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With J Jazz volume 4, the BBE J Jazz Bullet Train continues its journey traversing the expansive landscape of modern Japanese jazz. Volume 4 is the latest in the universally praised compilation series exploring the best, rarest and most innovative jazz to emerge from the Far East. Please take your seats for a first-class ticket to J Jazz central. This latest station stop off is with the famed Nippon Columbia label, one of the biggest labels in Japan, whose jazz output embraces every possible style imaginable. Focussing on the key years 1968-1981, J Jazz volume 4 sees compilers Tony Higgins and Mike Peden dig even deeper into their record collections and pull-out tracks that span styles ranging from solo to big band, jazz classical interpretations and heavy jazz rock, to febrile post-bop, white hot samba fusion, and modal psychedelic wig-outs. J Jazz volume 4 features icons such as drum master Takeo Moriyama, keyboard magi Hiromasa Suzuki, Fumio Itabashi, and Masahiko Satoh, and guitar wizards Kazumi Watanabe and Kiyoshi Sugimoto, alongside big band maestros and innovators Nobuo Hara and his Sharps and Flats, and Toshiyuki Miyama’s New Herd. Thunderous basslines nestle alongside glistening runs of electric piano, bubbling synths and air-tight drumming as the heavy psychedelic modal blues of Jiro Inagaki flows with the infectious samba grooves of Takashi Mizuhashi featuring Herbie Hancock; Shigeharu Mukai’s fusion funk epics take the music to another level and Mikio Masuda’s driving keyboard rhythms brings the heat to an incendiary dancefloor zone.

Emerging from the cold echoes of Reykjavík's underground music scene, ex.girls, previously known as Russian Girls, chart an inspiring journey from inception to international recognition. Founded in 2017 as a personal venture by Guðlaugur Einarsson, the act soon evolved into a vibrant, collaborative platform for kindred spirits bonded by an unyielding passion for music.

The project consists of three: frontman Tatjana Dís on vocals, alongside Guðlaugur Einarsson and Gylfi Sigurðsson. Their kinship took root at their erstwhile studio on Skúlagata in Reykjavík, where this creative sanctum became a melting pot of musical exploration, learning, and leisurely hangouts. Guðlaugur and Tantjana also ride the waves as members of the rock band Skrattar, whose album 'Hellraiser IV' saw Bjarki's experimental bbbbbb recors imprint venture outside strictly electronic music for the first time in 2021.

Despite their penchant for maintaining an enigmatic aura, ex.girls won the ‘Best Icelandic Electronic Music Song’ in 2022 with their anthem, 'Halda Áfram', released during the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic on bbbbbb recors, which translates to “keep on going”, became a beacon of hope during tough times in the Icelandic music scene. Their distinctive sound palette paints with broad strokes of lush arrangements cemented with a lo-fi disposition. It's a soundscape where the rumble of a crunchy bass meets a quirky sprinkle of Nordic humour, a signature style they fondly dub as 'SauerLounge'.

While the group has traditionally embraced a leisurely cadence in unveiling new music, anticipation bubbles as they gear up to their debut album, ‘Verk’. A twelve-track exploration of experimental, conceptual and unorthodox textures and sonics, with sounds and influences spanning rock and nu-wave through to electro, drone and ambient. The result? An absorbing and hypnotic trip, with twists and turns across every track, presenting a debut album that keeps you guessing minute by minute.

To be released in both vinyl and digital formats, the album will also welcome engaging remixes from artists native to Iceland and the broader global stage. In a world of ever-evolving music, ex.girls stand out as a testament to authentic collaboration, raw talent, and the art of electronic storytelling.

ex.girls ‘Verk’ LP drops via bbbbbb recors on 24th November 2023, with remixes to follow in the months ahead.

-Limited to only 150 copies on black vinyl.
-The last recordings of former Roots member Malik B before he passed away.
-Clever 1 of the popular hardcore rap duo 'Da Buze Bruvaz' is a full member of the group.
-Maylay Sparks FKA Rahsheed founded this group.
-Produced by K Sluggah who has done production for Conway, Westside Gunn, Tha God Fahim etc.
IN LOVING MEMORY OF MALIK B (NOVEMBER 14TH, 1972 – JULY 29TH, 2020)
Frozen Mugs started out back in 2020 as a soon-to-be classic hip-hop collaboration between "Maylay Sparks", Swedish producer “K Sluggah” and “Clever 1” (one half of “Da Buze Bruvaz”). You will experience an uncanny chemistry between these 2 high caliber emcees who are providing you with the traditional sharp, tenacious, aggressive & grimey wordplay over K Sluggah's cinematic, soulful, and psychedelic beats giving the listeners a vivid picture of what goes on in these dangerous times. The hard delivery and complex word patterns are descriptive gestures of loose women, action in the streets, cocktails & cold beer guzzling. Sonically this album is honed to be a masterpiece, with owner of the newly formed label “Blacbird Recs”, and revered studio engineer Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo (Ruffhouse Recs. CEO) behind the mixing board. This is hip-hop with an attitude, authentic, and with no compromises!
In the midst of recording this project, we experienced a severe tragedy as we lost the incomparable Malik B formerly from the Roots. The last days before his passing he recorded the verses for the album and he was supposed to record a few more as there were talks of him becoming a full fledged "Frozen Mugs" member. Sadly the talks of doing an album with Malik B on HHE never came to fruition. This project is dedicated to one of the most legendary emcees Philly ever bred and he will always be remembered as a lyrical giant. R.I.P.
All versions come with hype stickers and an insert that will include a bio on Frozen Mugs and a dedication to Malik B on the reverse side.

After 6 long-awaited years, DEVOURMENT return to form, embodying brutality with their ferocious new album, Obscene Majesty. Featuring drummer Brad Fincher and Ruben Rosas back on vocal duties - a lineup previously only heard on the band's 1999 landmark album Molesting the Decapitated, the pioneers of brutal death metal sharpen their blades once again, and unleash some of the most disgustingly heavy slam ever! Clubbing blows from tracks such as "Cognitive Sedation Butchery", "Narcissistic Paraphilia", and "Dysmorphic Autophagia" see the veterans as imposing and menacing as ever. Buzzsaw guitars shred through limbs against head-caving, hammering drums. Deathly, blood-soaked vocals personify pain and torture. Obscene Majesty is the epitome of uncontrollable destruction from beginning to end, as DEVOURMENT crush through break-neck speeds, deafening ears and melting faces along the way. Honing in on the very elements of gore, death, and mutilation that have crowned the band as kings of the scene for over 24 years, DEVOURMENT force you to bare witness to the Obscene Majesty!

