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Seine kubanischen Verbindungen machten ihn zu einem grenzenlosen Künstler, durch Auftritte mit internationalen Künstlern wie Cimafunk (Grammy-nominiert) oder dem Rapper/Texter Barbaro el Urbano Vargas. Als vielseitiger Sänger/Rapper, Komponist und Produzent besteht Harris' Universum aus prägnanten Melodien, einem charakteristischen rauen Ton, poetischem und ehrlichem Songwriting und beeindruckenden Produktionsfähigkeiten. Seine Musik ist die Fusion von den Genres R&B, Soul und Hip-Hop, gewürzt mit Jazz-Vibes. Seine Single 'The Hill' war neben Künstlern wie Little Simz und Pa Salieu im offiziellen Soundtrack von FIFA 2022 zu hören. Hendrix' neues Album 'Awakening' nimmt uns mit auf eine Klangreise durch seine Gedanken. Er findet Trost in hypnotischen Melodie-Loops und kräftigen, bassgetriebenen Beats. Sein intimer, aber kraftvoller Vortrag reflektiert über Vorstellungen von sich selbst, Gesellschaft, Beziehungen und Wachstum. Klanglich und lyrisch sein bislang ehrlichstes Werk. Erhältlich als Black Vinyl!

Mit 'Erotico' enthüllt das französische Indie-Pop-Duo Charlotte Fever seine zweite EP. Ein neues Opus mit sinnlichen und tropischen Akzenten. Getreu ihren Gewohnheiten bietet uns die Gruppe Stücke mit Retro-Sounds, die zwischen überbordender Energie und viel Zärtlichkeit wechseln.

Obscure digi dub gem from 2010 by French one-of-a-kind vocal scientist Pupa Jim, available on wax for the first time since its initial short run 14 years ago.

Programmed by the Maffi crew, the Copenhagen riddim experts of the myspace era, this relentless 7″ module aged oddly well, with its futuristic AI-theme and timeless simplicity.

Jahtari main electrician disrupt is taking a closer look into the strippped down riddim schematics on the flip side, kicking it with a minimum set of transistors to wreak maximum havoc dubwise.

Das Release für das vierte Studioalbum der Grammy Gewinnerin Kali Uchis „ORQUÍDEAS“ ist angekündigt. Das Album ist eine Hommage an ihre kolumbianischen Wurzeln – rein spanische Songs und eine Reise durch die lateinamerikanische Musikkultur.

Inspiriert von der sinnlichen Anziehungskraft der kolumbianischen Nationalblume, der Orchidee, durchquert ORQUÍDEAS mehrere lateinamerikanische Genres, darunter Reggaeton, Dembow, Bolero und Salsa. Nun bringt sie ihr neues Werk auch auf LP raus

To mark the 35th Anniversary of Acid Jazz, we have been reissuing seminal records from our catalogue on colour vinyl. The final instalment - and the second James Taylor Quartet release in the series - is this this version of ‘Mission Impossible’ is pressed on a fitting red vinyl.

The original release track-listing showcases JTQ’s sixties soundtrack odyssey – driving organ instrumentals from the beginnings of Acid Jazz, showing James and the original lineup in their prime. Alongside Lalo Schifrin’s iconic title track appear tracks by Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Bacharach & David, before the Taylor-penned original ‘The Stooge’ closes out this lean, hip collection.

For fans of post-Chicago post-"Second Summer of Love" acid; Chris & Cosey, Terekke, Cabaret Voltaire, Anthony Naples, JTC, D.K., Luke Vibert, Khotin. The latest by Texan-turned-Angeleno progressive vaporwave producer Carlos Ramirez aka AURAGRAPH finds him shifting focus to the dance floor across eight chrome clockworks of cosmic acid house and liquid rave glide: New Standard. Inspired by lessons learned during a 5K mile American road trip tour in the summer 2022, he set to work in his Simi Valley Tuff Shed of synths and hardware, pursuing an explicitly DJfriendly muse: "I realized I wanted to make a record where every track could go off in a live setting." These cuts do just that, revved and rhythmic, peppered with slap bass, Madchester whistles, filtered acid, gated snares, baggy cowbell, and sample pack classics - record scratches, orchestral stabs, the "Yeah! Woo!" from Lynn Collins "Think (About It)." Ramirez describes the process as immediate and instinctual: "I'd turn on the MPC, pick a tempo, and just improv - it was incredibly fun." From sleek freeway techno ("110 Cruising") to arcade lurker acid ("Coast 2 Coast") to big room bangers ("666 Ambience"), the tracks time-travel across the canon of club music, sifting tricks and styles to fashion fresh anthems of hypnagogic jack. It's an album channeled as much as crafted, tapping into the decks of mythic warehouse infinities past and present, where the system rips all night and acid never dies.

Limited Turkey Gravy Brown Vinyl is for Indies only. FOR FANS OF The Meters, Booker T. & The M.G.s, New Mastersounds, Soulive, Jimmy Smith, Khruangbin. First Re-issue pressed at Gotta Groove Records! Pressed on exclusive 'Turkey Gravy Brown' vinyl. Produced and recorded by Colemine label owner, Terry Cole. The LP that started it all, and the first ever re-issue pressed at Gotta Groove! Bread & Butter, the first full length LP on Colemine Records and the debut of The Jive Turkeys, is nothing but funky, soulful instrumental goodness from start to finish. Bread & Butter clearly established The Jive Turkeys as the initial benchmark for the old-school funk revival in the Midwest. Fans of The Meters, Booker T. & The M.G. s, and the funk revival sound will surely dig what The Jive Turkeys are puttin down! Also Available From The Jive Turkeys: The Jive Turkeys 7”, Funky Turkey / Funky Brewster 7", BA / Chickenfoot 7" // Tracks: 1. The Funky Turkey 2. The JT Strut 3. Soul-Hi 4. Chickenfoot 5. Straight Fire 6. Bill Collector 7. Stamp 8. Funky Brewster 9. Talkin' That Talk 10. Grimmin' 11. B.A. 12. Otis Lament

