Suche:j twist

Bristolian producer Claude Cooper returns with hot new single ‘Stay A While’, inspired by the vinyl discoveries made from months of digging and cataloguing the bulging inventory of Bedminster’s Friendly Records record shop.

‘Stay A While’ introduces some delightful twists to Cooper’s psychedelic-funk sound. Blurring the lines between sampling and performance, lush string flourishes are sliced with 6Ts girl-group vocals and rollicking piano chords resulting in a dreamy, end of night, lights up anthem in-the-making. The track is backed with the insistent ‘Dance Tonight’, a ragged bass-boogie surf-rocker that doesn’t take no for an answer.

Cooper’s irrepressible debut album ‘Myriad Sounds' (Jan ‘22) caught the attention of the UK's press and radio alike. Mojo's four star review described it as “Bristol’s beat scene backdrops late night jams”, Uncut enjoyed the "rugged psych-funk romp" and Louder than War declared "it’s vital and vibrant and exactly what we need to kick start the year”. BBC radio DJs including Cerys Matthews, Gideon Coe, Huw Stephens, Jamie Cullum, Lauren Laverne, Stuart Maconie, Tom Ravenscroft rinsed the singles, with Huey Morgan inviting Cooper to contribute a Block Party Mix for his show.

Bonus round 'More Myriad Sounds' (Apr ‘23) added Brooklyn vocalist Brain Fog to the melange with a bounty of pyretic vocal performances. DJ Mag called it “A fierce, kaleidoscopic trip” while Bandcamp Daily said “This album of cross-genre influences is as likely to get it included in any number of best-of columns, with the theme of serious fun as their common element”.

Behind the release is Friendly Records, the best little record shop in Bristol and now a burgeoning record label. Opened by Tom Friend on North Street in 2016, it’s gone on to become a hub of the local musical community. As well as Claude Cooper, the label has reissued two of Alison Cotton’s albums, 'The Twenty-Three Views' by outernational ambient jazz project Floating World Pictures, and Christian Madden & The Enemy Chorus’s organ heavy ‘The Extra Weight’.

Claude Cooper will return with a new album on Friendly Recordings this year.

Pink & Green Pinwheel Vinyl. Celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of Pity Sex' breakthrough debut full-length record Feast of Love with this commemorative anniversary edition LP. This reissue features the album in full along with three bonus tracks: 'Euclid,' 'Acid Reflux' and a cover of Pixies' classic 'Gigantic.' The anniversary edition also features a gatefold jacket previously unavailable in the United States and an updated lyric sheet.Walking the razor's edge between overdriven navel gazing bliss and perfect pop sensibility, Ann Arbor's Pity Sex have crafted a breathtaking debut LP in 'Feast of Love' that's both awesomely beautiful and deftly evocative. Massive, harmonically distorted guitars and airy dual male/female vocals are hallmarks of Feast of Love, all drenched in warm, dreamy reverb. Most impressive however, is how the band utilizes pop conventions - both vocal and instrumental melody, and a strong and pounding rhythm section - while delving deep into the ethereal power of textured soundscapes. Guitars fuzz and flange, weaving between distinct, identifiable parts and simple brushes of colored noise. The voices similarly drift between carrying delicate melodies and delivering evocative feeling. Calling on the infectious, hooky inclinations of the Pixies, dreary melodies of the Breeders and sonic mass of My Bloody Valentine, Pity Sex's Feast of Love twists and churns with these beautiful yet fleeting vignettes captured in sound.

Craig Clouse has devoted the past several decades to exploring a wide range of avant-garde avenues for his brainchild Shit & Shine. The monolithic riffs of raw and powerful psych'n'roll hysteria, the freeform dance miasma, sub-heavy electronica and the blissful stupidity crafted for ecstatic ascension: all perfectly-placed in the idiosyncratic world of Shit & Shine. There's also fertile soil for twisted noises in their lowest form, often obscured by groovier comrades in S&S releases yet vitally important for the substance of Clouse's compositional carcass and OOH-sounds has given him the required space to stretch out his longtime interest in developing loose structures and crackling landscapes to transcend his rhythmic comfort zone.

Making an enthusiastic transgression into noisy tones, "Joy Of Joys" has a friendly way of presenting difficult material. The rough and ready cheapo electronics sparkle in full electrifying mode, welding an ascetic gamut of aural hypnotics with a wormhole of uncompromising loop brut. Clanks, bangs, twangs and creeping, ragged globs of sound bloom on the bones of repetition to focus on the swinging stream of dirty anarchy. Stepping out of any context and genre disciplines, S&S finds new sonic trajectories in "Joy Of Joys" which perfectly sit in-between a wobbly cabal of international sub-underground acts: the idiot-avant strategies of LAFMS, early Mego bad digitalia, no-brow enthusiasm of Wolf Eyes family, micro-DIY ethos of Chocolate Monk and the sheer hellish nonsense of US noise circa '00s.

