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If the Chateau Marmont could sing. This would be it. Loren Kramar's voice vibrates with the shameless hum of a room after a celebrity exits Ecstatic aspiration. Doubt. Proximity. Desire. The album "Glovemaker" is about the skins we craft to be seen by the world, and Loren reminds us that we are all in drag. All exposed. No matter what gloves we slip on. "I'm a slut for all my dreams", Loren Kramar sings with Patti Smith brashness, "I'm a whore for them, I've got more of them". Loren's lyrics move like tinsel, shimmering bravely, then just as quickly, curling, fragile under the spotlight. Loren has always been obsessed with fame. Not with famous people, but with the electricity that perverts attention - the crushing desire to be truly seen. And all of Loren, and this obsession, is in this album. He grew up in the Valley, forced to hide his Barbies from his father, so the closet was a gorgeous Spanish ranch house on a gilded cul-de-sac crawling with celebrities. Naturally this gay boy wanted to be a child star so his mother secretly shuttled him to tap and jazz and figure skating lessons. "I've got hands and feet to put in the concrete", Loren croons, in "Hollywood Blvd", a song which clangs with brawny bravado. But "Gay Angels" reminds us that Loren's infatuation with stardom is inextricably linked with his queerness and his own desire to live outside of fear. To be famous is to be out. To be known. To be himself. "Glovemaker has become a kind of code for art making itself. A glove as a covering or mask that follows the contours of the life beneath it. As a song and a symbol, this is an album about studying and tracing a life - and then sharing what's there," Loren says. And his desire to share truth feels urgent. To listen to Loren is to understand there is no choice; the songs must tear through the air right now. This very second. "I see myself tearing and splitting and becoming a trampoline", he belts in "No Man," breaking our hearts right alongside his. Part poet, part theatrical diva, Loren loops together the tragedy of breathing on this planet, because like Eartha Kitt or Cat Stevens, Loren is at his core - an incredible story teller. This whole album is a shrine, a mantle atop a blazing fire of life, spread with the memorabilia of Loren; all of the pain and lust dazzling on unabashed view. This is a songwriter's album. Loren's lyrics are all his, and you feel it with every bright, Maraschino-cherry-like word that falls from his lips. "Like a lover, You scream and I shatter, I hit like a hammer" Loren sings. And we get to feel what Loren feels We live in his brain, riding his genre bending emotions, on a wave of modern pop. And the songs lift, they are anthems of belief, "Hollywood Blvd", "I'm a Slut", "Euphemism", "Gay Angels", are all odes to triumphing over the corroding powers of fear and doubt. And on this ride, Loren's voice is the guard rail, ever eager to stretch and transform, belting, talk-singing, multiplying, keeping us safe. "Glovemaker" slaps and soars. The album is an ecstatic overture to love and loneliness, to dreams and promises, to everything Los Angeles dangles. Buckle up. Loren knows how to craft space, how to move us through darkened bars, strobing arenas, beige carpeted bungalows and yellow lit highways. "How do you like LA?" Loren asks. I hope you love it.

We comped "Natural Life" on one of our "Peace Chant" compilations some time ago. We always felt the need to do a 45 of it so here it is. Some of you may think, well that's an average jazz-funk cut so why on earth are they doing a 45 of it? Well, drop the needle on Part 2 and you will understand.

After dark country trio Lost Dog Street Band released its 2022 album Glory, bandleader Benjamin Tod decided it was time to retire the project. Tod, alongside his wife Ashley Mae (fiddle), had been working together as a band since 2011. “I came to terms with letting go of Lost Dog completely, which is how I evaluate a lot of things in general,” explains Tod. “Oftentimes when I'm trying to make a really hard decision, I go ahead and go through the process of mourning its death and accepting that I am going to lose it.” But just a month after recording a solo project in January of 2023, Tod felt an urge to revisit the project one more time. “I thought I was done with Lost Dog, but after recording my solo album, I looked over all the songs that I had ready for a new record. These were songs for my band. I had to admit to myself that I wasn't done with Lost Dog.” Though there was heartbreak at the prospect of the project coming to an end, its resurrection has meant all the more in this new context. “Benjamin and I, both individually and together, have been through some professionally grinding and demoralizing personal times over the past five years,” Ashley Mae explains. “To take a step back from that over the past year and realize, ‘Wow, we held it down and withstood that, and we survived that,’ was a really good, bright, shining moment. It was the high point during a demoralizing time.” As such, Survived is a saving grace, a phoenix rising from the ashes. “This record means everything,” adds Tod. “It just feels like salvation.”

"All our dreamers lose to the light" - from "Angels Go Home" When the pandemic began, and the world shut down, so did the process of creating for Iron & Wine's Sam Beam. In its place was a domesticity that the singer hadn't felt in a long time, and although it was filled with many rewards, making music was not one of them. Reflecting on that time, Beam notes: "I feel blessed and grateful that I and most of my friends and family made it through the pandemic relatively unscathed compared to so many others, but it completely paralyzed the songwriter in me. The last thing I wanted to write about was COVID, and yet every moment I sat with my pen, it lingered around the edges and wouldn't leave. This lasted for over two years." The journey back began with a recording session in Memphis to record a handful of Lori McKenna tracks for the EP Lori with friend and producer Matt Ross-Spang. The cathartic experience reconnected Beam with his love for making music, and soon enough the paralysis had passed, and he was finishing lyrics and booking studio time for what would become Light Verse. Light Verse was recorded with engineer and mixer Dave Way at his studio Waystation high up in Laurel Canyon (with an additional session at Silent Zoo Studio with a 24-piece orchestra), with a host of talented musicians joining Beam: Tyler Chester, Sebastian Steinberg, David Garza, Griffin Goldsmith, Beth Goodfellow, Kyle Crane, and Paul Cartwright. And, Fiona Apple joined Beam on vocals for the duet "All In Good Time." Beam lyrically once again takes focus on a series of both fictional and personal insights, filled with desperate characters and wide-eyed optimists, offering promise and a dose of heartache, tears and laughter, life and love. Taking stock in the album's title, he jokes, "Light verse is a form of poetry about playful themes that often uses nonsense and wordplay, and it's my first official Iron & Wine comedy album!_. Just kidding_." While true this may be Iron & Wine's most playful record, Beam says the title mostly reflects the way the songs were born with joy after the heaviness and anxiety of the pandemic. Where recent records like Beast Epic or Weed Garden gave air to the disquiet of middle-aged frailty and brokenness, these songs trade that for the focus acceptance can bring. Moment by moment, they delight in being pointed or silly (or both) and attempt beauty over prettiness. Light Verse arrives April 26th, and it's Iron & Wine's seventh full-length overall and fifth for Sub Pop Records. Fashioned as an album that should be taken as a whole, it sounds lovingly handmade and self-assured as a secret handshake. Track by track, its equal parts elegy, kaleidoscope, truth, and dare.

