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The highly anticipated collaboration from Shawn Lee and Kelly Finnigan ishere. The A-side on this 45, Say It Again, features Kelly on vocals and piano. It's asmooth, soulful tune, pulling references from Bobby Caldwell and FM radio. Shawn says of the track "there has always been a mutual admiration societybetween myself & Kelly. Over the years I've had the pleasure of playing onboth the Monophonics & Kelly's solo records in the studio and live onstage. This is the first I've had Kelly on something that I've put together. Good thingscome to those who wait_and here it is!"The instrumental B, Harpsichord Rock, comes straight out of some sort oflost 1970's Italian movie. Entirely written and recorded by Lee, it's a hypnoticjam with a groove. The mood: funk.

Finally, I was able to devote some time to actually getting some collaborations completed for a new release of the Meeting Of The Minds series, with some brand new names arriving to Future Retro London!

Nebula is one of my favourite artists making new jungle atm, his versatility in music on the darker & lighter sides of the spectrum, the richness of his atmospherics and melodies & the way his drum edits flow throughout his tracks, I consider him a big inspiration in what I make. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to work with him on "Without Fear".

I've been enjoying some of what Stekker's been doing in his music, representing the ruffer lo-fi side of production and he's been putting out some great stuff on his own label Ruff 'n' Tuff as well as on a release he did for Coco Bryce's label Myor. I reached out to him about a collaboration and he had started something, which I was really into and that led to "The Quest".

I owe a lot to DJ Trace, as he was one of the first big names in jungle/d&b to really show me support for what I was doing. He gave me my debut vinyl release when he asked me to remix an old classic of his called "Final Chapta", which he released in 2011 on his label DSCI4. I also had music released on a label he started a few years after that called 117 (which I also helped design artwork for), so we go way back. He's been making more music than ever before recently and I was lucky enough to be able to get a collaboration in with him and "Patterns Of Thought" is the end result of that.

I've known Ark X & Duburban for a number of years, I would see them at a lot of events up north, as well as at events in London that they'd travel down for. They also were good friends with Kid Lib and would drive down with him whenever he was visiting/DJing in London & I was becoming familiar with their music through him, through Ark X's labels Supercharger & Hypercharger (where some of Ark X's music was being released under his previous alias of Black Orchid) & through Duburban's collaborations with Jahganaut. Big up to both of them for collaborating with me on "Come A Dance"

Percussive P (who has previously released on the label with FR037 & our remix on THCFR001) is a top quality producer who I wish had more music/releases out there. I used to play a tune of his called "Gunsmith" a lot in sets, as well as a lot of his collabs with Kid Lib which I was a big fan of. I'd previously collaborated with him on a tune for Dublinquents a few years ago and I was quite keen on doing a new collaboration with him for Meeting Of The Minds, so he sent me some tracks he had started, I picked my favourite to work on and that led to "Impatience".

Fluid Haunts is a solid producer who I was familiar with, but it wasn't until his music was drilled into my head by Dwarde who was playing a few select tunes from him in every single b2b set we had together, that I started to really appreciate his skills. Dwarde would play "Not Your Ordinary Love Song" without fail, in any given moment and time, and it would always get a great reaction from the crowd, so I had to get in touch to see if he'd be up for working with me & thankfully he was! We ended up making "Pineapple Soup" together & I can't remember why it's called that, I think he named the tune ????

Hobzee is one half of Silent Dust (him & Zyon Base) & I used to chat regularly with him and trade music with him on AOL Instant Messenger (showing my age here!) a long while back. He got back in touch with me about wanting to work on music together and he had an early version of "Sunspots" done. It was very promising sounding so I was quite keen to get involved with him on it and I'm grateful that I was able to get him on Future Retro London after many many years of IM chats!

Usually, I limit my collaborations on Meeting Of The Minds to producers that are fairly established and already somewhat known to other people, but for those who don't know who Eff is, she is a potentially familiar face to anyone who has attended a Future Retro London event, as she has been on the door for every single one. One day after a Distant Planet event in Bristol, she mentioned to me that she had an idea for a track inspired by a PFM tune and she already had the title in mind for it, which is "Wavebreak". I was curious about how this would sound in reality, so we met up to work on the tune & she said it was pretty much like how she had envisioned it & I liked how it sounded, so I thought it would be worth putting out on a future Meeting Of The Minds release, which ended up being this one.

Big up to all the artists involved on this edition of Meeting Of The Minds, it's quite a long and arduous task putting together each one, which is why there was such a gap between Vol. 9 & 10 and Vol. 11 & 12. I plan on getting the series back into something more regularly occurring, so hopefully I can actually stick to that plan!

On the cover of 8 Tips for Full Catastrophe Living, the new album by Asher White, The Statue of Liberty is in pieces but not destroyed - in progress, being built, not yet complete. Her torch is on the ground, her head somewhere out of frame. Before she was a symbol, she was metal, and living, sweating people riveted her together. The spirit of de/construction characterizes 8 Tips, White's 16th LP overall and first since signing to Joyful Noise. Like White's previous albums, 8 Tips for Full Catastrophe Living darts boldly among varied musical styles. Doom metal splits open into bossa nova; psychedelic rock and power pop flip into industrial techno. Each song emerges from its composite parts in the studio: White doesn't draft or demo before recording, but builds out her pieces sculpturally, sound by sound. "It's forever collage, forever assemblage," she says of her music. "To me, it has more to do with J Dilla, L.A. beat, and musique concrète than pop songwriting." The record's quick turns and vivid contrasts reflect White's cultural voraciousness. A writer, painter, and sculptor as well as a musician, she gathers materials constantly, always digging for new ideas in every possible form. The films of Claire Denis, the novels of Clarice Lispector, and the memoirs of Eve Babitz all funnel into White's reflection of 21st century disaster capitalism. 8 Tips is also White's first album to have been mixed outside her Providence studio; after recording it herself, she brought tracks to Seth Manchester (Lightning Bolt, Battles, The Body) who gave the album its brawny, unruly charge. "I was interested in making something that serves dually as a self-help book and a chronicle of self-destruction," says White. Overlaying autobiography onto character vignettes, 8 Tips for Full Catastrophe Living wrenches open the idea of apocalypse - an abrupt disaster rained down on uncomplicated innocents - and peers inside at its bursting, devastated particulars. Apocalypse is slow and uneven. Nations falter as do individual people, clinging fast to their old, dilapidated self-preservation strategies. What saved you in the past might destroy you in the future. Flip it around, shake yourself loose, ruin the person you've known yourself to be, and you might get the chance to become something else. "There have been so many end times, many other apocalypses." White says. "People were writing self-help tips, and people were partying." We have survived catastrophe before. Out of the ruins, people made work - art, books, culture. "I was interested in making something that sounds like a self-help book, but it's actually about self-destruction," says White. "In full catastrophe living, you just have to do a bunch of whippets. This album is mostly about doing whippets. I'm not even kidding."

Can you believe it? Devendra Banhart's Cripple Crow - originally released by XL in 2005 - is turning 20 years old. This was the 5th album from the Venezuelan American artist who is considered the pioneer of the "Freak Folk" and "New Weird America" movements. To celebrate - Devendra has compiled a reissue of the out of print release that features a 3rd Bonus LP (on Clear Green Smoke Vinyl) featuring 9 bonus tracks, including 1 B-Side, 5 previously unreleased demos, 2 previously unreleased live tracks, and 1 unearthed smash hit from the recording sessions. This release is the first on his newly created Heavy Flowers label. The album received a "Best New Music" 8.4 review from Pitchfork upon its release. The release date will fall 1 day prior to the actual 20th Anniversary, which will be the first time Devendra is early for anything. Now THAT is something to celebrate! Limited to 2000 units on 3xLP with Bonus LP on Clear Green Smoke Vinyl. 36 tracks of music and 1 track of .... well... you decide! "Cripple Crow is undoubtedly impressive, vastly singular but entirely accessible, and an inspired listening experience where Banhart again proves himself as one of the more talented and charismatic forces in modern music." - Pitchfork

Pop-punk veterans Teenage Bottlerocket are primed to release their new LP Ready to Roll, the band's first full length for Pirates Press Records. "This time around, there was no big concept, no pressure. We just wrote songs that felt good to play," explains bassist Miguel Chen. "That freedom brought something fresh. It reminded us why we started doing this in the first place. The vibe is all about reconnecting with the joy of making music together. "The band returned to The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO, with Andrew Berlin behind the board & Jason Livermore overseeing the final master. "The Blasting Room is like home for us," says Miguel. "Working with Andrew and Jason is always a smooth ride-they know how to pull the best out of us." Fans got their first taste of what's to come via the lead single "She's the Shit." Ray Carlisle wrote the song for his wife Rachel, who he says "loves to give me a hard time-she rolls her eyes when I rock out in front of the mirror, makes fun of the music I love, and calls me an old man when I bring up movies she's never seen. And I totally love her for it." As for the song, Ray says, "It kicks the door open. It sets the tone for the whole record-fast, catchy, and not taking itself too seriously. Just the way we like it." This back to basics approach carries through the album, making it equally satisfying for longtime fans & newcomers alike. "Whether it's your first TBR album or your tenth," says Miguel. "There's something here for you." It's packed with everything you'd expect from TBR with a few surprises the band think you'll love - including a couple of songs where Miguel steps up to the mic for his first-ever lead vocals! "We're lucky to still be here, making music with our best friends, and connecting with people who get it," sums up Miguel. "Ready to Roll is exactly what it sounds like-we're stoked, and, in a way, we're just getting started."