Clouse was already established as a landscape painter with a series of faux naïf paintings charmingly accompanying his releases. With his heart full of passion for abstract minimalism, he continued these narrative forms but was always in search of the confidence to paint non-figurative art. The first step into the chaotic abyss is coming from his sonic side by abandoning the beat and riff layers of his previous works to complete nakedness and reductionist courage. At once Clouse makes an evolutionary lurch into extremes as well as taking us back to basic forms in "Joy Of Joys". He creates an entire new parallel world to Shit & Shine with his maverick imagination presenting us with one of the most mutant releases to bear his name. Arthur Kuzmin

Ultravillage is a collective and burgeoning community of new age music devotees, private press fanatics and underground ambient, minimal and progressive electronic aficionados. T

Mark Griffey, the man behind Ultravillage, has recently made the venture into releasing albums, with the intention of reissuing forgotten personal masterpieces of 1980s and 90s private press synth culture on new label Mid-Air Museum. MM’s first vinyl record release is a collaboration with Scottish reissue label chOOn!!.

Together, they present Accidental Music 1987-1991 by Charles Esposito, a career retrospective of the experimental composer from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The cinematic and the sacred swirl around on Accidental Music, which gives new life to intriguing self-released tapes that Esposito put out in the 1980s and 90s. Heard by few on its original release, the music featured on this compilation ranges from Palace of Lights percussive sonics to an almost minimal techno palette, a meeting of pop and twisted electronics with the hypnotic immediacy of ancient ritual.

Accidental Music 1987-1991 develops a series of resonant harmonic spaces, by adding layers of instruments and played objects. Rather than work as acoustic maps of specific locations, these pieces eddy and gather into positive physical presences. But Esposito’s real strength lies in creating depth of field. The foreground might be dominated by glassy chimes or resonant prayer bowl-like timbres, but beyond it a series of sonic veils seems to recede towards murky imperceptibility. There’s also a kind of surreal decorum at play, passages that sound like an immaculately laid dinner table being shaken by an earth tremor while the tinkling complaints of the silver, glass and muffling linen are scrupulously recorded.

Available for the first time on vinyl, Accidental Music 1987-1991 by Charles Esposito is an exploration into
many inner worlds and dreamscapes, an analogue mirage of avant-garde gems. Produced in cooperation with the artist for Mid-Air Museum and chOOn!!.

Mastered for vinyl and digital and featuring liner notes from Mark Griffey.

Wonderwax returns with yet another 12″ filled with the distinctive soulfulness that has been a stand out point for the label since its inception.

DJ Spinna has been a fan of R&B/Neo-Soul queen Carmen Rodgers since her debut album 20 years ago, so it was just a matter of time before the two teamed up for something special. The result is an epic soulful house journey on Side A, where Spinna gives his typical Galactic Soul touch to Carmen’s jam “Again and Again”. The og version of the song was released originally in her “Hello Human vol. 1” EP together with “Say So”, which also gets Spinna’s twist on Side B: a progressive Hip Hop/Soul flip for the downtempo heads. Classic!

Boundary caught our ears when he was just a 19-year-old, a true genius, he's been making music since he was 13 with a maturity and depth well beyond his years. We're absolutely gassed to get him onto the label with a transcendent LP that hits you right in the feels. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Boundary leans heavily on all the good stuff from early Detroit techno, UK & Japanese ambient, and leftfield techno, stitching things together with immaculate drum programming, wandering basslines, and ethereal pads.

Sometimes brilliantly raw and gritty, at other times delicate and refined, this is an LP that ranges from deep, glassy ambient through to 140 bpm (and beyond!) pumpers. It's classy techno from start to finish, think Aphex Twin meets PLO Man with an early Detroit twist. Limited cassette run and digi, don't miss out!

One year after their Rock'n Folk (Fr) and Maximum Rock'n Roll (USA) acclaimed debut single, Paris based punk band Cheap Riot is returning with their first long player.

Sharping their new songs while heavily touring in mainland Europe, sharing the bill with bands like Hinds or Cosmonauts, Cheap Riot recorded this first album in a week with French analog wizard Lo' Spider. If the band will certainly not play at your prom, Ballroom Portrait is showing us red-hot catchy songs, remembering us class of '77. As any good punk record should be, Ballroom Portraits is heavily political, sarcastic and raging, but they never forget to bring up the melodies during the rampage.