The Dangerous Summer reimagined version of "Come Along" is the second instalment of a series of re-worked, remixed, alternate versions of the band's recent discography.

Formed in 2019, Graphic Nature have spent the last two years honing their sound and taking influences from their love of nu metal and early 2000’s metal-core era but adding their own contemporary approach and aggression. The band is excited to share new music later this year.





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For Fans Of... Magic Sam, Otis Rush, GA-20, Albert King, Elmore James. Never before heard blues from 1969! The 2023 RSD release is now also available on black vinyl and CD! Pressed right in Cleveland, Ohio at Gotta Groove Records. On Remined Records, Colemine's re-issue imprint. Produced by Eli 'Paperboy' Reed. Recorded by Eli's father in 1969. Tapes have been hidden for over 50 years, now being released for the first time ever. "Fred Davis was a legend, but only in my living room. As a teenager, I started digging deeper and deeper into the blues records in my Dad’s collection. That was when I started to get the Fred Davis story in fits and starts. Fred could play like T-Bone Walker and had a keen voice like J.B. Lenoir, he said. He used to front a jump band in Kansas City, before something went down that sent him to prison at Leavenworth. In the summer of 1967, he ended up working alongside my Dad at Harco, the Cleveland factory where my grandfather was an executive. They became friends, bonding over the B.B. King and Bobby Bland records blaring from the AM radio on the factory floor. Fred taught my Dad the rudiments of blues guitar, but his style. Instead of barring with his first finger, he wrapped his thumb around the back of the neck. That left his other fingers free to create big, ringing voicings that imitated the Kansas City horn sections he heard in his youth. Fred could play up and down the neck and, even when he played and sang just by himself, he sounded like a full band. Or, at least, so the legend went. These were only foggy memories from thirty years previous, passed down from a father to a son. But then we found the tape. A quarter inch reel in a plain white cardboard box, hiding on a shelf in the attic. My Dad explained how it came to exist: He found some friends (acquaintances really) who had a band and some equipment. They setup in my grandparents living room where the upright piano was, and he invited Fred over to record some of his songs with the band backing him up. We found a place nearby that could dub the tape and put it on a CD for us. When we finally got the transfer back, the legend became real. With this music now professionally transferred and remastered, I can only hope that Fred Davis can finally receive the acclaim that he deserves; that he never received in his lifetime. The legend can finally go behind the confines of my living room and, with any luck, to the whole world." Eli 'Paperboy'

Auf ihrem umfangreichen neuen Album "Water Made Us" stellt die Chicagoer Musikerin und Dichterin Jamila Woods die Frage, was es bedeutet, sich der Liebe voll und ganz hinzugeben. Auf "Water Made Us" umarmt Jamila neue Genres, verspielte Melodien und hypnotisierende Wortspiele, während sie durch die berauschenden Turbulenzen von Liebeswracks und Zuflucht watet. Während Jamila auf "HEAVN" (2017) ihre Community innerhalb der schwarzen feministischen Bewegung feierte und auf "Legacy! Legacy!" (2019) ihre Lebenserfahrungen durch die Geschichten schwarzer und brauner Künstlerinnen und Künstler verarbeitete, ist "Water Made Us" eine völlig neue Art der Selbstoffenbarung und damit ihr bisher persönlichstes Album. "Water Made Us", das sie zusammen mit dem in LA ansässigen Produzenten McClenney aufgenommen hat und auf dem langjährige Freunde aus Chicago wie Saba und Peter CottonTale zu hören sind, ist ein weitläufiges und intimes Porträt der Selbstreflexion, das geschickt die verschiedenen Phasen einer Beziehung widerspiegelt: Die Anfänge, in denen man leicht Kompromisse eingeht, kokettiert und Spaß hat; das vorsichtige Aushandeln von Momenten des Konflikts oder der Verletzung; die Trauer über etwas Verlorenes; und die zärtliche Erkenntnis am Ende von allem, dass die Person, die gegangen ist, einen nie wirklich verlässt, sondern bei einem bleibt, während man bereit ist, es noch einmal zu versuchen, erfrischt und beruhigt. Der Titel des Albums - eine Zeile aus dem Highlight des Albums "Good News" - ist eine subtile Anspielung auf das berühmte Toni-Morrison-Zitat "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was". Es ist dieses Gefühl - der Erinnerung, des Ortes und der Rückkehr - das als Pfeiler für den Bogen des Albums dient. "Water Made Us" erinnert uns daran, dass die Liebe im besten Fall ein warmer, stiller Ozean ist. Tief, schimmernd und endlos in seinem Wunder. Und im schlimmsten Fall kann die Liebe ein reißender Strom sein, der uns so weit von uns selbst entfernt, dass wir kaum den Weg zurückfinden, ja nicht einmal mehr wissen, wie wir schwimmen sollen. Und doch ergibt sich Jamila dieser Brandung - jeder Welle und jedem Sog - weil vielleicht sogar die schmerzhaftesten Enden eine Einladung sein können, die sie zurück nach Hause ruft, zurück ans Ufer, zurück zu sich selbst.

Following his impressive debut EP ‘Mirror In Man’, which touched on cosmic folk jams and Balearic pop, the Belgium singer-producer Mozes Mosuse aka Movulango has announced his second project ‘The Irony’, a 5 track EP out 24th November via Soulwax’s DEEWEE label.

Movulango’s musical paintings are a visual and intuitive reflection of what it feels like to be him. His weekly radio show, Radio Atlantis on StuBru, Belgium, is a clever alias he uses to explore different worlds, deconstruct existing music and blend it with his own musical experiments.

His latest project ‘The Irony’ is further insight into Movulango's devine mind, building deeply personal stories on feeling and emotion that bundle into soaring melodies and lyrics. You can try your best to understand what it all means or you can sit back and let them bewitch your mind and soul.