Pop-punk veterans Teenage Bottlerocket are primed to release their new LP Ready to Roll, the band's first full length for Pirates Press Records. "This time around, there was no big concept, no pressure. We just wrote songs that felt good to play," explains bassist Miguel Chen. "That freedom brought something fresh. It reminded us why we started doing this in the first place. The vibe is all about reconnecting with the joy of making music together. "The band returned to The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO, with Andrew Berlin behind the board & Jason Livermore overseeing the final master. "The Blasting Room is like home for us," says Miguel. "Working with Andrew and Jason is always a smooth ride-they know how to pull the best out of us." Fans got their first taste of what's to come via the lead single "She's the Shit." Ray Carlisle wrote the song for his wife Rachel, who he says "loves to give me a hard time-she rolls her eyes when I rock out in front of the mirror, makes fun of the music I love, and calls me an old man when I bring up movies she's never seen. And I totally love her for it." As for the song, Ray says, "It kicks the door open. It sets the tone for the whole record-fast, catchy, and not taking itself too seriously. Just the way we like it." This back to basics approach carries through the album, making it equally satisfying for longtime fans & newcomers alike. "Whether it's your first TBR album or your tenth," says Miguel. "There's something here for you." It's packed with everything you'd expect from TBR with a few surprises the band think you'll love - including a couple of songs where Miguel steps up to the mic for his first-ever lead vocals! "We're lucky to still be here, making music with our best friends, and connecting with people who get it," sums up Miguel. "Ready to Roll is exactly what it sounds like-we're stoked, and, in a way, we're just getting started."

Stripping away excess layers, Dispossessed lives up to its title. The band went into Causa Sui's Jonas Munk's studio on the last day of February 2025. In an a priori session, the first note played together since 2023's Dens - the conclusion of a trilogy and a live album all in less than a year. Has something shifted during the silence? Added aggression? Faster tempo? Darker ambiance? The feeling of losing time? Or is it simply the listener who's world has tilted? In a fast paced world, Edena Gardens shows us how to resist and tune to our own inner chord. Edena Gardens deals in subtle shifts that can only be summoned from something played for the first time. From the sludgy blasts of opener Hiraeth to the droning ambience of 10-minute ender Aftenstjerne. As always, the band travels far yet stays in the same internal realm. The band's own Jakob Skott has made minor edits to cut a record from hours of free improvisation, and every dubbed ambience has been culled directly from the material recorded that day, bringing into play the band's gestalt in a way that shows their both outer and inner workings: Dispossessed. Edena Gardens is: Jakob Skott: Drums (Causa Sui) Nicklas Sorensen: Guitar (Papir) Martin Rude: Baritone guitar & Bass (London Odense Ensemble)

Press Quotes:

Rock Hard 8.5/10: "...noch ausgereifter und dürften sich endgültig als eine feste Größe im britischen Prog Metal etablieren. Das Nebeneinander von modernen und traditionellen Elementen funktioniert ganz wunderbar... Eine der positivsten Überraschungen des Prog-Jahres 2025!"
"...even more mature and should finally establish themselves as a permanent fixture in British prog metal. The juxtaposition of modern and traditional elements works wonderfully... One of the most positive surprises of the prog year 2025!"

Metal Hammer 4.5/7: "Insofern gehört auch LEGACY zu den tiefschürfenden Statements einer modernen Band, die voll im Zeitgeist ist."
"In this respect, LEGACY is also one of the profound statements of a modern band that is fully in tune with the zeitgeist."

Legacy 13/15: "Diese Band ist manifestierte Kreativität, die dazu dient, den Geist mit Glück zu erfüllen. So viel Schönheit ist schon bemerkenswert. Dieses Werk ist wahrlich ein Vermächtnis, welches den Prog in ein neues Zeitalter führt und in der Musikwelt seine Spuren hinterlassen wird."
"This band is manifest creativity that serves to fill the spirit with happiness. Such beauty is truly remarkable. This work is truly a legacy that will lead prog metal into a new era and leave its mark on the music world."

eclipsed 8/10 (#2 in eclipsed Radar Top 20): "Die erzeugten Stimmungen - die mit den eine dystopische Zukunft beschreibenden Texten korrelieren - machen „Legacy" vielmehr zu einem Bauch-Album, das mit Atmosphäre punktet und einem bei jedem Durchlauf besser gefällt. ...Durchweg tolle Melodien, starker Gesang und abwechslungsreiche Gestaltung der Songs. ...Es ist ein moderner Kopfhörer-Traum, den Ihlo hier abgeliefert haben."
"The moods created—which correlate with the lyrics describing a dystopian future—make "Legacy" more of a gut-pumping album, one that scores with atmosphere and grows more likable with each listen. ...Consistently great melodies, strong vocals, and varied songwriting. ...It's a modern headphone dream that Ihlo have delivered here."

saitenkult.de 9/10: "Mit ´Legacy´ legen IHLO den Grundstein zu ihrem eigenen Vermächtnis. Ein Werk, das in die Zukunft strahlt und zugleich im Hier und Jetzt überwältigt."
"With 'Legacy,' IHLO lay the foundation for their own legacy. A work that radiates into the future and simultaneously overwhelms the here and now."

theprogspace 10/10: "Ihlo’s growth since their beginnings has been nothing short of spectacular, and to witness how far they’ve come is inspiring. After listening nonstop to ‘Legacy’, it is really hard for me to realize that it is just their second album (!). It is so well produced with its raw energy and depth. It is truly cementing their career, carving out a big bold name within the best of the best in the prog metal universe."

metal-heads.de: "Ein interessantes Prog-Werk haben IHLO da erschaffen."
"IHLO have created an interesting prog work."

moshpitpassion.de: "Manchmal hört man einen Song und weiß sofort: Das hier wird etwas Besonderes. Genau so wirkt „Replica“, die neue Single von IHLO. …macht deutlich, wie weit sich die Band seit ihrem Debüt entwickelt hat. Die Atmosphäre ist dicht, die Dynamikwechsel kommen plötzlich und hart, und der Breakdown bringt eine rohe Härte mit, wie man sie von IHLO in dieser Form noch nicht kannte. Und trotzdem bleibt alles stimmig, melodisch und emotional aufgeladen."
"Sometimes you hear a song and know immediately: This is going to be something special. That's exactly how "Replica," the new single from IHLO, feels. ...makes it clear how far the band has evolved since their debut. The atmosphere is dense, the dynamic shifts are sudden and harsh, and the breakdown brings a raw heaviness never before seen from IHLO. And yet everything remains coherent, melodic, and emotionally charged."


Press Quotes:

Rock Hard 8.5/10: "...noch ausgereifter und dürften sich endgültig als eine feste Größe im britischen Prog Metal etablieren. Das Nebeneinander von modernen und traditionellen Elementen funktioniert ganz wunderbar... Eine der positivsten Überraschungen des Prog-Jahres 2025!"
"...even more mature and should finally establish themselves as a permanent fixture in British prog metal. The juxtaposition of modern and traditional elements works wonderfully... One of the most positive surprises of the prog year 2025!"

Metal Hammer 4.5/7: "Insofern gehört auch LEGACY zu den tiefschürfenden Statements einer modernen Band, die voll im Zeitgeist ist."
"In this respect, LEGACY is also one of the profound statements of a modern band that is fully in tune with the zeitgeist."

Legacy 13/15: "Diese Band ist manifestierte Kreativität, die dazu dient, den Geist mit Glück zu erfüllen. So viel Schönheit ist schon bemerkenswert. Dieses Werk ist wahrlich ein Vermächtnis, welches den Prog in ein neues Zeitalter führt und in der Musikwelt seine Spuren hinterlassen wird."
"This band is manifest creativity that serves to fill the spirit with happiness. Such beauty is truly remarkable. This work is truly a legacy that will lead prog metal into a new era and leave its mark on the music world."

eclipsed 8/10 (#2 in eclipsed Radar Top 20): "Die erzeugten Stimmungen - die mit den eine dystopische Zukunft beschreibenden Texten korrelieren - machen „Legacy" vielmehr zu einem Bauch-Album, das mit Atmosphäre punktet und einem bei jedem Durchlauf besser gefällt. ...Durchweg tolle Melodien, starker Gesang und abwechslungsreiche Gestaltung der Songs. ...Es ist ein moderner Kopfhörer-Traum, den Ihlo hier abgeliefert haben."
"The moods created—which correlate with the lyrics describing a dystopian future—make "Legacy" more of a gut-pumping album, one that scores with atmosphere and grows more likable with each listen. ...Consistently great melodies, strong vocals, and varied songwriting. ...It's a modern headphone dream that Ihlo have delivered here."

saitenkult.de 9/10: "Mit ´Legacy´ legen IHLO den Grundstein zu ihrem eigenen Vermächtnis. Ein Werk, das in die Zukunft strahlt und zugleich im Hier und Jetzt überwältigt."
"With 'Legacy,' IHLO lay the foundation for their own legacy. A work that radiates into the future and simultaneously overwhelms the here and now."

theprogspace 10/10: "Ihlo’s growth since their beginnings has been nothing short of spectacular, and to witness how far they’ve come is inspiring. After listening nonstop to ‘Legacy’, it is really hard for me to realize that it is just their second album (!). It is so well produced with its raw energy and depth. It is truly cementing their career, carving out a big bold name within the best of the best in the prog metal universe."

metal-heads.de: "Ein interessantes Prog-Werk haben IHLO da erschaffen."
"IHLO have created an interesting prog work."

moshpitpassion.de: "Manchmal hört man einen Song und weiß sofort: Das hier wird etwas Besonderes. Genau so wirkt „Replica“, die neue Single von IHLO. …macht deutlich, wie weit sich die Band seit ihrem Debüt entwickelt hat. Die Atmosphäre ist dicht, die Dynamikwechsel kommen plötzlich und hart, und der Breakdown bringt eine rohe Härte mit, wie man sie von IHLO in dieser Form noch nicht kannte. Und trotzdem bleibt alles stimmig, melodisch und emotional aufgeladen."
"Sometimes you hear a song and know immediately: This is going to be something special. That's exactly how "Replica," the new single from IHLO, feels. ...makes it clear how far the band has evolved since their debut. The atmosphere is dense, the dynamic shifts are sudden and harsh, and the breakdown brings a raw heaviness never before seen from IHLO. And yet everything remains coherent, melodic, and emotionally charged.

Press Quotes:

Rock Hard 8.5/10: "...noch ausgereifter und dürften sich endgültig als eine feste Größe im britischen Prog Metal etablieren. Das Nebeneinander von modernen und traditionellen Elementen funktioniert ganz wunderbar... Eine der positivsten Überraschungen des Prog-Jahres 2025!"
"...even more mature and should finally establish themselves as a permanent fixture in British prog metal. The juxtaposition of modern and traditional elements works wonderfully... One of the most positive surprises of the prog year 2025!"