For fans of post-Chicago post-"Second Summer of Love" acid; Chris & Cosey, Terekke, Cabaret Voltaire, Anthony Naples, JTC, D.K., Luke Vibert, Khotin. The latest by Texan-turned-Angeleno progressive vaporwave producer Carlos Ramirez aka AURAGRAPH finds him shifting focus to the dance floor across eight chrome clockworks of cosmic acid house and liquid rave glide: New Standard. Inspired by lessons learned during a 5K mile American road trip tour in the summer 2022, he set to work in his Simi Valley Tuff Shed of synths and hardware, pursuing an explicitly DJfriendly muse: "I realized I wanted to make a record where every track could go off in a live setting." These cuts do just that, revved and rhythmic, peppered with slap bass, Madchester whistles, filtered acid, gated snares, baggy cowbell, and sample pack classics - record scratches, orchestral stabs, the "Yeah! Woo!" from Lynn Collins "Think (About It)." Ramirez describes the process as immediate and instinctual: "I'd turn on the MPC, pick a tempo, and just improv - it was incredibly fun." From sleek freeway techno ("110 Cruising") to arcade lurker acid ("Coast 2 Coast") to big room bangers ("666 Ambience"), the tracks time-travel across the canon of club music, sifting tricks and styles to fashion fresh anthems of hypnagogic jack. It's an album channeled as much as crafted, tapping into the decks of mythic warehouse infinities past and present, where the system rips all night and acid never dies.

Breaking Teeth (3rd Single / Will have a music video & Reddit AMA) Breaking Teeth is the 3rd of 4 singles from their new album The Fear Of Letting Go. Tyler Tate (vox) describes this track as the heaviest song on the record and sounds simply - "pissed off". "When I wrote the lyrics I was so fed up with the world & my life in general. Set back after set back, problems around every corner. Living should be simpler but the society we live in prevents that. We should all be pissed about it.” Band will do Reddit AMA & MV Visualizer We're All Left Suffereing (2nd Single / With Album announce) 'We're All Left Suffering' is the second of four singles from Michigan based metalcore band Hollow Front's upcoming album 'The Fear Of Letting Go'. The release follows their 2022 album ‘The Price Of Dreaming’ (#9 Current Hard Music Albums, #35 Current Digital Albums, #42 Independent, # 48 Current Rock Albums) which received praise from New Noise “a blistering and bruising experience, evoking myriad emotions and conveying a heady and moving blend of euphoria and despair.” and RockNLoad “Hollow Front has dropped nothing short of a phenomenal album with The Price of Dreaming. While the release doesn’t do anything new, it takes an already established formula and polishes it into a perfect shine. If you’re a fan of any of the modern Metalcore titans, you’ll love this release, hopefully as much as I do. Utterly brilliant.” 'We're All Left Suffering' is the first song the band has released since the announce of Dakota Alvarez's departure (former guitarist/singer) and marks the next chapter in the bands journey. The song will be accompanied by a music video and lined up with the announce of their forthcoming record "The Fear Of Letting Go" (Out October 27th). Lead vocalist states “This track is an anthem for the broken spirited. We live in a world riddled with heartache and constant struggle. Whether mentally, physically, or financially; we area collective of human beings doing our best to survive. I think with everything that’s happened in the world over these last three years, things might seem hopeless. It feels like the whole world has gone mad, and we’re all just here suffering along for the ride. It can be incredibly discouraging being a human in today’s social and economic climate. So I think this song is for those people who are sick of dealing with the bullshit life is throwing at them, and just want to truly breathe for once.”

Neue, limitierte, dreifarbige (weiß-pink-gelb) Vinyl-Tour-Ausgabe des jüngsten As December Falls-Albums, das auf Platz 1 der UK-Rock-Charts, der Indie-Album-Charts und der Download-Charts landete und auf Rang #11 in die UK Album-Charts einstieg.

Das UK-Pop-Punk-Quartett As December Falls blieb stets seiner unabhängigen Selbstvermarktung treu. Angefangen bei dem selbstbetitelten Debütalbum (2019) über den von John Mitchell (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Architects) produzierten Nachfolger 'Happier' (2020) bis zu 'Mayday', der ersten Single aus dem neuen Album 'Join The Club'. Es ist ihr bislang ehrgeizigster Track mit einer härteren Soundrichtung, die man von der Band bisher nicht kannte. Produziert von Alex Copp (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes), abgemischt von Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly) und gemastert von Grant Berry (All Time Low, Hot Milk, Deaf Havana) leitet 'Mayday' das dritte As December Falls-Album ein, mit dem die Band einen weiteren Riesenschritt nach vorne macht.

Die 4x GRAMMY-nominierte Sängerin, Songwriterin, Dichterin und Aktivistin Allison Russell hat ihr neues Album ”The Returner” angekündigt. Das Album wird am 8. September 2023 über Fantasy Records veröffentlicht . ”The Returner” wurde von Allison zusammen mit Dim Star (ihrem Partner JT Nero und Drew Lindsay) geschrieben und co-produziert und wurde in der Woche der Sonnenwende im Dezember 2022 in den Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, CA aufgenommen. Mit dabei ist Russells ”Rainbow Coalition”-Band, die ausschließlich aus weiblichen Musikern besteht, sowie spezielle Gastauftritte der legendären Wendy & Lisa, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark und Hozier.

”Mein Ziel mit The Returner ist - klanglich, poetisch und spirituell - eine radikale Rückgewinnung der Gegenwart, eine Echtzeit-Vereinigung von Körper, Geist und Seele. Dieses Album ist eine viel tiefere Artikulation von Rhythmus, Groove und Synkopierung. Groove, der das Selbst zurück in den Körper bringt, Groove, der sinnliche und sexuelle Handlungsfähigkeit und Entfaltung feiert, Groove als dringender Aufruf zum Handeln und zum politischen Aktivismus.

Mit einem Wort, es ist funkiger. Aber wie in der Geschichte von allem, was funky ist, geht es nie nur um eine Party. Es ist ein Multiversum von Energien, das die Feier und den Kampfschrei miteinander verbindet.
Denn während die Umarmung der Gegenwart eine Feier ist, ist sie gleichzeitig ein bedingungsloser Sprung in die Schlacht - kulturell, politisch, ökologisch.”

Das UK-Pop-Punk-Quartett As December Falls blieb stets seiner unabhängigen Selbstvermarktung treu. Angefangen bei dem selbstbetitelten Debütalbum (2019) über den von John Mitchell (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Architects) produzierten Nachfolger 'Happier' (2020) bis zu 'Mayday', der ersten Single aus dem neuen Album 'Join The Club'. Es ist ihr bislang ehrgeizigster Track mit einer härteren Soundrichtung, die man von der Band bisher nicht kannte. Produziert von Alex Copp (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes), abgemischt von Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly) und gemastert von Grant Berry (All Time Low, Hot Milk, Deaf Havana) leitet 'Mayday' das dritte As December Falls-Album ein, mit dem die Band einen weiteren Riesenschritt nach vorne macht.