Preston’s unholiest sons Evil Blizzard return with their most furious, compelling and diverse album to date, released on their own Crackedankles label, (which has recently branched out into releasing the likes of Hotwax, Thank, Bad Guys and TV Face.) Following the critical and commercial success of their last album ‘The Worst Show On Earth’ the band took a year off after that tour to recoup. And then got back together in March 2020, just in time for… another enforced year off. They did, however, release ‘The Very Best Of Evil Blizzard’ on vinyl, which was completely blank. And sold out in less than a day. The new album, their fifth, was written during and post lockdown and ‘reflects the claustrophobia, fear and paranoia of those days’ according to guitarist (not bassist!) Filthydirty. ‘The band has changed. One of our 4 bassists Kav left and we were joined by Fleshcrawl (aka Mr. Dibs, Hawkwind’s vocalist and bassist for over 12 years). Kav was inimitable as a musician, so it never crossed our minds to try and ‘replace’ him, so when Fleshcrawl scurried in he brought a whole new range of sounds and toys to the sandpit. Also, we’d run out of sonic space to play with, having just the basses, and everything had got a bit stale - so I switched to lead guitar which brought a whole new range of possibilities. 'The new album is much more representational of the band’s record collections: it retains the ‘Sabbath-meets PiL-meets Killing Joke’ sound found on the band’s earlier albums, but now encompasses dub, goth and electronica in its 8 tracks, with clear nods in the general direction of Sonic Youth, Jane’s Addiction, Leftfield and The Mission. As opposed to all previous albums which were recorded live in one or two takes, this album took over three months with the band meticulously de-structuring songs ‘that sounded too much like pop songs’ resulting in an album that is uncomfortable yet still accessible. Featuring cover art by the legendary Nick Blinko or Rudimentary Peni, the album is released in gatefold sleeve on black vinyl, compact disc and DL.

CUT THE ENGINES is the third album by All Structures Align, following the critically acclaimed Details And Drawings and Distance And Departure (both released on Wrong Speed Records in 2022). All Structures Align began as a studio project reuniting brothers Tim and Adam Ineson of 90s underground rock heroes Nub. Their debut album Details And Drawings took everyone by surprise.

Rather than sounding like a tentative bedroom project, it arrived fully formed and with its own identity. It was an album of unhurried patience, of mounting tension (and eventual release) and it possessed a depth that rewarded repeated listens as irresistible hooks revealed themselves almost casually to the listener.

It also felt slightly out of time: no rush to the chorus, no gimmicks, no desire to pack out every second of space with sound. Lots of people agreed and the limited vinyl pressing sold out almost instantly. The follow-up came within the same year with the brothers recruiting drummer extraordinaire Neil Turpin (Objections, Bilge Pump, Polaris) to bring swing and pulse to their songs.

Distance And Departure was the result and widened their audience and acclaim further. So much so that the brothers decided to venture out and play live. To do so they brought in Oli Heffernan (Ivan The Tolerable, King Champion Sounds) on bass and Andrew Pollard (Polaris) on guitar and additional vocals.

If you’ve been lucky enough to see All Structures Align live over the last year, you’ll know this expanded band bring the songs to life beyond simple recitation. Those dynamic shifts in the music are now larger than life and fully multi-dimensional. Cut The Engines is the first All Structures Align release to capture the five-piece live band in the studio. Eight songs as spacious and measured as their previous work but with an increased directness and drama that seems to come from the interplay between people in a room.

Whilst never getting down to Ramones levels of brevity, the songs are compact and sharper than before, as though the addition of extra personnel has allowed their musical language to become more concise and effective. The songs still feel like rich novels condensed into short stories, but the band format has brought a confidence and ease to the telling that increases their impact. The resulting record is their most accessible yet, a slow-core indie-rock masterpiece that will intrigue and delight existing fans and newcomers alike for decades to come.

140 Gram White Vinyl Limited Edition Of 1500 worldwide. Includes full album download + 2 bonus download tracks from the out of print 1999 Suz EQ /to whom it may consume 7-inch. Originally released in 2000 as Enon burst on the scene to wide acclaim +++ Pitchfork called Enon lyricist / guitarist John Schmersal “one of indie rock’s most consistently compelling songwriters.” Long, long ago, at the beginning of the new millennium, the world begot Enon. It was before Willliamsburg was, like, totally over, before beards made you cool, and just at the cusp of all this modern computer recording tomfoolery. What a time, before innocence lost. From all this came a much beloved and oft-overlooked record – one Touch and go is damn proud to re-issue on vinyl today – Believo! This record makes a bridge between the 20th and 21st centuries – full of effects, samples, pop sensibilities, and a complete respect for and disregard of The Rules. In 2000, Enon was all Brooklyn style, comprised of John Schmersal of Brainiac and Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon of Skeleton Key. John and Rick bonded over a penchant for suitcases full of electronics and battery powered trickery – portable musical distractions capable of making tracks on the fly. That’s what this era was all about for Enon – the suitcases, and being in the moment wherever they were. Though the band would later evolve to 2007’s lineup of Schmersal, Toko Yasuda and Matt Schulz, you’ve got to know where you’re coming from to see how you got to where you are today. So, come along with us, please, to the re-birth of Believo!

Leatherette’s 2022 debut album Fiesta offered an intense, inspired and individualist take on post-punk, their caustic riffs, fevered saxophone blasts and impassioned vocals revealing the five-piece skilled purveyors of the form.

The group's second album Small Talk, however, is clearly the work of a group ready to take flight in a new direction all their own. As they toured Fiesta across Italy and Europe, Leatherette grew tired of the genre's constrictions and yearned to spread their wings. Small Talk transcends all the group have done before and coins a voice uniquely their own, driven by the same furies that propelled Fiesta, but finding fresh new forms for expression.

The album boasts some of Leatherette's most unabashed pop-songs to date – albeit pop that's deftly twisted, pointedly perverse and ready to explode when you least expect it.

It also contains some of the group's most challenging and uncompromising noise yet, the violent swinging back-and-forth between ugly din and nagging tunefulness a (molotov) cocktail that grows only more addictive with each listen. Where Fiesta saw the group enter the studio with a batch of anthems they'd honed on the road, their approach for Small Talk was very different, leaving the sessions open to moments of on-the-fly invention and sparks of mad genius. The interplay between the five musicians is so much stronger this time around, the group say, a result of the months of touring the band put in following the release of Fiesta.

Living out of rucksacks and spending hours on the motorway in a tour van might not be everyone's idea of a good time, but that's what Leatherette credit with sharpening their intra-group bond, their almost telepathic feel for the sounds that will complement what their bandmates are playing. “We were more free to play and to rearrange, because we knew each other better now,” says guitarist Andrea Gerardi, “and the interplay is more focused on this album as a result.” The sessions for Fiesta were frustrating, Andrea says, because “we were playing the same songs over and over”.