Metal Hammer 4.5/7: "Insofern gehört auch LEGACY zu den tiefschürfenden Statements einer modernen Band, die voll im Zeitgeist ist."
"In this respect, LEGACY is also one of the profound statements of a modern band that is fully in tune with the zeitgeist."

Legacy 13/15: "Diese Band ist manifestierte Kreativität, die dazu dient, den Geist mit Glück zu erfüllen. So viel Schönheit ist schon bemerkenswert. Dieses Werk ist wahrlich ein Vermächtnis, welches den Prog in ein neues Zeitalter führt und in der Musikwelt seine Spuren hinterlassen wird."
"This band is manifest creativity that serves to fill the spirit with happiness. Such beauty is truly remarkable. This work is truly a legacy that will lead prog metal into a new era and leave its mark on the music world."

eclipsed 8/10 (#2 in eclipsed Radar Top 20): "Die erzeugten Stimmungen - die mit den eine dystopische Zukunft beschreibenden Texten korrelieren - machen „Legacy" vielmehr zu einem Bauch-Album, das mit Atmosphäre punktet und einem bei jedem Durchlauf besser gefällt. ...Durchweg tolle Melodien, starker Gesang und abwechslungsreiche Gestaltung der Songs. ...Es ist ein moderner Kopfhörer-Traum, den Ihlo hier abgeliefert haben."
"The moods created—which correlate with the lyrics describing a dystopian future—make "Legacy" more of a gut-pumping album, one that scores with atmosphere and grows more likable with each listen. ...Consistently great melodies, strong vocals, and varied songwriting. ...It's a modern headphone dream that Ihlo have delivered here."

saitenkult.de 9/10: "Mit ´Legacy´ legen IHLO den Grundstein zu ihrem eigenen Vermächtnis. Ein Werk, das in die Zukunft strahlt und zugleich im Hier und Jetzt überwältigt."
"With 'Legacy,' IHLO lay the foundation for their own legacy. A work that radiates into the future and simultaneously overwhelms the here and now."

theprogspace 10/10: "Ihlo’s growth since their beginnings has been nothing short of spectacular, and to witness how far they’ve come is inspiring. After listening nonstop to ‘Legacy’, it is really hard for me to realize that it is just their second album (!). It is so well produced with its raw energy and depth. It is truly cementing their career, carving out a big bold name within the best of the best in the prog metal universe."

metal-heads.de: "Ein interessantes Prog-Werk haben IHLO da erschaffen."
"IHLO have created an interesting prog work."

moshpitpassion.de: "Manchmal hört man einen Song und weiß sofort: Das hier wird etwas Besonderes. Genau so wirkt „Replica“, die neue Single von IHLO. …macht deutlich, wie weit sich die Band seit ihrem Debüt entwickelt hat. Die Atmosphäre ist dicht, die Dynamikwechsel kommen plötzlich und hart, und der Breakdown bringt eine rohe Härte mit, wie man sie von IHLO in dieser Form noch nicht kannte. Und trotzdem bleibt alles stimmig, melodisch und emotional aufgeladen."
"Sometimes you hear a song and know immediately: This is going to be something special. That's exactly how "Replica," the new single from IHLO, feels. ...makes it clear how far the band has evolved since their debut. The atmosphere is dense, the dynamic shifts are sudden and harsh, and the breakdown brings a raw heaviness never before seen from IHLO. And yet everything remains coherent, melodic, and emotionally charged."


Press Quotes:

Rock Hard 8.5/10: "...noch ausgereifter und dürften sich endgültig als eine feste Größe im britischen Prog Metal etablieren. Das Nebeneinander von modernen und traditionellen Elementen funktioniert ganz wunderbar... Eine der positivsten Überraschungen des Prog-Jahres 2025!"
"...even more mature and should finally establish themselves as a permanent fixture in British prog metal. The juxtaposition of modern and traditional elements works wonderfully... One of the most positive surprises of the prog year 2025!"

Metal Hammer 4.5/7: "Insofern gehört auch LEGACY zu den tiefschürfenden Statements einer modernen Band, die voll im Zeitgeist ist."
"In this respect, LEGACY is also one of the profound statements of a modern band that is fully in tune with the zeitgeist."

Legacy 13/15: "Diese Band ist manifestierte Kreativität, die dazu dient, den Geist mit Glück zu erfüllen. So viel Schönheit ist schon bemerkenswert. Dieses Werk ist wahrlich ein Vermächtnis, welches den Prog in ein neues Zeitalter führt und in der Musikwelt seine Spuren hinterlassen wird."
"This band is manifest creativity that serves to fill the spirit with happiness. Such beauty is truly remarkable. This work is truly a legacy that will lead prog metal into a new era and leave its mark on the music world."

eclipsed 8/10 (#2 in eclipsed Radar Top 20): "Die erzeugten Stimmungen - die mit den eine dystopische Zukunft beschreibenden Texten korrelieren - machen „Legacy" vielmehr zu einem Bauch-Album, das mit Atmosphäre punktet und einem bei jedem Durchlauf besser gefällt. ...Durchweg tolle Melodien, starker Gesang und abwechslungsreiche Gestaltung der Songs. ...Es ist ein moderner Kopfhörer-Traum, den Ihlo hier abgeliefert haben."
"The moods created—which correlate with the lyrics describing a dystopian future—make "Legacy" more of a gut-pumping album, one that scores with atmosphere and grows more likable with each listen. ...Consistently great melodies, strong vocals, and varied songwriting. ...It's a modern headphone dream that Ihlo have delivered here."

saitenkult.de 9/10: "Mit ´Legacy´ legen IHLO den Grundstein zu ihrem eigenen Vermächtnis. Ein Werk, das in die Zukunft strahlt und zugleich im Hier und Jetzt überwältigt."
"With 'Legacy,' IHLO lay the foundation for their own legacy. A work that radiates into the future and simultaneously overwhelms the here and now."

theprogspace 10/10: "Ihlo’s growth since their beginnings has been nothing short of spectacular, and to witness how far they’ve come is inspiring. After listening nonstop to ‘Legacy’, it is really hard for me to realize that it is just their second album (!). It is so well produced with its raw energy and depth. It is truly cementing their career, carving out a big bold name within the best of the best in the prog metal universe."

metal-heads.de: "Ein interessantes Prog-Werk haben IHLO da erschaffen."
"IHLO have created an interesting prog work."

moshpitpassion.de: "Manchmal hört man einen Song und weiß sofort: Das hier wird etwas Besonderes. Genau so wirkt „Replica“, die neue Single von IHLO. …macht deutlich, wie weit sich die Band seit ihrem Debüt entwickelt hat. Die Atmosphäre ist dicht, die Dynamikwechsel kommen plötzlich und hart, und der Breakdown bringt eine rohe Härte mit, wie man sie von IHLO in dieser Form noch nicht kannte. Und trotzdem bleibt alles stimmig, melodisch und emotional aufgeladen."
"Sometimes you hear a song and know immediately: This is going to be something special. That's exactly how "Replica," the new single from IHLO, feels. ...makes it clear how far the band has evolved since their debut. The atmosphere is dense, the dynamic shifts are sudden and harsh, and the breakdown brings a raw heaviness never before seen from IHLO. And yet everything remains coherent, melodic, and emotionally charged.

This deluxe 2025 vinyl edition of The Grateful Dead's Grayfolded was pressed at Optimal in Germany, known for their high end audiophile pressings.In 1993 Canadian composer John Oswald was invited by Phil Lesh to transform historical recordings of the Dead into something new, along the lines of what they had attempted in their Anthem of the Sun album.

Oswald chose to focus on the Dead’s Dark Star, which, over the courseof a quarter century, they had expanded and transformed in myriad waysin live performances. Oswald was given access to the Vaults, whereover the course of a month, with the guidance of the Dead's resident archivist Dick Latvala, he collected 105 performances, which throughthe following year he formed, folded, fondled, and finessed into a kaleidoscopic unstuck-in-time documentary of the Grateful Dead in someof their most psychedelic, symphonic, and rocking excursions— asingular 110-minute fantasy performance.Here it is, Deadheads, the ultimate Dark Star is now on vinyl. Deluxe audiophile pressing cut in Toronto under the watchful ears of John Oswald. Elaborately printed packaging in a heavy duty triple gatefold jacket includes liner notes by musicologist Rob Bowman featuring interviews with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Robert Hunter plus six"time maps" which chart the source concerts of Dark Star.Music performed by The Grateful Dead (c) Grateful Dead Productions Inc. & Ice Nine Publishing Inc.

Taken from over 100 performances of Dark Star recorded between 1968 and 1993. Built, layered and "folded"to produce one large, new re-composed Dark Star.John Oswald is best known as the the creator of the music genre Plunderphonics, an appropriative form of recording studio creation which he began to develop in the late sixties. This has got him in trouble with, and also generated invitations from major record labels and musical icons. Meanwhile, in the í90ís he began, with several commissions from the Kronos Quartet, to compose scores for classical musicians and orchestras, the latest of which is an orchestral work,commissioned by the BBC, combining aspects of The Beatles, Gyˆrgy Ligeti, and Terry Riley. He also improvises on the saxophone in various settings, dances, and is a successful visual artist, best known for the chronophotic series Stillnessence

Released by Hegoa Records and Night School Records.
Greatest Heads is the fourth album by the radical Basque- Berlinesque group Al Karpenter. A deconstruction of structured “rock” music, here Al Karpenter re-imagine “the band” to explore the intersection between Free music, afro-beat, the avant garde and gonzo rock.
If Theodore Adorno wrote “To Write Poetry after Auschwitz is Barbaric” in 1949, Al Karpenter attempts to answer the difficult question today; what kind of music can be done in the face of a genocide? Álvaro Matilla, Marta Sainz, Enrique Zaccagnini & Mattin’s response to the planet’s slipping into a vortex of hate is to create a music ecstatic, a music of protest bursting with multiple musical languages and glossaries, full of overlapping histories and thrilling tensions.
Greatest Heads posits a plurality of musics both in opposition and intertwined: Al Karpenter play rock instruments pulled apart in the studio in post-production. Distorted rhythm chunks bit-crushed and dissipated, segments of freedom oppressed by waves of sound invading from every direction. The interplay between the chief instrumentalists and renowned, storied sound artist Mattin creates something akin to ESP freedom-seekers Cro Magnon playing in Miles Davis’ early 70s groups, The Los Angeles Free Music Society tightening up into a clenched fist of plunderphonics and runaway percussion.
We Are All Karpenters opens Greatest Heads with the most straight-forward song refrain of the record accompanied by a band that soon crash into eruption, imagining Sun City Girls in full free rock mode.
The modulating synth sound soon sucks the band into its wake to create a spine-chilling climax of distorted sound, made fully orgasmic with mastering engineer Rashad Becker’s attention to detail. On Izugarrizko Buruak (Greatest Heads), Matilla intones in Basque over a mangled distorto-beat. A Brand New Astraphobia creates a black space for a heavily processed guitar to blow up before falling to earth at night, a gentle figure serenading the coming end.
On Side B, the band begins by being masticated by a brutal phaser, squelching and stretching the music into new territories. The overt message of Stop The Genocide! is besieged by violence before Worm City aggressively samples the ghosts of soul music, mixing in noise bursts, prepared piano and swiping, abstracted sound. Epic closer Perfect Love feels like a beat poetry performance on a burnt world, still grasping for community, for home, for some sort of human love. A Mad love, then; an angry love fuelled by solidarity and collaboration.
The band’s cascading layers of references and polyglottal musics attempt to create the perfect lover, alive with rage and disorientating ecstasy: Al Karpenter.

