numbers and Make Love In Public Places, delivers a strong vocal version, in his own inimitable style. Charles Webster, works out a super dubby version bringing back the gold days of deep house music. A precious and special release ! Rest in peace Cristiano.

Die Gründung von 49North markiert eine neue Ära für Duncan Forbes, neben Charlie May eine Hälfte des legendären 1990er Progressive House-Duos Spooky und Remixer für Schwergewichte wie Depeche Mode, M83, Sasha, William Orbit und Apparat. Auf dem finalen Teil seiner '49North – Phase 1: Distilled & Amplified' Trilogie verwandelt der nicht minder legendäre UK-Produzentenkollege Mr. G zwei Tunes in Killertracks, während Forbes' selbst einen pulsierenden, breit angelegten, 10-minütigen Motor-City-meets-The-White-Isle-Trip mit Reminiszenzen an glorreiche Progressive-House-Zeiten bringt.

Having firmly re-established his underground roots, through a series of killer EPs on his newly birthed imprint, 49North - the Spooky and Animated legend now turns his attention to solo album number 1 - his first ever, as Duncan Forbes.

Laying its first foundations some 5 years ago now - ‘Return Of The Strobelight Kid’ has been stealthily taking shape and developing organically ever since. And as a result, the 8 tracks which now make up the final running order, feel very much a direct reflection of all that was experienced during that time; as someone who - whilst having well and truly bought the t-shirt several times over by now - nevertheless finds themselves back on the starting grid, having to do it all over again from scratch.

But embarking on new adventures from way back on square one - is something Duncan’s no stranger to; and on this album, he invites us to join him on this journey of his, and experience all the ups, downs, twists and turns that come with such intrepid territory.

TASTEMAKER/DJ SUPPORT: Axel Boman, Steve Bug, Baikal, Ame, Len Faki, Red Axes, Agoria, DJ Sabo, Anja Schneider, Alex.Do, Oliver Huntemann, AFFKT, Smash TV, The Revenge, Joshua James, Nicole Moudaber, Tim Sweeney, John Osborn, Powel, Alexi Delano, Davide Squillace, Kasper Borke, Iron Curtis, Optimo, Musumeci, Klose One + more.

In 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic, Gene On Earth created his production masterclass “Nuggets: The Blueprint”. This is the seventh release of a collection of works submitted by students shortly after finishing the course. The class of 2022 overcame expectations and birthed a digital compilation and 5 vinyl releases to come out during 2023.

David Tattersall, the Wave Pictures guitarist and frontman releases a solo album of interpretations of John Fahey tunes, recorded live in the studio. "I have been a fan of John Fahey's music since I was very young; it has always been with me and I can't remember a time when I wasn't affected by it. It is weird music, and very good. Of course, Fahey is an important cult figure in the history of music: as the first man to find a language for steel string guitar that can stand proudly alongside the established tradition of nylon string classical guitar; as one of many men who rediscovered obscure old blues musicians and recorded them for a new generation in the 1960s; as one uniquely able to reconcile 20th century avant-garde music with folk tradition; as an early indie-label DIY pioneer. For me personally, Fahey went beyond technique, and to some extent beyond historical or intellectual justifications for his work. He explored his emotions through his instrument of choice, and in so doing made the case for the guitar as the ultimate conduit for emotional expression. While there are many imitators who try to play ''like Fahey'', I avoided using his fingerpicking style or sense of rhythm, and tried instead to use his music to explore my own emotions, my own dreams and memories. I was more interested in the lyrical and expressive aspects of Fahey's music than in the techniques of it. I tried to find myself within his compositions and without composing anything I feel that I have managed to make a David Tattersall record that says as much about me as any of the many albums that I have written. John Fahey's beautiful discography shows that the guitar can carry as much mystery and soul as the human voice, and simply put, I wanted in on a little of this action. This is my second all-instrumental solo acoustic album, and where this differs from my first attempt, Little Martha, is that here I improvised freely. I used Fahey's originals only as guides. I'm not sure what I was looking for, perhaps something beyond explanation, but I tried to be as free as possible, and I am delighted by the spontaneous results. Hopefully, they will make the listener feel happy and dreamy, just like the effect that Fahey's many albums have on me. One of the most important things that Fahey ever said was his advice to guitarists to try to feel the emotions that each chord they play on a guitar brings forth. He is telling guitarists to not only play the guitar, but to let the guitar play them. I did my best to follow this advice. I think Fahey was a genius of the kind that creates a whole genre single-handedly. There could be thousands, millions, of reinterpretations of his compositions. In fact, there probably already are. And long may this continue. All tracks were recorded live with no tampering

