quête:j ru sound

Whisper it quietly, but Andrew Meecham’s ninth album as The Emperor Machine, Island Boogie, may well be the long-serving producer’s strongest set to date. Of course, all his albums ripple with vintage synth sounds, colourful lead lines, dub-flecked electronic disco grooves and lashings of cosmic intent, but this one just feels a little more special. Island Boogie is certainly special. Meecham’s “most personal” full-length to date, it was inspired by his experiences at the Rotation Garden Party – a beloved micro-festival promoted by a group of friends (including sometime Bizarre Inc and Chicken Lips partner Dean Meredith), renowned for the quality of its custom-built Klipschorn soundsystem. “The album’s title sums up the vibe that you get from Rotation,” he explains. “It may be held in a landlocked venue but it gives a wonderful sense of isolation – it is an audiophile paradise.”

Meecham road-tested rough versions of the album’s eight tracks at Rotation 2023, with the feedback and dancefloor reaction guiding the sound and arrangement of the final mixes. Fittingly, Meecham will return to the event to showcase the album at Rotation 2024 this July. Given the inspiration he’s drawn from previous editions of the festival, that will be a very special occasion. Musically, Island Boogie offers the most fully functioning and expertly constructed expression of The Emperor Machine sound yet, a style Meecham describes as “electronic cosmic disco-boogie”. It’s a sound that takes cues from early ‘80s NYC punk-funk and dub disco, vintage electro, proto-house and left-of-centre synth-boogie, but one that’s instantly recognisable to those who have followed Meecham’s career over the last three decades.

Island Boogie also sees Meecham continue his blossoming working relationship with Severine Mouletin, whose stylish and distinctive vocals previously graced his popular ‘Dance Por Amor’ and ‘Your Own Style’ singles. Here Mouletin features on four tracks: the acid-flecked retro-futurist wave-boogie of ‘La Cassette’ (featuring additional percussion by Rupert Brown); the infectious, bleep-sporting headiness of recent single ‘Devoilez-Vous’; and the squelchy analogue synth-funk of ‘Wanna Pop With You’ and ‘Vas-y-Le Chat’. Meecham also finds space for a cover of Fox’s 1976 pop-rock classic ‘S-s-s-single Bed’, one of the Stafford-based artist’s all-time favourites. His version, featuring headline-grabbing lead vocals by Michelle Bee and guitar from Dave Atherton, re-imagines the track as a subtly Chic-influenced slab of infectious electro-pop rich in kaleidoscopic synth sounds, sing-along choruses and shuffling drums.

The instrumental foundations of the classic Emperor Machine sound come to the fore on the album’s three other cuts. There’s the jazz-funk-flecked warmth of the LP-opening title track; the sparse squelches, bleeps, TB-303 style bass and brightly coloured electronics of ‘Walk The Dog’; and the exotic, slow-motion cosmic electronica of ‘Cha Murrah Etem’, a warm but poignant affair dedicated to his late father. Heady and intoxicating, with hints of Balearica and digital reggae, it offers a fittingly beautiful and tactile conclusion to Meecham’s most expressive and accessible album yet.

Weniger als ein Jahr nach ihrem Album „Through and Through“ kehrt Baby Rose mit „Slow Burn“ zurück, einer Sammlung von Songs, die ihre Klangpalette von progressivem R&B zu einer raueren, reichhaltigeren und weitläufigeren Linse amerikanischer Musik erweitern. Hier behauptet sich Rose nicht nur als einmalige Sängerin, sondern auch als formidable Songwriterin, die die Punkte verbindet, an denen Muscle Shoals auf Psych trifft, Psych auf Jazz, Jazz auf Americana, und die richtigen Musiker bringen alles zusammen. Produziert von BADBADNOTGOOD, fanden Rose und die Band eine sofortige und scheinbar endlose Quelle der Inspiration; was als Einleitung begann, wurde zu einem Tag, zu einem Song, zu einer Nacht, zu „Slow Burn“. Baby Rose war bereits eine kraftvolle Performerin - sie kann die Bühne mit Robert Glasper teilen, ohne in Schweiß auszubrechen, oder einen epischen Film wie Creed III, für den sie den Abschlusssong sang, mit stählerner Zuversicht beenden. Als Rose sich das erste Mal mit BADBADNOTGOOD traf, war sofort eine Verbindung da, und gemeinsam nahmen sie die Leadsingle "One Last Dance" gleich bei diesem ersten Treffen auf. Es war Roses erster Freestyle-Song, und er brachte entscheidende Teile ihrer Vision auf den Punkt. "Ich wusste schon immer, dass es neue Räume und Sounds gibt, in die ich vordringen kann", erklärt Rose. "Ich war schon immer an verschiedenen Sounds interessiert, die diese raueren Texturen einbringen." Während die Geschwindigkeit ihrer Zusammenarbeit Rose begeisterte und überraschte, waren das Potenzial und die Endergebnisse es nicht. "Wir haben uns schnell bewegt", sagt sie, "und es war wirklich wie ein Wasserhahn. Sobald wir “One Last Dance“ hatten, wurde klar, dass alles fließen würde." Die Songs auf „Slow Burn“ wurden zum Teil von Roses Erfahrungen inspiriert, die sie auf den Fahrten zwischen den Wohnorten ihrer Familie machte: dem Lärm und Chaos von DC und der ruhigen Landschaft von Carolina. Rose drehte die Musik auf und ließ ihre Gedanken schweifen, um Raum für innere Monologe und imaginäre Dialoge zu schaffen, die man sonst vielleicht nicht zu hören wagt. Diese Momente haben etwas Verträumtes, und sie schwelen auf Slow Burn: Erinnerungen verlieren ihre Realität, Gefühle ersetzen Geschehnisse. Der Titeltrack zum Beispiel setzt sanfte, schlendernde Drums gegen Roses lyrische Wiederholungen, während sie diesen Erinnerungen - manche leben, manche fühlen - mit geduldigem, beharrlichem Verlangen nachspürt. Das herausragende "One Last Dance" kommt als Liebeslied getarnt daher, ist aber eigentlich eine Ode an eine verlorene Freundschaft und ein imaginärer Traum von einem weiteren Tag wie in alten Zeiten. Die Realität verschwimmt wieder mit dem Gefühl, der Gesang geht in ein Wiegenlied über, und BADBADNOTGOODs Bassist Chester Hansen bringt diese traumhafte Qualität in einen schleichenden, vorsichtigen, aber liebevollen Unterton. Tatsächlich haben die meisten Songs auf „Slow Burn“ dieses schleichende, schattenhafte Gefühl, als würden sie auf Zehenspitzen daherkommen: intim, aber ein wenig gefährlich, zärtlich, aber ein wenig geheimnisvoll. So vollständig und überzeugend dieses Werk auch ist, Slow Burn weist auf einen größeren, höheren Aufstieg in Baby Roses Zukunft hin.

Mit "Tarantino Sound" startet man eine Reise in das unnachahmliche musikalische Universum des Kult-Regisseurs.

The unstoppable production powerhouse that is Paul Woolford aka Special Request is back with another of his frankly ridiculous run of releases. Never one to just drop a single tune, this year he has several albums on the way off the back of his superb re-imagining of the KLF's cult 'What Time Is Love?' and this Portals Box Set Project is one of them. It is a multi-part collection that "uses today's modern technology to bring you the sound of tomorrow" and each limited edition 12" comes with its own custom artwork by Nic Hamilton. As you should expect, these are all utterly monstrous bangers and this first part has the high-pressure techno bounce of 'Hectic' and 'Pure Potential' to welcome you to the Portal.