Rotterdam-based Robin Kester"s music thrives in moments of quiet unease. Following her 2020 mini-album "This Is Not A Democracy", Kester was lauded for her stirring blend of chamber pop and psychedelia for her debut album "Honeycomb Shades" (2023) which was named Dutch album of the year by newspapers NRC and de Volkskrant. Now, Kester returns with second album "Dark Sky Reserve" via Memphis Industries; a soundtrack to all the thoughts that bubble to the surface once the silence sinks in. "Dark Sky Reserve" is Kester"s most artistically focused record to date, combining a rich, layered humanity in the music with minimalist lyricism. With the help of producer Ali Chant and a variety of other collaborators including Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Rozi Plain, Kester balances scenes of idyllic bliss from the "magical and strange" "Talybont-on-Usk" with existential questions on "Departure".

Rotterdam-based Robin Kester"s music thrives in moments of quiet unease. Following her 2020 mini-album "This Is Not A Democracy", Kester was lauded for her stirring blend of chamber pop and psychedelia for her debut album "Honeycomb Shades" (2023) which was named Dutch album of the year by newspapers NRC and de Volkskrant. Now, Kester returns with second album "Dark Sky Reserve" via Memphis Industries; a soundtrack to all the thoughts that bubble to the surface once the silence sinks in. "Dark Sky Reserve" is Kester"s most artistically focused record to date, combining a rich, layered humanity in the music with minimalist lyricism. With the help of producer Ali Chant and a variety of other collaborators including Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Rozi Plain, Kester balances scenes of idyllic bliss from the "magical and strange" "Talybont-on-Usk" with existential questions on "Departure".

Charles D has got the touch right now. Following ‘The Bouncer’, his blistering collaboration with Space 92, he returns with another slice of peak-time perfection, ‘Control’. The New Yorker has become one of the most promising artists to emerge on Drumcode in recent times; from his terrific body of remixes, led by Adam Beyer & Bart Skils ‘Your Mind’ and Mike Macaluso’s ‘Final Chapter’, to cuts on the label’s A-Sides compilation (‘Traction’ and ‘Yantee’), right through to his breakthrough EP release in 2023 ‘Don’t Stop’. With a recent standout collab with Space 92 ‘The Bouncer’ under his belt, you can always rely on the artist to craft captivating, big-moment productions.

Host of the popular Synthesized Radio and soon to be launching his own label project KONKRTE, Charles D says the writing process for ‘Control’ came quickly, with the first ideas coming together on the plane home from an energising weekend of gigs. “I'm really inspired by a lot of the new music out there, and wanted to make something that felt peak time, but had some melodic techno and tech house flavor to it. I made several versions of it, but the very first version was the one that made the cut. When I heard Adam play it at Drumsheds and Resistance in Miami and saw the crowd’s reaction, I knew not to mess with it too much.” – Charles D ‘Control’ is a high-octane trip and deliciously dynamic. Framed by the producer’s trademark plump basslines and crisp percussion, it makes a statement via a torrent of head-scrambling riffs and effects.

Brooklyn-based artists Leslie Graves and Toby Goodshank have joined creative forces on their album Between Worlds (BB*ISLAND), Toby Goodshank (The Moldy Peaches, The Pizza Underground) of the OG New York Antifolk scene, is known for his precise and acrobatic vocals over nuanced acoustic guitar in songs that have been described as "a zesty thumb of the nose at domesticated bullshit." (Myles Manley) Leslie Graves (GOLD, Endless Arrows) is a performing songwriter and recording artist who takes folk subgenres into evocative and intriguing directions, including "sounding like something you could hear Donna Hayward dancing to at the Bang Bang Bar." (Ronan Conroy, "Hidden In the Days" album review) Her voice has been described as "darkwave-meets-folk" with comparisons to Lana Del Rey, Cat Powers, Mazzy Star and Julee Cruise. Acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies make up the core of their music. a slightly psychedelic, at times dream pop-like folkrock. It just draws from a variety of folk and rock. You might hear hints of Sybil Baer, Judee Sill, REM, Linda Perhacs, and Jessica Pratt, but the intersection of Toby and Leslie is truly a place of its own, warm and enchanting, or perhaps a glimmer from the spaces in between worlds. Many instrumental threads are interwoven throughout with the invaluable skills of Jake Nicoll (The Burning Hell) who lovingly engineered and embellished the recordings. Ariel Sharrat of The Burning Hell assisted him and is also featured on saxophone or bass or on some songs here. Speaking to their process, Leslie writes, "Toby is great at composing song structures quickly. It was fun to feel into the emotion of the chords and write from there. The process was like chiseling away at a stone to reveal the sculpture underneath. I like when songs come like that - when it feels that they are teaching us as they are revealed."

Gothenburg/Malmö-based post rock power trio Barrens return with Corpse Lights, the band's second full-length release following their critically-acclaimed 2020 debut Penumbra. Five years in the making, Corpse Lights sees Barrens strike a breathtaking balance between light and dark, beauty and brutality. Corpse Lights, Barrens' sophomore album, is somehow deeper, richer and headier; imbued with an alluring compositional patience that serves as unspoken testament to the combined creativity of the trio in their element, as something so much greater than the sum of its parts. Recorded and produced by Kristofer Jönson, who also helmed Penumbra, and mixed and mastered once again by Cult of Luna's Magnus Lindberg, shimmering synthesizers and sprawling guitars lead the charge propelled by exhilarating drums and percussion but Corpse Lights also finds Barrens using space, silence and atmosphere as another instrument if not as another band member entirely. `Corpse Lights' is the name given to the folk belief that small coloured lights often appear near the home of someone about to die, leading them along the path to their eventual resting place. Often considered to be evidence of the soul leaving the body, the concept of corpse lights embodies Barrens' approach to creating music as a cathartic release; not just writing music because they want to but because they have to. Their writing process is one of joy, light and release as much as it is dark, heavy and tense. The result is Corpse Lights, a collection of nine pieces that guide us through five tumultuous years of highs and lows, of loves and losses and victories and defeats without ever needing to say a word. FOR FANS OF Mono, PG.LOST, Caspian, Mogwai, This Will Destroy You, Russian Circles, Pelican, Scraps Of Tape, God Is An Astronaut. Vinyl is a gatefold, the sleeve comes with metalic ink

Gothenburg/Malmö-based post rock power trio Barrens return with Corpse Lights, the band's second full-length release following their critically-acclaimed 2020 debut Penumbra. Five years in the making, Corpse Lights sees Barrens strike a breathtaking balance between light and dark, beauty and brutality. Corpse Lights, Barrens' sophomore album, is somehow deeper, richer and headier; imbued with an alluring compositional patience that serves as unspoken testament to the combined creativity of the trio in their element, as something so much greater than the sum of its parts. Recorded and produced by Kristofer Jönson, who also helmed Penumbra, and mixed and mastered once again by Cult of Luna's Magnus Lindberg, shimmering synthesizers and sprawling guitars lead the charge propelled by exhilarating drums and percussion but Corpse Lights also finds Barrens using space, silence and atmosphere as another instrument if not as another band member entirely. `Corpse Lights' is the name given to the folk belief that small coloured lights often appear near the home of someone about to die, leading them along the path to their eventual resting place. Often considered to be evidence of the soul leaving the body, the concept of corpse lights embodies Barrens' approach to creating music as a cathartic release; not just writing music because they want to but because they have to. Their writing process is one of joy, light and release as much as it is dark, heavy and tense. The result is Corpse Lights, a collection of nine pieces that guide us through five tumultuous years of highs and lows, of loves and losses and victories and defeats without ever needing to say a word. FOR FANS OF Mono, PG.LOST, Caspian, Mogwai, This Will Destroy You, Russian Circles, Pelican, Scraps Of Tape, God Is An Astronaut. Vinyl is a gatefold, the sleeve comes with metalic ink, the Periastron edition is transparent "white" Vinyl

Artist and multi-instrumentalist Flaer embraces the search for quiet miracles on first full-length LP Translations.

In 2023, Realf Heygate - who makes music as Flaer - released his debut mini-album Preludes, composed on his mother’s piano and his childhood cello.Returning to ODDA for his debut full-length album, Heygate is now looking in another direction. A record that embraces transition and movement, Translations is in many ways more internal, less rooted to a single place and reflective of the process of laying new foundations in Cornwall.

Like Preludes, Translations is coloured with found sounds and field recordings, from the starlings which can be heard singing through the open window of his studio, to the brittle recordings of his mother, who was a linguist, learning Spanish on a set of language tapes. In both cases, Heygate embraced the translations and memories inherent to the sounds.

“When I digitised my mother’s tapes, they warped and stuttered in a very similar way to the starling’s song,” he explains. “They had this uncanny rhythm and pulse that I couldn’t quite decode, but was saying something." These decayed transmissions hint at loss, resisting clarity in favour of the ineffable.

