For the 63rd release on Memoria Recordings, Thessaloniki-based producer and DJ G.rush delivers a deep and hypnotic four-track EP shaped by experience, restraint, and underground club sensibility. With roots tracing back to the early days of his DJ career and a production path that has steadily developed through stripped grooves, subtle atmospheres, and low-end movement, G.rush brings a mature and focused sound to the Memoria catalogue. Across the EP, he moves with patience and control. “Spectra” opens the record with a reduced but magnetic drive, built around rolling pressure and detailed rhythmic tension. “Just Friendz” leans into shuffled swing and understated funk, while “Seduction” takes the B-side into deeper, late-night territory. Closing track “Tus Manos feat. Lucie” adds a warmer vocal touch, balancing intimacy with dancefloor flow. MEM063 is a refined club record for selectors who understand the power of subtle movement. Just deep, functional, emotionally charged grooves built for intimate rooms, warm systems, and long after-hours moments.
The legendary Charlemagne Palestine returns to Black Truffle with KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA, capturing a 2025 performance in London alongside two close collaborators of recent years, multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan and guitarist Oren Ambarchi. While perhaps still best known for the ecstatic piano clouds of his ‘strumming music’ performances, Palestine’s life-long search for what he calls the ‘golden sound’ has taken in an enormous variety of methods of sound production. Now stretching back an incredible six decades, his exploration of continuous sound forms has led him to mega-instruments from the carillon bells of the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church to the synthesizer armada of the Moog Sound Lab, with stops along the way at many of Europe’s grandest church organs. Just as important, though, has been Palestine’s practice as a singer, beginning with his childhood experience of sacred Jewish music and growing through his studies of Indian and Javanese musical traditions in the 1970s.
KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA reimagines a key work showcasing Palestine’s voice, the haunting ‘magic song’ Karenina for falsetto singing and harmonium, recorded in Paris in March 1997 to honour the spirit of Palestine’s recently departed black labrador. In this trio version, which Palestine describes as the ‘karaoke’ version, O’Sullivan controls three cassette machines playing the original recording, their slow drift out of phase creating complex patterns of delays and ricochets as the recorded voice chants the syllables of Karenina’s name and other trance words. Beginning with a held organ tone that gradually expands to fill out the frequency spectrum, the piece soon grows into a dense psychedelic mass, as Palestine’s electric organs and the echoing pre-recorded voices are joined by Ambarchi’s swirling Leslie guitar tones and O’Sullivan’s viola, synthesizer and additional vocals. Atop it all sits Palestine’s live voice, in an extraordinary performance of keening, shamanic intensity, sometimes delivered in melodic unison with his keyboard playing.
Though clearly a work of Palestine’s design that sits squarely within his oeuvre, Ambarchi and O’Sullivan are far from simple accompanists on KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA. As the elements of the teeming, emotionally charged stew writhe and twist, different elements come momentarily to the surface, O’Sullivan’s spaced-out viola taking the lead in moments that recall Kosugi’s Catch Wave, Ambarchi’s gliding chords and signature stuttering tones enriching the details of many of the quieter episodes. Throughout all its transformations, the music is buoyed up by a sacred aura, as Palestine intones his hypnotic prayer for the soul of his departed pet. Arriving emblazoned with a striking labrador painting by O’Sullivan on the cover, KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA is an essential slice of modern ritual music.
DJ Linus came up with the basic idea for You Are House Music while DJing. He provided the vocals himself and refined them through numerous tests during his DJ residency at Munich's Pacha club. The track is a tribute to the party people and became the secret anthem of Pacha during its six-month production period. The vocals seem to work...
A.O.D.S. - DJ Linus' self-created genre: Adults Oriented Disco Soul. He organizes parties and plays vinyl records from 1975-1985, covering everything from AOR to soul and disco.
Senium refers to DJ Linus's newfound love for the chillwave/retrowave genre, for which he has acquired a small new record collection.