"Less Is More is the debut studio album by DJ and record producer Lost Frequencies. The Belgian youngster shook the world with debut single ""Are You With Me"" and soon found himself on top of the world, following up on his worldwide smash with global sensation ""Reality"" and ""Beautiful Life"". Now, he shows the full extent of his potential through his debut album. Harboring a plethora of ridiculously catchy singles alongside the before-mentioned hits, Less Is More shows exactly why Lost Frequencies' signature sound is so widely acclaimed. Easy on the ear, increasingly addictive, and filled with gorgeous, laid-back vibes, the songs on the album allow minds to drift and emotions to flow freely, all made possible through the delicate arrangements and a strong choice of sounds. Lost Frequencies describes the album himself as being ""all about the simplicity of good feelings blending together, bringing a chill, but still energetic vibe."" Less Is More is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on gold coloured vinyl. The vinyl package includes an insert with lyrics. "

Less Is More by Lost Frequencies, released 22 March 2024, includes the following tracks: "Beautiful Life", "Reality", "In Too Deep" and more.

This version of Less Is More comes as a 2xLP. This release comes with (a) Insert(s).

The vinyl is pressed as a gold disc. Another vinyl is pressed as a gold disc.

Black Tusk kennen sich schon lange. Gitarrist Andrew Fidler und Schlagzeuger James May sind beide in den Sümpfen von Savannah, Georgia, aufgewachsen, wo sie seit 19 Jahren gemeinsam auf die Pauke hauen.
Obwohl sie oft in einem Atemzug mit Baroness und Kylesa genannt werden, sind Black Tusk ein ganz anderes Kaliber. Diese Sumpfmonster haben sich nie weit von ihren Wurzeln im Metal, Sludge und Punk entfernt, obwohl sie auf ihrem letzten Album nach dem Tod von Bassist Jonathan Athon darum kämpfen mussten, weiter zu bestehen.
The Way Forward ist das Ergebnis des gewonnenen Kampfes. Das Album stürmt mit neuer Besetzung (zu der auch die ehemaligen Mitstreiter Chris "Scary" Adams und Bassist Derek Lynch gehören) direkt nach vorne. Gemeinsam bahnt sich die Band einen Weg in die Zukunft, indem sie sich auf das verlassen, was Black Tusk am besten kann. Die Leadsingle "Brushfire" kommt mit einem fiesen, hässlichen, mit den Füßen stampfenden Riff daher. Der raue und ruppige Gesang lässt die Boxen durch "Dance on Your Grave" trampeln, während "Breath of Life" mit erhobener Faust lostrommelt, als ob ein Gewitter rollt und kracht.

Black Tusk kennen sich schon lange. Gitarrist Andrew Fidler und Schlagzeuger James May sind beide in den Sümpfen von Savannah, Georgia, aufgewachsen, wo sie seit 19 Jahren gemeinsam auf die Pauke hauen.
Obwohl sie oft in einem Atemzug mit Baroness und Kylesa genannt werden, sind Black Tusk ein ganz anderes Kaliber. Diese Sumpfmonster haben sich nie weit von ihren Wurzeln im Metal, Sludge und Punk entfernt, obwohl sie auf ihrem letzten Album nach dem Tod von Bassist Jonathan Athon darum kämpfen mussten, weiter zu bestehen.
The Way Forward ist das Ergebnis des gewonnenen Kampfes. Das Album stürmt mit neuer Besetzung (zu der auch die ehemaligen Mitstreiter Chris "Scary" Adams und Bassist Derek Lynch gehören) direkt nach vorne. Gemeinsam bahnt sich die Band einen Weg in die Zukunft, indem sie sich auf das verlassen, was Black Tusk am besten kann. Die Leadsingle "Brushfire" kommt mit einem fiesen, hässlichen, mit den Füßen stampfenden Riff daher. Der raue und ruppige Gesang lässt die Boxen durch "Dance on Your Grave" trampeln, während "Breath of Life" mit erhobener Faust lostrommelt, als ob ein Gewitter rollt und kracht.

Apparel Wax's 7inches vinyl series continues with a release focused on new, exciting sounds. APLMINI003, which drops in late January 2024 is composed, as usual, of two tracks, one per side. Side A kicks off with a nu-disco track, in which the solos of a wild sax and a loopy guitar riff takes the listener by the hand until the very last second. Side B, however, shows the more experimental part of APLWAX's soul, with a beat that seems nostalgic of the 90s/00s UK sounds, a broken beat and a decidedly more pressing rhythm, which recalls D&B influences, British-style Electronica. The possibility of combining tracks with different styles on the same record represents a sonic challenge, but APLWAX has always been accustomed to combining different musical currents, keeping the fresh and happy soul of its brand clear. Everything is represented by the new, elegant graphic design of APLWAXMINI, in which even the smallest details and small changes fill the record's release with anticipation. APLWAXMINI003 is coming.

Equal Spirits brings together a genre-defying mix of South African spiritual jazz, ambient improvised introspection, bursts of old-school hip-hop and electronica, soaring melodies, synths, samples and gospel-infused grooves, woven together with sung and spoken languages from Zulu, Sotho, Yoruba and Xhosa to Arabic and English.

Für den Nachfolger ihres Debütalbums haben sich die bekannten Rocker Ian Crichton (Saga), Nigel Glockler (Saxon) und Robert Berry (The Greg Kihn Band), auch bekannt als SiX By SiX, in einem Studio in der San Francisco Bay Area zusammengefunden und ihre gemeinsame Alchemie entfesselt. Sie arbeiteten das ganze Jahr 2023 hindurch, um ihre vielfältigen musikalischen Talente zu biegen, zu formen, zu hämmern und zu streicheln und daraus 11 beeindruckende Tracks zu machen. Mit diesem Album setzt das klassische Power-Trio seinen einzigartigen melodischen Raum fort und verschmilzt gitarrengetriebenen Rock, Metal und Prog zu einem einzigartigen und kraftvollen Klangbild. "Beyond Shadowland" wird als limitiertes CD-Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP und als digitales Album erhältlich sein. Das Vinyl enthält Bonusmaterial, darunter zwei alternative Instrumentalversionen und ein ganz besonderes Orchester-Medley mit klassisch interpretierten Versionen ausgewählter Stücke von "Beyond Shadowland", gespielt von einem Orchester in Budapest, Ungarn.