Translations is also a record of ambiguities and in-betweens, suggested by the double meaning of the album’s opening track ‘Entre’. At once intricate and expansive, threaded with birdsong and acoustic guitar motifs, this and ‘Starling Descends’ (a reference to Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’) act as a bridge away from the pastoral themes of Preludes towards a more assertive sound. At times intimate in its textured instrumentation and at others more overtly grand in orchestration, reflecting awider palette of influences.

“Flaer began in many ways when I picked up my mother’s instruments, seeking a form of reconnection. Where words evaded me, they became the tools through which I found a language for grief – and above all, for love.”

Recorded between 2023 and 2025 – what Heygate calls “A gradual process of sowing and harvesting ideas rather than a single intense creative period” - each track follows a rhythm similar to the small maquettes and sculptures he has been working on in his visual practice, whereby structures and melodies form intuitively in moments that are as rare as they are fleeting.

“It's that feeling of searching that I really enjoy,” Heygate continues. “I never know what the destination of the composition is going to be, and I never really find what it is."

Translations is released on limited edition off-white vinyl LP (500 copies worldwide) with one of five signed and numbered handmade risograph prints. It's also available as standard black vinyl LP and digitally.

Whitney K returns with 'Bubble', his first album for Fire Records and follow-up to 2022's acclaimed 'Hard To Be A God'. Whitney K continue his migrant mind games, summoning up a series of intriguing characters, littered with everyday foibles and fantasies. Along the way, he pens a journal of possibilities as he travels further into transient America, touching on everything from bar room chatter, rumour and distortion to misinformation, daydreams, misunderstanding and self-realisation; with anecdotes lifted from the paperback in his back pocket and his half-forgotten past. 'Bubble' is a 13-part cerebral mystery that unravels on songs that bring to mind the gruff sentimentality of the late Kris Kristoferson, Lennon's 'Jealous Guy', Eels at their most troubled and the American Gothic sketches of David Ackles; the perfect soundtrack for a Raymond Carver book club. Recorded in Montreal, it's self-produced by band members Josh Boguski and Michael Halls at their home studio. This stripped back release is Whitney K's most raw yet refined work to date-an honest, sonically paradoxical collection that finds fresh possibilities in the familiar shapes of rock, pop, and folk with the same unfiltered energy and poetic gravity we have come to expect from this modern-day troubadour whose descriptive storytelling is filled with sketchy characters and rudimentary comment. RIYL Bill Callahan, Silver Jews, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, Cate LeBon, Kurt Vile, Wilco, MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee, Cass McCombs, Giant Sand...

Mutant, in partnership with Back Lot Music and Focus Features are proud to present the premiere physical release of David Holmes masterful score to Steven Soderbergh's latest thriller BLACK BAG. Ever since their first collaboration on OUT OF SIGHT, and throughout their OCEANS-trilogy, Holmes and Soderberg create an energy and verve with their productions. BLACK BAG is no outlier; percussive and inventive, and vibey throughout, this score is equal parts pulse-pounding and seductive. Playfully underscoring spy-tropes with kitchy 60's intrigue instrumentation and modern electronic sensibilities, Holmes has crafted something truly unique.

Sticking a dirty thumb in the eye of fate, our third collaboration sees this marrow deep family malarky turn official as Pace Yourself teams up with YS’s own imprint ERF REC for a split release. As if our status as minor celebrities and footnotes of the underground could level off no further: the unification no one asked for is here. Sticking it to the man, handing your arse to ya on plate; cauterising infected suburban minds world over.

Burn is the second YS album and written as a direct follow-up album to Brutal Flowers. If their first album was an exercise in the incremental, a construction of poise and patience, Burn, should be taken way the fuck at it’s word: it quite literally finds catharsis in twisted reverse. Birthed out the malignant kick found in deconstruction and chaos. Evil twin, psychotic younger sibling, call it what the hell you like. It might take you a moment to get the lay of the land in this darkly mutated world. Like a bug eye’d native first confronted with a zippo, the hit is radical and instant: a new way for the world to go up in smoke.

Splice the Seattle slacker scene with the spliffhead soundsystem culture of the 90s Bristol trip-hop scene, then cross-breed that with the DIY optimism and glee in creation found in the cut-and-paste worlds of skate, graffiti and hiphop, now run that through the skitzo basement mind of John.T. Gast and you’re close to the kind of scorched earth and spiked suburbia that birthed Burn.

Dunno quite what YS have been ingesting of late but this massively twisted LP touches on a host of gloriously fucked totemic underground sources while not sounding much like any of them. It has the ballsy swagger and hard flipping of the script as Massive Attack’s seminal Blue Lines. Indeed, the eponymous album tracks sound similar - the opener ‘Burn’ is like a hard nosed jammed out redux of ‘Blue Lines’. Getting into a kind of slow-spinning overdubbed maximal euphoria ending with mumbled downer vocals, struggling to conceal their tongues in their cheeks there’s an air of paranoia and proto-conspiracy theory. It’ll leave you scratching your head, feeling like you’ve stepped into a New World Order governed by a cacophony of drop outs, dope fiends and apocalyptic stoners. A cracked out world somewhere between Richard Linklater’s movie Slacker (1990) and Marc Singer’s Dark Days (2001).

The rest of the album parts like a tongue on a wine glass: Smith and Mighty, Bandulu, ambient Luke Slater records, Wah Wah Wino, Nurse with Wound, Land of the Loops, Placid Angels, Adrian Sherwood, Urban Tribe and DJ Shadow can all be heard in momentary splatters - but Burn like other works by YS, is its own ritual beast. ‘Moth’, a track which has been knocking about the underground deejai circuit for many moons, is a real raw chopped and screwed slice of stoner erotica that reeks of obsession and unrequited desire. Elsewhere, on tracks like ‘Switch’, ‘Trying’ and ‘Drift’ the throughline from Brutal Flowers can be heard. Underneath the driving heavy gravity the trademark emotional intimacies of YS linger: eternal recurrence, ghosts of static and shortwave, worn memories of the playful and painful sort. The brief moments where flashes of orchestral ambience get out from underneath the swagger are so pure, personal and unguarded that for a moment they leave you completely lonesome. In the album’s closer ‘End’, you can hear the fleeting promise and DIY possibilities of an analogue world and embers of ash that flutter in its wake: where it seemed, for a brief moment, that collective of DJs, engineers, rappers, graffiti artists and skate crews were emerging from the streets, giving the middle fingers to the system, before just as quickly disappearing back to the doldrums of obscurity. ‘End’ is a bittersweet ode to early soundsystem culture, MCs and pirate radio - an out of step time where for a moment the underdogs and weirdos seemed to be kicking on the door of something bigger.

A veritable teenage doof suite dosed with desire, claustrophobia and deviance. Burn is a good old howl at the moon: lonely, raw, and out for blood; basement style exegesis at its best. A thump to the gut, a stud through your blood. A dubbed-to-death classic straight out of the annals of nowhere. A perfect post card from oblivion. A bleak, bold and personally ferocious vision of tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

This is everything that record collectors skip dates for. Fuck the scene and keep that shit underground. That’s what it is all about. Know what I mean, if you do? You’re in…

Legendary Indonesian musicianHarry Roesligets a fresh dancefloor-ready tribute with a special"Remiks"EP on vinyl, featuring four tracks reinterpreted by four top-notch producers from two countries.

From Indonesia,KomodoandMidnight Runnersbring their signature grooves, while Japan'sKaoru InoueandChidaadd their own unique flavor to the mix. This limited edition release, out onAugust 25, 2025, is brought to you byLamunai RecordsandMondo.

This isn't just another remix/re-edit EP it's a cross-cultural celebration of Harry Roesli's wildly eclectic sound, reimagined for today's global dance floors. From cosmic disco, deep house to techno textures, each producer offers a personal yet respectful take on Harry's original works, introducing his genius to a new generation of listeners.

"We wanted to shine a light on Harry Roesli's music in a way that connects with DJs, collectors, fans, and crate diggers around the world," says a rep from Lamunai Records. "These remixes breathe new life into his legacy timeless melodies meet modern club energy."

TheEP will be available in limited-edition vinyl starting August 25, perfect for collectors, selectors, and anyone looking to add something truly special to their set.

Get ready for a rare fusion of Indonesian roots, Japanese electronic finesse, and serious dancefloor vibes. Let's celebrate the past by dancing into the future.

We are excited to announce the return of the iconic Totally Wired series with a brand new collection on LP and CD. The first 50 orders will include a special art print of the artwork. We are also doing a limited edition T-shirt to celebrate this milestone!

In 1988 Acid Jazz released its first compilation album ‘Totally Wired: A Collection From Acid Jazz Records’. Compiled by Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson it collated 11 tracks that summed up the early days of our scene, mixing new label signings, cool new records being played in our clubs and a couple of oldies. It sold well to the then small scene and set the template for a series, that in the wake of the international success of The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, The James Taylor Quartet and others exploded. By the time that Volume 5 appeared, we were selling tens of thousands of copies, with major label artists vying for inclusion.

By that point ‘Totally Wired’ was a phenomenon, that sign-posted changes in both the directions of new music, but of the oldies that were played on the scene. It gave DJs new tunes to play and soundtracked 1000s of Cafés and bars the world over in the age of the CD. It was largely retired at the end of the 90s and as times changed.

Over the years we have been asked to return to the scene of the crime, but it has never quite felt right, until now. With vinyl back, and the need for easy to digest compilations becoming neccessary in the chaos of streaming’s ‘I can listen to anything I want, but can’t think what that might be’ is evident, but also we are feeling excited about where Acid Jazz is right now. New artists on the label are making great records, Matt Berry has a Top thirty album, and The Brand New Heavies are headlining the Royal Albert Hall. It’s easy to make an exciting album when that is happening.

So we are releasing “Totally Wired: A New Collection From Acid Jazz” and treating it like the important milestone that it is. From the Acid Jazz sid we have new and exclusive recordings by Matt Berry, Chris Bangs and new signings Earth-o-Naut and Quiet Fire, there is also a recent white label only 45 cut by the Soul Revivers – released ahead of their new album due this Autumn and featuring Kokoroko’s Shiela Maurice-Grey and Anoushka Nanguy. For the oldies we have dug deep into our own archives to bring you the Acid Jazz Orchestra’s version of Corduroy’s ‘Something In My Eye’ and The Brand New Heavies astounding funk take of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Rock Steady’. These are all joined by recent scene records by Carmy Love – one of the greatest voices in the UK – The Romero Brothers, and BDQ, carrying the series onwards at last.