Produziert von Joe Bonamassa und Josh Smith in den Ocean Way Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, enthält 'The Blues Album' Joannes persönliche Coverversionen von elf seltenen Blues-Klassikern. Dabei zollt sie Künstlern und Bands Tribut, die nicht zur offensichtlichen Auswahl gehören, wie z.B. Little Village, Little Milton, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, James Ray, covert gleichzeitig aber auch bahnbrechende Blues-Ikonen wie Albert King, Peter Green von Fleetwood Mac und Magic Sam. Einige Songs sind B-Seiten von Singles. War es eine bewusste Entscheidung von Joanne, Songs zu covern, die keine bekannten Blues-Standards sind? 'Wir versuchen, nicht die ausgetretenen Pfade des Blues zu gehen', erklärt Bonamassa. 'Jeder Song muss für sich selbst stehen und gleichzeitig den ursprünglichen Meistern Tribut zollen.'

2023 Reissue

Berlin based HipHop producer S. Fidelity presents his sophomore and full packaged concept album “Fidelity Radio Club” via Jakarta Records.

Four years after his Jakarta Records debut “A Safe Place to Be Naked” S. Fidelity has matured as a producer and as an artist: working and recording in London, Los Angeles, Paris and Johannesburg while building up his Manolo Purple Studios in Berlin with longtime collaborator, labelmate and soul brother Bluestaeb.

In 2021 S. Fidelity finally returns to the main program with his brand new solo album “Fidelity Radio Club” shaped in form of a genre crossing radio show exploring HipHop, R&B, Jazz, House and Funk in all their depths, creating the multi-layered album he always dreamt to do as he orchestrates a stoking line-up of equally talented friends and fellows like Bluestaeb, Melodiesinfonie, Suff Daddy, K, Le Maestro, Àbáse and many more while still delivering that very personal note every classic producer album needs and comes with. Or as the artist himself would put it: “17 different artists, producers and instrumentalists from all over the world helped me to bring this vision to life.”

According to that the albums 1st single features Singer NDO from Florida, giving life to the hard hitting R&B gem “Mixed Signals” where warm neo soul harmonies meet with classic R&B vibes of early 2000. The song made it to Spotify’s Butter Playlist right away and was picked for Deezer’s “Date Night” Playlist and Apple Music’s New Music Daily as well and received shout outs and further Playlist-placements by music blogs like Stereofox or MOW Mag.

The 2nd single comes as a double single featuring pianist, producer and main protagonist of Berlin’s prog-jazz scene Àbáse on “Me At The Zoo” (reminding its listeners of London’s new wave of jazz around Kamaal Williams or Yussef Dayes) on one side and the energetic, funk influenced disco tune “Something Good” on the other side.

The 3rd and final single “Love International Inc.” then comes with a bumpy up tempo drum beat, which develops into an energetic and jazzy lo-fi house/deep house loop, featuring none other than Zürich’s finest Melodiesinfonie as well as Paris-based Bluestaeb, marking this supergroup’s 2nd appearance and giving a glimpse of what’s yet to come.

Each of the album’s single cuts comes with a visual treatment by HipHop’s favorite photographer Robert Winter and his team (The Ottos), matching sound and artwork accordingly while the record’s amazing and unique artwork comes from the Swiss based creative studio HOMI. The record itself contains a sticker sheet with customized S. Fidelity and “Fidelity Radio Club” stickers as well.

The whole album campaign is further accompanied by the Fidelity Radio Show hosted by S. Fidelity himself, sitting down with his featured guests talking about the music they love and they draw inspiration from – broadcasted via S. Fidelity’s own youtube channel releasing its episodes in between the album’s single drops.