In many ways, the music of Writhing Squares could have only originated in Philadelphia; the city itself a microcosm of creatives, go-getters, freaks & weirdos that have coalesced into a supportive & boundary-pushing crew. Former Purling Hiss bassist Daniel Provenzano & Ecstatic Vision sax-player & vocalist Kevin Nickles' first musical missive was shot forth in 2013 (the self-released CDR "Live In Space") & various singles, split releases, albums (and a double-album) later we arrive at the duo's fourth full-length "Mythology", their third for Chicago-based Trouble In Mind Records. "Mythology" picks up the pieces left shattered by their previous double-album "Chart For The Solution" and reconnects the broken shards together like Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese technique for mending broken ceramics, infusing the breaks with powdered gold. The Squares themselves are like mad-scientists, taking the ruined detritus populating junk shops & surplus outlets & constructing their own sonic laboratories in their New Jersey basements to record, mix & tweak "Mythology"s eight tracks. Their new location allowed the band to regroup, reassess & reconstruct their sound from the ground up, shearing away the cosmic excess of 2021's "Chart For The Solution" to a sharper point. Tracks like `Barbarians' & `LEM' are classic Squares; brutal, aggressive, unwavering assault of Motorhead/Stooges-inflected sci-fi punk scree, while others like `Chromatophage's mutant funk & `Cerberus's techno-slink owe a serious debt to electric-era Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock & show that the group has more to offer than bludgeoning you with sonic force. Provenzano's bass & electronics are like a tank rolling across the terrain - a gnarly construct of Hawkwind-ian headiness & `Vincebus Eruptum's snarl - uncaring of what gets in the way. Nickles' brass vacillates between Stooges-influenced sleaze, jazzy no-wave stabs, & cacophonous sonic storms, strafing the listener into oblivion. The duo are joined on "Mythology" by drummer John Schoemaker - who contributed drums to "Chart For The Solution"s epic closing track `Epilogue' - whose percussive pulse adds an organic swing to The Square's sonics, particularly on album closer "The Damned Thing"s cosmic strut. "Mythology" tackles a multitude of themes, from fantastical tales of hellhound `Cerberus' or the comic-inspired "Eternity " to `Chromatophage's colorful/evil yarn about animals that eat colors (or a Magic: The Gathering card) to the true-life influenced `Acid Rain' that deals with the uncertainty of consuming drinking water after a chemical spill in the Delaware River. Elsewhere, `Ferrell' is an homage to the late, great Ferrell "Pharaoh" Sanders & `The Damned Thing' by a short horror story penned by Ambrose Bierce about an animal whose coloring is invisible to the naked eye. Writhing Squares are in a transitional phase, mapping out a new sonic mythology for themselves after crossing the event horizon into unknown space. "Mythology" is streaming on most DSPs & released on black vinyl & limited fluorescent green vinyl (while supplies last) on April 26th, 2024.

In many ways, the music of Writhing Squares could have only originated in Philadelphia; the city itself a microcosm of creatives, go-getters, freaks & weirdos that have coalesced into a supportive & boundary-pushing crew. Former Purling Hiss bassist Daniel Provenzano & Ecstatic Vision sax-player & vocalist Kevin Nickles' first musical missive was shot forth in 2013 (the self-released CDR "Live In Space") & various singles, split releases, albums (and a double-album) later we arrive at the duo's fourth full-length "Mythology", their third for Chicago-based Trouble In Mind Records. "Mythology" picks up the pieces left shattered by their previous double-album "Chart For The Solution" and reconnects the broken shards together like Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese technique for mending broken ceramics, infusing the breaks with powdered gold. The Squares themselves are like mad-scientists, taking the ruined detritus populating junk shops & surplus outlets & constructing their own sonic laboratories in their New Jersey basements to record, mix & tweak "Mythology"s eight tracks. Their new location allowed the band to regroup, reassess & reconstruct their sound from the ground up, shearing away the cosmic excess of 2021's "Chart For The Solution" to a sharper point. Tracks like `Barbarians' & `LEM' are classic Squares; brutal, aggressive, unwavering assault of Motorhead/Stooges-inflected sci-fi punk scree, while others like `Chromatophage's mutant funk & `Cerberus's techno-slink owe a serious debt to electric-era Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock & show that the group has more to offer than bludgeoning you with sonic force. Provenzano's bass & electronics are like a tank rolling across the terrain - a gnarly construct of Hawkwind-ian headiness & `Vincebus Eruptum's snarl - uncaring of what gets in the way. Nickles' brass vacillates between Stooges-influenced sleaze, jazzy no-wave stabs, & cacophonous sonic storms, strafing the listener into oblivion. The duo are joined on "Mythology" by drummer John Schoemaker - who contributed drums to "Chart For The Solution"s epic closing track `Epilogue' - whose percussive pulse adds an organic swing to The Square's sonics, particularly on album closer "The Damned Thing"s cosmic strut. "Mythology" tackles a multitude of themes, from fantastical tales of hellhound `Cerberus' or the comic-inspired "Eternity " to `Chromatophage's colorful/evil yarn about animals that eat colors (or a Magic: The Gathering card) to the true-life influenced `Acid Rain' that deals with the uncertainty of consuming drinking water after a chemical spill in the Delaware River. Elsewhere, `Ferrell' is an homage to the late, great Ferrell "Pharaoh" Sanders & `The Damned Thing' by a short horror story penned by Ambrose Bierce about an animal whose coloring is invisible to the naked eye. Writhing Squares are in a transitional phase, mapping out a new sonic mythology for themselves after crossing the event horizon into unknown space. "Mythology" is streaming on most DSPs & released on black vinyl & limited fluorescent green vinyl (while supplies last) on April 26th, 2024.

2x7"
Not so long ago Marlena Shaw was a forgotten figure. The talented vocalist had made several LPs for respected labels such as Cadet and Blue Note, and she'd performed regularly throughout the '60s and '70s. But she hardly had what you might call diva status. Falling into the unfortunate category that slips uneasily between soul and jazz, she was accepted - but not especially admired - by aficionados of either genre. Then came the '90s, and an open-minded enthusiasm for soul and jazz - and more importantly - everything in between - soon changed that. Marlena Shaw became an icon, and the diva status soon blossomed amongst her new-found soul-jazz fans.

Respect is a word that means much to any singer. The artist who stands up in the bright lights before an audience that has handed over their hard-earned cash has only their physical presence and naked voice to rely on. There is no hiding when you're on stage, you're the focus of attention and everybody is gawping at you. The singer yearns to communicate and entertain, and in return not only asks for appreciation and acceptance, but respect. To this end Marlena Shaw has endured decades of singing in the shadows, and she has only recently finally found her niche.

On Disc One we have 'California Soul', probably the most enduring and well-known of her many songs, but just a few seconds listening will tell you that it is much more than that. It's already a classic amongst those who have already seen the light and have danced and swayed to its timeless swing. Upon hearing it all lovers of soul, jazz – or any other kind of good music - will feel an aural glow as warm as the Californian sun. The song 'Liberation Conversation' on the flip was only ever available on her highly revered 1969 LP 'The Spice of Life'. This is where the 'Blues ain't nothing but a good woman gone bad' launches into an irresistible, relentless uptempo funk groove.

Disc Two showcases 'Wade in the Water', an ancient song rumoured to have been developed and popularised by slaves in the American south. The message is to pass on the notion that by fleeing in a bid for freedom through streams and rivers, the scent that bloodhounds use to follow their victims will be obscured. Marlena's version has long been a favourite dancefloor filler since its 45-only release back in 1966.