Classically trained, with a background in jazz, soul and gospel, Laura Mvula emerged from Kings Heath, Birmingham in 2012 with her first EP, She. The following year her debut album, Sing To The Moon, dropped to enthusiastic reviews; earning two MOBO awards (plus nominations for both the Mercury Prize and two Brits) and going gold. Preceded by Laura’s most popular single, ‘Green Garden’, a hymn to her west midlands home, Sing To the Moon was described in The Guardian as ‘Gospeldelia’, a genre unto itself, which may have been a small exaggeration but speaks to the album’s ambition, inventive arrangements and striking originality.

Barcelona-based producer Ikari debuts on NIX with When It’s Over, a tightly constructed EP that brings together the weight of low-end pressure with crisp percussive detail. Built for the club but with a strong emotional pull, the release folds bass-rooted aesthetics into tightly wound techno frameworks, led by carefully sculpted sound design and a deep sense of mood.

Each track acts as a standalone world, but together they form a cohesive whole, driven by feeling rather than formula. There is a subtle melancholy running through the release, not overbearing, but present in the tonal shifts, textural tension and soft-release moments that flicker throughout. It is a record that sharpens Ikari’s already distinctive voice, pushing his technical process further without losing the raw edge that defines his work.

On When It’s Over EP, the focus isn’t on maximalism. Every choice feels deliberate: harmonic details, spatial effects, rhythmic structure. All of it is aimed at stirring something visceral in the listener. It is the sound of an artist locked into his own narrative, inviting us to step in.

Mitsubishi Fuso is the first single from Ikari’s debut EP for NIX, out on 4th of July. The full EP follows on the 18th of August as a limited stamped white label, mastered and cut by Tim Xavier at Manmade Mastering.

In Guadeloupe, many people think that jazz and ka music are like a ring and a finger. To some extent, the same could be said about so called Latin music and the music played in the French West Indies.

Both aesthetics were born in the Caribbean and bear so many connections that they can easily be considered cousins. In constant dialogue, there are lots of examples of their fruitful alliance and have been for a while. The English country dance that used to be practiced in European lounges came to be called kadrille in Martinique and contradanza in Cuba. They both featured additional percussion instruments inherited from the transatlantic deportation. Drawing from shared feelings about the same traumatized identity – later to be creolized – it would be hard not to assume that they were meant to inspire each other. The golden age of the orchestras that graced the Pigalle nights during the interwar period further proves the point. As soon as the 1930s, Havana-born Don Barreto naturally mixed danzón and biguine music in a combo based at Melody's Bar. In the following decade, Félix Valvert, a conductor who was born and raised in Basse-Terre in Guadelupe, also worked wonders in Montparnasse with La Coupole, which was an orchestra made up of eclectic musicians. Afro- Caribbean performers of various origins were often hired on rhythm and brass sections in jazz bands, which used to enliven the typical French balls of the capital. In the 1930s and onwards, Rico’s Creole Band was one of them.



Martinican violinist-clarinettist Ernest Léardée, who would become the king of biguine music as well as the main figure of French Uncle Ben's TV commercials (a dark stigma of post-colonial stereotypes), had musicians from the whole Caribbean sphere play at his Bal Blomet – and they all enchanted "ces Zazous-là" (according the words of Léardée's biguine-calypso piece). In les Antilles (French for French West Indies), music history started to speed up in the 1950s, when trade expanded and radio stations grew bigger. The Guadelupean and Martiniquais youth tuned in their old galena radio sets to South American and Caribbean music. As for the women traders, les pacotilleuses, they bought and sold goods across different islands (the "passing of items through various hands" was thought to be most pleasurable) and brought back countless sounds in their luggage. Such was the case of Madame Balthazar, who once returned from Puerto Rico with the first 45rpm and 33rpm to ever enter Martinique.

Out of this adventure was created the famous Martinican label La Maison des Merengues, a music business she opened and undertook with her husband and which proved to be a major landmark. At the end of the 1950s, in Puerto Rico, Marius Cultier competed in the Piano International Contest playing a version of Monk's Round 'Midnight. He won the first prize and this distinction foreshadowed everything that was to come. Cultier, the heretic Monk of jazz, was quickly praised for writing superb melodies, always tinged with a twist that conferred a unique sound to his music. It didn't take long for the gifted self-taught musician to get to play with Los Cubanos, making a name for himself thanks to his impressive maestria on merengues.

The rest is history. Besides, in the late 1950s, Frantz Charles-Denis, born into the upper middle class in Saint-Pierre and better known by his first name Francisco, went back home after working at La Cabane Cubaine – a club located rue Fontaine where he had caught the Latin fever. Francisco's music was therefore heavily marked by his Cuban cousins' influence, which gave the combos he led a specific style and also led to renewal. Things were swinging hard in La Savane, located in the main square in Fort-de-France. He set up the Shango club close by and tested out the biguine lélé there, a new music formula spiced up with Latin rhythms. Soon afterwards, fate had him fly to Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

As for percussionist Henri Guédon (percussions were only a part of his many talents), he was born in Fort-de-France in May 22nd 1944, the day marking the celebration of the abolition of slavery. As an old man, he could remember that in " his father's Teppaz, a lot of hectic 6/8 music was constantly playing...". In the opening lines of his Lettre à Dizzy, a small illustrated collection of writings published by Del Arco, he highlighted the huge impact that cubop had on him as a teenage boy, around 1960. He eventually turned out to be the lider maximo in La Contesta, a big band steeped in Latin jazz. He was also the one who originated the word zouk to describe music which brought the sound of the New York barrio to Paris. It was the culmination of a journey that started in Sainte-Marie: "a mythical place for bélé, the equivalent of Cuban guaguancó". In the early 1960s, the tertiary economy developed to the detriment of agriculture. Yet rural life was where roots music emerged in Martinique and in Guadeloupe.

Record companies played a major part in the process of Latin versions sweeping across the islands – before reaching everywhere else. Producer Célini, boss of the great Aux Ondes label, and Marcel Mavounzy, both the head of Émeraude records - a firm which was founded in 1953 - as well as the brother of famous saxophonist Robert Mavounzy, were big names to bear in mind. Although there were many of them - all of whom are featured on this record - Henri Debs was definitely the major figure in the recording adventure. He proved to be so influential that he even got compared to Berry Gordy. In the mid 1950s, when he acquired his first Teppaz, he worked on his first compositions: a bolero and a chachacha. Then, he became the one man who made people discover Caribbean music, from calypso to merengue. He was among the first ones to rush out to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to buy records and distribute them through a store run by one of his brothers in Fort-de-France. He had members of the Fania All Star come and perform there, which he was madly proud about. He was also the first one to pay attention to Haitian music, such as compas direct and various other rhythms which would soon flood the market. As a result, many of the combos hitting his legendary studio would end up boosted by widespread "Afro-Latin" rhythms. However, he never denied his identity: gwo ka drums were given a major role, although they were instruments which had long been banned from the "official" music spheres. The present selection bears witness to such a creative swarming. Here are fourteen tracks of untimely yet unprecedented cross-fertilization: all types of music rooted in the Creole archipelago have found their way, whatsoever, to the tracklisting. Whether originating from the city or being more rural, they all go back to what Edouard Glissant, in an interview about the place of West Indian music in the Afro-American scope, called "the trace of singing, the one which got erased by slavery." "It is so in jazz, but also in reggae, calypso, biguine, salsa... This trace also manifests through the drums, whether Guadelupean, Dominican, Jamaican or Cuban... None of them being quite the same. They all point to the idea of a trace, seeking it out and connecting to each other through it. This is the hallmark of the African diaspora: its ability to create something new, in relation to itself, out of a trace. It may be the memory of a rhythm, the crafting of a drum, a means of expression which doesn't resort to an old language but to the modalities of it." The opening track features one of the emblematic orchestras of this aesthetic identity, criscrossing many music types from the archipelago. The 1974 Ray Barretto guajira – Ray Barretto was a major New York drummer influenced by Charlie Parker and Chano Pozzo – is magnificently performed by Malavoi, a legendary Fayolais group (i.e from Fort-de-France). Additionally, the compilation ends on a piece by Los Martiniqueños de Francisco. It symbolically closes the circle as it is a genuine potomitan of Martinique culture which also functions as a tireless campaigner for Afro-Caribbean music. Practicing the danmyé rounds (a kind of capoeiria) to the rhythm of the bèlè drum, it delivers a terrific Caterete, a kind of champeta of Afro- Colombian obedience which was originally composed by Colombian Fabián Ramón Veloz Fernández for the group Wgenda Kenya. The icing on the cake is Brazilian Marku Ribas, who found refuge in Martinique in the early 1970s, bringing his singing to the last trance-inducing track. These two "versions" convey the whole tone of a selection composed of rarities and classics of the tropicalized genre, swarming with tonic accents and convoluted rhythms. It is the sort of cocktail that the West Indians never failed to spice up with their own ingredients. For instance, the Los Caraïbes cover of Dónde, a famous Cuban theme composed by producer Ernesto Duarte Brito, has a typical violin and features renowned Martinique singer Joby Valente and his piquant voice.



The track used to be – or so we think – their only existing 45rpm. The meaningful Amor en chachachá by L'Ensemble Tropicana, a band which included Haitian musicians among whom was composer and leader Michel Desgrotte, also recalls how Latin music was pervasive in the tropics in the mid-1960s. They were the ones keeping people dancing at Le Cocoteraie in Guadelupe and La Bananeraie in Martinique. Around the same time, another "foreign" band, Congolese Freddy Mars N'Kounkou's Ryco Jazz, achieved some success on both islands by covering Latin jazz classics – such as their adaptation of Wachi Wara, a "soul sauce" by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo whose interweaving of strings and percussions can have anyone hit the dancefloor. How can you resist Dap Pinian indeed, a powerful guaguancó by Eugene Balthazar, performed by the Tropicana Orchestra and published by the Martinique-founded La Maison des Merengues? It also acts as a symbol of the maelstrom at work. Going by the name Paco et L'orchestre Cachunga, Roger Jaffory used to play guaguancó too: his Fania-inspired Oye mi consejo is one example of his style. Baila!!!!! Dancing was also one of the Kings' focus points. Oriza is a Puerto Rican bomba and a "classic" originally composed by Nuevayorquino trumpeter Ernie Agosto, which reserves major space for brasses, giving it a special sheen.