Rub A Dub style classic from 1982.. so UK this one! Ranking Ann's wicked toast siting so well on the bonkers Mad Professor productions. Features studio contributions from a whole host of legends (Horsemouth, Jah Shaka, Garnett Cross & Audrey Donnegan to name a few)... TIP!

Dope On Plastic a fresh new name in the jungle scene hauling from New York, but already making big waves among labels and DJ's across the pond in UK and Europe, with their ruff oldskool sounds and absolutely mental break choppage!
Definitely one to watch out for and happy to have their first release be on the Ruff 'N Tuff label.

In collaboration with NETFLIX, Waxwork Records is excited to present RIPLEY Original Netflix Series Soundtrack Music by Jeff Russo. Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder.



The limited series drama is based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels. An- drew Scott plays Tom Ripley. Dakota Fanning plays Marge Sherwood. Johnny Flynn plays Dickie Green-leaf.

*REMASTERED ROUGH TRADE DEBUT LP LIMITED TO JUST 500 COPIES WITH EMBOSSED OUTER SLEEVE AND ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE ON BLACK VINYL*

Dream POP, they called it. Given AR Kane’s Alex Ayuli once worked for advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, it’s no surprise that he and collaborator Rudy Tambala invented their own genre before critics could stick their oar in. It was a canny move, but more importantly, it was accurate: the music of AR Kane was made for dreamers, by dreamers, and its languor and longing made it particularly bewitching listening; their music is often smeared and blurry, happily lost in its own indefinable pleasures. “We wanted dream pop,” Tambala says, “that feeling of a dream where the rules are different. Dream logic.”
-UNCUT REISSUE OF THE MONTH

"A.R. Kane carved out a unique musical path, welding elements of pop, psych, dub, electronica, funk, noise, jazz, ambient and more in a way that had never been done before. Or since. Their debut in particular is a work of unbridled brilliance."
*Electronic Sound*

‘Sixty Nine’ the group’s debut LP that emerged in 1988 had critics and listeners struggling to fit language around A.R. Kane’s sound. As a title it was telling - the year of ‘Bitches Brew’, the year of ‘In A Silent Way’, the erotic möbius between two lovers - and as originally coined by the band themselves, ‘dream pop’ (before it became a free-floating signifier of vague import) was entirely apposite for the music A.R. Kane were making. Crafted in a dark small basement studio in which Tambala recalls the duo had “complete freedom - We wanted to go as far out as we could, and in doing so we discovered the point where it stops being music”. There was an irresistibly dreamy, somnambulant, sensual and almost surreal flow to ‘sixty nine’s sound, but also real darkness/dankness, the ruptures of the primordial and the reverberations of the subconscious, within the grooves of remarkable songs like ‘Dizzy’ and ‘Crazy Blue’. Alex’s plangent vocals floated and surged amidst exquisite peals of refracted feedback but crucially there was BASS here, lugubrious and funky and full of dread, sonic pleasure and sonic disturbance crushed together to make music with a center so deep it felt subcutaneous, music constructed from both the accidental and the deliberate, generous enough to dance with both serendipity and chaos. ‘sixty nine’ remains - especially in this remastered iteration - ravishing, revolutionary – Neil Kulkarni


"A.R. Kane made some of the most exciting, forward-thinking, and science fictional music of their era".s*

Esteemed musical chameleon Brendon Moeller, renowned for his highly respected work in Deep Ambient, Dub Techno and a myriad of variations on these themes - turns his hand to 170 for Samurai Music.
Vacuum is the first fruits of this collaboration and encompasses a cross section of his approach to the tempo. Dub-wise 170 that hints at a deeper version of autonomic, but ultimately invents a new sound that only Brendon and his analogue dungeon could conjure. 30 years of mastering the art of the deep filtered through an all new tempo lens.
Vacuum is a gentle 6 track record that will become a close companion to those tuned to, or open to embracing the rewards of Brendons impeccable sound design and mastery of immersive, minimalist warmth.
Breathe it in

It's already hard to describe what Deerhoof sounds like. So we'll skip that part and say this sounds a lot like Deerhoof with a different singer. And in keeping with 30-year Hoofian tradition, melodies soar, big hit earwigs abound, harmonies are complex, and keys change frequently and unexpectedly. Arrangements are in a constant state of impatient agitation. Emotions run high but delivery is usually a falsetto deadpan. We Sang, Therefore We Were is grief delivered in code. Greg plays everything save for a few birds who join in singing now and again. He keeps the instrumentarium severely limited, the sound shambling and anti-slick. It turns out Greg is a really good bass player and guitar player, if a bit more rudimentary and slicing compared to his Deerhoof bandmates. He does play more angry guitar solos. But don't expect another Chippendale/Saunier speed-drum freakout; the songwriting is gorgeous and sophisticated, and drums are almost an afterthought. Here, song is Queen. The singing is high and whispery, tending towards the three-part harmony. What we're saying is: We Sang, Therefore We Were sounds a bit like Deerhoof fronted by The Andrews Sisters. This is a peek inside the mind of one of indie rock's most celebrated drummers, many of whose fans may not even realize the relentlessness of his musicianship and compositional prolificacy. Mozartian chords and sounds insinuate themselves here and there on this record, finally taking over in a big climax at the end, when the drums break off unexpectedly into a laugh-or-cry orchestral outpouring that ironically may be the rawest part of a very raw album. "Satomi, Ed, John and I were chatting between shows in Austin in early December. They encouraged me to make a record on my own. With no one to please but myself, it came together way faster than usual. It was basically done by the holidays. I had been excited by the announcement that the new Rolling Stones record was going to sound 'angry.' I thought, 'Yes, I'm angry too.' But Hackney Diamonds turned out more like cotton candy than punk rock. So I went back to Nirvana. I always loved the catchy melody over massive distortion, the way their songs refused to conform to simple major or minor scales, the dark sarcasm which still resonates in this age of phony blue-check-washing of fascism." The album cover is all text, penned by Greg on the familiar topic of interspecies absurdist operatic anti-Cartesian revolution. The songs' lyrics are all drawn from this epic poem. White House spokespersons are recast as The Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute, The Queen of the Night is recast as a mockingbird singing all night in a battle for survival, and ultimately the mockingbird is recast as a campy drag artist taking pleasure in her own aggressive, tireless music-making.

KEYS has just completed their second album, “The Grand Seduction”. This all-keyboard band is the brainchild of singer Jake E (Cyhra, Amaranthe and others) and keyboardist Mark Mangold (Touch, Drive, She Said, Michael Bolton, Cher, Paul Rogers and others) with Emanuel Bagge (Sweden’s Got Talent Finalist) on additional vocals and keys, Irwan Fabrien (noted keyboard guitar sound designer) with help of drum gurus Alex Landenburg (Kamelot, Cyhra and others).

Featuring live performances with three keyboardists and a huge battery of keyboards, this ambitious band brings keyboard and instrumental prowess to new heights while playing songs that run the gamut from scathing progressive melodic forays to catchy and melodic rock anthems …and Jake’s award-winning voice (Burrn Vocalist of the year 2020). Previous KEYS album also featured guest keyboard additions by Charlie Calv of Angel and others.