DJ Linus spent a whole year working on the EP, including relentless testing and sound adjustments. DJ Linus: “I am very happy with the result—thank you!”
By the way: DJ Linus released his first records on Compose, Compost's 90s house label.
About DJ Linus
DJ Linus is one of the very first House DJs in Munich and in Germany. He started way back end of the 80s, early 90s.
Linus is said to be a great influence to many a famous Tech House DJ today.
His solo album “Fantasmagorique“ was the first german House Music long player of its kind.
Linus was owner of two record shops and the famous “exun records“ label.
Nowadays he is resident at the incredible Pacha Munich – since 18 years now – and is running his current label “Sujet Musique” with great success since 2013.
Linus is also resident at the legendary “Palais Club” and the asian, high class restaurant “Izakaya“.
He works as a mastering engineer and as a lecturer for DJing and Producing @ Musicversity. DJ Linus won twice the Munich Night Life Award for best DJ “House/ Techno“ in 2013 and 2019.
DJ Quotes:
“Loving the sound of You Are...! Just the kind of percussive, bassline-led house I love to play out!” – Jimpster
“Very nice!” - Fred Everything
“Tune(s)! Big up Linus.” - Bill Brewster
“Nice funky stuff.” – youANDme
“YOU are house music ! :-):-)” - Acid Pauli
“Enjoying the original You Are House Music track. ” - Josh Wink
“Beautiful!” – Reznik
“Mega EP” – Sandrino
“Really like all the tracks on this EP, Linus has been always special about his production work. Will play the tracks out for sure” - Kiko Navarro
“What a beauty!“ - Phuncadelica
Links:
One of the biggest electronic tracks of 2001, "Diabla" was championed by some of the world's most influential DJs, including Pete Tong, Dave Clarke, Sven Väth, and many more. Widely regarded as a true classic and a genre-defining record, Diabla successfully bridged the gap between house and techno, earning its place as a timeless dancefloor anthem.
This fully licensed reissue arrives courtesy of Armada and the original label, Soma Quality Recordings. The package features a brand-new interpretation from Joris Voorn alongside the much-loved Heavenly Mix and Revisited versions, rounded off with the legendary remix from Kevin Saunderson.
Lars Sandberg, better known as Funk D'Void, has been at the forefront of the global electronic music scene since the mid-1990s. Beginning his DJ career at just 15 years old, Lars discovered his passion for music early in life. Raised by his mother, a professional concert pianist, he always knew music would define his future. Over the decades, Funk D'Void has built a reputation as one of electronic music's most respected DJs and producers, consistently delivering innovative productions and unforgettable sets around the world.
Celebrating 30 years since ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ was released, this classic will be made available on limited edition pearl vinyl and features the remastered audio and bonus tracks released as part of the album’s 25th Anniversary in 2021.
Masterminded by the trio of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González, American producer and guitarist Ry Cooder, and British producer and label owner Nick Gold, 'Buena Vista Social Club’ is both the name given to this extraordinary group of musicians and the album they recorded in just seven days in 1996 in Havana’s 1950s vintage EGREM studios. It was clear from the atmosphere of the recording sessions that something very special was taking place. However, no one could have predicted that Buena Vista Social Club would become a worldwide phenomenon – awarded a Grammy in 1997 and, at over 8 million copies, outselling any other record in the same genre.
The acclaim of the original album elevated the artists (including Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Eliades Ochoa, Compay Segundo and Omara Portuondo) to superstar status, inspired an award-winning film by Wim Wenders, a Tony Award-Winning Broadway Musical and contributed to popularising Cuba’s rich musical heritage. Produced by Ry Cooder and Executive Produced by Nick Gold for World Circuit, the timeless quality of the music and the sheer verve of the veteran performers have ensured that this album will go down as one of the landmark recordings of the 20th century.