In our opinion, Riot is still the best way to solve problems, especially when it's a Cheap Riot.

For fans of : Television Personnalities, The Undertones, The Clash, Nerves, Dogs

Early Life Forms is a new quartet fronted by Belgian guitarist and sound wizard Vitja Pauwels, and on the 26th January, they are set to release their self-titled debut album via W.E.R.F. Records; a stunning, one-off live show recorded with American guitarist Marc Ribot (Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Wilson Pickett, Marianne Faithfull, The Black Keys, John Zorn).

Having already earned his spurs as a sideman with artists including Naïma Joris, Bombataz and Lara Rosseel, rising Belgian star Pauwels released his debut album 'Day at Half Speed' in 2019, which explored the possibilities of acoustic guitar and live electronics. This experiment became a new artistic path for Pauwels and showcased his musical versatility, with second album 'Drift By, Sink In', released to critical acclaim in 2022.

The same year, Pauwels was invited as special guest by the BRAND! Festival, Mechelen, to showcase new material and he came up with the idea of putting together his 'dream' live band which included his hero Marc Ribot, one of world's most accomplished and acclaimed guitar players. Reaching out to him via videos and early demos for this new recording project, Ribot liked what he heard and agreed to perform with Pauwels and his new project Early Life Forms in what would be the band's first ever live show.

Joined by Frederik Leroux (baritone guitar), Laurens Dierickx (Hammond organ) and Casper Van De Velde (drums), during the lead up to the festival, Pauwels wrote a number of songs he felt would work for the live show, with the only agreement being that there would be no rehearsals ahead of the performance, only a brief soundcheck beforehand with Ribot. The music was stripped down to its essentials - compelling melodies, themes, and clear forms but with the possibility to change direction at any given moment. "The music was played and heard for the first time, and it felt like a birth of something that needed to be alive. We felt connected in the right state of mind - relaxed and focused - and it all happened in a rush of shared energy. No ego's or fear, only connection and the music", states Pauwels.

Drawing on latin, jazz, cuban, and rock with a touch of exoticism and cinematic explorations, 'Early Life Forms' cites Ry Cooder, Henry Mancini, Los Lobos, Ennio Morricone and of course Ribot, as heavy influences. There is something existential, primary, something epic and at the same time youthfully uncomplicated, which is strongly associated with the music. From the mischievous and imaginative 'My Little Renaissance' to the adventurous and hypnotic 'Latin Dancer', 'Early Life Forms' is overflowing with sharp twists and turns, with Ribot's heavily rhythmic, distorted guitar amplifying the cinematic feel to the sound. The on-stage relationship between each member of the band and Ribot is childishly uncomplicated, something primary but always epic. The music is left to the moment and the magic of their first encounter with their hero Ribot. "Marc's commitment in the music was better than I could have hoped for. What he played was with 200% intention, putting the rest of us in a state of hyperfocus. Given the fact that it was a one-time thing and a recording, we took risks without 'overplaying' or overthinking it. Right before the gig, we felt an urge to play, Marc said, "Let's rock!!" and we hit the stage", says Pauwels.

High Roller Records, first time on vinyl, black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony.

High Roller Records, first time on vinyl, black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony.

Liverpool’s acclaimed sensual existentialist Brad stank today announces the release of his resolutely romantic new album In The Midst of You on January 26th via his new label Sunday Best Recordings. He launches the album alongside the quintessentially Brad ‘Natty Wine’ and its accompanying video. The new single ‘Natty Wine’ neatly encapsulates the many charms that emerge throughout the album. With Brad backed by soulful female vocal harmonies, the song’s jazzy psychedelia possesses a touch of twanging Americana, its warm and vibrant live instrumentation making for a song as relaxed as a Sunday afternoon in the sun. It’s also notable for featuring Brad’s favourite percussive instrument deep in the mix: a wooden frog. He adds, “This is a tongue-in-cheek song I wrote after being gifted a bottle of natural wine by a friend. I’m a working class boy who would much rather drink shitty lager at a party, like Stella or Holsten Pils. I’ve got no right to be writing a song about natty wine but I was feeling bougie. It’s a love song in disguise, I liked the imagery of lyrics like, ‘Your sweet loving just keeps dripping from the vine.’” In The Midst of You finds Brad in late night lothario mode, his previous seductive style now taking a more resolutely romantic and perhaps surprisingly spiritual direction. The phrase “in the midst of you” comes from the Bible, Zephaniah 3:17, “the full quote is something along the lines of “God is in the midst of you” - basically meaning that you have to look inward for peace or enlightenment, etc. the album is about that in parts and also, as always, I tried to put a romantic twist on it so that the “in the midst of you” is about being in love with somebody. It’s kind of a juxtaposition but I’ve always enjoyed taking spiritual messages and giving them a double meaning, explains Brad. “Hopefully it’s a positive message of prostrating yourself to somebody, or to spirituality or something - but giving yourself fully to something , being in the midst…”

The greatest hits of the 1960s and 1970s are now available on the „Golden Chart Hits of 60er & 70er Jahre“ vinyl compilation.