Though songs are first and foremost, this band shows the versatility of keyboards in this day and age. These artfully crafted songs are ripe with scathing synth, organ and “guitar” pyrotechnics, dazzling time signatures and drumming, bombastic choruses and “guitar” riffs (played on keyboards with the now available plug in’s that perfectly emulate guitars). As Mark and Jake are first and foremost award winning songwriters, they never lose sight of the composition and melodies, though couched in the very signature and hard to pigeon hole sound (isn’t that the whole point?) of this band and Jake's 4 octave vocal range.

This isn't just a seminal album. It is an estuary. All the black rivers that would form Brazilian funk/hip-hop flow through it. Led by Paulista pianist Salvador Silva Filho - Dom Salvador - 'Som, Sangue, e Raça' from 1971, one year after the explosion of Tim Maia on the scene, catalyzed the bossa nova and jazz background of its leader with the rhythm and blues of its members like saxophonist Oberdã Magalhães, nephew of samba-enredo master Silas de Oliveira and future leader of Banda Black Rio, who since the group Impacto 8 (which had, among others, Robertinho Silva on drums and Raul de Souza on trombone) had already been trying to reconcile MPB with Stevie Wonder and James Brown. Add to all this a mixture of samba, Nordestino accent, and even the black side of the Jovem Guarda represented by the authorial presence of Getúlio Cortes (older brother of Gerson King Combo, our James Brown 'cover') in 'Hei! Você'. Alongside these elements and the presence of Rubão Sabino (bass), who still called himself 'Rubens', drummer Luis Carlos (another member of Black Rio), the record enlists the trumpet and flugelhorn of symphonic musician Darcy in place of the original Barrosinho (yet one more founder of Black Rio), who was traveling during the recording but would end up being a leading force of the band.

The album 'Som, Sangue e raça' paves the way for future generations of musicians and producers of the Carioca scene at the beginning of the 1970s. The lyrics that dealt with the question of race and the explosive fusion of samba, soul, jazz, and funk, elaborated by Dom Salvador and his troupe, Abolição, established the bases for the development of new sounds and tendencies in Brazilian music.

In Flames gehören zu den Urvätern des Götheborg Melodic Death Metals. Mit Alben wie Lunar Strain oder Colony hat sich die Band in den Metal Geschichtsbüchern verewigt. Aber auch die späteren Alben, auf dem In Flames einen deutlich größeren Groove Metal Einflusse an den Tag legen, sind Werke, die man im Regal stehen haben sollte. Ingesamt erscheinen 4 In Flames Alben im Juli 2024 als farbige LP Neuauflagen: Lunar Strain (1994), Colony (1999), Soundtrack to Your Escape (2004) und Siren Charms (2006)

Continue As Amery is the debut album by Montreal-based artist Amery. Formerly recording under the moniker Alpen Glow, Continue As Amery sees the songwriter step out into a bold, colourful world full of pop hooks, snagging feelings of abandon and the mornings after. Amery Sandford began releasing as Alpen Glow in 2020 after years playing in punk groups in Newfoundland and as half of Montreal pop duo Born At Midnite (Arbutus). Recorded in Montreal by David Carriere (TOPS, Marci), Patrick Holland, and Kristian North, Continue As Amery is a blast of melodic joie de vivre. On her debut Sandford brings her punk and DIY credentials into sharp focus on 8 perfect pop odes to city living, making mistakes and figuring it out as you go along. Suffuse with powerful imagery and an almost uncanny talent at spinning out hooks brimming with humour and spirit, Amery’s soundworld is informed by friendship, experience and by her day job as a renowned illustrator and visual artist. Beginning Alpen Glow in a spirit of fun and now shedding the alias, Amery’s ready to hotwire the nite. Each song is rich with story. Mountain FM, named for the radio station in Sandford’s home town in the mountains of Alberta, launches into a tale of speeding, blasting the radio too loud, the giddy burning of rubber with no care in the world to slow you down. Featuring live band members Sarah Harris, Jack Bielli, and Frank Climenhage, the singer bristles to get out of her stifling hometown while lamenting the wide eyed adventurer who left for the big city. On Hotwire The Nite, Amery is out on the town, with imagery loaded with the night’s promise. Amery sings “Black candle / Dripping intel / Dagger hanging by an emerald handle / Holy roller that I just can’t have without my hand on an old flame,” diving in and out of fantasy and desire over a pulsating banger. Moments like these feel like a thesis on aural pleasure, with the production sleek and silky playfulness persisting throughout. Spirit Is Broken is a pep talk the artist is giving herself in the mirror. Only Amery could write something so joyous and harmonically glorious while singing about low ebbs. Every line shines with humour, the chorus starting with an exasperated “oh my god, alright” and the refrain nailing the bittersweet feeling of enjoying feeling down. It’s a mood continued on slow groover Ennui, a melter striking out at being stuck; same parties, same faces, daring to dream beyond. As an illustrator and visual artist, Sandford’s images detail dancing instrument-clad animals, party scenes that nod to historical image making heavy hitters like Hieronymus Bosch and Ludwig Bemelmans. On Miracles, Amery deals in bold pop production and her yearning to escape into fantasy, given wings by Korgs and drum machines. On Rocker Blues, originally by French artist FR David, Amery brings the heavy with synth-guitar and an undeniable chorus. C9 is in some ways the album’s centrepiece, a mid tempo funk jam and duet with Montreal stalwart Fireball Kid, it’s the party just out of reach on the horizon. The thing about Cloud 9 is that on the comedown you might get a hella lot of rain. The world Amery builds is intoxicating, rich and most importantly open for anyone to fall into. To be continued…

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

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

Nearly a decade after their last album, Lilacs and Champagne picks up right where that record, Midnight Features Vol. 2: Made Flesh, left off. With bizarre excursions into pillowy, sentimental made-for-TV music - and children's choirs incanting the blackest dread-filled music the band has conjured to date - Fantasy World is both transcendent and traumatic. Despite sharing two founding members of Grails (multi-instrumentalists Emil Amos and Alex Hall) Fantasy World only peripherally resembles their core group. Lilacs & Champagne have exaggerated their early record's implications and accelerated their mercurial rearranging of music history by deftly incorporating live instrumentation and samples with equal amounts of deference and disregard. Previously existing primarily in a realm adjacent to instrumental hip-hop (J Dilla, Clams Casino, Madlib), Fantasy World exposes Lilacs & Champagne's deeper lineage as playful tape-collage culture jammers in the vein of legendary sound satirists, Negativland and Severed Heads. It embraces the effect of a child entering a dollar store: the immediate euphoria felt upon discovering the seemingly endless aisles piled impossibly high with novelty toys, utensils, party decorations, and toiletries eventually gives way to the overwhelming realization that they're actually just a tourist in a perilous mountain of colorful garbage. From those mountains, Lilacs & Champagne mold monuments to curiosity and confusion.

Following a ten-year hiatus, multi-instrumentalists Rafael Anton Irisarri and Benoît Pioulard return with »How to Color a Thousand Mistakes«, their third LP together as Orcas. Building on the electronic minimalism of »Orcas« (2012) and the Twin Peaks-inspired haze of »Yearling« (2014), the duo have expanded their sound and vision into a full-spectrum ensemble.