Seven Steps to Heaven arrived at a crucial junction in Miles Davis' career. Recorded at two separate locations in spring 1963, it served as Davis' first release in more than a year – a layoff that was then unprecedented for the jazz visionary who had issued at least one LP a year since debuting in the early '50s. Equally notable, Seven Steps to Heaven marks the point at which the core of Davis' Second Great Quintet started to assemble. The twice Grammy-nominated effort is also Davis' final studio record to blend standards with originals. And it happens to be one of the expressive, well-played albums in the jazz canon.

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity's 180g SuperVinyl LP of Seven Steps to Heaven adds yet another step (or more) towards the bliss suggested by the album title. Playing with standout clarity, detail, tone, and balance, this audiophile reissue pulls back the curtain on the instrumentalists. Afforded the tremendous advantages of SuperVinyl – including a nearly inaudible noise floor, dead-quiet surfaces, and superb groove definition – this numbered-edition version presents Davis and Co. amid a wide, deep soundstage whose dimensions and solidity help bring the record's historical importance and musical merit into focus. Warm, organic, and present, the SuperVinyl LP of Seven Steps to Heaven is what great-sounding hi-fi is all about.

And there's nary a passage on this 1963 landmark that isn't great. That Davis manages to make it feel so cohesive and seamless is a testament to the inspired performances and engaging compositions. Davis didn't draw it up the way it unfolded. No matter. He held trump cards that stayed up his sleeve for the next three decades: A drive to be nothing less than superb, a refusal to settle for mediocrity, and standards to which nearly no other composer or player could match. "The toughest critic I got, and the only one I worry about, is myself," Davis wrote in the liner notes. "The music has to get past me."

Davis' demanding approach partly explains why he switched up his band between the first and second sessions – and underscores how fast his mind was racing with new ideas. Seven Steps to Heaven acts as the stable bridge between the transitional period that followed the dissolution of his First Great Quintet and formation of the Second; without it, Davis perhaps doesn't invite then-23-year-old Herbie Hancock and a still-teenage Tony Williams into the fold. The trumpeter not only got his men – he preserved in amber for the only time (well, magnetic tape anyway) the chemistry and vibe he achieved with pianist Victor Feldman, drummer Frank Butler, tenor saxophonist George Coleman, and bassist Ron Carter.

That line-up gels for half of the six songs on Seven Steps to Heaven. Captured in Los Angeles April '63, the quintet stretches out on a luxurious reading of the late '20s New Orleans staple "Basin Street Blues"; lays on the romance for a candlelit stroll through the '40s standard "I Fall in Love Too Easily"; and explores the rounded contours and melodic crevices of the early blues "Baby Won't You Please Come Home." The performances are refined, elegant, emotional; the band lets the feelings linger and gives the listener time to absorb the colours and textures.

A month later, Davis returned to New York City with Coleman and Carter, and partnered them with Hancock and Williams. Tellingly, the quintet tried its collective hand at the title track and "Joshua" – Feldman-penned songs already recorded in Los Angeles – as well as the yearning "So Near, So Far." Those are the tunes that comprise the other piece of Seven Steps to Heaven, with the revised quintet's liquid pulse, articulate dynamics, and timing shifts a harbinger of things to come.

It's also worth mentioning that the interpretations of the bounding "Seven Steps to Heaven" – a showcase for Davis' trumpet – and interlocking "Joshua" netted considerable radio airplay and attracted the attention of other contemporaries who covered the songs. Keeping Carter and Williams as the rhythmic engine, and Hancock as the anchor between solo flights and structural motifs, Davis would soon soon welcome Wayne Shorter into the family and transform jazz. Again. The aptly – and, in hindsight, perhaps prophetically titled Seven Steps to Heaven – is how he got there.

Re-release Soul entwickelte sich gegen Ende der 1950er Jahre aus Rhythm"n"Blues, Gospel, Blues und Jazz. Im folgenden Jahrzehnt war Soul ein Synonym für schwarze Popmusik. Kennzeichnend dafür waren vor allem die Produktionen von Motown Records, zum Beispiel Diana Ross & The Supremes oder Sam Cooke. Seither sind herzergreifender Gesang und groovige Vibes die größten Stilmerkmale des Soul. Zu den weiteren Ikonen des Soul gehören Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Sam Cooke, Al Green und viele mehr. Deren Erfolg ist eng mit dem Kampf der US-amerikanischen Bürgerrechtsbewegung gegen Rassentrennung und für Gleichberechtigung verbunden. 1969 benannte man die Rhythm"n"Blues- in Soul-Charts um. Der Soul-Orkan, der während der Sechziger in den Charts tobte, ebbte jedoch wieder ab, kam aber runderneuert in den 70ern als Phillysound wieder zu erneuten Hitparadenehren. 1982 änderte man die Chart-Bezeichnung von Soul in Black Music. Die vorliegende Kompilation vereint die legendären Stimmen des Soul mit ihren unvergesslichen Hits.