“Nothing grows in the shadow of great trees,” said Constantin Brancusi when leaving Auguste Rodin’s studio. The same holds true in music, as Richard Raux’s journey proves. At the end of 1970, after recording the debut album of the legendary band Magma, which he co-founded, Raux set out to explore new musical horizons. Under the names Faarmadin and later Hamsa, he crafted a sound deeply rooted in jazz and improvisation, yet daringly open to experimentation.
A devoted admirer of Charlie Parker, Raux played bebop alongside René Urtreger and performed with Bernard Lubat’s Percussion Expérience. Jazz is a cornerstone of Hamsa’s iconoclastic approach, blending seamlessly with psychedelic and progressive rock, and the rich musical traditions of Madagascar, where Raux spent his formative years.
Hamsa is as much a personal endeavor as it is a “family affair.” Alongside his brother Patrice on guitar, Raux brought together a circle of friends—Alain Lecointe (double bass), Jean-Lou Besson (drums), John Faure (guitar), and Alain Pistre (percussion)—to record at the iconic Château d'Hérouville, just outside Paris, at the end of 1974. Yet the spirit of Hamsa is deeply Malagasy, rooted in the village of Andranomadio, which gives its name to the album’s opening track: a vibrant explosion of percussion and color. Africa’s presence resonates throughout the record, whether invoking Brotherhood of Breath (Chris McGregor) on “Johanna,” the Malagasy-infused work of Jef Gilson, or paying homage to John Coltrane’s Africa.
Far from being “just another fusion,” Raux’s music dazzles and transports. The saxophone-guitar unison on “Ahiri Lalita” captivates, the vocals of “Fahamadina” sweep you away, and the manifesto of “L’exploité” hits hard—yet with a liberating warmth. Sunshine and joy shine through on the album’s closing track, “Cultivate the Garden of Your Heart” (with Alby Cullaz on double bass and Jean Padovani on drums), capturing the ethos of Richard Raux and Hamsa—and now, ours too.
“Lazaar Vanderschrick? What in the hell kind of name is that?” After spending the better part of half a decade trying to wash every possible ounce of music industry dirt off of him, Victor De Roo returns to Stroom and Kontakt Group once again. But this time he comes bearing more than just music as the man has discovered yet another hidden talent and has now become Victor De Roo: Producer/DJ/Performer/Journalist/Teacher/Writer. For “Mauvaise foi (Feat. Iwza)” is the single accompanying his literary debut “Heil”, a tragi-comical novel set in the tristesse of Charleroi amongst desillusioned bar-punters, revolutionaries and self-proclaimed prophets.
In the history of hip-hop, certain collisions alter the orbit of the culture entirely. When Busta Rhymes first stepped into the otherworldly, swing-heavy universe of J Dilla, it was an alignment of two unstoppable titans—the most chaotic, kinetic vocalist in rap history meeting the quiet deity of raw soul and sub-bass perfection. Their original pairing set a gold standard for what happens when top-tier lyrical warfare meets sacred production. Now, the vault opens to unveil DILLAGENCE II: a resurrection of that mythic frequency, bridging the raw grit of the streets with a legendary, earth-shattering grandeur.
Authorized directly from the Yancey estate, DILLAGENCE II pairs Busta’s razor-sharp, rapid-fire flows with Dilla’s nastiest, most sought-after unreleased beats. Built upon rare MPC canvases unearthed from Dilla’s legendary vault, the album captures both masters in a state of absolute, unchained ascension. Every track hits like a heavyweight knockout—blending off-grid snares, filthy basslines, and soaring soul chops with Busta’s apocalyptic precision. He treats every lost Detroit tape like a battleground, unleashing a larger-than-life energy that turns unreleased boom-bap into a stadium-sized manifesto.
Forget the cheap nostalgia cash-ins and posthumous butcher jobs. DILLAGENCE II hits with the weight of two master craftsmen operating at the absolute peak of their powers. By locking Detroit’s deepest low-end grooves directly into New York’s loudest, most relentless vocal engine, this record doesn't just honor Dilla's legacy—it kicks the door off its hinges and demands you listen.