'Woman of the Ghetto' is one of her best-known songs and ends the set on the other side. The opening number from 'The Spice of Life', it's since been recognised for the classic it is, and as such has been afforded anthemic status. We release the original 45 version here, as used to promote the LP back in the day.

This special 2x7" product from Jazzman is dedicated to the memory of Marlena Shaw, b. 22 September 1939, d. 19 January 2024.

We Release JAZZ is very happy to announce an exciting new body of work by Joseph Deenmamode aka Mo Kolours. The singular musical spirit’s new 21-track album Original Flow is available as a double LP housed in a heavy 350gsm sleeve with original artwork by Mo Kolours himself and the classic WRJ obi strip, as well as in digipack CD and digital formats.

A catalog of critically acclaimed records, including his self-titled debut (2014), ‘Texture Like Like Sun’ (2015), 2018 album ‘Inner Symbols’ and three companion EPs, established Deenmamode as a prodigious musician and vocalist. Pitchfork extolled his “hypnotic, tribal-infused dance grooves”, DJ Mag appreciated the “colourful celebration of soundsystem culture”, and Resident Advisor advocated that “no one sounds quite like Mo Kolours”. Musical analogies were drawn by The Guardian as “The best album Curtis Mayfield never made with A Tribe Called Quest and Lee Perry” and Mojo as “like Marvin Gaye produced by J Dilla”.

Five years ago, Deenmamode moved to the Japanese countryside. Far away from familiarity, he contemplated his place and further questioned his identity. “I had none of my ‘own’ people around. I had time to really find what makes me tick musically. Japan has helped me go back to those subconscious leanings, really go deep, and reflect the aspects that make up my story”.

The tracks on ‘Original Flow’ have been constructed from sessions, improvisations and soundbites captured around the world during this time; collecting contributions from musicians including Deenamode’s brothers Reginald Omas Mamode and Jeen Bassa plus Andrew Ashong, Charles Bullen, Dwaye Kilvington, Eddie Hick, Stefan Asanovic, Myele Manzanza, Ross Hughes, and Tom Dreissler. Deenamode says “I’m proud of this album’s creative process. Coming from a tradition of scouring through hours of records, I wanted to create my own samples, to find that perfect loop that no other producer could put their hands on. I decided to invite a group of friends and acquaintances, who also happen to be incredible musicians, to a studio in Crystal Palace to improvise based on some loose ideas I had. We spent all day, and recorded everything”.

‘Original Flow’ is an album of UK street-soul nouveau, future indigenous jazz fusion, Rasta Segga, Nyahbinghi jazz, Malagasy Hebrew hip hop. While retaining a spirit of exploration and improvisation, it sees Deenmamode grow and flex beyond beat tape brevity, expanding composition and stretching his musical muscle to play live with other musicians. Themes of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and mental liberation coexist with notes from ancient history, futurism, and science, as well as musings on family and togetherness.

‘Magik Momentum’ springs from a discussion that features at the start of the song, an inspiring mentor answering a question from Deenmamode about improvisation and what role it plays in life when planning and manifesting the future. ‘Rockets to Mars’ questions the lack of care for the billions of people with nothing, while governments plan to explore space. “This sparked a comparison in my mind to a Sonny Okuson song that I would reference when performing. Okuson’s song talked of the lack of resources in many communities in the world, while governments go to the moon”.

He says the music behind ‘The News These Days’ is “possibly my favourite on the album”. Looped like he would a late sixty jazz-fusion sample, there was nothing added and the track was complete within a matter of minutes. “It was the first and best moment from the entire Crystal Palace session”, he adds. The album’s contrasting title track with minimal instrumentation played solo by Deenamode. While frustratingly searching for gems in past recordings, he thought in a burst of ego, “I don’t need no-one else to make a dope beat!” picked up his ravanne, (the traditional frame drum of his fathers home-land of Mauritius), pressed record, and started to play. He says, “In my thoughts were the rhythms of the Nubians in Upper-Egypt and Sudan, the swing of the huge drums played by Mauritanian women, of-course the Sega beat of Mauritius, and the ever inspiring beat of James Yancey”.

Driven by UK broken beat, Cuban congas, Nigerian and Mauritian inflections, ‘Love Vibration’ follows the concept that all emotions carry a vibratory frequency and pays homage to the frequency of creation and the power of love. The two part ‘Tatamaka’ tells of the history of Deenmamode’s ancestors, the maroons of Mauritius. “We are people who managed to run from our oppressors and find refuge in a corner of the island called ‘Le Morne’ where they could not reach us. One bloody day they came in numbers to re-capture, to revenge. Many of us chose to jump to our deaths, rather than be taken back into subjugation. The poem by Creole Richard Sedley Assonne says; “there were hundreds of them, but my people, the maroons chose the kiss of death over the chains of slavery”. Tatamaka was the name of a famed maroon leader who was murdered for claiming his, and our people’s freedom. The song is the imagined journey of escape and freedom by an ancestor of the maroons of Le Morne”.

Born in the west midlands and raised on the traditional sega music of his father’s Indian Ocean homeland of Mauritius alongside records by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Santana and Michael Jackson; his influences expanded with late 90s jungle and drum and bass nights in Bristol, experiments at art college in Camberwell, and the rich culture of Peckham, “at the time we called it the Afro Quarters of London” says Deenmamode, adding hip hop, dub, soul and soundsystem styles to his individual sound.

He explains, “I love drum music, from hand-drums to 808s. I love music from the ancient past, heritage music, indigenous music, traditional music passed down from the beginning of time. Music from the body, hand claps, grunts and foot stomps. Music with audible depth, busy, bustling, highly charged. Music from the soul, the music from beyond. I love music from the islands and the mountains. The music of the streets, hustle music, alleyway beats. Club music”.

He describes the creative process as thinking in images. “The visual world and the world of sound seem to intermingle in my thought process. When I play the drum with my eyes closed, a world of imagery dances and moves with beat. Improvised drumming feels like I am listening to what I want to hear, rather than trying to play what I want to hear. Following the rhythm and finding new pathways to walk within the patterns is what I experience. In this way I often feel I am just a listener, instead of the player”.
Original Flow is pressed on biovinyl, a sustainable alternative to traditional vinyl. Biovinyl replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases, resulting in 100% CO2 savings in bio-based S-PVC production. Furthermore, it is 100% recyclable and reusable, embracing the circular economy ideology.

Greg Foats griechisches Jazzquartett mit Sokratis Votskos, Warren Hampshire und Ayo Salawu nahm live auf Mykonos auf. Es entstanden große, fette Synth-Basslines mit psychedelischer Gitarre, hypnotischer Bassklarinette, mystischer Flöte und Killer-Drums. File under: Live Cosmic Synth Jazz. Limitierte Auflage.

Jazzy & city pop group "paris match"'s 2nd album to be released on vinyl record!

The album contains 10 high-quality pop songs with a pleasant sense of style and spirit, which were described as "standard cafe music" at the time of its release in 2001.