Their full-length debut, Exit Simulation, captures this sense of deep-rooted divination, cycling between simmering ballads, ghosted R&B, downtempo gospel, and looped vocal improvisations – often within the same track. The title is taken from a science fiction novel she read during the purgatory of the pandemic, alluding to a dimensional ideation of departure – “the permission to imagine leaving.”
Recorded in her current home of Charleston, she characterizes the album’s mood in terms both reflective and raw: an exploration of things suppressed, foundations beginning to crack, “talking myself off a ledge.”
The music of Niecy Blues transposes reverie and reckoning into emotive devotionals of keys, guitar, bass, synth, and bewitched voice, steeped in sacred atmospheres gleaned from a youth spent in a religious Oklahoma household: “My first experience with ambient music was church – slow songs of worship, with delay on the guitar... even if you don’t believe, you feel something.”


Felipe Gordon is a Colombian producer based in Bogota. He’s one of the most famous faces of latin american underground house music. He built a track record of pure house productions from the mid-2010s up until now, being Laurent Garnier-supported and releasing records with the most notorious house labels around the globe (Royal Oak, Razor-N-Tape, Toy Tonics, Local Talk, Shall Not Fade, etc.) His unique sonic touch, intertwining elements of raw analogue sounds from his synth collection and a strong hip-hop sampling background are allowing him to explore and revisit his influences to craft a solid musical signature.

2008 listete der "Rolling Stone" die 1933 als Eunice Kathleen Waymon geborene Künstlerin Nina Simone auf Rang 29 der 100 besten Sänger aller Zeiten. Im Dezember 2017 wurde Simone, die ihren Künstlernamen nach der Schauspielerin Simone Signoret wählte, mit der Aufnahme in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame geehrt. Rock"n"Roll ist insofern etwas irreführend, da die Sängerin, Pianistin und Songschreiberin im Blues und Jazz zuhause war, beziehungsweise in Black Classical Music, wie sie ihren Stil selbst nannte. Von ihren Fans wurde sie hingegen als "Hohepriesterin des Soul" bezeichnet. In den Sechzigerjahren engagierte sich Simone stark in der US-amerikanischen Bürgerrechtsbewegung. Mit Liedern wie "Mississippi Goddam" und "To Be Young, Gifted, And Black" (Text: Weldon Irvine) wurde sie eine der musikalischen Leitfiguren dieser Bewegung. Wagram ehrt diese großartige Sängerin mit einer 3-LP-Box inkl Poster.

Juan Atkin's masterpiece compilation, the blueprint of Techno albums.... the 1993 Model 500 'Classics' compilation with some of Juan Atkins' biggest early Metroplex milestones, with some of them in exclusive remixed versions. 3 decades later Metroplex is re-releasing this collection of hugely influential tracks for a new generation to play from fresh and clean vinyl!. Just like the recent 12" reissue series, this album has been fully remastered with all the care and attention to detail you can imagine. Tracks like ,,No UFOs", ,,The Chase", ,,Techno Music", ,,Night Drive (Time, Space, Transmat)" or ,,Off To Battle" are basically techno ground zero, with the electro influence of mid-80s to late-80s Juan Atkins productions still omnipresent. 30 years on since its original release on R&S records, 'Classics' is still as gritty and timeless a statement as ever. Pure sonic futurism!

Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Presented in Audiophile Sound for the First Time: Mobile Fidelity’s Numbered-Edition 180g SuperVinyl LP Plays with Riveting Detail
Three decades before he released The Philosophy of Modern Song — an insightful book devoted to 66 tunes that both impacted his career and the music world at large — Bob Dylan issued Good As I Been to You. The under-heralded 1992 album, Dylan’s first solo acoustic album in nearly 30 years and first all-covers effort in nearly 20 years, can be seen as a prophetic prelude to what has become the Nobel Laureate’s celebrated late-career arc. It’s also an absorbing continuation of the custom Dylan has embraced since he first picked up a guitar.


Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI, and housed in a Stoughton jacket, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g SuperVinyl LP of Good As I Been to You reveals the immediacy, detail, and stripped-down nature of recording sessions that took place in Dylan’s garage studio in California. Simple, raw, and unplugged, the record presents Dylan in peak form — and showcases a diversity of vocal phrasing, soulful chording, harmonica accents, and close-up ambience that on this reissue emerge like never before. As the first-ever audiophile edition of this almost-lost classic, this LP also benefits from SuperVinyl’s extraordinary properties: a nearly inaudible noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces among them.

Recorded and mixed by Micajah Ryan, and supervised by Debbie Gold, Good As I Been to You took shape at Dylan’s home shortly after the singer-songwriter completed sessions in Chicago with a full band. Unaccompanied, he again gravitated to existing works — in this case, traditional folk music — and, with Gold serving as a trusted advisor, performed the songs in multiple keys and tempos until he arrived at what he desired. That careful, determined albeit loose, organic approach emanates from this reissue, on which each note, movement, and space come across more directly, fully, and immediately than on the original formats. It helps draw a through-line to Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964) as well as the similarly themed follow-up, World Gone Wrong (1993) and immersive old-world storytelling of Tempest (2012) and Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020).

Well before Dylan made those renowned 21st century LPs, however, he needed to find a way out of a funk that — save for his 1989 collaboration with Daniel Lanois, Oh Mercy — followed him for years. As author Clinton Heylin reported Dylan admitting in 1997: “My influences have not changed — and any time they have done, the music goes off to a wrong place. That’s why I recorded two LPs of old songs, so I could personally get back to the music that’s true for me.”

Truth: Few, if any, concepts better encapsulate Good As I Been to You. It resonates with the same originality, honesty, resolve, and age- and time-defying relevance as the seminal Anthology of American Folk Music that fired Dylan’s imagination as a kid in small-town Minnesota and, later, per Greil Marcus’ That Old Weird America book, informed Dylan and the Band’s Basement Tapes sessions. This record also contains the type of music Dylan was playing during his acoustic sets at his period Never Ending Tour shows; within a year of the record’s release, Dylan would play half the album’s songs live.

As for those songs: Rife with strange mystery, common circumstance, and epic adventure, the stories appeal to our base instincts. Their themes — jealousy, temptation, sacrifice, love, revenge, identity, opportunity — operate on a fundamentally human level immune to trends, generations, or eras. They’re ancient and modern, serious and comical, open and disguised, simple and multi-layered. They talk of vengeance and justice (“Frankie & Albert”; “Jim Jones”), romance and tenderness (“Tomorrow Night,” “Froggie Went a Courtin’”), the troubled and trouble-free (“Hard Times,” “Sittin’ on Top of the World”). They lend voice to lovers scorned and freed (“Blackjack Davey”), the used and users (“Diamond Joe”), the powerful and powerless (“Arthur McBride,” “Canadee-I-O”), the followed and followers (“Little Maggie”). And akin to much of Dylan’s finest output, things are not always what they appear to be.

Spanning country, folk, sea shanty, bluegrass, and blues motifs, Good As I Been to You re-confirms Dylan’s position as an elite interpreter and sculptor — not of just structure but emotion. Dylan delivers the tunes as if he’s known them forever. He plays with a subtle sense of mischievousness and retains a largely upbeat demeanour; his eyes seemingly twinkle as he sings and picks. His guitar serves as the guidepost for shuffles, boogies, ballads, and mess-arounds while his innate feel for each specific arrangement and melody helps inform pacing, tone, attack.

Like a great author, he understands the importance of adhering to concision, luring an audience, holding their attention, and maximizing the impact of details, actions, and unexpected turns. Though already coarse and ragged, his voice feels ideal for the subject matter and his phrasing — from the clever ways he stretches syllables to underline meanings on the surprise twists of “Canadee-I-O” to the sheer delight he gets from singing “rowdy-dow-dow” on the protest song “Arthur McBride” — outstanding.