FORT is launching a sub-label, NOCOWALNYA, and introducing its debut release.
The new label's guiding principles are authenticity, the personal taste of its founders, and a synergy of opposing sensibilities: melancholic romanticism and raw, uncompromising rhythm. The first release is the EP NOCOWALNYA 001, recorded by three key figures of the label: Nocow, Valentin Fufaev, and DJ Designer.
NOCOWALNYA deliberately steers away from the canons of classic techno, trance, or house. The label is built as a space for artists ready for unconventional forms and bold experiments, a place to express their individuality.
The sub-label's visual symbol, a logo of two young men standing on an anvil, sums up the idea perfectly. It's a manifesto of duality: fragile sensitivity set against a cold, industrial beat, romantic motifs joined with dense, hard-hitting sound.
It's fitting that the sub-label takes its first step with its three founders, who stood at the origins of FORT. NOCOWALNYA 001 distills their shared vision and shows how different creative approaches can come together as a single monolith.
The result is a techno-trance hybrid where driving energy meets sincere musical drama. This release doesn't just open the new label's catalogue, it sets the direction for every single and mini-album to follow. The release will come out in two formats: digital and vinyl.
Auto-Mirage is the result of an artistic exploration built around the idea of escape.
Many different settings could be associated with this album, without ever having to choose just one. It can feel like a carefree van trip with no particular destination, the start of a relaxed summer evening with friends or even a sleepless night filled with introspection.
Its alternative identity flows between indie and surf pop, with touches of jazz and soul influences. The arrangements are meticulously crafted, adding depth to the compositions as well as authenticity to the voice.
Auto-Mirage brings together recognized talents such as Olefonken (Hubbabubbaklubb) for the mixing part, Brian “Big Bass” Gardner for the mastering, the captivating voice of Swiss singer Sreya and the striking flights of UK harpist Rachel Kitchlew. This album blends visions and influences to create a project that can accompany anyone, in any situation, as long as it brings that sense of escape.
From spearheading France’s jazz-house and electronica scenes, to amassing millions of streams for lauded tracks such as Ode To Love, Manhattan To Brooklyn and Artifice, Tour-Maubourg is a flag bearer…
'Church & Raves' is a great title for an EP given the strange relationship between the two. You're unlikely to get many people in the UK who go to both, but at the same time the communion of a good dance is often likened to the joys of collective experience that people feel in their chosen place of worship. Jazz pianist, organist, composer and bandleader Jonny Liebeck brings together a background in both here: 'Dancefloor Motive' and 'In My Feels' run jungle's rhythmic urgency through a jazz sensibility and breakbeats are given real harmonic depth rather than just serving as a backbone. 'Underground Soul' and 'Modal House' lean closer to classic house but with those Latin jazz touches from his debut still lingering in the margins. A thoughtful, well-crafted EP for anyone who wants their music with real substance.
"La Duquesa", the most tender and most refined piece of the album Amygdala, perfectly casual and serious, deep and euphoric, all at the same time, is dedicated to the Spanish Duquesa de Alba, who, as holder of 46 titles of nobility, is even more highly decorated than Queen Elisabeth. Koze is fascinated by this lady: With her peculiarly creepy appearance she seems like a relic from the past era of the Spanish nobility. She is the most pictured woman in Spain and a pop phenomenon. When, in 2011, she married a man 24 years younger than herself, the entire country badmouthed her. Sometimes Koze would love to be that younger
man, who the Spaniards dismiss as a legacy hunter! Encore the needle is cookin'. Dj Koze did it again. His homage to Audrey Horne. "Burn with me" - a fucked up, deep and schizophrenic brainfoodbouncer with legato bass and hi hats way out of time. The beat burst like shagging, the dirty off hi-hat lashes remorseless in the twatherd - everyone just wants to get laid straight away.