Their approach was radically different for Small Talk, however, which saw the group file into Bronson, a local club where they've often played before, and record the album on the premises. After the sessions, the album was mixed in Bristol by Chris Fullard (Idles) and mastered in Portland at the legendary Telegraph Audio Mastering by Adam Gonsalves. "We recorded live, all playing together at the same time, rather than overdubbing the instruments," says Michele. The process, he says, "made us more coherent, and the songs more spontaneous." "Our strength is live performance," adds Andrea, "so we tried to capture that interplay. Sometimes we made errors, but we didn't care, because it sounded great. This music is our lives - it doesn't need correction. We were free for the two weeks we recorded the album, and the ideas soared in the most amazing way." Indeed they did. The album's see-saw between angular noise and pop coherence is very much its strength, and very much the sonic identity of this singular group

Gatefold sleeve / Black vinyl / Limited to 500 copies - Brand new solo release from YES guitar maestro, Steve Howe – Steve explains the concept of the Motif series of releases - The MOTIF idea pulls together my solo guitar writing and performances combining new tunes and refreshed and revisited studio performances of other tunes. My solo guitar tunes combine country picking with classical guitar pieces that have broader influences, jazz, rock, flamenco and folk, they've all been absorbed in my approach to writing and playing. It's 15 years since Volume 1 was released so it's delightful to announce the release of MOTIF Volume Two. Again I present some new tunes and further explore pulling the selection together to present a clear focus on all things 'solo guitar'. I record these myself onto a hard drive and then work on selecting takes and giving the sound some due consideration. Assembling the running order and then the final mastering means it's on to the sleeve information and design. Soon it's a 'wrap' and you're holding it in your hand!

Repress!

Two huge Bobby Womack classics, the heart-on-a-sleeve 'How Could You Break My Heart' and the sweet soul love song, 'Give It Up' get a much deserved, official remastered reissue.

Produced and composed alongside Patrick Moten, who worked with the likes of Loleatta Holloway, Anita Baker and Rosie Gaines, 'How Could You Break My Heart' was a massive record on the modern soul scene and still a favourite across the board with the biggest selectors and DJs on the circuit.

The blend of warm woozy keys and magical piano touches, over energetic strings, powerful horns and tight percussion, are near impossible not to get swept up by and provide the perfect backing for Womack to bare all. Arguably one of the greatest soul singers to have ever done it, endless amounts of passion and raw emotion emanate from his rugged tones as he swallows the bitter pill of heartache and rejection.

On the B side the bittersweet 'Give It Up' where soaring strings and sumptuous chord progressions, marry with the full range of Womack's vocals and those expert backing harmonies. A luscious sax solo and funk bass give a sultry feel that mixes with the tenderness on show, providing a powerful metaphor for the swirling emotions that come part and parcel with this ever-relatable tale of reaching out for love.

The forever exploring electronical entity of a band, Gusgus, has opened yet a new era in their unique sonic multiverse. With their 12th album, the course is set to a strange mysterious place called DanceOrama. A Rave-Mall in a nostalgic future, DanceOrama is the place to be, where you can experience infinite freedom, genre and gender free. Moving from the pulsating new-wave influenced techno pop of the last album “Mobile Home” (2019), Gusgus emits the vibe of DanceOrama on their new album as an arousing, melody-rich hybrid of 80s/90s parties and raves. The 9- track album is slated for a November 10th release. The release is evenly split up in euphoric fusioned pop anthems and genre-free instrumental journeys.

Gusgus‘ last album “Mobile Home” was the later of twin albums that found the band exploring early 80’s new wave influences and reviving them in the iconic Gusgus soundscape. The highlight on the album was a pulsating techno reggae track called “Higher” that introduced a new member into the band, Margrét Rán, the lead singer of “VÖK”.

Whereas on “Mobile Home”, the concept was stationed in a rural environment of a dystopian side reality, Gusgus now moves to the city. In this city of strange discomforting future omens, DanceOrama stands out as the rave-mall of freedom. Leaving the new wave influences, this album is a strange hybrid of the 80’s and 90’s parties twisted into a genre-free blend of arousing experiences.

The album consists of 5 instrumental tracks and 4 vocal pop songs, ranging from 105-158 bpm and exploring various influences from the 80’s and 90’s and even the 70’s in a strange fusion of techno, trance, italo-disco, house and pop that emits the rawness and innocence of previous decades. The pop songs are quite strictly set as stories related to the mysteries and rumors of DanceOrama. One track in particular will be very exciting for our fans, as it has been a regular final track on our live show since the album “Arabian Horse” in 2011. This is the track “Breaking Down” that was recorded during the album “Mexico” in 2013 with “Earth” and “Högni” on vocals but, due to emotional turmoil, has never been released until now.

FROM RAY CHARLES TO SELAH SUE, FROM NINA SIMONE TO IBEYI, FROM BARRY WHITE TO ALOE BLACC, DISCOVER THE BEST OF THE GREATEST VOICES OF SOUL MUSIC OF ALL TIME IN A 5 VINYLS BOXSET

Welcome to Masters Series - for people who understand that some things just can't be tamed. (Read: these are scratchy, poppy, and rough recordings from busted acetates. Click the listen tab to preview quality. These are cleaned up as best we can get them - if that's not going to work for you, don't order!)

For the third installment of our Master Series we present This Is Me by Mark Bluford. A heavy slice of early 70s Psychedelic Deep Funk from the Bay Area. Hard to miss the massive wah-wah guitar leads, but the arrangement is pretty complex with piano, bass, and strings backing the earnest vocals.

There are breaks on both sides, parts one and two. The first break is a string break, very unique to a Funk record. But, somehow this fits for a Bay Area Funk record. The break in part two is one of the heaviest drum breaks no one has heard in 50 years.

A very limited special upgrade option for this release: choose to get MS-003 in a one of a kind, hand-painted sleeve by the legendary McBoing Boing. Only 12 completely unique sleeves were hand painted by the man himself, and one of those 12 is staying right here in our HQ. So there are now only 11 out there! (Yes, the vinyl comes with the sleeve.)

Big thanks to Dr. Scott Bulleit for digging this acetate out of a flea market and contributing it to the Preservation Project! This is a sure shot, don't miss out on this limited run!

The story behind The Masters Series

In our hunt for unreleased soul, we occasionally find some incredible gems that are just a bit too beaten to restore to the ears of the general public. Rather than return them to the moldy basements from whence they came, we press them in small batches to share with those who love to share.

A vivid portrayal of Zaltsman’s direction, My Luv delivers 4 hard hitting club tracks, with rhythmic percussion and heavy basslines throughout. ‘The hook’ remaining a staple of this release, the tracks are all equally useful in peak time club scenarios as they are for after-hours listening.

The stripped back, bouncy ‘Moving’ features the vocals of London based poet and musician, James Massiah. An eerie synth runs throughout, complimentary to the vocals and choppy drums. The lead track, 'My Luv', is an out and out club-weapon. Chopped up vocals and a deep dark sub bass. This has seen a Summer of being deployed by some of the best DJs in the scene, taking advantage of its ‘obnoxiously long’ breakdown, before descending into chaos.