- "As December Falls are an exciting prospect for the future of British Rock." - Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1

Das UK-Pop-Punk-Quartett As December Falls blieb stets seiner unabhängigen Selbstvermarktung treu. Angefangen bei dem selbstbetitelten Debütalbum (2019) über den von John Mitchell (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Architects) produzierten Nachfolger 'Happier' (2020) bis zu 'Mayday', der ersten Single aus dem neuen Album 'Join The Club'. Es ist ihr bislang ehrgeizigster Track mit einer härteren Soundrichtung, die man von der Band bisher nicht kannte. Produziert von Alex Copp (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes), abgemischt von Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly) und gemastert von Grant Berry (All Time Low, Hot Milk, Deaf Havana) leitet 'Mayday' das dritte As December Falls-Album ein, mit dem die Band einen weiteren Riesenschritt nach vorne macht.

- "As December Falls are an exciting prospect for the future of British Rock." - Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1

Das UK-Pop-Punk-Quartett As December Falls blieb stets seiner unabhängigen Selbstvermarktung treu. Angefangen bei dem selbstbetitelten Debütalbum (2019) über den von John Mitchell (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Architects) produzierten Nachfolger 'Happier' (2020) bis zu 'Mayday', der ersten Single aus dem neuen Album 'Join The Club'. Es ist ihr bislang ehrgeizigster Track mit einer härteren Soundrichtung, die man von der Band bisher nicht kannte. Produziert von Alex Copp (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes), abgemischt von Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly) und gemastert von Grant Berry (All Time Low, Hot Milk, Deaf Havana) leitet 'Mayday' das dritte As December Falls-Album ein, mit dem die Band einen weiteren Riesenschritt nach vorne macht.

- "As December Falls are an exciting prospect for the future of British Rock." - Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1

Stoned Part I was the first self-released album from lost soul phenomenon Lewis Taylor. His third album proper, it was initially released on his own label Slow Reality in 2002 and it's been licensed to Be With for this long-awaited double LP release, its first ever vinyl edition. The songs are varied, hook filled and outstanding. Beloved by his legions of diehard fans, it's nothing short of a masterpiece.

After parting ways with Island, and without a label deal, Lewis went back to his home studio and began to record Stoned Part I in 2001. Co-written and co-produced with longtime collaborator Sabina Smyth, Lewis sings and plays all the instruments on this beautiful, emotional and very human album. It represents Lewis at his most accessible and finds him in the middle ground between his two Island releases. In some ways, Stoned Part I distills the best of his musical sensibilities. The flawless production is dense, layered and very early-2000s slick. The bottom end is thick, funky and sexy.

The complex, proggy-soul of title track "Stoned" opens the album and instantly captivates. Deep swinging funk with truly sweet soulful vocals, complemented by wah-wah guitar and swelling acidic synths. As Lewis himself told us, the ad libs at the end of the track were a nod to Paul McCartney at the end of "Hey Jude". Fan favourite "Positively Beautiful" has shades of Curtis and Marvin; its richly layered harmonies propelled by a simple, metronomic click-track that gives way to a more fully fleshed beat for the magnificent coda.

The slow, sweeping majesty of "Lewis IV" is all moody atmosphere, featuring dense, richly textured music and heavenly multi-tracked harmonies. The stop-you-in-your-tracks incredible "Send Me An Angel" could have been a huge AM radio hit, beautifully crafted sophisticated soul-pop songwriting in the vein of the very best Sade records. Yep! *That good* The smooth, psychedelia-lite "Til The Morning Light" is a gorgeous, sun-dappled love song, layered with Lewis' distinctive honey drenched vocals and, again, the type of record you could've easily heard all over the radio at the time of initial release.

The remarkable, wide-eyed "Shame" packs so many shifting styles into one song, it has to be heard to be believed. Opening in a laconic, breezy style, not unlike a Dallas Austin or Rodney Jerkins produced R&B hit of the day, it morphs into a heavy psych-soul Soulaquarians wig-out (the solo bearing an uncanny resemblance to Carlos Santana’s on "She’s Not There") before elegantly sliding into string-assisted symphonic soul and then back around again. And again. Sheer brilliance. The sublime, gentle head-nod funk-soul of "When Will I Ever Learn" (Part 1) is a strikingly well-turned-out tune, a neat, sweet bass-driven guitar-soul jam that ensures our jaw won't be leaving the floor anytime soon. "Lovin’ U More" sounds like a classic turn-of-the-century Neptunes production, the likes of which they'd lay on for JT BITD. A Latin-tinged groover with more than a little Nile Rodgers-driven slick funk stylings, it's yet another instant Lewis bomb with those gorgeous harmonies and chart-friendly irresistible key-changes to boot. Another indisputable (non-)HIT!

The funky seductive swagger of "From The Day We Met - Part II" opens the final side of wax, giving way to the gigantic buzzing synth-funk beast "Lovelight", a track so insouciantly mighty it should have been a massive hit for someone. Wait, what's that? Robbie Williams covered it? Ah, OK, well, I guess that says something about the effortless pop genius contained within. Containing a seemingly unnoticed nod to Kraftwerk’s "Computer World", it's Lewis's favourite song on the album. It's easy to hear why: "Sabina’s production totally nails it. I love the restraint and the subtlety, and that mixture of warmth and sweetness from the singing against the slightly cold, yet beautiful airy-ness of the backing track." To close this phenomenal album, the twisted electronic soul of "Sheneverdid" marries Lewis's beautiful falsetto to his virtuoso playing and an easy-cum-ominous musical backdrop. Stunning.

Simon Francis’s vinyl mastering, approved by Lewis himself, presents the eleven tracks over a double LP so, as ever, it sounds sensational. The records have been cut by Cicely Balston at Air Studios and pressed at Record Industry. Allow Lewis Taylor to get you Stoned.

blue vinyl / 180 grams

Those djs who are always looking for tracks no one else is playing are going to be superhappy with this 45.
100% dance floor dynamite!
It does not get any better than this.