Do you know what time it is It's debut o'clock. Emitting his first material for Pampa, it's &ME - craftsman of all things deep and sturdy, at the same time connoisseur of emotive touch and virtuoso of sure instincts, one of the scene's central characters for a good amount of years now and one of the main figures of Berlin's Keinemusik-crew. The man has been hitting the bulls eye of public perception several times in the past, meeting everything it takes to get a crowd going with an intent on the detail when it comes to his arrangements and sound. These new two cuts seem nothing less than the essence of his abilities.
There is "In Your Eyes", the name lending A side to this EP, showcasing a rather pensive mood. It's just a few bars for the compound of kickdrum, tuned hi-hat tambourine and shimmering background noise until the first chords of an improvised piano-piece are tenderly laid upon the beat. Add a synth-motive coming back and forth and you'll have the main ingredients to this - in every sense of the word - floor-moving tune. Accordingly, the arrangement won't aim for an all too obvious sensationalism and rather opts for a flowing and intertwining call and response of its elements, ultimately resulting in a staggering impact anyway.
In comparison, "As Above So Below" on the flipside is adding a fair amount of emphasis. It unfolds in a dry and dense sounding beat-architecture that's suspense-packed with shaker sounds and subtextual field recordings. Most certainly, a slip-proof ground for this tune's centre-piece, a scale-riding synthbass sparking an almost anthemic trigger for floor-ecstasy. While details like subtle reverberating tapping and sparkling ambient textures sound like recorded deep down in a dripstone cave, the overall energetic layout pushes relentlessly to the heights of peaktime-grandeur. There you have it: "As Above So Below" - this tune works on every level.
Repress! Back by popular demand–VSR 001 is designed to take you to the outer reaches of where you need to go. Wiersma has created a world where with your eyes closed and head down, the dance-floor can transport you to the outer reaches of space and back again for another beautiful night with all your favorite people.
Vermilion Sun Records was started as a passion project in 2025 with a belief in the magic of physical media juxtaposed against the incursion of AI. The original release featured just 100 copies and utilized US-only distribution; it was sold out in less than 5 months. After being brought across the pond from Boston to Brussels by local DJ & tastemaker Rasaaq, it was subsequently shared, quickly gaining popularity on Discogs. This repress is a testament to Vermilion Sun’s core belief; that is meant to be shared and enjoyed by everyone, and there is magic in that ritual.
Wiersma is a cherished member of the electronic music scene in Boston/Cambridge, MA. A DJ, partygoer, and prolific producer, he has played many of the city’s favorite nights sharing bills with other local talent and setting the stage for international acts like Bradley Zero, Garrett David, and Cinthie. Tapping all of these channels brings forth a creativity where memories from nights in Boston and other global travel transform his unique productions. His release VSR 001 showcases this style, exploring the darker and proggier sides of the house universe while making sure to stay tethered to a reality with firm roots on the dancefloor. A1 begins with Once Around Vega where a cinematic opening draws you into groovy and spacey loops demanding you to move. Syntactic Roles churns more deeply, incorporating layered dystopian vocals, rolling basslines and light acidity that is sure to help you close your eyes and put your head down for a dance. The B side keeps the space station grooving with Transmission from L3, and closes out with Rules of Teleportation incorporating more vocals over chugging electro infused grooves.
Multi-faceted artist Calibre today shares his sixteenth studio album "Feeling Normal". The album is out now to pre-order on Vinyl, CD and on digital platforms via his own independent imprint Signature Recordings.
The record is his first bonafide 140bpm record and a staggering body of work that shows the genius levels of one of electronic music's most respected auteurs. Across the 13 tracks, he transcends through space and time, creating music that will take the listener on a weighty sonic journey. The album announcement is accompanied by two dub versions "Bad" and "Badder" deconstructed from the track "Badman" with DRS from Mark Ernestus available via his Hardwax store January 29th and Bandcamp February 12th. "Getting to work with Mark Ernestus is a real honour, I collected Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound and his other work for many years and still do. It's hard to avoid the influence of this guy in electronic music across genres and so it is a real pleasure to have him do his thing with the Badman tune which I think sounds closely related."