Emerging from the New York barrios crucible was also La Perfecta, a Martinique group originating from Trinidad, whose name directly references the totemic Eddie Palmieri figure as well as his own band, also called La Perfecta. Here they borrow Toumbadora from Colombian producer and composer Efraín Lancheros and interpret it by emphasizing percussions, which set fire to the track even more than the wind instruments. The same goes for Martinique's Super Jaguars, who use Tatalibaba – a composition by Cuban guitarist Florencio "Picolo" Santana which was made famous by Celia Cruz & La Sonora Matencera – as a pretext for sending their cadences into a frenzy. In a more typically salsa vein, the Super Combo, a famous Guadelupean orchestra from Pointe-Noire that was formed around the Desplan family and had Roger Plonquitte and Elie Bianay on board, adapt Serana, a theme by Roberto Angleró Pepín, a Puerto Rican composer, singer and musician also known for his song Soy Boricua. Here again, their vision comes close to surpassing the original. In the 1970s, L'Ensemble Abricot provided a handful of tracks of different syles, hence reaching the pinnacle of the art of achieving variety and giving pleasure. They played boleros, biguines, compas direct, guaguancó and even a good old boogaloo - the type they wanted to keep close to their hearts for ever, "pour toujours", as they sang along together in one of their songs. Léon Bertide's Martinican ensemble excelled at the boogaloo which had been composed by Puerto Rican saxophonist Hector Santos for the legendary El Gran Combo.



Three years later, in 1972, Henri Guédon, with the help of Paul Rosine on the vibraphone, tackled the Bilongo made famous by Eddie Palmieri. Such a classic!!!!! And so were the Aiglons, the band from Guadelupe: choosing to execute Pensando en tí, a composition by Dominican Aniceto Batista, on a cooler tempo than the original, they noticeably used a wonderfully (un)tuned keyboard in place of the accordion. On the high-value collectible single – the first one released by Les Aiglons under the Duli Disc label – there is a sticker classifying the track under the generic name "Afro". Now that is what we call a symbol. Jacques Denis

Seeking overlooked beauty and prizing reflection in a distracted world, Hammock creates cinematic music for the road less traveled. In stirring works of shimmering post-rock ambience that swell with hope and melancholic nostalgia, the Nashville-based duo of Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson immerse listeners in living visions of moments long past, animating life's fond remembrances and scarring losses with gentle lens-flare harmonics, heart-surging neoclassical drama, and pensive silence. A direct challenge to the passive existence of modern life, where everything can be experienced but precious little is felt, Hammock demands, and richly rewards, patience and contemplation. One of Hammock's career defining works, the Mysterium, Universalis, and Silencia trilogy came to a close in 2019. The first chapter, Mysterium, was written following the death of Byrd's 20-year-old nephew and dealt with incomprehensible, shattering loss. Difficult understanding came on Universalis, and an altered reality understood through quiet reflection took hold on Silencia. Emerging from the silence, a period that brought with it the global pandemic of Covid-19 that has kept loved ones apart, conscripted months upon months of isolation, and roused directionless longing for escape, Hammock presents Elsewhere. Recorded by Byrd and Thompson at their homes, apart and with minimal equipment, Elsewhere serves as a gateway to another place, materializes feelings of separation and loss without closure, and calls listeners back to live their lives - not spend them longing to be something or somewhere else. - Wyatt Marshal

Limitierte 7" mit zwei superben Remixen zum Debütalbum der Künstlerin Ellen Beth Abdi aus Manchester. Die Kultveteranen von A Certain Ratio verleihen ihrem Remix von "Sad Chord" genau die Dynamik und Energie, die man von ihnen erwartet. Während die aufstrebende Produzentin Paige Kennedy Ellens Debütsingle "Tenterhooks" mit frechen Garage-Grooves neu erfindet.

- "Something of a masterclass." - Louder Than War
- "Sharp lyrical insight with a distinctive sonic identity." - Backseat Mafia

World Of Echo announces the reissue of two remastered albums by Japanese guitarist and songwriter Naoki Zushi, 1988’s Paradise, and 2005’s III. Two classics of Japanese psychedelia, both Paradise and III were originally released on Org Records, the imprint of Shinji Shibayama of acid-folk group Nagisa Ni Te, with whom Zushi has guested on second guitar for decades. Both intimate and expansive, rich with revelatory songwriting and blasted, sky-scouring guitar, these reissues return these albums to print for the first time since the 2000s. It’s the first time III has been officially released on vinyl, with an extra, previously unreleased track, “Under The June Moonlight.”

Recorded in Kyoto’s Townhouse Studios in mid 1987 and released in limited-to-500 vinyl pressing in 1988, Paradise emerged from a scene in Kansai, Japan that was embracing the idiosyncracies of 1970s singer-songwriters, the soaring solos of early seventies psychedelia, and the DIY impulse of 1980s post-punk. While Zushi’s musical history stretched back to the early eighties – he was a founding member of Jojo Hiroshige’s noise outfit Hijokaidan – he found his feet with groups like Hallelujahs, whose dream-pop collection Niku O Kuraite Chikai Wo Tateyo was recently reissued by Black Editions, and Idiot O’Clock.

Paradise appeared two years after that Hallelujahs album and share much the same membership – Zushi’s backing band on several of the songs includes Shibayama on drums and Ken-Ichi Takayama (aka Idiot) on electric guitar, though just as often, Zushi plays all the instruments himself. The coordinates here are wide-reaching – you can hear the volume and intensity of Neil Young & Crazy Horse (on “Hallelujah: Left Side” and “Paradise: Midday”), the slow-motion magic of Galaxie 500, the idiosyncratic spirit of The Only Ones, all mixed up with tender guitar miniatures and stumbling garage-psych-pop moves.

Seven years later, after the transitional album Phenomenal Luciferin, Zushi released III. Perhaps his masterpiece, it’s already been bootlegged on vinyl, but this reissue is the real deal. The album was recorded at Studio Nemu over seven years, and sees Zushi backed by Shibayama (bass) and Masako Takeda (drums), his erstwhile bandmates in Nagisa Ni Te. By this stage, Zushi had started to really stretch out, and many of the songs on III swoon languorously, taking their sweet time to say what they need to say. It’s rich with lovely, melancholy songs, in a similar realm to bandmates Nagisa Ni Te, of course, but you can also hear traces of everything from Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs, through seventies private press loner folk, to the slow-burn meanderings of the likes of early Low or Damon & Naomi.

When interviewed by Shibayama in the mid-nineties, Zushi said of Paradise, “it was a sort of collection of songs that had meant something to me up to that point… it was my paradise. I wanted to create paradise.” That’s something Zushi achieves on both of these albums – visionary Japanese psychedelia, en route to paradise. - Jon Dale







g Under The June Moonlight vinyl only bonus track

Makhunik Records Presents: "Withdrawals" - A Bold New Vinyl Release by RAKANS Withdrawals, the highly anticipated follow-up to Emergence EP and Deep State (Midnight Stallion) EP, marks a bold new chapter in RAKANS's ever-evolving sonic journey.

Set for release on I Makhunik Records, Withdrawals explores the tension between desire and detachment, featuring five tracks that blur the lines between electronic, experimental, and club sounds. Available on vinyl, Withdrawals invites listeners to experience the raw and intimate emotions that inspired its creation. Following the success of Emergence EP (Gently Leftfield Techno from a Core Dresden Artist - Resident Advisor/Single Review by Andrew Ryce) and Deep State (Midnight Stallion) EP on Boudica, which gained recognition for their atmospheric intricacies and deep, immersive textures, Withdrawals delves deeper into personal and societal themes, paired with the artist's signature ethereal soundscapes and captivating beats. Each track carries a narrative, from late-night reflection to hedonistic encounters, with a pulsating intensity that mirrors the artist's own process of creative and emotional release. With Withdrawals, RAKANS continues to push boundaries, creating a profound listening experience that resonates both in its melancholy and its intensity.

Description of the Title: The title Withdrawals reflects a state of emotional and mental transition, where one is caught between the craving for connection and the unsettling effects of isolation. It symbolizes the artist's inner turmoil and process of reclaiming personal agency after experiences of burnout and separation. The tracks are an expression of that journey-tracking the highs and lows of life in a world that constantly demands more. Through these melodies, RAKANS has captured the intensity of longing and the aftermath of desire, inviting listeners to confront their own internal conflicts. The narrative is personal yet universally relatable, and the title speaks to the often painful but necessary process of letting go, detoxifying from past habits, and learning to be at peace with oneself. "With Withdrawals, He wanted to channel the emotions that often come from the struggle between desire and self-preservation, between the drive to connect and the need to retreat. he's journey, both as an artist and as an individual, has been filled with moments of intense reflection, self-discovery, and sometimes, disconnection.

These tracks are the culmination of that inner conflict, a raw exploration of what it means to both lose oneself and find a deeper, often painful, form of clarity. Like the music he's created before, the sound of Withdrawals speaks to the space between tension and release, the liminal space where truth is often revealed in its most vulnerable form. He's always believed that music is a mirror to the soul, and in this EP, He's tried to reflect that feeling of being both pulled in and out of something greater. It's a raw and intimate look at the way we navigate modern life, often feeling like we're running toward something that we can't quite reach, yet constantly pulled back into our own personal truths.

This EP is personal, but it's also for anyone who's ever felt caught between two worlds, the one they want and the one they need. I hope it resonates with listeners who are experiencing their own form of withdrawal, whether it's from people, places, or even from themselves.