Enjoy 14 hits being still unforgettable up to the present day and played daily on numerous radio stations around the globe, including Top 10 hits such as Secret Service „Ten O‘Clock Postman“, Patrick Hernandez „Born To Be Alive“ or Kool & The Gang „Ladies Night“. An absolute must for all fans of 60s and 70s music!

This is a welcome return to the label for Amazingblaze who released his Can't Stop EP in January this year and his Venture EP in 2022. Since then he has continued to innovate with his heavy-hitting trance, techno and hardstyle influenced sounds. His ever evolving studio skills see him mix up old school influences with new school sound design that is perfect for engaging dance floors. His signature imprint is all over these four new cuts with their mix of big synths, bigger drums and all consuming grooves.

“Believe EP says it itself. All I wanted to say is that you have to believe in yourself”, Amazingblaze says. “This brand new EP contains 4 full-power tracks that definitely goes through your heart. Massive trance synths combined with vocals make it sound really mysterious and groovy. Hope you enjoy it, and believe in yourself.”

Charlotte de Witte adds: “It’s no secret that to me, Amazingblaze is one of the purest talents out there. This guy really understands what music is about and manages to create dancefloor bombs time after time. I’m super proud to have him on board for another EP on KNTXT and to watch him grow and become one of the top level artists out there.”

'Believe' kicks off with intense drum patterns and smart vocal samples that are lit up with bright and electric synths full of euphoric energy. 'Strange Candy' is a bulky and physical mix of clipped techno funk and throwback rave sounds with strobe-like lasers shooting across the face of the track. There is more peak time brilliance in the hard drums and hands-in-the air synth magic of 'It Happened Again' while 'Boyz Makin Noiz' shuts down with twitchy stabs and twisted acid lines and dark vocals appear from the shadows.

Amazingblaze delivers yet another exceptional EP, seamlessly blending forward-thinking techno and trance elements.

dirtybLends edition 8 is a 3 track INFERNO-SMACKDOWN combining 3 different ideas of new age/oLd scHooL Jakbeat inspired from a significant hero in the Chicago Underground scene of the early nineties dropping crucial releases on record labels: Saber, Dancemania and Relief.

The Falcon kicks the A-side into madness with ‘Sound The Alarm’ made 2 Jak 4 Crazies that’s completely bezerk n twisted!!
B1 introduces this nU cOhort to the label on this release comes from Grizzly Knuckles (a thuggish menace) bringing his weapon of choice musically in a hypnotic spell of mental riddims wit ‘Mad Bell’
this is chicago pit-tripping for those who are aware!
B2 brings The Jak as the final nail in the coffin to complete this 12 inch with ‘Aftermath’ that is for those who have any idea of SLaM dance body blows..this is that level of crazy!

—THIS ISN’T TECHNO—

UNDERGROUND Chicago TrACKs

The Vampisoul chicas are back. And for the third time. And, although collectors and connoisseurs have never stopped playing the songs by these Spanish female singers, here they are again, sounding as vibrant as they did half a century ago. Because these children of their times, the musical decades of the 60s and 70s covered by this compilation, boldly ventured into the limited spaces of freedom open to female artists back then. And they did so with attitude, in search of the right repertoire, proudly presenting new, daring personal projects often breaking away from the demure tone adopted by mainstream local female singers. And they were canny about it too. Realizing that the censors working back would just listen to the song that the record company flagged up as the listening target on the A side and not bother to flip the single over, they recorded many of their racier songs on the B side. That exciting dark side of singles, which have long tempted collectors. Lacking the freedom and visibility enjoyed today, these daring records by these female singers went as far as they could and a few managed to go beyond. The songs on this compilation tell everyday stories, narrating small socio-musical conquests revolving round the enduring theme of young love. Sass, sex, boy-girl rivalry, the defense of liberating women's fashion and, saying what women think loud and clear, all characterize these grooves. Performed in a variety of musical styles ranging from ye-yé, twist, disco, beat, popcorn, flamenco pop to Northern Soul, and, even more surprisingly, sung in an everyday, natural and self-assured tone that must have ruffled some feathers. As in previous volumes of "¡Chicas!", this third compilation includes female singers from outside Spain but whose career, their decision to sing in Spanish or their long tours and local stays, and occasionally permanent residence, meant their albums were created, recorded or produced here in Spain. It's a winning proposition for everyone. Take the band Los Bravos, four of the singers that passed through the ranks of this quintessentially Spanish group were foreigners. It's part of our open-door policy. Spain is different. In every sense. But let's get down to the serious stuff and the ritual: vinyl on the turntable and needle poised ready to play. Third volume of Vampis' ¡Chicas! series, an irresistible collection of ye-yé, twist, disco, beat, popcorn, flamenco pop and even Northern Soul! From the early 60s and in the middle of a difficult political and social context, Spanish female singers - and those who moved to Spain - disregarded conventions and overcame all barriers to be part of a music movement that shook the Spanish society of the period. Many of the 24 tracks are reissued for the first time, including very hard-to-find records. It includes extensive notes by Vicente Fabuel featuring all the original record sleeves and artist photos.