Krieg, steigende Energiekosten, Inflation. Eine politische Klasse und ein gespaltenes Land. Das Unbehagen nach dem Brexit, Akte nationaler Selbstbeschädigung und verhängnisvolle Realitätsfluchten. Verzweiflung, Wut und Entfremdung. War es jemals schlimmer da draußen?
Willkommen bei „UK Grim”. Das zwölfte Album der Sleaford Mods baut auf den einzigartigen, aufrührerischen Stärken früherer Alben auf und verfeinert sie gleichzeitig auf eine neue Weise. Es handelt sich um nichts Geringeres als eine Band und eine Stimme ihrer Generation, so wie es The Jam, The Clash oder Public Enemy zuvor waren.

Begonnen haben die Arbeiten zum neuen Album in den Lockdowns von 2021. Schließlich setzte man die Arbeit im JT Soars fort, dem Arbeitsraum und der Kreativzelle der Band, und vollendet „UK Grim“ dann im Heimstudio des musikalischen Kopfes Andrew Fearn. Das Album präsentiert die Band in ihrer makellosesten Wut, gepaart mit wilder Poesie. Nach „Spare Ribs“ von 2021 (ihrem dritten UK-Top-Ten-Album seit 2019 und ihrem bisher erfolgreichsten) ist es, wie alle ihre Platten, eine Diagnose der Krankheiten der Gesellschaft.

Obwohl „UK Grim“ größtenteils vor den Turbulenzen des Jahres 2022 entstanden ist, nimmt es die Erschütterungen einer Gesellschaft, die den Verstand verliert, auf unheimliche Weise vorweg, erzählt von einem Mann, der entschlossen ist, sich mit Heucheleien auseinanderzusetzen, insbesondere mit seinen eigenen. Die 14 Tracks klingen nach knarzigem Punk, widerspenstiger Elektronik und Elementen von Hip-Hop. Sie beschreiben die Realität in zu brutaler Unverblümtheit, um nur einfache Protestsongs zu sein. Sie sind zu Vinyl gewordene Wut, aufgekocht von den Großmeistern des pointierten Zorns – den Sleaford Mods! Wie bei den „Spare Ribs“ Kollaborationen mit Billy Nomates und Amy Taylor helfen auch bei „UK Grim“ Freunde aus: Florence Shaw von Dry Cleaning ist auf dem schaurigen „Force 10 From Navarone“ zu Gast. Williamson ist ein Fan der Band und sagt: "Sie erinnert mich wirklich an die frühen Sachen, die ich gemacht habe, einfach die Art und Weise, wie sie ein einziges Wort benutzt, um eine ganze Geschichte zu erzählen." Perry Farrell von Jane's Addiction rappt auf dem bizarren „So Trendy“, einem Song, von dem Williamson sagt, er sei "sehr vorsichtig... ein wirklich seltsamer Track“.

Seit ihrem Durchbruch-Album "Divide and Exit" von 2014 hatten die Sleaford Mods immer mehr Gelegenheit zum offenen Austausch, sowohl im In- als auch im Ausland. Sie sind eine unermüdlich arbeitende Band, die mit ihren minimalistischen Liveshows unter anderem 2021 in der 10.000 Zuschauer fassenden Nottingham Motorpoint Arena auftrat. Zu den weiteren Meilensteinen ihres Erfolgs gehören Auftritte im US-Late-Night-TV, Headliner-Auftritte auf Festivals und Chart-Platzierungen in ganz Europa mit „Spare Ribs”. Ein großer Bewunderer ist Iggy Pop, der der Band mit einer persönlichen Version des Drogenrausch-Grand-Guignols „Chop Chop Chop” Tribut gezollt hat.

Krieg, steigende Energiekosten, Inflation. Eine politische Klasse und ein gespaltenes Land. Das Unbehagen nach dem Brexit, Akte nationaler Selbstbeschädigung und verhängnisvolle Realitätsfluchten. Verzweiflung, Wut und Entfremdung. War es jemals schlimmer da draußen?
Willkommen bei „UK Grim”. Das zwölfte Album der Sleaford Mods baut auf den einzigartigen, aufrührerischen Stärken früherer Alben auf und verfeinert sie gleichzeitig auf eine neue Weise. Es handelt sich um nichts Geringeres als eine Band und eine Stimme ihrer Generation, so wie es The Jam, The Clash oder Public Enemy zuvor waren.

Begonnen haben die Arbeiten zum neuen Album in den Lockdowns von 2021. Schließlich setzte man die Arbeit im JT Soars fort, dem Arbeitsraum und der Kreativzelle der Band, und vollendet „UK Grim“ dann im Heimstudio des musikalischen Kopfes Andrew Fearn. Das Album präsentiert die Band in ihrer makellosesten Wut, gepaart mit wilder Poesie. Nach „Spare Ribs“ von 2021 (ihrem dritten UK-Top-Ten-Album seit 2019 und ihrem bisher erfolgreichsten) ist es, wie alle ihre Platten, eine Diagnose der Krankheiten der Gesellschaft.

Obwohl „UK Grim“ größtenteils vor den Turbulenzen des Jahres 2022 entstanden ist, nimmt es die Erschütterungen einer Gesellschaft, die den Verstand verliert, auf unheimliche Weise vorweg, erzählt von einem Mann, der entschlossen ist, sich mit Heucheleien auseinanderzusetzen, insbesondere mit seinen eigenen. Die 14 Tracks klingen nach knarzigem Punk, widerspenstiger Elektronik und Elementen von Hip-Hop. Sie beschreiben die Realität in zu brutaler Unverblümtheit, um nur einfache Protestsongs zu sein. Sie sind zu Vinyl gewordene Wut, aufgekocht von den Großmeistern des pointierten Zorns – den Sleaford Mods! Wie bei den „Spare Ribs“ Kollaborationen mit Billy Nomates und Amy Taylor helfen auch bei „UK Grim“ Freunde aus: Florence Shaw von Dry Cleaning ist auf dem schaurigen „Force 10 From Navarone“ zu Gast. Williamson ist ein Fan der Band und sagt: "Sie erinnert mich wirklich an die frühen Sachen, die ich gemacht habe, einfach die Art und Weise, wie sie ein einziges Wort benutzt, um eine ganze Geschichte zu erzählen." Perry Farrell von Jane's Addiction rappt auf dem bizarren „So Trendy“, einem Song, von dem Williamson sagt, er sei "sehr vorsichtig... ein wirklich seltsamer Track“.