Returning after three years with their second studio album, Double Dog Dare, WHITE DOG have been revelling in a state of creative flux and are poised to share their revelations with the world. Formed in 2015 in Austin, Texas, White Dog began with a shared vision of blazing, fuzzed-out rock that drew gleefully from their home city's rich cultural melting pot. Emboldened by an us-against-the-world gang mentality and inspired by everything from dusty roots rock to explosive old school prog, the band's self-titled album emerged in 2021, courtesy of natural home Rise Above Records, and immediately stood out as a sophisticated, earthy and characterful new strain of retro rambunctiousness.
Recorded over a period of eight days at Stuart Sikes Audio (with engineer Andrew McCalla) in Austin, Double Dog Dare takes all of the debut album's deftly assembled ingredients and allows them to fly free, liberated from expectation. At times mellower than its predecessor, at others strident and ferocious, these new songs showcase White Dog's organic development, with elements of everything from wistful southern rock to crusty-eyed jazz rock finding a place. Somehow even more fluid and fiery than before, this band are growing and expanding before our ears.
Now free to peddle their incendiary wares, they return to the stage with their strongest material to date, and a newfound enthusiasm for giving The Riff the respect and imagination it deserves.

Returning after three years with their second studio album, Double Dog Dare, WHITE DOG have been revelling in a state of creative flux and are poised to share their revelations with the world. Formed in 2015 in Austin, Texas, White Dog began with a shared vision of blazing, fuzzed-out rock that drew gleefully from their home city's rich cultural melting pot. Emboldened by an us-against-the-world gang mentality and inspired by everything from dusty roots rock to explosive old school prog, the band's self-titled album emerged in 2021, courtesy of natural home Rise Above Records, and immediately stood out as a sophisticated, earthy and characterful new strain of retro rambunctiousness.
Recorded over a period of eight days at Stuart Sikes Audio (with engineer Andrew McCalla) in Austin, Double Dog Dare takes all of the debut album's deftly assembled ingredients and allows them to fly free, liberated from expectation. At times mellower than its predecessor, at others strident and ferocious, these new songs showcase White Dog's organic development, with elements of everything from wistful southern rock to crusty-eyed jazz rock finding a place. Somehow even more fluid and fiery than before, this band are growing and expanding before our ears.
Now free to peddle their incendiary wares, they return to the stage with their strongest material to date, and a newfound enthusiasm for giving The Riff the respect and imagination it deserves.

Schwerer, auf Blues basierender Rock, zu dem man sogar tanzen kann! Die Quebecer Rocker Tonnerre spielen kräftigen, von den 1970ern inspirierten Rock, der sich an AC/DC und Blue Öyster Cult orientiert - komplett mit französisch gesungenen Texten! Das Album wurde bemerkenswerte sechs Monate nach der ersten Jam-Session der Band aufgenommen und vermittelt die Art von unbestreitbarem, lockeren Hardrock, der erstmals in den 1970er Jahren aufkam. Und hinter Sängerin Annick französischem Gesang fängt das Album perfekt das Gefühl und den Geist von 'eine Nacht in der Wildnis' ein, denn das ist die Titel-Übersetzung. Es symbolisiert Nächte, wilde Geister, Tiere, die nachts jagen, die Nordlichter, die Sterne und die langen Schatten, die das Feuer wirft.

Rock Hard:
"Die Kanadier fingen erst richtig an, als Arnaud Geoffroy sich hinters Schlagzeug klemmte, ein Bierbrauer im Brotberuf. Die Einstellung stimmt also. Und ihre Musik passt dazu. Die Gitarristen spielen trockene AC/DC-Riffs, aber nicht mit der wilden Unbedingtheit der Australier, sondern eher mit der Contenance und harmonischen Akribie des Siebziger-AOR. Sie selbst zählen noch Blue Öyster Cult zu ihre Vorbildern, und tatsächlich besitzt die Melodieführung von Sängerin Annick mitunter einen leichten BÖC-Vibe (etwa bei ´Ceux Qui Sommeillent´). TONNERRE gehören zur französischsprachigen Minderheit Torontos, und so kommen auch noch ein paar Trust-Reminiszenzen hinzu. Ganz schöne Mischung. Etwas energischer könnten sie hin und wieder zur Sache gehen, aber sie wollen sich wohl ihren Pegel nicht wegschwitzen."

Als eine der frühen Bastionen des US-Metals sind Attacker aus New Jersey zurück, um ihr 40-jähriges Jubiläum mit einem neuen Album zu feiern, einem triumphal, klassischem Metal-Album mit acht Songs! Bekannt wurde die Band durch ihr einflussreiches Debüt von 1985 und ihr zweites Album 'The Second Coming' drei Jahre später, sowie durch Alben nach der Reformation 2001. 'The God Particle' ist wieder die bewährte Dosis reinen, ungezügelten Heavy Metals mit reichlich Aggression und Melodie - beides dauerhafte Elemente des Attacker-Sounds, der auch von Marc Sassos (Dio, Halford, Marvel) packendem Cover-Artwork unterstrichen wird. Die Band würdigt mit dem neuen Album ihr geschichtsträchtiges Erbe und schafft neue, fesselnde Musik, um eine ihre Fangemeinde zufrieden zu stellen.

Vintage Hardrock der 1970er Jahre direkt aus Down Under! Das lang erwartete zweite Album der australischen Band Tarot besticht mit Hardrock inkl. Hammond-B3 für eine neue Generation von Fans! Als geschlossene Formation haben Tarot mit 'Glimpse Of The Dawn' ein lebendiges, weitläufiges Album zusammengestellt, das seinen Kerneinflüssen Uriah Heep, Rainbow und Deep Purple ernsthaft Tribut zollt und gleichzeitig eine eigene Identität hervorbringt. Dabei ließ die Band Freiräume, um Improvisation zu ermöglichen. Viele der Leadgitarren des Albums wurden spontan im Studio geschrieben und anschließend beibehalten, sodass Tarot "den Blitz in einer Flasche einfangen" konnte. Dieser Ansatz wird vielleicht am besten im Titeltrack veranschaulicht, der das Album mit ausgelassenen Hammond-Keyboards und Stimmengewalt auf großartige Weise eröffnet.
Artwork von Lena Richter, Mastering von Patrick Engel (Temple of Noise).

Rock Hard:
"Achtung: Bei "Glimpse Of The Dawn" handelt es sich mitnichten um einen weiteren Output der finnischen Hardrocker Tarot, bei denen sich Ex-Nightwish-Bassist Marco Hietala zurzeit (mal wieder) austobt, sondern um einen Eintrag in der noch vergleichsweise kurzen Diskografie der gleichnamigen australischen Band, die mit ihrem Full-length-Debüt von 2016 erstmals in weiteren Kreisen von sich hören machte. Diesem famosen Scheibchen stellt das Quintett aus dem tasmanischen Hobart nun nach schlappen acht Jahren einen Nachfolger zur Seite, der den Herrschaften nicht minder exzellent geraten ist. TAROT zocken entspannten, von Siebziger-Größen wie Deep Purple inspirierten Hardrock mit Metal-Schlagseite. Die Hammondorgel ist nicht von dieser Welt, und Frontmann Will Spectre verfügt über ein gefühlvolles, warmes, kräftiges Organ, das den Hörer im Zusammenspiel mit den verträumten Gitarrenmelodien in mystische Welten entführt. Wunderschön!"