The Ghia saga unfolds once more, but in this chapter, there's a new and unique twist. "Out of Luck" draws its roots from a previously lost track, originally composed by the group in 1985. This time around, the song has been expertly reworked by Marian Tone, with new vocals by Adriano Prestel. The outcome? Quite possibly one of the smoothest and most refreshing modern funk tunes you'll hear this year.

But let's rewind to the beginning of this adventure: Earlier this year, DJ Scientist stumbled upon another early Ghia composition tucked away in the depths of a master tape. It was a treasure too precious to remain unheard. Sadly, the original track couldn't see the light of day due to sound quality and issues with the original vocals. To make matters more disappointing, no instrumental version survived. Thus, the only way to share this catchy boogie funk track with the world was to recreate it from scratch.

With her cinematic debut in 1952, Brigitte Bardot's musical career would begin a decade later after signing to the Phillips Record Label in 1962. Bardot released her debut album the following year and featured four singles: 'Les Amis De La Musique', 'El Cuchipe', the critically acclaimed 'La Madrague' and 'L'Appareil À Sous', penned by Serge Gainsbourg, its style was suited to the 'Twist' dance craze gaining popularity amongst her teen audience. Gainsbourg would feature regularly throughout her artistic career. Impressively, Bardot sings on the album in three languages: French, Spanish ('El Cuchipe'), and English ('Everybody Loves My Baby'). Her musical ventures were playful, fun and uniquely B.B.

We can't think of starting the year in a better way. The Legofunk saga delivers another gem. You can't miss it!

3 of Shadow Child's 'Connected' collaboration album tracks get a makeover from Rimbaudian, MJ Cole and Bodhi.

Rising talent Rimbaudian reworks the only solo track from the project, 'Steak Fingers', and takes the original bumping stripped back groove on a more melodic journey with its stunning arpeggios and new string parts. The backbone of the original remains but be prepared to take a trip to a new stratosphere, with his stripped version which is included too.

Bodhi step up next to remix 'Gacid', twisting and turning the original acid patterns and grooves to make a special rework that gives a nod to early Detroit with new drum programming and pads. The Welsh duo bring the heat.

MJ Cole delivers what must be one of his finest remixes. 'Um' the collaboration with Bodhi, already offers a trip that flirts with Jungle, lo-fi and the hypnotic but MJ Cole brings his signature vibe to the table with new keys, groove and provides something that feels as if it belongs in the realms of his seminal hit 'Sincere'.

Serene, invoking imagery of darkness, sweeping soundscapes tear and twist at
the emotions. The latest album by THE ANSWER LIES IN THE BLACK VOID is a
work of magical beauty. The duo, a collaboration of Martina Horvath from avantgarde metal project Thy Catafalque and Jason Kohnen from Celestial Season,
The Lovecraft Sextet, Bong- Ra, ex- The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, have
followed up on their 2021 debut "Forlorn" with a haunting sophomore release that
is of exceptionally high quality.
The prevalent element here is doom, but there is so much more buried deep
within the dark vaults of this compelling record. The opening song "Ataraxia" is a
deep, richly layered song, with Horvath demonstrating her stunning vocals over
the complex creativity of Kohnen, the multi- instrumentalist who takes
responsibility for everything instrument- driven here. There are crushing riffs,
harrowing passages which send shivers down the spine, and all the time the
atmosphere builds. Tendrils of darkness curl around the throat on "To Kill The
Father", with Horvath's shimmering vocals duelling with the echoing lead guitar
work.