Seit ihrem Durchbruch-Album "Divide and Exit" von 2014 hatten die Sleaford Mods immer mehr Gelegenheit zum offenen Austausch, sowohl im In- als auch im Ausland. Sie sind eine unermüdlich arbeitende Band, die mit ihren minimalistischen Liveshows unter anderem 2021 in der 10.000 Zuschauer fassenden Nottingham Motorpoint Arena auftrat. Zu den weiteren Meilensteinen ihres Erfolgs gehören Auftritte im US-Late-Night-TV, Headliner-Auftritte auf Festivals und Chart-Platzierungen in ganz Europa mit „Spare Ribs”. Ein großer Bewunderer ist Iggy Pop, der der Band mit einer persönlichen Version des Drogenrausch-Grand-Guignols „Chop Chop Chop” Tribut gezollt hat.

Eddie Leader’s Northern PowerHOUSE imprint Hudd Traxx has, over its 17 year history, become synonymous as a home of quality underground sounds. As a label that has consistently kept the vibe alive through its unwavering insistence on quality over quantity, it has seen many masters of the craft feature on the Huddersfield-based label... Including Agnès, Chez Damier, Chris Carrier, Brett Johnson, JT Donaldson, Rick Wade and more.

As we kick-start ’23, Hudd Traxx announce an exciting new series of releases… Hudd Influence. A new run of vinyl offerings that see label boss Leader digging deep, licensing, remastering and pressing to vinyl a spicy selection of joints that have played their part, not only in his own musical journey, but also in influencing the foundation of the Hudd Traxx label.

Volume One brings us four choice cuts from House music royalty, kicking off with the Todd Terry’s 1992 classic ‘When You Hold Me’, taken from his debut ’The Unreleased Project’. Next up, the ‘Body N Soul’ Mix of ‘Get 2 U’ from long-time friend of the label, Jovonn, under his 1999 alias LYON. On the flip we’re treated to ’Touch Me’ (Dub Touch Me Mix), the ’94 production from Chicago’s Danell Dixon, alongside a huge Eddie Leader favourite in The Diggers 1996 jam, ‘Jazztaker’s Dub’.

Whether this is a first introduction or a reaffirmation of their greatness, Hudd Traxx are excited to provide a fresh platform for these true house classics.

Keep ‘em peeled for Vol. 2!

Following the success of his 2022 mod-club, soul-jazz adventure with Mick Talbot, on 27 January Acid Jazz Records will release Chris Bangs' compendium of dance-floor fillers and Latin dynamite. Chris, who coined the term 'acid jazz', has created a new solo album of 10 tracks that takes his unique spin on jazz DJ-ing and turned it to producing an album that is totally reminiscent of the classic '80s era on the UK dance scene.

Recent single 'Firebird' (Jazz FM's Breakfast show 'track of the week') encompasses a lifetime of Chris's musical influences to present a jazz-tastic smorgasbord of bossa, fusion, bop jazz funk, salsa and a myriad selection of other jazz stylings all delivered with his trademark ear for the grooves and melodies to go with it. Paying tribute to his roots, 'East Coast' is the distinctive sound of jazz-funk fusion which spread through UK clubs in the early '80s, whereas 'Dinamita's heavy duty percussion-led Montuno Salsa groove tips its hat to the sound of '70s NYC via Puerto Rico.



Elsewhere the album features a tough Batucada rework of Dom Um Romao's 'Kitchen (Cosina)', the bossa of Cal Tjader's 'Samba Do Sueno', Brazilian disco funk-jazz 'Sambara' via the epic samba fusion 'Lifetimes'. Firebird features an array of in-demand and exceptional musicians, including jazz guitarist Nigel Price (Van Morrison, David Axelrod, JTQ), supreme jazz piano stylist Janette Mason (Seal, KD Lang, Robert Wyatt), trumpeter Dave Priseman (Jeff Beck, Imelda May), bassist Ernie Mckone (Boogie Back), saxophonist Simon Bates (Elvis Costello, Chaka Khan, Carleen Anderson), and fresh from his remix work with Paul Weller, vibesman Roger Beaujolais. This brilliant team of collaborators have helped a remarkable musical maverick create a truly unique and incredibly exciting album. Independently self-produced and composed, Firebird is a set of tunes better than any Chris Bangs had ever done.

Cyclo Records (The Supermen Lovers, SunTrust, Gemini, JT Donaldson, BRS, Dr Drak, Rednail Kidz...) is proud to present the first single “Take a Pill” by southwest France collective DIS OUI, an original compendium of electro-pop and catchy House beats made for the dance floors and for radios. A progressive but obsessive track driven by old school (rhythm piano) and futuristic sounds on disillusioned male vocals. Check for the stripping Acid version on the B side !

Limited Turkey Gravy Brown Vinyl is for Indies only. FOR FANS OF The Meters, Booker T. & The M.G.s, New Mastersounds, Soulive, Jimmy Smith, Khruangbin. First Re-issue pressed at Gotta Groove Records! Pressed on exclusive 'Turkey Gravy Brown' vinyl. Produced and recorded by Colemine label owner, Terry Cole. The LP that started it all, and the first ever re-issue pressed at Gotta Groove! Bread & Butter, the first full length LP on Colemine Records and the debut of The Jive Turkeys, is nothing but funky, soulful instrumental goodness from start to finish. Bread & Butter clearly established The Jive Turkeys as the initial benchmark for the old-school funk revival in the Midwest. Fans of The Meters, Booker T. & The M.G. s, and the funk revival sound will surely dig what The Jive Turkeys are puttin down! Also Available From The Jive Turkeys: The Jive Turkeys 7”, Funky Turkey / Funky Brewster 7", BA / Chickenfoot 7" // Tracks: 1. The Funky Turkey 2. The JT Strut 3. Soul-Hi 4. Chickenfoot 5. Straight Fire 6. Bill Collector 7. Stamp 8. Funky Brewster 9. Talkin' That Talk 10. Grimmin' 11. B.A. 12. Otis Lament