Die Debüt-Solo-EP CA von Canaan Amber wurde in dem Jahrzehnt aufgenommen, nachdem Duster sich in ihre Pause verabschiedet hatten, und zeigt die Vorliebe des in Kalifornien geborenen Gitarristen für San Francisco Jangle und Santa Cruz Surf. Mit dem Tempo einer Bananenschnecke verpackt Canaan Amber die einsamsten einsaitigen Gitarrensoli um eine Ansammlung hohler Rhythmen und geisterhaften Gemurmels. Für diese Wiederveröffentlichung wurde die ursprüngliche Fünf-Song-CD von 2012 um sechs weitere Demos erweitert, die aus dem Fundus des produktiven Songwriters geplündert wurden. Mehr Wolf Moon als Black Moon, erforscht und kartographiert CA weiterhin die versteckten Galaxien, die das Duster-Universum ausmachen.

Die Debüt-Solo-EP CA von Canaan Amber wurde in dem Jahrzehnt aufgenommen, nachdem Duster sich in ihre Pause verabschiedet hatten, und zeigt die Vorliebe des in Kalifornien geborenen Gitarristen für San Francisco Jangle und Santa Cruz Surf. Mit dem Tempo einer Bananenschnecke verpackt Canaan Amber die einsamsten einsaitigen Gitarrensoli um eine Ansammlung hohler Rhythmen und geisterhaften Gemurmels. Für diese Wiederveröffentlichung wurde die ursprüngliche Fünf-Song-CD von 2012 um sechs weitere Demos erweitert, die aus dem Fundus des produktiven Songwriters geplündert wurden. Mehr Wolf Moon als Black Moon, erforscht und kartographiert CA weiterhin die versteckten Galaxien, die das Duster-Universum ausmachen.

Disco Segreta breathes new life into two of the most elusive and coveted italo disco tracks of all time!

Originating from the paradisiac island of Sardinia, Italy, Susy Pintus embarked on her musical journey alongside her brother at Radio Cagliari Centrale, one of Sardinia’s very first “free radios,” which opened its doors in 1977. Her singing career took flight in 1978, and by 1979, she attained national acclaim with her single “C’Est Magnifique,” a disco reinterpretation of the renowned Cole Porter track.

However, Susy’s most sought-after single undoubtedly remains her 1986 italo-disco 45 featuring the tracks “Fragile” and “Live for Your Love”. These compositions, expertly arranged by Italian jazz piano virtuoso Danilo Rea and superstar musician Aldo Tamborrelli, weave a captivating tapestry of sound using instruments like Yamaha DX7 and CP80, Roland Juno 60 and JX 8P, as well as the omnipresent Linn 9000. The result is a distinctive blend of italo-disco, synth-pop, and a touch of the “balearic” vibe.

Originally released in a limited run of 1500 copies on a 45, these tracks have become exceedingly rare over time, finding their way into the wishlists and collections of discerning italo-disco enthusiasts.

Now, Disco Segreta proudly reissues these two exceptional italo disco gems, granting them the expanded 12” treatment they rightfully deserve.

This deluxe edition includes the original tracks, meticulously remastered to meet contemporary standards without destroying the feel of the originals, along with two remixes of “Fragile” and “Live For Your Love” by Italian wonder Cosimo Mandorino aka Cosmo Dance.

Mit "Under a timeless spell" hat sich Adrian Hates einen Traum erfüllt ... einmal ein Album mit einem Orchester aufnehmen! 35 Jahre nach der Gründung des Tagebuchs der Träume ist es nun also soweit: 9 Diary of Dreams Klassiker erklingen in völlig neuem akustischem Gewand, gemeinsam realisiert mit der Philharmonie Leipzig. Kein Keyboard und auch keine Gitarre hat hier Platz gefunden, dafür aber unglaublich überwältigende orchestrale Klangwelten, die Songs wie zum Beispiel "Malum" und "the Valley" eine völlig neue Tiefe und Tragweite verleihen. Überwältigt von dieser emotionalen Reise endet das Album ganz persönlich und ruhig mit einer Klavierversion von "the Secret". Nachdem dann der letzte Ton verklungen ist, fühlt man sich berührt, aufgefangen und umarmt und hofft leise auf eine Fortsetzung dieser neuen Welt.

Limitierte Neuauflage von Scanners zweitem Album "Terminal Earth" als Transparent Blue Vinyl. Eine längst überfällige Neuauflage dieses zeitlosen Klassikers, passend zum 35 Jubiläum des 1989 erschienenden Releases. Die letzte LP Neuauflage erschien im Jahr 2016. Dieses lange vergriffene Meisterwerk nun endlich wieder erhältlich.

Deicide ist eine der drei großen US-Death-Metal-Bands, zusammen mit Cannibal Corpse und Morbid Angel. Nach ihrem letzten Album "Overtures of Blasphemy", das 2018 erschienen ist, kehren Deicide nun mit ihrem neuen Werk "Banished By Sin" zurück.

Deicide sind bekannt für ihre kompromisslose Musik, und dafür, dass sie in den mehr als drei Jahrzehnten ihres Bestehens einige der esten und härtesten Death Metal-Songs hervorgebracht haben. Erwartet die intensivste, brutalste und einprägsamste Florida Death Metal-Platte!

ACCEPTs neues Teutonic Metal Meisterwerk Humanoid!

Die deutschen Heavy Metal-Titanen ACCEPT melden sich mit ihrem voller Spannung erwarteten neuen Studioalbum Humanoid zurück, das am 26.

April 2024 über Napalm Records erscheint! Humanoid wurde vom britischen Metal-Mastermind Andy Sneap (Judas Priest, Amon Amarth, Testament, Saxon, etc.) in seinen Backstage Recording Studios Ltd. in Derbyshire, UK, produziert und ergänzt die Diskografie der 1976 gegründeten Band um ein weites Erstklassewerk, das mit Sicherheit Fans weltweit in Ekstase versetzten wird. Humanoid erscheint in zwei unterschiedlichen CD-Formaten und auf Vinyl.

Humanoid reiht sich ein in absolute Genre-Klassiker wie das in den USA und Kanada mit Platin ausgezeichnete Balls To The Wall, Metal Heart und neueren Alben wie Blood of the Nations, oder dem #1 Album Blind Rage. ACCEPT haben bis heute über 17 Millionen Mal Tonträger weltweit verkauft und platzierten sich regelmäßig in den Top 10 der internationalen Charts.