In the time since their last major collaboration, Irisarri and Pioulard have done plenty on their own, while also traversing significant life changes: relocation from Seattle to New York, separation and divorce, illness, hospitalizations, and the loss of siblings, parents, and friends. Yet from these tribulations, they gleaned inspiration to reconstruct their lives, creating music with new collaborators and partners. Recorded in a variety of studios and cities including Brooklyn, Cambridge, Oxford, Seattle, and upstate New York, the resulting album, under the tutelage of UK producer James Brown (Arctic Monkeys, Kevin Shields, Nine Inch Nails), is a patiently-crafted beast, equally inspired by impressionism, British new wave, and dream pop.

With Irisarri’s guidance and Brown’s encouragement, Pioulard brings his velvety voice to its harmonized peak on songs like »Wrong Way to Fall« and the Durutti Column-indebted »Fare«. Where his most recent solo albums for Morr Music (»Sylva« and »Eidetic«) navigated foggy forests of ambient pop and stacked tape loops, here his characteristic blur shifts into focus with a unique degree of clarity and confidence. »How fare against balance do I / Navigate my errors?«, Pioulard sings in a heartbreaking tenor, echoing the album’s broader themes of introspection, grief, loss, trial and trauma.

Lead single, »Riptide«, is a summary of Pioulard’s life changes and personal upheavals in the past decade, »flitting eastward toward a yen deep in the past« and learning to glide through the tumult of ocean waves, as a metaphor for the punches one takes in pursuit of grace. Its towering, key-changing midsection arrives with the monumental drumming of Slowdive’s Simon Scott, a long-time friend and cohort who appears on most songs in the set. Scott’s quintessentially English, jazzier approach offers a balance of force and restraint as the backdrop for Irisarri’s majestic guitars, analog synth lines, and Martin Heyne’s Fender Rhodes counterpoints.

Second single, »Next Life«, began as a sketch by Scott, and reached its final form in the hands of Pioulard and Irisarri, at a point that each had endured major concurrent losses, finding a commonality in the need to gaze over the horizon while acknowledging the unavoidable bittersweetness of letting go – not only of people, but of routines, places, and expectations. It’s one of Orcas’ most nuanced pieces, with a mid-tempo, sunset glow that unfolds into a sparkling, slide-guitar finale as it disappears in the rear view.

On third-act highlight, »Bruise«, Scott is doubled on the drum kit by MONO’s Dahm Majuri Cipolla, whose Liebezeit-influenced metronomy anchors a nimble bass groove from Andrew Tasselmyer (of Hotel Neon), and some of the album's most syncopated, spaced-out interplay, courtesy of Puerto Rican guitar player Orlando Méndez (a childhood friend of Irisarri’s). Originally a droney, fingerpicked guitar demo, »Bruise« is the most storied composition here, having gone through almost a dozen versions and lyrical edits, with Brown distilling hours of improvised performances into the final arrangement.

Throughout »How to Color a Thousand Mistakes«, Irisarri uses his deep well of production experience to paint the stereo field with meticulously designed textures, exemplified on the slow burn of »Heaven’s Despite« and the heady rush of »Swells«. As a mixing and mastering engineer with Black Knoll, he has built a client list that reads as a who’s-who of modern, forward-thinking composition, including Temporary Residence, All Saints Records, and Ghostly International, among many others.

As with previous collaborations, Irisarri and Pioulard bring disparate styles and specialties to the table, but with an interpersonal dynamic that transcends friendship into brotherhood, their open-minded workflow and mutual respect are evident at every turn. »How to Color a Thousand Mistakes« brims with tight, complex art rock songwriting, masterful production, and sonic versatility, informed by a plethora of genres and tonal hues. The title might promise answers, but the gravitational center of the album is the dawning realization that, as you reckon with the infinite whims of the cosmos, there could be none.

Decoy is a 1984 album by the famous jazz musician Miles Davis, recorded in 1983. Robert Irving III on keyboards took over the role that Miles had assumed with a true sense of harmony and only a rudimentary mastery of synthetic sounds and movements. Irving shared the responsibilities of directing with the trumpet player’s nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., but Al Foster continued to lead the tempo. John Scofield drew the funk of bassist Darryl Jones in the direction of chromatic abstraction. The two tracks that he co-wrote with Miles are fragments of solos: “That’s What Happened” reprising the beginning of his solo on “Speak” (Star People). Decoy offered a good balance between the dominant funk that subsequently took over and the jazz tradition, reflected by Scofield’s angularities, Marsalis’ freedom of tone and the breath of Miles’ playing that had recovered its full power. Decoy is available as a 40th anniversary edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on smokey coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

Garden City Movement, the critically acclaimed Indie Pop/Rock duo who is celebrated for their

dynamic sound and experimental approach, is delighted to announce the release of three sets of

singles, paving the way for their highly anticipated sophomore album, "Never On Time",

scheduled for release on July 19 via Anova Music.

From their early days, Garden City Movement has captured hearts and minds across the globe,

earning acclaim from Pitchfork, FADER, and FACT, and gracing stages at Glastonbury, Primavera,

and Pukkelpop. Despite the challenges posed by cancer and the departure of a band member,

the duo has emerged stronger than ever, marking their territory in the music world with notable

achievements, including "Summer Night" being chosen by EA-Sports as the FIFA 22 official

soundtrack and a performance at the 2023 Formula 1 race in Singapore.


Garden City Movement, comprised of Roy Avital & Johnny Sharoni, is globally recognized for their

experimental soundscapes. They've drawn attention from prestigious platforms like Pitchfork and

FADER, and earned the title as the official soundtrack for EA Sports' FIFA 22, for "Summer Night".

Their resilience in the face of adversity, including a battle with cancer that put a temporary hold

on their music, only fueled their creative fire. In 2019, they made a triumphant return, further

solidifying their international presence with a successful tour in Japan, which earned them a spot

on the Top 100 "J-Wave" Japanese charts for "Miss You Under Shimokita Sky". A few years later in

2023, they were invited to perform at the renowned Formula 1 event in Singapore. Despite recent

changes, with Joe departing and the band transitioning to a duo, Garden City Movement

continues to evolve. Their upcoming album promises exciting collaborations across genres,

reflecting their diverse influences and the personal growth from their challenges. This next

chapter is not only a testament to their artistic innovation but also their enduring spirit.

Lucta from Milan finally unleash their debut album ‘Eterna Lotta’ which follows the demo 'Black Magic Punk’ from way back in 2018. The 9 track album takes you by the throat and never lets go. The music rages with a fierce atonal guitar tone and drums that push each track to its limits but it’s the vocals that really make this special. They are passionate and enraged and spat out in Italian. The band mixes the furious years of Italian hardcore from the 80’s, Rudimentary Peni and some classic pogo punk with a sense of paranoia to the overall sound. ‘Eterna Lotta represents the continuous internal and external struggle with life: from social interactions to self expectations and how everyone deals with it in eternal conflict. Lucta is the Latin word for "fight" and Lotta fully embraces every aspect of their lives. The band are outcasts, freaks, queers and punks and will forever fight for rights for those that need a voice and push towards a better future.' Limited to 500 copies on pink vinyl.

Following two successful dancefloor-orientated releases with remixes by Marco Shuttle and S.O.N.S., London-based label E2-E8 takes an ambient turn while remaining faithful to its ethos of putting new artists on the map. Water Locks is the debut release from Szl0, a sound artist who’s been living and breathing East London’s inspiring atmosphere and contradictions for the last 10 years.