Complimenting these two tracks, 'Page 365' is a more sensitive body of music, engaging listeners with a strong bassline hook, before progressing into a more heavy hitting club track, with a large focus on groove, taking influence from the UK Funky scene. Finally, the most club-driven track from the record. 'Flatspot' is dominated by its forceful bassline and rolling percussion. This is out and out designed for peak-hour fun.


Early DJ Support:
Moxie, Saoirse, Louise Chen, Leon Vynehall, Ben UFO, Parris, Moopie, D.Tiffany, re:ni, Amaliah, Stenny

Die-cut sleeve. In the fall of 2013 Bry Webb was putting the finishing touches on his second album Free Will. Released on May 20th 2014, Bry, with his newly assembled band The Providers, spent the following few years traversing North America playing clubs, festivals and storied stages such as Toronto’s Massey Hall. Nothing new for an artist who had spent the aughts in a constant state of motion with Constantines, a band who on average had performed one of every three nights on a stage somewhere in the world. In fact, running in parallel to Bry’s solo touring schedule was a reunion with his former Constantines’ bandmates to once again present their incendiary live show and celebrate the 11th anniversary reissue of the band’s Shine A Light. It is what happened as the decade wound down that seemed out of character for an artist who had spent close to 20 years immersed in the studio and on the stage: the music stopped altogether. Bry explains his feelings at that time, “I lost the musical plot about 5 years ago and stopped playing music entirely, sold instruments and recording equipment, and committed myself to the idea that I was absolutely done”. Webb dedicated himself to his ongoing work in community radio, months turned to years and musical life seemed to be all but gone from view. Now in an unexpected turnaround 10 years on from the recording of his last studio album, there is not only a return to the stage for Bry but also a new record. Primarily composed in a season of upheaval, Run With Me contains some of Bry’s rawest sentiments. Fresh and painfully present there is an immediacy one can hear as emotional walls collapse in real time. Bry explains the context of the album’s creation: “In early 2023 my personal life exploded. In the process of dealing with that, I started writing music again and started recording at home. Advised that I needed to figure out how to ask for, and accept, help from other people, I sent early recordings of songs to friends from twenty-five years of music making - many folks I hadn’t connected with in years - and asked if they’d contribute anything to the songs. People came through in ways that overwhelmed me to the point that I cried when I wrote out the list of players for the liner notes. I felt incredibly cared for. From Andy Magoffin, who recorded the first Constantines album in 1999, to members of the Cons, to my nieces Addy and Ella playing drums, and a doppler recording of my daughter’s heartbeat, the record is a document of my creative life, and the people who made it possible to make music again.” If the cover of Run With Me looks familiar, it is with full intent. The album’s technicolor marbling and die cut text serve to signal the inclusion of the album in a trilogy started with Bry’s first record Provider. Just as that album starts with the track Asa, this new one introduces itself with the instrumental Webb. The trilogy is now completed with his daughter's first, middle and last names represented as the first tracks on each of the three albums. While the LP’s package signals its place in the collection, and tracks such as Older Than The Dirt and What I Do revisit their predecessor’s familiar sonic starkness, Run With Me is the outlier of the trio. A number of new tracks forego the quietude of Provider and Free Will, clearly recalling the rallying rhythms of Constantines’ anthems. Thunder Bay (instrumental backing courtesy of The Harbourcoats circa 2009), with its insistent kick drum and wall of electrics, support one of Webb’s most indelible melodies, and the not so subtly psychedelic Modern Mind reveal an expansion of Webb’s palette. Perhaps the furthest afield is the contextual centerpiece of the album, Goodbye, where we not only hear a joyful voice that lay dormant for years, but hear it reclaim its power. Backed by Constantines’ Will Kidman, Doug MacGregor and Dallas Wehrle, Bry belts out “I’m through with all the rage, now watch the light pour out of me.” As with all of Bry’s work, Run With Me’s lyrics take their time to settle in. Songs of self-examination, reconfigured love ballads, and songs for those who work to help others. Songs of singing abound. It’s there in Older Than The Dirt’s second verse: "Logic to the last intention, logic in the way we kept holding on forever, singing as the floor- was swept”, ten thousand birds sing a warning song in Thunder Bay and again in Goodbye’s telling of a cathartic return to one’s true self with its celebration of those “Who sing - sing all joy - all joy of language, in a single word”. Joining Bry in singing Run With Me’s songs of “death, transition and hope,” are kindred spirits Jennifer Castle, Julie Doiron, Daniel Romano and Steph Yates. All of these singers elevate the album’s healing sentiments and help express the album’s central plea; a prayer of sorts wrapped in the traditional Scottish Gaelic melody of She Is Here’s second verse: “Let the sun rise in the morning and any witness bring. Let all the blooming cosmos teach us to sing”.

Everything clicks on Safe to Run, the fourth album from singer, songwriter Esther Rose - It's the quiet culmination of years spent fully immersed in a developing artistry, and presents Rose's always vividly detailed emotional scenes with new levels of clarity and control As with previous work, her songwriting transfigures the chaos and uncertainty of a life in progress, but here she introduces a newfound pop element that attaches unshakably catchy hooks to even the darkest stretches of the journey. Rose takes an unblinking look at her own vulnerabilities as well as more universal concerns, somehow never taking herself too seriously in the process. This manifests as a critique of the insidious sexism of the music industry on "Dream Girl," but quickly melts into a hazy memoryscape of the dive bar drama and suspended hovering of her early 20s on "Chet Baker." The song "Safe to Run" (a gorgeous duet with Hurray for the Riff Raff's Alynda Segarra) directly merges the personal with the global, superimposing feelings of spiritual displacement onto the larger, looming dread of climate grief. Rose breathes in the ecstasy of the natural world in one line and makes fun of herself a few bars later. There are ghosts in the room for most of her songs, but she's invited them in and is cracking jokes with them over a drink or two. Ultimately all of these new advancements become twinkles of light in the background as they fold into the big picture impact of the songs themselves. Esther Rose translates her world into eleven curious and captivating scenes. While the songs are stunning one by one, absorbing Safe to Run as a whole feels like witnessing something taking shape, experiencing the headspins of the elevation and the slow return to equilibrium as the clouds start clearing

Repress!