For fans of - Booker T & The MGs, James Taylor Quartet, Georgie Fame, Big Boss Man. Groovy Hammond garage rock instrumentals from Billy Childish (Thee Headcoats/CTMF etc) and featuring James Taylor (Prisoners/JTQ) We’re loving this new album by The Guy Hamper Trio! Who’s in the band sunshine? Mainly myself on guitar, Julie on bass, Wolf on drums, and of course Jamie on Hammond. A great bonus is Thee Headcoats with Bruce and Tub guest as rhythm section on a track or two. You and James Taylor go back a long way. Do you remember how you first met? The Prisoners were a young group who played with us (the Milkshakes) in the early 1980s. One day they turned up with an organ player, Jamie. Jamie used to then borrow my Selmer guitar amp to play through. You’ve revisited a few old classics on this album, and given them a true makeover. How would you describe The Guy Hamper Trio’s sound? I guess there must be a derogatory term for it but I might need some help finding it. In the very early days of The James Taylor Quartet (Wolf was their drummer back then), I was in the Natural Born Lovers (A blues group with Big Russ and Sexton Ming). We used to be the support for them. I really liked their sound and I guess The Guy Hamper Trio is not a million miles from that blues-influenced, film soundtrack vibe, man. There you made me say “man”. Next thing you know I will be saying “cool!” Let’s just say it's a wizard sound, Jamie is such a great player. Prior to this album The Guy Hamper Trio’s sole release was the ‘Polygraph Test’ 7” from 2009. Why such a big gap? It takes time for all of us to get all our solders in line. “Get on with it mush! And trifle not, your time is but short!” What inspired the album’s title track All The Poisons In the Mud? It’s actually the title of a novel I’ve been writing, and rewriting, over the past 12 years, and is taken from a quote from I Claudius by Robert Graves - a formative influence on me as a 15 year old. The sleeve art is pretty different to your other recent records, could you tell us a about that? Who designed it? I nominally designed it but the truth is that it's essentially a rip off of a Saul Bass sleeve he did for Duke Ellington. We started mining that seam back in the Milkshakes when Bruce (Brand) did the sleeve for Thee Knights of Trashe. The album closes with a storming cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire”. What do you think Jimi would make of your version? I've been a fan of Jimi since my elder brother brought his records home in the '60s. Jimi was well known to “dig” others work and interpretations and would no doubt smile, narrow his smoky eyes and say “cool man!” and I would no doubt reply "wizard Jimi!" TRACKLISTING 1. All The Poisons in the Mud 2. Come Into My Life 3. Moon of the Popping Trees 4. Girl From '62 5. Full Eclipse of the Sun 6. Sally Sensation 7. 7% Solution 8. Step Out 9. Polygraph Test 10. The Kids are all Square 11. Skinwalker 12. Fire

2022 Repress

LP+MP3 - Carefully ReEdited, 100% Original

Lady of Mine is the 1989 debut LP by self-made Italian-American Joe Tossini. An astoundingly honest, passionate record of cosmopolitan lounge music, he willed this charming suburban oddity into existence without any formal musical training.
Special remarks : LP with digital download card

Lady of Mine is the 1989 debut LP by self-made Italian-American Joe Tossini. An astoundingly honest, passionate record of cosmopolitan lounge music, he willed this charming suburban oddity into existence without any formal musical training.

Sicilian by birth, Tossini drifted around the world between Italy, Germany and Canada, before finally settling in New Jersey. After the passing of his mother and the breakdown of a second marriage, an anxious and depressed Tossini took to songwriting as a form of therapy, crafting disarmingly candid lyrics from his extraordinary life and loves. Whatever industry savvy or musical virtuosity he lacked was made up for by unflinching resourcefulness and infectious charisma. Befriending bandleader Peppino Lattanzi at local club The Rickshaw Inn, he was encouraged to animate his singular songs with an ambitious cast of 9 players and 5 backing vocalists, sincerely credited as his Friends.

The Atlantic City basement sessions are a low budget, high romance testament to Tossini's character and the power of positive thinking. From the defiant, Casiotone samba of If I Should Fall In Love, to Wild Dream's dizzying escapism and the native tongue croons of Sulla Luna and Sincerita, Lady Of Mine hums with the inimitable magic of a true original. Piercing the heart with an effectively sparse combination of humming keys, CompuRhythm drums, horn flourishes and backing divas, ample room was left for Tossini to frankly deliver his much-needed life lessons.

Underperforming commercially at the hands of short lived label IEA Records, Lady Of Mine has since earned a place in the outsider music canon. Recently peaking interest as a cornerstone of the Sky Girl compilation, the private press trades for inordinate sums, typically with no financial benefit to its creator. Lady Of Mine is now finally reissued on the artist's own terms via Joe Tossini Music, in partnership with Efficient Space, restored from original master tapes with unseen photos, extensive liner notes and Tossini's trademark wisdom.

Devoutly independent, Tossini has previously self-released the 2015 instrumental album When You Love Someone as well as two books - a new fiction novel The Devil In White and his autobiography The Account of My Life.

Modern Rituals have announced their return with the release of upcoming new album, Cracking Of The Bulk. For a band who’ve tended to flesh out songs in the practice room and track live, the writing and recording of Modern Rituals’ third album was a disparate and protracted process. In cramped apartments and a secluded annex, sharing files over the internet and working on parts in solitude, the band introduced subtler tones from their last record, This Is The History. Yet still, this new direction is matched by an explosive frustration that gives it a unique balance of darker and lighter shades. Tour Dates:20th November - The Victoria Dalston, London 21st November - The Prince Albert, Brighton 22nd - The Crofters Rights, Bristol 23rd - Voodoo Daddys Showroom, Norwich 24th - Gorilla Studios, Hull 25th - Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds 26th - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford 27th - JT Soar, Nottingham


1. Mixx3ed 2. The Flow 3. Nails of Love 4. Wastrel 5. Western Cut 6. Scummeth 7. Incipit 8. Sonder 9. Dog Jerky Haiku 10. Perpetual Dawn

The "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of a celebrated impromptu
session that brought rock & roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry
Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins together for the first and only time
2LP set in gatefold sleeve edition - 180g coloured vinyl (disc 1 red, disc 2 yellow).
On December 4, 1956, these four young musicians gathered at Sun Records in
Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions ever. This essential
double LP edition (gatefold open cover) presents that legendary event in its
entirety, while maintaining the original recording sequence.
Rock & roll was born of gospel, country, doo-wop, blues, pop, and cowboy songs,
all of which can be heard here. Included here are several popular numbers from
that period, such as "Rip It Up," "Don't Forbid Me," and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind,"
plus some of Elvis' own songs ("Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender," and
"Paralyzed"), and covers of Chuck Berry's "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" and "Too
Much Monkey Business," as well as traditional tunes, and some classic country
and bluegrass songs penned by Hank Snow, Faron Young, Gene Autry and Bill
Monroe.
The joyous spontaneity and the fly- on- the- wall feel of the occasion make for
fascinating listening. This set represents a memorable slice of American culture
and allows listeners to experience a historic moment of the original rock & roll
era.