Water Locks is a tale of boats, canals, twists and turns of a quietly ever-changing life. A misty, smoky dive into a soul in constant search for itself. For his debut album, Szl0 peeked into instincts and fantasies and crafted a series of deep live improvisations.

The beauty is in the tension: Szl0’s music is for pause and reflection, yet it’s the moment that matters. A series of intense movements firmly grounded in the here and now which, taken together, becomes bigger than the sum of its parts. A late night listening at sea.

Limited run of 50 tapes. Includes a download code with a bonus remix from E2-E8’s own Miro Sundaymusiq (“First Light” – Pacifist Techno Soul Edit) who reinvents one of Szl0’s movements and gives it an unexpected dancefloor appeal.

Sony Music feiert das 25-jährige Jubiläum des legendären Soundtracks "Bodyguard" mit der Veröffentlichung von Whitney Houston - I Wish You Love: More From The Bodyguard am 17. November 2017. Die brandneue Whitney Houston Sammlung enthält eine großartige Auswahl von Live- und Studioaufnahmen - viele davon bisher unveröffentlicht oder bisher nicht erhältlich, welche die größten Erfolge der Künstlerin dokumentieren. Auf dem neuen Album I Wish You Love: More From The Bodyguard finden sich noch nie veröffentlichte Live-Aufnahmen von Whitneys berühmter "Bodyguard"-Tour (1993-1995), dazu noch nie gehörte Versionen der Musikstücke aus " Bodyguard", ein Remix von "I'm Every Woman", zusätzliche Grafiken und vieles mehr. Das Album wird als CD und digital veröffentlicht.Einige der Höhepunkte des Albums sind ein Alternative Mix von "I Will Always Love You" mit einem gesprochenen Intro von Whitney alias Rachel Marron, eine noch nie veröffentlichte Acapella-Version von "Jesus Loves Me" und eine Live-Aufnahme des nur selten gespielten "Run To You". Außerdem enthalten sind Film- und Live-Versionen von "I Will Always Love You", "I Have Nothing", "Queen of The Night".

2024 White Vinyl Repress

Next up for Time Is Now's white label series is Prozak - a Dublin-based producer who has garnered a growing following over the past year. Prozak, aka Zac Curtis, follows up an EP of remixes for Kiwi Rekords with Make Me Feel. The EP is 100% club gear dabbling in classic rave sounds and jungle before masterfully returning to his garage roots.

The title track "Make Me Feel" is equal parts euphoric rave vocalisations and growling bassy ruffage, with stuttering stop-and-start breaks thrown in for good measure that tear through the track - an instant classic that knocks you breathless.

"Missing You" builds from a gentle ebb into wobbling bass-heavy garage, Curtis chopping and changing the vocal samples into unrecognisable snatches with expert production. He then dishes up a glitching speed garage
tool with "Negative", still seasoned with a ravey edge that makes the record as a whole feel festival ready.

On the B-side, "Sunshine" is sweet buoyant UKG constructed from neatly cut up vocals that clamour against each other and a skipping irresistible rhythm.

Equally upbeat, "Falling" stands out as the most playful track, with mass appeal and large drops that shakes off some of the dark bassiness of the A-side.

The record closes with "Leave You", contrasting frenetic junglist breaks with blissed out vocals.

It's a dynamic offering from the up-and-comer that shows signs of great things to come.

Two-Piers, the label that brought you ‘Pop Psychédélique (The Best of French Psychedelic Pop 1964-2019)’ brings you the second instalment in the series ‘Garage Psychédélique (The Best of Garage Psych and Pzyk Rock 1965-2019)’. A thrill-a-minute dive into the crazy awesome world of Garage Psychedelic Rock.

From the Psych sound explosion onto the underground club scene in the US and UK in the mid 1960s, to its discovery by a wider audience via the exceptional Nuggets and Pebbles compilation series in the 1970-1980s. Through its mainstream revival with the Garage sound of the late 1990 - early 2000s, to the current crop of exceptional bands flying the Garage Psych flag today, ‘Garage Psychédélique’ takes you on a journey and gives you a little taste of some of the finest music from the scene and the bands that blazed a trail for others to follow…..Sit back and enjoy the ride!

From the opening bars of The Sonics ‘Have love Will Travel’ through the Psych workout that is Count Five’s ‘Psychotic Reaction’ to the joys of ‘60s Beat Psych groups from the US such as The Paragons, The Preachers, The Strangeloves, The Squires, and the eccentric stylings of The Monks. The album careers along at a blistering pace of Garage Psych brilliance, jammed packed full of underground floor fillers a plenty.

US legendary underground acts such as The Electric Prunes, The Chocolate Watch Band and MC5 all deliver classic tracks for the cause, and singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson even makes a foray into the psych rock sound with ‘Jump into the Fire’.

In recent years such bands as Thee Oh Sees, Moon Duo and Allah-Las from the US have taken the Garage Psych influence and ‘60s sound and made it their own. A whole crop of bands such as White Hills, Gnod and Goat from the scene have evolved the music into a ‘Pzyk Rock’ feel with a darker and heavier vibe, but crucially still with the joyous undertones that the scene brings to its devotees.

The Garage Psych sound has influenced groups from around the globe with bands like Liverpool’s The Stairs ‘Weed Bus’, Scotland’s finest The Poets with ‘That’s the Way It’s Gotta Be’, The Bogeymen, a largely undiscovered ‘90s Psych Hammond band from France with ‘Electrocution’. Hailing from Sweden Goat bring us ‘Gathering of Ancient Tribes’ and The Hives their dancefloor anthem ‘Main Offender’. From Perth, Australia Pond’s Psych leanings on ‘Fantastic Explosion of Time’ are clear to see. Finally, Kevin Parker’s band Tame Impala were very influenced by the whole garage psych sound in their early band incarnation, as perfectly showcased here on the epic wig-out that is ‘Half Full Glass of Wine’ that closes the album.

This isn’t meant to be a ‘crate diggers’ album or a compilation of ‘obscure hard to find tracks’ to out-do your mates. It is quite simply a celebration of the Garage Psychédélique scene and a chance to revel in its brilliance and dance around your kitchen. If it means you go down a rabbit warren of discovery to unearth more gems and brilliant bands from the Garage Psych scene then job done!

LP Black Vinyl with DLC, CD Capacity Wallet. "Her significant solo output has been remarkable" Drowned In Sound. Following a special vinyl release for this year's Record Store Day celebrating its tenth anniversary, 'Crooked' will be reissued on black vinyl and CD on 27th September. 'A figurehead for feminist indie rock' (Classic Rock), Kristin Hersh achieved a music and publishing first when her eighth solo album was initially released as a multi-media book in 2009. Hersh's "poetic, provocative and puzzling songcraft" (The Washington Post) makes 'Crooked' a stunning record. The resplendent, melancholic 'Flooding' came to Hersh in the form of song but was also a premonition of the imminent death of close friend and musician Vic Chesnutt. Mainstay in her recent live shows, 'Mississippi Kite' is snarly and unsettling whilst the spectral psychedelic tones of 'Rubidoux' stem from a 50foot Wave car ride and a late-night recording session. The songs still lead the way hitting Hersh fully formed but it's her beguiling raspy vocals paired with guitar, and any other instrument that she chose to play on this album, that has a beautiful intensity that's jarring, unpredictable and inherent in her music. "She's still as powerful a presence as she ever was." Pitchfork_

"Sun Racket" is the brand new album from legendary Boston trio Throwing Muses, consisting of Kristin Hersh, David Narcizo and Bernard Georges. The follow up to 2013's 'Purgatory/Paradise' is an outpouring of modal guitars, reverbed shapes, echoey drums and driving bass set behind Kristen Hersh's well-thumbed notebook of storylines. A ten-song opus of suitably wrought tales set against a wall of sound that's at once calm and ethereal before building into glorious cacophonous crescendos.