The Skints have grown hugely in the past 3 years, climbing from small venues to sold out Academy and Empire shows and winning over many new fans and press along the way

Disco is back! From Paris to Melbourne, Berlin or Athens, a new blend of 70s inspired disco sound is currently taking the dancefloors by storm with artists like Monika, L'Impératrice or LeonxLeon, creating a stir on the international scene. Paying their dues to the pure form of Disco, these new artists, far from mimicking the clichés, are adding an unmistakable millennium twist to the genre. This is Disco 2.0

Enter the dark opium den that is PP005 — a release reminiscent of those pioneers of funk, Parliament and Funkadelic. These found tracks by Bruce Marshall and Bill Thomas were likely recorded around the time of “Osmium” and “Maggot Brain” — in fact, the artists featured here may have been directly influenced by the movement as it was happening, making these discoveries remarkable entries into the history of psych funk.

Where to begin with Bruce Marshall’s Gimme My Wife on the A side? Try to imagine a psychedelic football game, with driving wah wah funk as the halftime show. The frenetic instrumentation is guided by an infectious guitar hook, coupled with a loose chorus of voices and whistle blows. They all come together at the end to chant what sounds like “parrrr-tay,” a foreshadowing of that refrain the Beastie Boys would popularize.

Things get a little more solemn on side B with an instant classic by Bill Thomas, Ease My Mind Pt. 1. A surprising dirge of fuzzy guitar leads into a chorus that sings, like a mantra, “I have seen much trouble...ease my mind.” Things morph into tight horns backed by some prominent organ — in fact, this is one of the tightest horn sections on any of our releases to date.

Funk is alive and well on our fifth release — adding a new dimension to the amazing body of psych funk that’s already out there. Who knows what could have happened had these cuts reached ears during the 70s — but the time for the Marshall-Thomas ship to land is now. Put this on to get your next party going, and it’ll do most of the work for you. Get this special, split 7” on limited-run vinyl while you can.

While this may be the first release on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit from Global Goon, the one known to friends and family as Johnny Hawk brings a whole heap of experience to the Nanoclusters mini-LP.

Hawk started dropping Global Goon records on the legendary Rephlex Records back in the 1990s. The project's subsequent releases have taken in imprints as esteemed as WéMè and Balkan. Factor in a whole host of other aliases which have delivered missives via the likes of Planet Mu, and you know even before you press play on this witty, wily record that you're dealing with a master at work here.

The confidence with which Global Goon approaches Nanoclusters shines through in Hawk taking much of the mini-album at midtempo. Cuts like 'Khroxic Mould', 'Metallik' and 'Syntheseers' sound like Bochum Welt heading down a dark alleyway. The former in particular is a seasick lope, the tuned synths lurching around like sailors on deck in a storm as bass ebbs and flows underneath the mix.

The influence of Kraftwerk comes through prominently at times here, particularly in the way 'Calcula' and 'Digit Six' play pensive, slightly sombre synth chords off some simple but effective forward motion in the drum programming. That is not to say that Nanoclusters is not full of invention, though. None of the productions are overly flash, but this approach allows the little details to shine through more clearly, from cleverly panned hi-hats to hissing synth counter-melodies which flit in and out of the mix. Enthralling and packed full of ear candy, they're further evidence that Nanoclusters is the work of an expert craftsman.

While the pulse of Nanoclusters remains relatively steady throughout, it's still a rather lively record. Plenty of these tracks will get the dancefloor moving if deployed correctly - though whether they're heard at home or in the dance, it's the attention to detail which makes them stand out.

'Snapterisk' is as perfect an example of machine-funk as you're likely to find - the drum programming is razor-sharp but rubbery with bongos, the bass a lithe burble, and those wobbly stabs of keys that put a bit of wiggle in the beat? Delightful stuff. Elsewhere the ever-looping arpeggio of 'Metro Esc' has hints of Frankie Knuckles' house classic 'Your Love', though an array of interesting sonic nuggets - snippets of vocal, radar-like bloops, a gently insistent low-end pulse - soften the track's clubbier elements with a pillowy sheen. And Hawk throws us a curveball right at the end of Nanoclusters, tapping back into that old Rephlex sound for the fizzy, braindancing 'Metal Glass'.

Global Goon doesn't need to show off on Nanoclusters - from brilliantly slick machine-funk to Kraftwerkian reveries, the CPU debutant lets the music do the talking here. It makes for a confident and vivacious mini-LP, one which wears its expertise lightly.

RIYL: Cardopusher, Bochum Welt, Cygnus, D'Arcangelo

Very limited vinyl pressing of the second edition, 500 copies, full colour single outer sleeve, newly designed full colour printed lyric inner sleeve. Transparent red vinyl with white splatter effect. Download included. CD in a 4-panel digipack with a 12-page lyric booklet. When the self-titled debut album from female Ukrainian punk trio Death Pill, came out on the 24th of February (a year to the day that Putin invaded Ukraine) the reaction was unanimous. ‘Death Pill have made one of the best crossover albums of the modern era’ - Metal Hammer // 'Death Pill are intensely furious. There is nothing on the Ukrainian trio's debut that isn't seething with anger or delivered with boiling vitriol.’ – Kerrang // 'A tirade of metalcore, thrash and hardcore, it’s a face-toasting listen’ - The Guardian // ‘This eponymous album is a real masterstroke and a sign not only that DEATH PILL are here to stay but that they are going to take a few scalps with them’ - Distorted Sound // Those lucky enough to witness Death Pill live on their recent Euro tour, would have also clocked something a bit special. Mariana Navrotska, vocals/guitar, Anastasiia Khomenko, drums and Natalya Syeryakova, bass are without doubt a ‘force majeure’. Thunderous thrash infused hardcore coupled with fantastic musicianship and attitude in spades. A truly thrilling live embodiment of their self-titled debut. So, with the vinyl and cd sold out, a repress of said debut was warranted. But this is not just a repress. This is that cracking debut … with a difference. The band explain …. “In the original first pressing of the Death Pill album, there were 2 Russian-language lyrics songs, which the band recorded before the full-scale invasion of Russia into the territory of Ukraine, and the band didn't have the opportunity to change these lyrics before the release of the album in 2023. From February 2022, the band performs its program only in English: - "We deleted from the story those lines that were written in Russian, and we no longer want to have them in our work. We wanted to change this even before the first release, but it was impossible due to a huge number of factors. During the Euro/UK tour in 2023, the girls had the opportunity to re-record the vocals for these 2 tracks in English. That is why in the second press of the first album we automatically have the release of two tracks.” So, not a repress, but a 2nd edition, with all the fire and vitriol still intact, now the official version of the album from this point on

Powerful rave friendly and acidic breakbeats. Limited coloured vinyl version

Oceanvs Orientalis teams up with Italian artist Tooker and joins the Crosstown Rebels roster with ‘II Lupo’, including a remix from Acid Pauli.