** FANTASTIC VOCAL JAZZ 2-SIDER - ONE OF THE FINEST OUT THERE **

It was high time for a re-release of Dianne Elliott's monstrous double-sider. We here at TRAMP are very proud to be responsible for this re-issue and we hope that everybody who learns about it is as pleased as we are. For those who are interested in learning more about this incredible 45rpm single we strongly recommend to check out MOVEMENTS Vol.11.

FIRST TIME ON 45! GERMAN JAZZ-FUNK AT ITS BEST!

The Frederic Rabold Crew was found in 1968. The group soon became a well known name within the german modern-jazz scene. On behalf of Goethe-Institut they toured through several eastern european countries. Between 1972 and 1980 they released a total of six albums. The two tracks to be found on this 45 are taken from the 1975 album "Open House". Another fabulous track by Frederic Rabold Crew can be found on our spiritual jazz compilation album "Peace Chant". Well worth to check out too.

A bona fide legend of the acid jazz / jazz funk scene, James Taylor returns with a stunning new James Taylor Quartet orchestral record MAN IN THE HOT SEAT. A sonic collossus of a record, particularly when listening on vinyl, it ties together the effortless melodic funk of the quartet, the fullness of sound that only an orchestra can bring, with James’ love of classic film soundtracks. Created and recorded with the musicianship and production mastery we have come to expect from JTQ this is undoubtedly one of the best sounding records you’ll hear in 2022.

Please Don't Take Me Back b/w My Heart is a Drummer 7" - New 7” from Durham indie, pop, punks Martha! ‘Please Don't Take Me Back’ is a song about refusing to let rose-tinted glasses distort your visions of the past. The b-side features a rough and ready cover of 'My Heart is a Drummer' by beloved Australian/English indie-pop legends Allo Darlin, who Martha supported at their first ever London gig back in 2012. Recorded at JT Soar, Nottingham. Produced by 'Bad' Phil Booth and mixed by Phil along with Rich Collins and Rob Newman Mastered by Dave Williams. One time pressing mixed grey vinyl limited to 1000 copies.

Justin Time is a name behind so many old skool anthems, both as a solo artist, and as part of Triple J, but that also means that he has a selection of unreleased tracks! Thankfully he still had some of them saved on some old DAT tapes. A selection of original breakbeat hardcore that for one reason or another never got a full release. These tracks are breakbeat hardcore that featured on dubplates, and on mix tapes, but never got the full vinyl release back in the day! All 4 tracks are very Justin Time in style but the track JT Goes North has been on so many peoples wish lists for about 25 years now as it was featured on a compilation CD and nowhere else!

Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

This is the second Haress album, a five piece from Shropshire. They channel the sounds of Fairport Convention, Lungfish, Papa M, Earth, Robert Wyatt, John Fahey, and Talk Talk. Taking influence and making it their own. The first vinyl press comes with a bonus flexi disc telling the story of the week the band spent recording the album, the weirdness, the positively supernatural happenings. On this album the core duo of Elizabeth Still and David Hand are joined by David Smyth (Mind Mountain, Kling Klang) on drums, Chris Summerlin (Hey Colossus, Kogumaza) on guitar, Thomas House (Sweet Williams, Charlottefield) on vocals and Nathan Bell (Lungfish, Human Bell) on trumpet. In early 2020 the group travelled to a disused water mill in North Wales for a week to record with engineer Phil Booth (JT Soar) and his mobile studio. The stories of what occurred are told on the flexi disc that accompanies the LP but the group’s plans for a relaxing break in the country were scuppered by events that were either highly unusual, or positively supernatural (depending on your own beliefs in such things). Well-made plans were abandoned and the recording was forced to develop according to the location it was being made in. Chance and accident were welcomed as a collaborator rather than a saboteur and the group exited the sessions extremely freaked-out but with the makings of an album. Ghosts is an incredible piece of work and posits Haress on their own when it comes to developing new approaches to traditional musical forms. The music contains many moments of immediate joy - the relative pop of House’s vocals on White Over, the wild horns of I Think I Think, the rush of warmth as Time To Drink morphs into focus. But it also stretches the sound Haress have carefully developed almost to breaking point with sections of music that feel like somebody - something - else is steering the ship. The 2 final songs – Litres Into Metres and Sussurus – are joined together by a collage of site-specific sound. It was decided to add the output from a detuned long wave radio to this section on the final night of recording. Static hissed from the device but as soon as the record light illuminated, a rich male baritone voice sang loud and clear from the radio, taking a solo right where it was needed and then disappearing into space forever like the Ghosts of the title.

“God Is A DJ” is the new full-length by Joe T Vannelli, an album the DJ and producer has been working on for years, 13 to be exact, since his latest LP came out. The album features sixteen unreleased tracks and features huge names from all over the musical scene, both italian and international. God Is A DJ is already a cult musical project, that the house music lovers all around the world have been waiting for for years.

The two LPs take the listener through a musical journey mixing different sounds and styles: the first four tracks on Side A lean towards a melodic house sound, the very same genre that JTV took to the top of the game with his “Live On Tour” series of streaming – 62 streamed gigs from different places in Italy, from April 2020 throughout the pandemic. Fifteen million views with a valuable representation of the italian territory.

Amongst the tracks on Side A, the 2022 remix of “Voice In Harmony”, one of JTV's biggest hits, and the long-awaited new version of “Children”, by Robert Miles, which was taken to the top of the charts by the same Joe T Vannelli in 1996.

Side B features collaborative works with some italian producers fresh off the top of international house charts: Moreno Pezzolato for “Doctor House” and “Paradise” remixed by Federico Scavo e Cassimm, licensed worldwide by Happy Music and Kontor Records.

Side C opens with the Angelo Ferreri remix of “Where Is My Man”, #1 on Traxsource, then moves on to two big featured artists: the first one is Saturnino. His bass is perfect, on this 70s funky style piece which echoes the biggest and boldest productions of music history. The second one is the remix of “Paradise” by Mario Biondi, made by JTV
himself who gives the track a soul/funky mood and an international sound inspired by Alicia Myers, who already worked as a muse for “Thank You” by Busta Rhymes. A song like “Sacrifice” by The Weeknd works along the same lines.