When Throwing Muses wrote their last album, they were shattered. Pieces were coming and going, elements repeating and charging the whole. "It sounded beautiful jumping around like that". Two-minute songs reappearing as twisted instrumentals or another song's bridge.

They mimicked the effect live which kept them on their toes. Whatever was happening was already over in other words. 'Sun Racket' is the opposite. It refused to do anything but sit still. It says, "sit here and deal". "All it asked of us was to comingle two completely disparate sonic vocabularies: one heavy noise, the other delicate music box.

Turns out we didn't have to do much. Sun Racket knew what it was doing and pushed us aside, which is always best. After thirty years of playing together, we trust each other implicitly but we trust the music more" - Kristin Hersh And so, they continue. Business unusual.

"A ground-breaking band who changed the face of alternative music rather than follow the rule book." MXDWN "Pioneers of the 80'/early 90's college rock sound" Pitchfork "One of America's finest guitar bands" - The Quietus.

Originally released on two tapes on Stucco, now available on vinyl. Ferocious, manic Punk via Austin, Texas. Overpublicised rock hack/full-time gobshite Charles Shaar Murray said of The Clash that they were ‘the sort of garage band who should be speedily returned to the garage, preferably with the motor running’. Now that’s all well and good, but what if I told you there was a band that sounded like they’d taken this to heart and replaced the petrol fumes with all the gnarliest uppers and the cheapest booze? Meet Texas’ Insane Urge, a band for whom no fidelity is too low, no riff is too snotty, and there’s no hook that wouldn’t sound better being crushed into the dirt by a combination of velocity and curled-lip, devilish delirium. This is their ‘Two Tapes LP’, compiling their (you guessed it) two tapes for Down South Tapes - and what a compilation it is! Rattling through 15 songs in 18 minutes, it condenses the primal chords of The Sonics, the dumb thrills of the Oblivians and the smash’n’grab speed of hardcore punk to create something that sticks to your synapses like paste. Almost feels like someone should call Bomp!, Sympathy For The Record Industry and Crypt to check this hasn’t leaked out of their archives - that classic raw vibe is unmistakeably here and it’s an instant winner. From the opening instrumental that shares its name with the band to the minute-long thrill ride of ‘Job’, ‘Two Tapes LP’ is rock’n’roll at its stoopid best (and trust me, you’ve gotta be smart to play this stoopid). It’s a record that’ll cement its place on your speakers, its brevity only serving to make you demand another immediate fix - which you’ll do again and again and again. If the band moniker reflects anything, it’s the fact that you don’t make music like this because you wanna. You do it cos you can’t see any other choice. Listen and love.

Ein sehr persönliches soziopathisches Juwel, das als futuristische Interpretation der Funktionsweise von Musik geliefert wird, eine melodiöse Brise mit einem Hauch von giftigem Lärm. Ein Album mit zehn Songs, dazu ihr zehntes Studiowerk. Die Gegenüberstellung des Konzepts des `dunklen Sonnenscheins', eine brütende Solo-Platte, auf der Kristin Hersh zusammen mit Freunden ihre klangliche Vision erweitert; ein quietschender Mix aus disharmonischer Schönheit, Rückkopplung und Phasenkreisel von einfach klirrender Normalität. Man stelle sich Dinosaurier Jr. und My Bloody Valentine vor, die Dylan Verse vertonen. Mit beiden Extremen des Klangspektrums: atonal und arrhythmisch, ein einzigartiger Sound und eine glorreiche Rückkehr zur Form für eine der wahren Innovatorinnen des Alternative Rock. "Imagine truly buying your own sunshine and charm, but also your darkness and violence; the two sides of your psychology showing each other off in relief. Songs can do that...we can't, really. Darkness we've seen." - Kristin Hersh, July 2018 "She's still as powerful a presence as she ever was." - Pitchfork "The prodigious output and commitment to quality is pretty staggering, but then Kristin Hersh is a very, very special musician." - The Quietus

Da Best Riddim Eternal Action Krew ! Here is the mission that DA BREAK has given itself for this 3rd album : To drop a new
opus of great quality, which will remain eternally engraved in the memories of Soul Music... BOOM! As simple as that! ;)
Jennifer "Hawa" Zonou & Rémy Kaprielan, founding members of the group, have decided to tighten the ranks and clarify
the content of their music: an aesthetic still anchored in their dear 90's Soul Hip Hop culture, but also with a sharpened ear,
attentive to today's world and sounds, always searching for federating grooves and warm vibes.
DA BREAK has entrusted the production of the LP to Pierre Vadon (also the band's Live keyboard player) who has already
proved the quality of his compositions and arrangements on the second album LET IT SHINE. The mission remains
unchanged: to gather, in the line of the social values defended in the 90s urban music, crib of their inspiration. Grounded,
conscious, questioning, celebrating, comforting, staying open to the world and to each other. Each song is a painting, a
story, a reflection...
Composed during an intense period on the emotional level, this album is a subtile mixture of musical influences: from the
most old school Hip Hop beat to the most contemporary flow, going from West Coast vibes to Caribbean colors. DA BREAK
IS BACK and its key word remains the same: GROOVE.

Limited edition "Coke Bottle Cloud" color vinyl with etched b-side. Australian duo Armlock make music for having your head in the clouds. On new album Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell bring you on a steady ascension through compressed and heavenly sonic realms. The band's second proper release, and first for Run For Cover Records, showcases the songwriters' experimental electronic roots through an indie rock lens. Free from distortion or overindulgence, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm is a collection of consistent rhythms decorated with clean guitar tones and eccentricities. Through playful layers of vocal harmony and minimal arrangements, Armlock capture the inventive and uncomplicated essence of Pinback or Alex G. Self-described as "indie rock with a touch of spirituality and emo", Armlock's journey into a higher realm is seeped with the looming confusion that comes with exploring the unknown. With an introverted demeanor, Armlock explores the human desire to find guidance in a world much bigger than its people. Every sound on Seashell Angel Lucky Charm feels precise and intentional, making the anthemic choruses on tracks like "Fear" and "El Oh Ve Ee'' feel expertly placed and pop-oriented. These two songs show Armlock's savvy with harmony as they use octaves of angelic sounds to stretch a simple one-word chorus until it soars with meaning. Unlike most indie rockers, Armlock use guitar as a tool in their belt rather than a vessel for songwriting. Where their 2021 EP Trust set foundations in downtempo acoustic guitar, Lam and Mitchell's evolved songwriting is a testament to where an electric guitar can amplify a song's groove, or usher in sonic space.