Hailing from Istanbul, Safak Oz Kutle, also known as Oceanvs Orientalis, is a true maestro at crafting hypnotic, evolving sounds while blending a diverse mix of Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic and Armenian influences. Unfolding after a busy year of performances at venues across the globe, including a notable appearance at Crosstown Rebels’ Rebel Rave at Club Space Miami, he now combines his signature downtempo sound with the talents of Italian native Tooker, a partnership two years in the making. With their joint creation teased across their sets, both artists now unveil their first collaboration on the label with the soul-stirring, ‘II Lupo’ including a remix from Damian Lazarus’ longstanding friend Acid Pauli.

‘II Lupo’ weaves a haunting atmosphere through ethereal synth-lines, echoing wolf howls and low rumbling drum hits, transporting you to a realm of intrigue and allure. Infusing his unique touch, Acid Pauli adds an extra layer of sonic flare to the release by layering cosmic stabs and shimmering chimes, enriching the melodic experience.

Following on from recent works for 12k, The Trilogy Tapes, and Important, Far More Decentralized is a new collection of subtle, enchanting pieces from Tokyo-based sound and visual artist Akhira Sano. Working with electronic, instrumental, and concrete sounds, he crafts immersive assemblages of long overlapping tones and blurred resonance, cut through with textural crunch and hiss. The resonant bell-like tones of opener ‘Kouai’ invite the listener in, calling up the warm sound palette of ambient classics like Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music for Nine Postcards, but leaving any sense of compositional anchor behind for a free-floating harmonic drift. Woven through this seductive tonal cloud is a wavering stream of white noise and tactile pops, its textural grit threatening to derail the calmly reflective pool of pitched sounds, but never quite doing so. Each of these seven pieces occupies a similarly ruminative harmonic space while possessing its own identity. On ‘Neow’, lush tonal swells form around fragmented samples, touching on the techniques of early 2000s glitch artists like Ekkehard Ehlers. ‘Orbv’ is particularly subtle in its combination of rippling back-masked tonal wash, almost subliminal suggestions of field recordings, and distant traces of raw electronic interference, as if a Toshimaru Nakamura recording is playing through an open window across the road. ‘Margin’ weaves together a skein of wistful slow-motion melodies while untraceable, resonant clinks and ambiguous static washes rise gradually to the surface. In comparison to his recent Phase Contrast for Recollection on 12k, recognisable instrumental sounds are a rarity here, yet a hand-played feeling is present throughout. On ‘Teens’, filtered electric guitar tones reminiscent of the melancholic miniatures of Andrew Chalk float over aqueous burbles, bringing the album to a magisterial close. In the crowded field of contemporary electronic music tending toward ambience, Sano is a distinctive voice. Like his elegant abstract paintings, here seemingly static surfaces of unhurried calm reveal rich interior worlds of subtle activity and gentle chaos. Where much contemporary ambient music aims for an almost stifling cleanliness of tone, Sano breathes life into Far More Decentralized through the acceptance of imperfection, accident, and rough edges. As the artist himself says, ‘In a world where everything can be made perfectly, I think it’s a beautiful and primal act to touch the fragile and imperfect’

Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels” is a concept album born of the idea of merging singer & songwriter Mayssa Jallad’s two vocations: music and urban research/architectural history. Written in collaboration with producer Fadi Tabbal, the music builds upon Tabbal’s spatial approach to sound and Jallad’s research on Beirut’s Hotel District. The album is a reference to Jallad’s Historic Preservation master's thesis, in which she detailed the history of the “Battle of the Hotels”, a 5-months battle that took place in Beirut at the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War, from October 22nd, 1975 to March 29th, 1976. Jallad saw architecture as a main protagonist of the battle, as she discovered it was the first high rise urban battle in the world. The close of the battle resulted in the 15-year Green Line, an urban rift which split Beirut into “East and West”, restricting movement and communication and creating a violent divide that still resonates today. The album comprises two parts. Part A: Dahaliz, is a stroll in the city, where Jallad tries (and fails) to follow an old map. Musician Youmna Saba is a companion in this journey of remembering the once winding corridors (“Dahaliz”) of the city, destroyed by new developments since the 1960s. Empty skyscrapers propel her onto a past filled with the violence of snipers, and a present filled with the glamorous injustice of empty luxury real estate endorsed by powerful warlords-turned-politicians. In Part B: Maaraka, Jallad inhabits the building of the Battle of the Hotels, as its events unfold. She calls the fighting militias the Blues and Reds, respectively the Lebanese Front (Christian Nationalists) and the Lebanese National Movement (Pro-Palestinian leftists), leveling the playing field, and drawing a map of the battle through songwriting. Sary Moussa produces the conclusion of the battle in “Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29)”, which ends with the ultimate severance of the city of Beirut. The music caters to post-war youth who have never been taught this difficult history. Once we consider the “Battle of the Hotels” as our common heritage, it provides an opportunity to teach the value of civil peace. It is also a call to protest for the renewal, rather than the recycling of the political class that has once destroyed the country and holds us, to this day, hostage of its violence. Limited edition of 300 copies. 140gsm vinyl pressed at Microforum (Canada).