New Heaven, INTER ARMA’s latest album, is a compelling testament to perseverance, top to bottom. Its thicket of ever-dense layers of doom, death, and black metal occasionally let bits of light slip in, fleeting reminders to keep going amid the tumult. New Heaven marks a sharp turn for the band, showcasing some of the most extreme and angular songwriting INTER ARMA has ever laid bare. Known for their cinematic take on sludgy, extremely cavernous, and borderline psychedelic Metal, the Richmond band broadens their dynamics by seesawing between piledriving momentum and swirling oblivion. New Heaven crushers and conquers, and illustrates what INTER ARMA can truly be. Take the title track, with its hair-raising lead riff stemming from drummer/songwriter TJ Childers’ challenge to himself to write a nonsensically dissonant part that he ended up loving. The song spirals upward into a punishing Death-Metal march, Meanwhile, vocalist Mike Paparo’s stentorian bellows the bludgeon, above an impossibly complicated web of riffs and rhythms. From the get go, New Heaven and the opening title track eschews any restraint - INTER ARMA is completely unchained. Paparo’s keen and empathetic lyrics about innocent victims of war, addiction, and social apathy affirm that feeling, as a survivor grimaces at the carnage behind him and presses ahead best he can. “You stared into the brutish jaws of strife’s heartless device,” he growls into a chthonic blitz during “The Children the Bombs Overlooked,” a late-album powerhouse. “And you turned your back to hell.” That forward march out of madness is New Heaven in an armor-plated nutshell. Though this is indeed another INTER ARMA triumph, it is not a triumphant album, meant to offer some glib or naïve assurance that everything will be fine. What evidence is there for that, really, either on a record where friends are forced into submission, addiction, suicide, or retreat to a world where suffering remains the lingua franca? No, INTER ARMA and New Heaven are too realistic and experienced for that. This is, instead, a record about enduring brambles and curses and lasting long enough to make something profound, honest, and even affirming about it all every now and again—exactly as INTER ARMA has on New Heaven. FFO: Amenra, Neurosis, Full of Hell, Cult of Luna, Yob, Primitive Man, Thou, Ulcerate, Mastodon, The Body, Panopticon

'This Is Street Funk' ist Teil einer neuen Serie, die sich an Vinylkäufer richtet, die eine genrespezifische Zusammenstellung suchen. Zusammengestellt von Dean Rudland, der auch die Liner Notes schrieb, bietet der Sampler 14 Tracks mit knallhartem, heftigem Funk und fasst den Sound des 70's Black America zusammen. Eine Kombination aus Fatback-Grooves, synkopiertem Bass, rhythmischen Gitarren und explosivem Gesang. Die Auswahl an Tracks umfasst Klassiker von Fatback Band oder Millie Jackson, Dancefloor-Faves von Billy Garner und Billy Sha-Rae sowie schreiende Orgel-Instrumentals von Fame Gang und Larry & Tommy.

Arð stammen aus Northumbrien. Die Erfinder des Monastic Doom Metal errichten mit ihrem sehnsüchtig erwarteten zweiten Album "Untouched by Fire" einen weiteren beeindruckenden Meilenstein auf dem Weg ihres rasanten Aufstiegs. Sowohl musikalisch als auch textlich erklimmt Bandkopf Mark Deeks neue Höhen. Arð setzen ihre Mission fort, die Kultur, das Erbe und die Identität der alten nordenglischen Region Northumbria zu erforschen. Das Debütalbum "Take Up My Bones" folgte den Legenden und dem Jahrhundert der Wanderung der Reliquien des Heiligen Cuthbert von Lindisfarne (634-687). Die Geschichte des neuen Albums, wirft ein Schlaglicht auf eine ganz andere Art von Heiligen. Arð erzählen vom Kriegerkönig Oswald (604-642), der Northumbria mit Feuer und Schwert schmiedete, indem er die Reiche von Bernicia und Deira vereinigte. Seine Zeitgenossen bis ins Frankenreich hinein, sahen Oswald als den mächtigsten angelsächsischen König auf der Insel an. Arð zeichnen mit "Untouched by Fire" seinen Aufstieg zur Macht nach. Die Reise beginnt mit seiner Jugend im Exil. Seine Mutter war aufgrund einer Familienfehde nach Norden in das irische Machtzentrum Dal Riada an der schottischen Westküste geflohen. Oswalds Weg führt weiter über siegreiche Schlachten, in denen Oswald jene Territorien zurückgewann, die bereits sein Vater Æthelfrith beansprucht hatte. Am Ende steht die Gründung des Königreichs Northumbrien. Musikalisch bleiben Arð ihrem ursprünglichen Doom-Kurs treu. Die charakteristischen, Stil prägenden "Mönchschöre" sind weiterhin stark präsent, wie man es von einem Musiker erwarten kann, der neben seiner Tätigkeit als Bestseller-Autor, Klavierlehrer und Keyboarder bei der führenden britischen Black-Metal-Band WINTERFYLLETH auch als Chor-Arrangeur und -Dirigent arbeitet. Doch Deeks bereichert seinen Doom Metal auch durch neue Elemente, wie zum Beispiel über das gesamte Album verstreute, wohlplatzierte Prog-Momente. Die Kompositionen auf "Untouched by Fire" spiegeln die auch auf der Bühne gewachsene Erfahrung und das gewonnene Selbstvertrauen des Bandkopfs in Form eines konzentrierten Songwriting und einer größeren Dynamik wider. Diese Entwicklung wird durch die kraftvolle und organische Produktion von Markus Stock (EMPYRIUM, THE VISION BLEAK) deutlich gemacht - da Arð das Album in der Klangschmiede Studio E aufgenommen haben. Als Deeks Arð im Jahr 2019 gründete, wagte der Komponist nicht einmal in seinen kühnsten Träumen darauf zu hoffen, was alles in den kommenden Jahren passieren würde. Seine Demos brachten ihm bald einen Plattenvertrag ein und die erste Auflage des Debütalbums "Take Up My Bones" (2022) war schon ausverkauft, bevor das Album in die Läden kam. Es folgten mehrere Auflagen und auch alle limitierten Editionen waren schnell vergriffen. Die ersten Auftritte der Band, z.B. beim Prophecy Fest in Balve, verbreiteten den Ruf von Arð als hervorragender Live-Act durch Mundpropaganda wie ein Lauffeuer. Die Band wurde nicht nur in der weltweiten Metal- und Musikpresse gefeiert, sondern landete sogar im deutschen Staatsfernsehen, wurde von der renommierten britischen Zeitung The Guardian interviewt und in der BBC sowie anderen britischen Medien mit ihrem speziellen "Organic Doom" Konzert erwähnt - für die Deeks Stücke von "Take Up My Bones" neu arrangiert hatte, um sie mit Band und einer echten Orgel in Huddersfield zu spielen. Dieses Konzert findet sich in voller Länge als CD und DVD in der limitierten Artbook Edition. Mit dem zweiten Album "Untouched by Fire" legen sich Arð die eigene Messlatte gleich um mehrere Stufen höher auf. Perfekt arrangierte Monastic Doom Songs mit hoher Dynamik und unverfälschtem Songwriting finden in einer opulenten Produktion ihre Entsprechung. Es ist Zeit, die Augen zu schließen und sich von Arð aus Northumbrien in eine Zeit entführen zu lassen, in der germanische Kriegerkönige mit Schwert und Feuer und einem neuen Gott als Sieghelfer an ihrer Seite neue Reiche erschufen. Ein blutiges Fest für die Raben, ein Goldschatz für die Ohren!