To celebrate 10 years of one of London’s most loved underground club nights, Tangent, Mr Bongo are thrilled to launch this new compilation series. Crafted by its two residents, John Gómez and Nick the Record, it aims to transmit a taste of Tangent’s spirit. A party rooted in inclusivity and open-mindedness, whose name captures the spontaneous switches in musical direction that are a defining element of their nights. For the compilation, the pair have cherry-picked a selection of their prized, rare and dancefloor-ready tracks from around the globe, that have soundtracked the past decade of parties.

Friends for close to 20 years, music lovers, record obsessives and internationally renowned DJs in their own right, John and Nick have two lifetimes worth of musical knowledge to draw from. John a long-standing NTS Radio resident and compiler for Music From Memory. Nick one of the UK’s go-to record dealers, resident DJ since the ‘90s at one of Japan’s pioneering parties, Life Force, and co-captain / co-edit-expert of Record Mission with Dan Tyler (Idjut Boys).

In 2014, the pair decided to bring some of Life Force’s grassroots principles to the UK, whilst channelling underground clubbing institution Plastic People’s meticulous attitude to sound. Tangent grew from being a small gathering of friends, to an established fixture in London’s nightlife, whilst always maintaining a strict no guest DJ policy. “As London’s clubs have become increasingly reliant on international guests, we wanted to emphasize the importance of a club night growing through its residents”, John and Nick reflect. With 10 years of the duo at the helm, an intimate connection between DJ and dancefloor has been built, allowing for freedom of expression on both sides of the decks.

Tangent reaches around the globe and across different eras to make connections that stimulate emotional reverberations in the unfamiliar. Where the blissfully Balearic ‘Laberinto’ by Miguel Perikás, goes hand-in-hand with the Cameroonian hip-house of King B.’s ‘Love is Crazy’. The thundering ‘Amek Amek’ by L'Innovateur Djoe Ahmed et le Zoukabyle, rubs shoulders with the soulful Caribbean-influenced touch of Champagn’s ‘Bel Ti Négress’. And Pellegrin El Kady’s afro-cosmic ‘Seiva de Carnaval’, crosses paths with Kajou’s Kompa disco anthem ‘Tet Chajé’.

Tangent’s longevity is in part down to it having always embraced contemporary sounds. The sub-rattling bass of Srirajah Sound System’s stunning Molam dub stepper ‘Si Phan Don Lovers Rock’ and the slow, woozy mantra of leftfield dancehall explorer Androo’s ‘Lyriso’, are two shining examples.

This compilation represents an ongoing dialogue between past and present, transporting listeners to the heart of a pure musical experience, where open minds and open hearts are eager to follow the tangent.

"Enjoy The Toons Records in conjunction with Lionsgate proudly present Little Monsters Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Composed and Conducted by David Newman, the score to the 1989 film is available on vinyl for the first time. Little Monsters stars Howie Mandel, Fred Savage & Ben Savage.The fantasy comedy tells the adventures of a boy who befriends the monster under his bed, discovering a world of mischievous monsters below!

Little Monsters Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features new art by Garreth Gibson, and the 2xLP is housed in a 350gsm gatefold jacket and black poly lined inner sleeves."

A new album is finally on Drivecom. A 2xLp full of new tracks recovered and rearrenged around 2022-23. No doubt the legacy of the past works are represented. Some arpeggios and melody lines will remember us to sonic landscapes from the “La Hora de las Máquinas” or “The Source” albums by Boris Divider but with a new and refreshed production sound, for sure this will be a must item for all the electro community and fans of the label.

The album opens with the intro track “The Way You Feel Me” a mix between electro and synthwave with a moog bass and arpegio reminiscent of some Arpanet’s “Wireless Internet” tracks. Then followed for the “Letters From A Sleeper” theme. As the track’s name reflects, it's a clear tribute to the synth era of David Harrow/Anne Clarke’s “Sleeper in Metropolis” just like a reply from a postnuclear future, with a big role carried out by the initial synthline. Then the first slow bpm track is for “Distante” where synthlines a la Tangerine Dream are crossed and mixed with vintage digital rhythm machine sounds and the pattern seems to be taken from those Dire Straits’ “Money for nothing” intro drum arrange in an infinite and repetitive way.

In the B Side “You Know What I Know” track is again showing an Arpanet-ish intro synthline followed by a sequential prophet's arpeggio which bring us back to the old “La hora de las máquinas” sound. Closing the first 12 inch is “Sin Mirar Atrás”. One of the most important tracks of the album for the author. A big dimensional and introspective track full of vintage synthlines and reverb. Time for “Your Light” track is again here. This song was already presented with its own reference on Drivecom. A future pure Electro classic which was announcing the album months before.

In the same side, we find another slow tempo theme called “Recursos Infinitos” an instrumental track which implements several synthlines that interlink themselves into an infnite Tangerine Dream’s soundtrack that serves as a little break to the power and darkness of “Cenital”. Electro rhythm patterns and dark arpeggio synthlines in the vibe of Vangelis’ Blade Runner are mixed in this cold dystopian agressive dancefloor track. Later we find the theme that gives name to the album: “ Memories From The Dust” a slower track which mixes sounds and melodies between “La Hora de las Máquinas“ and other 80's digital keyboard sounds. The last track is just an outro theme called “Out of Sync”. Its name is a clear statement of its own musical arrangement, synthlines are full out of timing and synchro, it was recorded in realtime from a modular synth to a digital device in one take.

Ulvhedner hails from the valley Sauda in the west of Norway, where the band was formed by Svein Terje (ex-Tristania) & Arild back in 1993. Evolving through the late 90’s synth-driven and melodic second wave of Norwegian black metal, Ulvhedner made an impression on the scene through some demo’s with their folk influenced black metal sound. Their first full length album “For I Tida”, which roughly translates to ‘in old times’, saw the light of day only in 2009. The next ten years Svein Terje carried the band as a single entity with releasing a few ep’s, but also working with and under different monikers as Skygge, Mihrim, Drylar, Blodorn and Ode Vidder. During the pandemic Terje wrote Ulvhedner’s second album “Legd”. Ulvhedner resurrected now as a band again, including Arild, with renewed energy, and with Bjornar providing all lead vocals and Jan Rune Hoftun on drums. The varied and aggressive soundscape of the new album “Fjosmetall”, which also marks Ulvhedner’s 30th anniversary, is a tale of local Norwegian folklore once more, performed with the grim sound of old school Norwegian black metal. It features 8 tracks of pagan melodies in crisp cold and dark Norwegian black metal art, with Norwegian titles and lyrics inspired by the hardships of old mountain farmers and workers in the winter-land of the North that built the country.

Die vier Musiker aus Rosenheim sammelten schon viele Jahre Erfahrung in verschiedenen Bands, bevor sie 2013 gemeinsam ein neues Projekt starteten. Zum ersten Live-Auftritt musste zwangsläufig ein Bandname her: die Wahl fiel auf Koriander. Warum und wieso weiß keiner mehr so genau. Den Stil kann man grob mit Rock, 80er-Sound, Pop und deutschsprachigen Texten umschreiben. Insgesamt recht breit gefächert, manche Songs klingen kompromisslos, grob & laut, andere dann eher wieder ruhig und einfühlsam. Eine eigene, außergewöhnliche Mischung die fesselt und mitreißt. Nach gut 10 Jahren gemeinsamen Musizierens erscheint 2024 nun das langersehnte Debüt-Album auf Trikont, dem wahrscheinlich ältesten Indielabel der Welt. mal rockig, mal bluesig, mal punkig - echt - Out of Rosenheim Koriander aus Rosenheim, das ist die musikalische Symbiose von vier gereiften Musikern, die seit nunmehr 10 Jahren ihr Publikum mit einer heißen Mischung aus progressiven "80s Trash Pop" ehrlichen Rock"n"Roll und gradlinig philosophischen Liedern begeistern. Eine Rhythmusabteilung wie ein Brett, eine umtriebige Gitarre und eine ordentliche Portion Seele in der Stimme machen den Sound very unique. Die kompromisslose Liveshow schließt den Kreis. Neue innovative Musik aus der Provinz mit außergewöhnlichen Texten die man nicht so schnell vergessen wird.