‘Demos/sketches/interludes from the hinterland between records. Drum machines and single take vocal sketches tied together with downtime synth experiments and recordings of local disappearing areas.’ True as it is, Jabu’s strap-line is a somewhat understated take on what also proved to be a transformative experience for them. The follow-up record to their 2020 sophomore LP ‘Sweet Company’ (and the ensuing ‘Versions’), ‘Boiling Wells’ weaves a smudged, group -mind spell. Originally released earlier this year without fanfare as a digital-only release, it now receives the proper release attention it deserves, issued in a neatly packaged vinyl edition of 300 copies. Dreamlike, woozy, raw and in dub, the album documents a blossoming process, and encapsulates a fragment in time - holed up in the country, soaking up the atmosphere in collective isolation, creatively embracing the limitations of a small recording set-up, and finding a new way to work as a band. “My mum had gone away so we’d decided to take the mixing desk and a couple of drum machines out to her house and set it up in the front room. We did it a couple of times to get the bulk of the tunes on 'Boiling Wells' done, one in summer and one boozy one around Christmas. I think we all immediately enjoyed working that way, sat around all together, more of an immediate thing. Jas started to play a lot more guitar, her and Al would write lyrics on the fly or be programming a drum beat in or something. We were all switching around and getting ideas down really quickly, not worrying too much if they were good or not. The music was limited by the stuff we had there, I didn’t bring a big desk so we only had six channels or so, and everything was basically just recorded in as a stereo take so we were more or less stuck with it after we’d laid it down - which was nice too. I don’t think we would’ve changed them anyway; it was the sound of the room and of us doing it together in the moment that was really important.” There has always been a collaborative heart to Jabu, though its nature has shifted and morphed over time. In their earliest incarnation, in after-school jams, Alex Rendall would rap over Amos Childs’ beats, but by the time they began releasing music in 2012, Al had found his singing voice – a sweet, soulful counterpoint to Amos’ increasingly dub-wise, experimental backing. Both are founder members of Bristol’s Young Echo, a collective of friends and musicians first operating loosely together on radio shows, artistic collaborations and events, and later on, running a record label. As expansive as their original remit was, Young Echo has steadily evolved since featuring in The Wire’s 2013 cover feature on Bristol’s new school of post-dubstep bass music. Of late, Seb (aka Vessel) has been working with violinist Rakhi Singh on string arrangements for Jabu, and the upcoming residency at Bermondsey’s MOT will showcase relative newcomers Birthmark and Intel Mercenary alongside the regular crew. Jabu’s debut album proper, ‘Sleep Heavy’, arrived in 2017 courtesy of Blackest Ever Black. A sublime, focused meditation on grief and loss written largely by Amos and Al, it marked the debut of Jasmine Butt (aka Guest), adding a further layer of vocal texture to their palette. ‘Sweet Company’, their first album written as a trio (released via their own do you have peace? label), drifted into lighter, more ethereal introspection. Featuring guest appearances by Sunun and Daniela Dyson, remixes by Equiknoxx’s Time Cow and Young Echo ‘s Ossia teased out the inherent pop and dub sensibilities respectively. Recent times have also seen remixes by kindred spirits Seekers International and Jay Glass Dubs, and a collaboration with the renowned T.S. Eliot Prize-winning dub Poet and musician Roger Robinson on a pair of plaintive, aching 7” singles. Jabu’s broad raft of inspirations can be experienced first -hand on their monthly NTS Radio show ‘Music 4 Lovers’, co -hosted by long-time friend and soul afficionado Andy Payback. A celebration of the endless tapestry of interrelated musical connections, it runs parallel to Jabu’s own reinterpretation of their influences. For ‘Boiling Wells’, Amos remembers a diet of “A.R. Kane, Cocteau Twins, DJ Screw, Southern/Memphis rap mixtapes, early 90’s jungle, Karen Dalton, Sybille Baier, Vashti Bunyan, Svitlana Nianio, a lot of soul, Armand Hammer & Alchemist, Grouper, Bobby Caldwell. Jazz was a constant, Japanese, Polish, Latin, American…”. And from those diverse strands, something new and singular has formed, to line up alongside them. ‘Boiling Wells (Demos ‘19-’22)’ is released by UK newcomer Six of Swords in a limited vinyl edition of 300 copies, pressed on black vinyl housed in full colour 270 gsm matt varnish sleeve and black paper inner, with full download coupon

Gloam is the highly anticipated sophomore album from alternative folk band MAYBEL. Similar characteristics from their debut, Gathering, are carried forward: elegant harmonies, soft instrumentals and a shared optimism coupled with a wide open vulnerability. The songs still echo the intimacy, warmth and closeness of their relationships, yet the band has matured. MAYBEL's evolution shines through with ambitious compositions, thoughtful songwriting, and a deeper understanding of themselves as the album’s themes pierce with growing pains, anxieties and hopes for change. It’s a record about movement and stopping; the ongoing act of coming apart and coming together. Gloam is for listening in your bedroom or in transit, missing friends, on your way to see them. It holds an optimism that rings clear yet nestles and dwells in a brooding, muddy darkness - placing it firmly in the illustrious Canadian folk canon. This is the first album for which all four members (Fez Gielen, Ali Hendra, Loris Kecaj and Lauren Spear) wrote songs. For the most part, they were written during the pandemic separately and then shared in the upstairs living room where Lauren, Ali and Loris used to live together. The result is a shared diary on love, grief and moving on. The band's ability to effortlessly blend traditional folk elements with modern production techniques is reminiscent of the collaborations between Emmylou Harris and Daniel Lanois. Just as Harris and Lanois brought a fresh perspective to country music, MAYBEL embraces experimentation in their sound without compromising the warmth and intimacy inherent to folk music. As with their debut Gathering, MAYBEL recorded Gloam with producer/engineer Jonas Bonnetta at Port William Sound in Mountain Grove, Ontario. Resonating with a sound borne of the studio’s deeply intimate rural environs it is no wonder the band chose to return. Here they were joined by Eliza Niemi on bass/cello, Caylie Runciman on bass/drums with Jonas adding synths and percussion. Gloam is an old Scottish word for twilight. It appears like a fantasy between the day and night, a time seemingly frozen, drifting, or ignored all together. Gloam is the mood and time within which the album takes place. MAYBEL describes it as being: “In transition, between sleeping and waking—a quiet underworld where one is alone with their thoughts, in true presence with the in-between.” The final track on the album, “For Nothing”, captures something of the album’s twilight hope. It begins with lilting solos and gracefully builds in energy and color. MAYBEL sings to its listeners, “All that work for nothing” with a buoyancy and radiance that chimes against the lyrics. They repeat: “All that work for nothing”. For all of the band, the last few years have resulted in significant change and stress. Yet they continue to try, through their music, to will themselves towards optimism. They ask for you to marvel with them at the charming and terrifying possibility of life. They harmonize again, not despairingly, but almost ecstatically “All that work for nothing!”

As well as having many literal and metaphoric messages running throughout the record - a theme that Jonny wanted to emphasise is learning to realise what you have rather than do not. On this note, the music was written and recorded with many close friends of his and is a celebration of what can be achieved through collaboration. Some of the wonderful names on the record include Jamie Lawson, Tom Bright, Eve Lesedi, Bailey Tzuke, Holly Carter (AMA UK Instrumentalist of the year), Joe Coombs, Roisin Mcneil, Liam Bauman & Taylor Raynor. Available as a vinyl LP and digital formats

You've always been able to hear the West Coast in Monocoastal, but it's particularly present when you shut your eyes after 12 months of lockdown stopping you from visiting the region. Less active L.A., and more observing in Oregon, Fischer's career didn't end with this in 2011 and the multi-disciplinary artist has produced great things since, but the album is certainly one of turning points in terms of reputation and note.

The idea of slowly watching time unfold in un-rushed places is also highly appropriate. Among the washes of tape and the waves of refrain that make up this beautiful, meditative outing, you'll hear takes and half-harmonies from found instruments including a piano and xylophone. Overall, it feels like a place removed from linearity. A liminal masterpiece, if you are that way inclined.