Neuauflage des Jubiläumsformats anlässlich des 15-jährigen von Of Montreals bahnbrechendem Album "The Sunlandic Twins" (2005) mit seinem erratischen Indie-Disco-Sound, das 2020 als erweiterte 2LP-Auflage auf rotem und orange-farbigem Swirl-Doppelvinyl im neu gestalteten Gatefold mit 5 zusätzlichen Bonustracks auf Seite D (die vorher nur geedged war) erschien. Ein superlatives 23-Track-Format.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce The Mountains Pass, a major new work from Olivia Block. A key player in Chicago’s vibrant experimental music scene since the late 1990s, Block has developed an extensive body of work grounded in a personalised, at times emotive approach to the studio-based practices of the musique concrète tradition, while also encompassing improvisation, orchestral pieces, sound installations, and a sustained engagement with the piano. On The Mountains Pass, recorded by Greg Norman at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio and meticulously edited and constructed over the course of three years, Block pushes into new terrain, introducing her singing voice and drums played by Jon Mueller into flowing assemblages that move seamlessly from ruminative organ tones and fragmented piano airs to explosions of sizzling synths and thundering percussion. Like many of Block’s past works, which include, for example, a sculptural installation using the sound of oyster beds, The Mountains Pass draws inspiration from nature and the animal world. Time spent in a particular mountain range in Northern New Mexico informs this suite of pieces, whose lyrics and titles refer particularly to animal life in the area. Beginning with bursts of white noise and delicate synthetic pops and squeaks, opener ‘Northward’ very soon reveals the special direction the album will take, as lyrical piano lines are joined by Block’s fragile voice, singing words written from the perspective of f2754, an endangered Mexican gray wolf who wandered more than five hundred miles from Arizona to New Mexico in 2022. The fragment of song quickly breaks off, leaving us with a ghostly electronic hum. ‘The Hermit’s Peak’ follows, one of two epic pieces at the album’s core. Beginning with chiming, almost harpsichord-like tones, it moves through episodes of spacious, ruminative piano, Jon Mueller’s sparkling cymbals, stuttering cut-up piano sounds, and a climax of keening organ and trumpet tones (performed by Thomas Madeja). Continuing the exploration of vintage keyboard and synth tones heard on Block’s Innocent Passage in the Territorial Sea (Room 40, 2021), the music sometimes suggests the great outer-limits works of 70s Italian prog figures like Franco Battiato or Arturo Stalteri in the languorous drift of synthesizer, organ, and piano tones and the meticulous yet organic flow of its construction. ‘Violet-Green’ opens the second side with another epic journey, its lyrical content concerning ‘a mysterious bird die-off and a forest fire’. Block’s crystalline voice and rich piano chords at times call up the restrained chamber songs of Janet Sherbourne, but fragmented and threaded through passages of woozy pitch-bent keyboards, hypnotic distant thuds, tinkling bells, and searing distorted synth tones. On ‘f2754’, the freedom of the roaming wolf surges through dense layers of rapid keyboard attacks and long organ tones over a propulsive drum performance straight out of Animal Magnetism-era Arnold Dreyblatt. This distinctive sound world is then reencountered in a darkened mirror image in the uneasy, metallic shimmer of the closing ‘Ungulates’, named in reference to a heard of elk roaming through the mountains. Like Battiato’s Clic or Gastr del Sol’s Upgrade & Afterlife, The Mountains Pass inhabits the underexplored terrain where the beauty of song coexists with a radical formal openness, illuminating the deep musicality and warmth that have been present in Block’s work all along.

Mecca And The Soul Brother by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth is considered by fans and critics as one of the finest hip hop albums of the early Nineties. Songs like "Lots of Lovin", "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)","Anger In The Nation" and "If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right" have everything; funky basslines, solid production, convincing lyrics and lots of soul. Producer Pete Rock built his beats from obscure R&B, funk and jazz records and CL Smooth added his sometimes-philosophical raps. Guest rappers on the album include Grand Puba (of Brand Nubian), Heavy D, Rob-O, Grap & Dida, and it reached #7 in the US R&B/Hip-hop charts and #43 in the US album charts. Mecca And The Soul Brother is available as a limited of 1500 individually numbered copies on silver coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

Mecca & The Soul Brother by pete & Cl Smooth Rock, released 19 April 2024, includes the following tracks: "Ghettos Of The Mind", "Act Like You Know", "Soul Brother #1", "Anger In The Nation" and more.

This version of Mecca & The Soul Brother comes as a 2xLP. This release comes with (a) Insert(s).

The vinyl is pressed as a translucent, yellow disc. Another vinyl is pressed as a translucent, yellow disc.

John Wright’s 1960 debut album “South Side Soul” was originally released on the Prestige label and recorded at Van Gelder Studios. Along with Wright (piano), the album features Wendell Robert (bass) and Walter McCants (drums). This new edition of the album is released as part of the OJC Series and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. It is presented in a Tip-On Jacket.

Recorded in 1955 for Tom Wilson’s Transition label, Byrd’s Eye View was Donald Byrd’s first issued album as a leader featuring the trumpeter at the helm of the line-up of The Jazz Messengers with Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Doug Watkins, and Art Blakey plus trumpeter Joe Gordon on several tracks. This mono Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket with an 8.5” x 5.5” booklet.

Bobby Hutcherson’s 1968 album Total Eclipse was the vibraphonist’s first recording to feature saxophonist Harold Land who would become a key collaborator for years to come. Rounding out the band were pianist Chick Corea, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Joe Chambers on this impassioned post-bop set. This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

Led by drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton, The Dealer features appearance from Archie Shepp, Charles Lloyd and, notably, the recording debut of guitarist Larry Coryell, who lends a bluesy edge to a solid and mellow soul-jazz outing.This Verve By Request title is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Third Man in Detroit.

James Murphy calls LCD Soundsystem drummer Pat Mahoney the best lyricist in the group, though it's in Museum Of Love - Pat's band with Dennis McNany - where he actually steps out in front. This 7" is the MOLove's first material on DFA since their debut album in 2014. "After Us" is a simple, buyoant pop song heavily tempered by warnings of a bleak future. The old sugar with the medicine approach. "Look Of Disgust" is its perfect foil, a notty, almost industrial sounding wind up that ends just like a slap in the face.