Pickle Darling has always existed just outside of the periphery. In a heightened time of fast music, algorithmic consumption and rapid virality, Lukas Mayo (they/them) has remained focused on the album. Their discography is a reflection of their creative evolution, and they deliberately look for ways to push sonic boundaries from release to release. Since debuting with Bigness in 2019 followed by Cosmonaut in 2021, Mayo has curated a catalog that is deeply personal and strangely tactile, where tiny, unexpected details_an off-kilter loop, a whispered aside, the warmth of an old Casio_become as crucial as melody itself. Their 2023 LP Laundromat was a precise and polished expansion of that world, a record that felt like it had been carefully placed behind glass. Their forthcoming fourth album, Battlebots, by contrast, is unruly and full of static: a collection of songs that feel like they could only ever exist on scratched CD-Rs passed between friends. Self-recorded in their home studio in Christchurch, New Zealand, it finds Mayo taking a scalpel to their own songwriting. Songs were stretched, chopped, reversed. Some ideas started as "unlistenable garbage" before morphing into something unexpectedly beautiful. If a song felt too straightforward, Mayo had to mess it up. That friction of old and new, organic and digital, melody and noise is what drives Battlebots. Drawing inspiration from a strange, scattered lineage: Four Tet's Rounds, The Books, Neneh Cherry's Broken Politics, The Wrens' Three types of reading ambiguity, but also the emotional directness of 2000s pop like Madonna's Ray of Light and Robyn's Body Talk, the result is an album that feels like a glitch in the system, pushing against past constraints while embracing the weird, beautiful mess of making something new.

Within the nine carefully composed tracks of Young Bones, Mel D’s characteristic voice stands out in all its facets, varying from fragile to powerful, haunting to playful, but most of all soulful. With a voice that’s both extraordinarily clear and melancholic, Mel D is something surprisingly rare: a singer whose artistic expression goes beyond the mere use of her voice. On Young Bones, Mel D uses contemporary figures, rephrasing them into timeless formulas. Her unique musical language embodies references to genres like Indie or Alternative. In other moments, her sound leans baroque, then jazzy, soulful, and contemplative. Each song represents an ode to being connected: to the world, other people, and most of all to the beauty of music. Mel D draws her inspiration from struggles felt in the current world climate: “I have felt overwhelmed by the world we live in and its countless challenges,” said Mel D. “As if we’re all a bit directionless in our own lives.” Nevertheless, Mel D uses her musicality as a tool for resistance - using it to transform sadness and anger into creativity, and to give world-weariness a voice that seduces, comforts, and inspires. On Young Bones, Mel D sings us to a place where we might find hope - with songs rooted in concern, solidarity, humanness, and empowerment, inviting the listener to lean into those feelings. Bring the Witches Back, a hymn to witchcraft, is a quiet song that summons the return of witches with feminist urgency, for more love and magic to open ourselves towards each other and the world. Soft, a soulful song with a tender melody, gently lulls the listener into an in-between dimension, full of opportunities. Meanwhile, in the coming-of-age ballad, Slowly Growing, she raises questions about belonging and identity, pointing directly at our emotional core. Where Do You Look When It Hurts? speaks to the sensation of exhaustion and emptiness, offering musical warmth and a sense of community in moments of lethargy. Finally, listening to the album, one always feels in good company. Playfully working in folk and electro-pop elements, Mel D takes us on a ride toward love and a sense of belonging, particularly on the track We win. Young Bones was recorded in Zurich and Paris with two outstanding producers of our times: Renaud Letang, who has previously collaborated with Feist, Chilly Gonzales or Lianne La Havas, and Dino Brandão. The latter recognized Mel D’s artistic uniqueness during their first meeting, inviting her to a recording session in his studio and bringing her into the band of Swiss superstar, Faber. Mel D’s solo project was more a product of coincidence than planning, as she says, even though an undisputed talent and passion for music had always been apparent throughout her youth. During her studies in fine arts in Zurich, she founded the electronica-duo mischgewebe, and composed soundtracks for theater and movie productions, as well as for exhibitions. Long before forming her current artistic identity, she went by the nickname Mel D, in a humorous reference to the Spice Girls. Although her personality and musical language suggest thoughtfulness and a melancholy touch, Mel D acknowledges that an honest laugh is never out of place, making her sympathetic and approachable.

“'Lyceum' is a fountainhead of unqualified greatness. It’s a strange, sad sound harking back to old school tunesmanship – Aztec Camera, ‘Rattlesnakes’, prime-time Felt – but the whole affair is permeated with a resonant, almost tearful quality. ‘Lyceum’ is reminiscent of Galaxie 500’s ‘Today’ in that it sounds like it cost less than a round of drinks to produce. But the lo fi sound merely enhances the misty glazed-pop sound and raises the hallelujah choruses to the forefront. Rather than drowning them in production mush. Don’t pass it by”.
– Bob Stanley, Melody Maker 1989
Hailing from the suburbs of Glasgow, this five-piece are best known for their three starry-eyed albums on the renowned Sarah Records - this being an expanded version of their first (an eight-track 10” at the time).
By the tail end of the 1980s the independent music scene in the UK was turning its back on the polish and over-indulgence of the mid-80s with its gated drums and wallpaper production. And those who weren’t stretching the boundaries of sonic innovation had tuned back to the post-punk ethos of ramshackle charm and zealous melody, even dousing the spirit with some political fervour once more. Influences were more likely to be Television and the Television Personalities than MTV.
The Orchids and The Sea Urchins were the first two bands to release 7” singles on the Sarah label having previously begun their recording existence on a shared flexi disc in 1987 (The Sea Urchins went on to become Delta, whose classic album ‘Slippin' Out’ from 2000 will be the second release on Circuitry). The Scottish five-piece released ‘I’ve Got a Habit’ and ‘Underneath the Window, Underneath the Sink’ as EPs before really finding their feet with ‘Lyceum’; the tracks, remastered from the original Toad Hall tapes are included on this reissue as are the three songs from the ‘What Will We Do Next?’ 7” (this collection closes with the frazzled stretch that is ‘Yawn’). 'Lyceum' was originally released in August 1989.
The album opens with ‘It’s Only Obvious’ and its gloriously youthful chorus of “who needs tomorrow when all I need, all I needed was you”. James Hackett somehow appears both forthright and rejected, something that one of their musical heroes The Go-Betweens also had down to a fine art. It barely takes a breath until midway through side two where ‘Hold On’ (sounding suspiciously like an unlikely objective) descends into the intro of ‘Blue Light’, the counted-in ‘1, 2, 3, 4’ whispered like the most hopelessly dejected rally. If that sounds depressing it isn’t. This record by The Orchids was a spirited source of comfort for an 18 year old at the time and still shudders with the best type of melancholy, one that’s spirited not indulgent. If you’re not familiar with the band’s charm, this is where you should begin.
'Lyceum' is released on double black vinyl by new label Circuitry.

Japan’s electronic music scene has always stood out as uniquely distinctive. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a wave of underground projects, bands, and independent labels—primarily based in Tokyo and Osaka—began crafting their own sound. Inspired by the post-punk, new wave, and experimental movements emerging from Europe and North America, these artists embraced a DIY ethic, using whatever technology they had access to in order to forge something entirely their own.

This movement, often referred to as the "Nippon-wave" scene, remained largely hidden from the outside world. Many of its releases—on cassette tapes, flexi-discs, and privately pressed vinyl—were never distributed beyond Japan’s borders, making them rare treasures for the few who managed to discover them. “Nihon No Wave” presents a selection of these long-overlooked recordings, making them accessible to listeners beyond Japan for the first time.

Back from the undead in the fresh (because we believe in upgrades & afterlifes!) is this new pressing of the first of all Gastr del Sol records, The Serpentine Similar. It is one of several distinct initiators of a definitive musical drift in the 1990s, and a drift all of its own, to boot! At the time, this album was largely heard within an underground whose boundaries were clearly defined - but if today"s sound-pool of "commercial" music is deeper and wider than it was back then, it is without a doubt due to the cracking open of certain doors of perception by Gastr del Sol, alongside their esteemed others. The year was 1992. After a bruising run of tour dates the year before, the final lineup of Bastro, a power-trio of David Grubbs, Ken (Bundy) Brown and John McEntire, retired, exhausted. Shortly thereafter, they were rebirthed, sans drums, via a new set of ideas composed in the cut-down configuration of Grubbs on guitars, keyboards and vocals and Brown on bass. Playing in duo format opened up sound and intention, leaving the need for speed (and the stock in rock) out, while letting in an expanse of brooding, droning acoustic space that highlighted the songs" serpentine shapes. This was something so radically different as to require a new calling card: henceforth, Gastr del Sol. Signing to Teen Beat, Gastr del Sol completed The Serpentine Similar in late 1992 for release the following year (the DC reissue came in "97). In the final rendering, Serpentine"s roof-rent, white-sky execution was attenuated with several percussion appearances from the prodigal John McEntire. Over the next five years, his cameo presence was a constant in Gastr del Sol"s steadily-evolving tradition of significant breaks from tradition at every turn. There would be an even more significant tradition-breaker onboard for all this; following the release of The Serpentine Similar, Jim O"Rourke joined Grubbs in Gastr as Brown exited (to focus on Tortoise, with McEntire et al). For the new Gastr duo, a world of new directions in music awaited, the future became the past, and the music of Gastr del Sol emerged from the thin air, then returned there. Now, The Serpentine Similar has been returned to vinyl from the temporal streams of contemporary music listening, a glorious rematerializing of all its spatial details on LP for the first time in 20 years.

In the spring of 2020, Ben Cook _ a.k.a. Young Governor, Young Guv, or just Guv _ was holed up in the New Mexico high desert, his U.S. tour having been abruptly covid-cancelled during a southwest swing. He and his bandmates were living moment to moment in something called an Earthship, a solar-rigged adobe structure sustainably constructed with, among other things, recycled bottles and tires. And out there in the serene vastness, as a short ride-it-out stint turned into a nine-month sojourn, Ben was writing music, slowly, little by little, mostly at night while the others slept. By the New Year, almost in spite of himself, he had created a new album, two new albums actually, and through the ordeal he was forever changed. In a place he never expected to be, under circumstances no one could have predicted, and in the face of physical isolation, emotional desolation, and existential dread, Ben created GUV III & IV, a collection of songs dedicated and testifying to the eternal healing power of love _ how to find it in the world, in others, and most importantly, in himself.

Pink vinyl reissue of singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine's debut album, Give Me A Minute, which was originally self-released in August 2020. The album features hit tracks "Pancakes for Dinner" and "To The Mountains". Lizzy has since released two more full length album, and has grown to over 11M monthly listeners on Spotify, and just under 1M followers on Instagram.