2024 Repress

Innercity Griots, the second album from Freestyle Fellowship, is perhaps *the* essential West Coast left-field rap album of the early ’90s. Released in 1993 on 4th & Broadway, it’s a towering, progressive hip-hop masterpiece that expanded rap’s boundaries through lyrical elevation and production innovation. Their talent was ahead of everybody else by light years. This is pure b-boy jazz.

The original single vinyl LP is now hideously scarce, and of course the sound suffers from not being officially released as a double. This Be With re-issue fixes both problems, and for completeness also includes “Pure Thought” from the CD version of the album. This incredible display of imaginative hip-hop sounds better than ever.

Freestyle Fellowship were some of the earliest technically dazzling rappers to come out of California. Mikah 9, P.E.A.C.E., Aceyalone and Self Jupiter - along with DJ Kiilu - forged their famed lyrical dexterity in the ultra-competitive crucible of the Good Life Cafe. Founded in Leimert Park, South Central LA in December 1989, this earthy health-food store and cafe was where the city’s finest microphone fiends would gather to showcase their freestyle skills at the Thursday night open-mic.

Innercity Griots has been described as the Rosetta Stone for rap styles. The group’s dense, vibrant wordplay and enviable interplay quickly earned the attention and respect of the city’s hip-hop underground. Frenetically trading acrobatic rhymes with agility and grace, the Fellowship used their voices as instruments like true virtuosos, spraying improvised raps like a Coltrane sax solo.

With the bulk of the album’s production handled by The Earthquake Brothers, and Bambawar, Daddy-O, and Edman taking over for some of the tracks, Innercity Griots dances between organic and programmed music, largely forgoing sampling and instead built around live jazz jams. The likes of Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay” and Miles Davis’s “Black Comedy” were used more as templates for house band The Underground Railroad Band to spiral out from. As Pitchfork noted in their recent 9.0 review of this classic album, “Freestyle Fellowship embodied the style and spirit of jazz on a molecular level. They shared the effortless cool and tough countenance of the great bebop players from the ’50s without verging into jazz-rap parody. Their innate jazziness felt tangible and hard-earned”.

The unusual approach to the music was matched by the Fellowship’s lyrics. Eschewing the tired rap tropes of the time, this multifaceted album instead explores their ruminations on greed and homelessness, weed, sex, survival, insecurity and tribalism.

Remastered by Simon Francis for double vinyl and cut by Pete Norman, we hope this long-overdue re-issue of Innercity Griots satisfies the legions of fans that have since been bewitched by the majesty of this record. It should also introduce some new listeners to yet another overlooked classic.

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

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

Emerging from the shadows and plumes of smoke, Chicago, IL ensemble HUNTSMEN are set to make their return in 2024 with their third album, The Dry Land, set to be released via Prosthetic Records on June 7. On their first full-length in four years, HUNTSMEN’s The Dry Land traverses the liminal space between the living and the dead by lifting the veil of the abyss itself. Born of suffering and hardship, The Dry Land unifies the dark and light that resides in all of us through allegories of purgatorial strife and human spirit. Following the release of their sophomore full-length, Mandala of Fear, in 2020 and The Dying Pines EP in 2022 HUNTSMEN’s intervening years between studio albums were marked with devastatingly contrasting highs and lows. Whilst their body of studio work continued to garner acclaim from fans and critics alike, chronic illness would become a recurring uphill battle for the ensemble. As these jarring mixed fortunes reached their apex towards the end of 2022, the band reached towards each other outside of their craft as old friends. Taking stock of four years of tribulations led to a reevaluation of what it is to be creatives and, in turn, ushered in a collective rebirth. Writing sessions saw a number of artistic firsts for HUNTSMEN, most notably with the first full collaborative inclusion of vocalist Aimee Bueno-Knipe. The creative process soon saw HUNTSMEN adding more black metal influences into their Americana and folk tinged doom, evidenced most overtly on tracks such as This, Our Gospel and lead single In Time, All Things. Elsewhere, HUNTSMEN’s knack for finely crafted and richly layered melodies offer moments of resplendence on the slow burning Lean Times and closer The Herbsight. Mirroring the circumstances and environment that led to its creation, The Dry Land’s pacing is one rooted in the art of rise and fall dynamics both musically and lyrically. Tales of escaping religious violence, malevolent apparitions and death incarnate all play key roles throughout the album’s narrative thread. HUNTSMEN treat each tale as both exorcism and exaltation, adding a pervasively unsettling quality to The Dry Land that is sure to stick long after the runtime is over. The Dry Land was recorded and mixed by Pete Grossmann at Bricktop Studios before being placed in the hands of Brad Boatright for mastering, with the resulting sound adding a towering grandiosity to the album whilst simultaneously highlighting HUNTSMEN’s newfound corrosive qualities. The Dry Land’s striking cover art was created by Derek Setzer, depicting an immolating dancer in high contrast black and white amongst rusted gold. Through the fire, HUNTSMEN find themselves reborn on The Dry Land.

Caracoles katapultiert den einzigartigen Mambo-Sound des (für den GRAMMY-Award nominierten) Orquesta Akokán ins 21. Jahrhundert und verleiht ihm den für die Gruppe typischen Sinn für Akokán - ein kubanisches Yoruba-Wort, das 'von Herzen' bedeutet.

Wieder mit von der Partie sind der Produzent und Multiinstrumentalist Jacob Plasse und der virtuose Pianist, Komponist und Arrangeur Michael Eckroth. Auf diesem, ihrem dritten Album, vereinen sie ihre Talente mit dem kubanischen Texter, Sänger und Komponisten Kiko Ruiz, der mit Pancho Amats berühmten Estrellas del Buena Vista Social Club auf Tournee war und Aufnahmen gemacht hat, aber auch als Sänger, Komponist und Arrangeur mit dem Orquesta Maria Alejandra y Cubanía eine langjährige Erfahrung hat. Und obwohl Caracoles aus der heutigen Zeit stammt, reichen die Klänge weit in die Vergangenheit zurück und stellen eine glorreiche Rückkehr zu den ikonischen Grooves einer Ära dar, die von Benny Moré, Perez Prado und Machito in New Yorker Bands und Kubas Orquestas Gigantes in der Mitte des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts geprägt wurde. Mambo ist sowohl ein Lied als auch ein Gebet, in dem die guten Geister angefleht werden, die Reise weg von der Dunkelheit zu führen. Zwei der Lieder des Albums - darunter die Titelmelodie - sind in diesem kongolesischen Dialekt gehalten, der für Uneingeweihte undurchdringlich sein soll. Die wilden, sprudelnden Grooves von Caracoles, so Ruiz, können „...die Seele zum Schwingen bringen, und das ist genau das, was die Welt im Moment braucht“.