Side D, instead, is pure, distilled Vannelli-sound: house music for house music lovers, led by the afro-house beat by Silvano del Gado for “Booma Beat” and followed by the “Harlem” remix by Angelo Ferreri, and “Across The Universe” reinvented by the young producer from Veneto Reboq. The album closes with “Shavasana”, a meditative yoga number inspiring total relaxation.

Much anticipated, the band's first full length release sees the four- piece surf a swirling wave of reverb-drenched organ, garage-rock guitars, hypno-motorik bass and pounding, ritualistic drums. Preferring to work in a village hall deep in the wilds of the east British countryside, JTV recorded live to an old 8 track machine with The Wytches' Kristian Bell.In 2020 the band released their third EP slice of
off- piste cosmic- beach psych before calling in top remixers ncluding UNKLE, Gabe Gurnsey, and James Welsh for a 2021 Record Store Exclusive around a headline UK tour culminating in a triumphant homecoming London show at The Lexington and playing with friends Snapped Ankles. EP III had followed two previous critically acclaimed and quickly sold out EPs supported heavily by key
alternative tastemakers from Marc Riley & Steve Lamacq at BBC 6Music to the likes of So Young, NME, and Clash.

Joe Tatton, keyboard player with UK/US funk/soul jazz kings The New Mastersounds, releases this new 7 inch single in March 2022 and this time there is a lovely double A-side 7" physical vinyl option. Two tracks that showcase Joe's skills as a pianist and vocalist and confirm his talent for writing quality original compositions.

"Timeline" is Joe's spotlight on today's social media obsessed society delivered in the style of his musical hero Mose Allison. The latter was the legendary Mississippi born/New York based jazz/blues musician and singer whose wry and intelligent lyrics married to amazing original music shone a light on society and the world from the mid-1950s until his death in 2015. Mose was a huge influence on musicians like Georgie Fame, Van Morrison and Ben Sidran and was and still is one of Joe Tatton's favourite musicians of all time. This song is the title track for Joe's debut solo album due for release later this year on Rodina Music.

"Stomp" is a slow bluesy instrumental funk burner that has a New Orleans swagger about it and features Joe's grand piano solo followed by JTQ band member Gareth Lockrane cutting loose on the flute. If you like music by Allen Toussaint, Ramsay Lewis and Herbie Mann, you'll be feeling this one.

Joe Tatton has been a member of The New Mastersounds now for 16 years now and has recorded over a dozen albums and many singles with them playing organ, piano and keyboard. Annually, he tours 8-9 months a year with the band, mainly in the USA but also across Europe and Japan too. Prior to joining The New Mastersounds, Joe held down the keyboard role with UK jazz-funk kings The Haggis Horns appearing on their first two albums "Hot Damn!" and "Keep On Movin". He's also featured on piano/keyboards on the worldwide hit single "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae.

Over the years he has played live sets with Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley as well as Art Neville, George Porter Jr and Zigaboo Modeliste of The Meters. He's always maintained his own trio under his own name as a side project, releasing singles and EPs via ATA Records (UK) and Color Red Music (USA).
A few years ago, he needed to find the time and place to record them. So in 2020, between New Mastersounds gigs, he managed to book a few days at a studio near Nashville USA, "The Rockhouse", run by Grammy winning engineer Kevin Mckendree. He hooked up with a couple of Nashville session musicians, Steve Mackie (double bass - longtime Dolly Parton bassist) and Kenneth Blevins (drums), and put down all his original songs and also a cover of Mose Allison's "Ever since the world ended", the first single released last year

Now comes the second double A-side single and a further taste of what's in store from Joe and the band later this year when the "Timeline" album drops later in the year. However this time, there's a lovely little black vinyl offering for all the record lovers out there. Just a small first pressing which will no doubt sell out very quickly so people need to jump on it super fast. Once they're gone, they're gone.
"Time line / Stomp" double A-Side single by the Joe Tatton Trio. Released worldwide on Rodina Music - March 31st March 31st 2022.

Iiro Rantala plays the piano with “emotional magnetism and musical intelligence.”

He has a “virtuosic prowess as an improviser capable of enormous idiomatic and emotional range.” This praise from the American magazine Downbeat’s review of the Finnish pianist’s third studio-recorded solo album for ACT, ‘My Finnish Calendar’ (2019), sums up the astonishing variety which people who know his playing well might almost start to take for granted.

The citation for the 2016 JTI Jazz Prize in Trier also does well to define the way audiences take him to their heart: “Rantala can sweep listeners off their feet, he can be clown and magician, charmer and virtuoso, maverick and humorist.”

This is the emotional and stylistic versatility which Ranta-la brings to the live solo recital. It is a form he is drawn to strongly; there can be very few pianists who have explored the art of solo playing quite as intensively and consistently as Rantala. A typical recital will contain, among other things, pieces from his previous solo albums for ACT - ‘Lost Heroes’, ‘My Working Class Hero’ and ‘My Finnish Calendar’. As he explains, “I like the form of the solo recital because of the freedom and responsibility I have. Freedom comes from the fact of being alone on stage and responsibility from the fact that I can’t really rely on anything, except myself.”

‘Potsdam’, recorded live in concert at Nikolaisaal in Potsdam on 27 November 2021 is, however, the first time that one of Rantala’s many live solo recitals has been released as an album by ACT. It is a very fine exposition indeed of the contrast and the continuity of which he is capable, not just in the shape of the recital as a whole, but also within individual tunes. After a beautiful and welcoming ‘Twentytwentyone’, Rantala launches into ‘Time for Rag’, which sounds like the accompaniment for a madcap Buster Keaton film. The central section of John Lennon’s ‘Woman’ is quite clearly inspired by the driving R&B style of Richard Tee, a pianist whom Rantala particularly admires, but this leads masterfully into an ending which is at first wistful and calm, but then troubled by the Finn leaning into the piano and creating a dark and discomforting mood by plucking a low string.

There is a beautiful inevitability about the final two tunes on the album. The exuberance and brashness which inflect Bernstein’s ‘Candide’ overture right from the first fanfare are irresistible. Rantala follows this, by way of complete contrast, with ‘Somewhere’ from ‘West Side Story’. Potsdam was recorded the day after the passing of Stephen Sondheim. Rantala explains how deeply this affected
him: “Sondheim was magical. As a writer and composer. ‘West Side Story’ is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. And he was so young, when he wrote all those lines: ‘Say it loud and there’s music playing. Say it soft and it’s almost like praying, Maria’.