All of the tracks on the record have been road-tested in Calibre's DJ sets over the last 2/3 years with many of them being sought-out by his hardcore fans. It was only a matter of time then that he put them out for all to consume. With a nod to the dancefloor, the clear idea for the album came about following the release of his most personal album to date "Planet Hearth". "It still works in the headspace but ultimately it's been written for the sweaty club experience we miss now, also after an album like Planet Hearth it felt very liberating to do," he remarks. When writing albums, he often just puts it down to the general chaos of life, not citing any one influence but generally just waits to see what comes. With one of the tracks on the album written 7 years ago on the island of Valentia, It became a project that he spent the intervening years collecting tracks for, not really knowing when he was going to put it together as an album. "The whole album is special to me, everything on there has import and meaning beyond for me, I have spent much time on all these and hope they are special for other people too."
Belfast-born, Berlin-based Calibre - AKA Dominick Martin - shows no sign of slowing down. As a producer, DJ, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter, he is one of the most unique and inspiring living artists. With a career spanning two decades, his ability to remain underground whilst being one of the most-respected is testament to who this enigmatic artist is. To this day, he has never been remixed and has a seriously impressive amount of unreleased music under wraps. With everything on hold and gigs on the backburner, this record is exactly what the world needs right now.
Cold, Bold & Together (CBT) CBT was founded in Bellingham, Washington in 1971 by percussionist Tony Gable and musicians Solomon Harris, Keith Hooks and twin brothers TC & Jamar Jenkins. It soon became evident that Bellingham was not a particularly welcoming environment for R&B music, so they moved to Seattle to try their luck and plumb the rich supply of venues, which they successfully did until disbanding in 1978. They spent their early Seattle years playing a combination of covers and originals in clubs, later becoming the "go to" opening act for various nationally known artists, such as Ohio Players, Kool and the Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire. While they were paying their club circuit and opening act dues, they squeezed in recording sessions whenever they could and released their own material, which was well-received and got strong regional airplay. However, because of the feudal nature of the music business at the time, they just couldn't break out, and like a lot of Northwest bands with great potential, they inevitably broke up and went their separate ways. Upon disbanding, they left behind a collection of original recordings at Seattle's legendary Kaye-Smith studios.
Unfortunately for CBT, the studio passed through several owners and at some unknown point in time, one of them did the unforgivable and destroyed the storied studio inventory of two-inch tapes and quarter-inch masters. Unknown to the band, a copy of their masters was smuggled out by their producer who added them to his legacy collection of cloned quarter-inch masters. After several years and many moves, he became concerned about the tendency for magnetic tape to deteriorate over time.
He sent the tapes to a Seattle lab to be restored and digitized, with the hope that perhaps, some day, they might be made available for the listening pleasure of R&B fans. The hoped-for day has finally arrived. Russell Paine and Super Disco Edits has pressed two of the Kaye-Smith CBT tracks: "Go For It", a jazz-influenced instrumental, featuring Kenny G, and "Unity", sung by the group en masse with Tony Gable singing lead. The musicians on these tracks are: Tony Gable, leader, vocals and percussion Harry Alexander, drums Kenny Gorelick (now world-renowned "Kenny G"), sax, flute and horn arrangements Chris Ishi, trumpet Michael Young, Trombone Jamar Jenkins guitar, vocals TC Jenkins bass, vocals 1 Philip Woo, keyboards Footnotes: CBT gave legendary saxophonist Kenny G his start in the music business. Kenny was still in high school when he was recruited to play sax and write horn arrangements. Kenny co-wrote, arranged and played sax and flute on the instrumental "Go For It." He rips a smoking tenor sax solo in the middle, which showcases his already masterful technique and solidifies his R&B bona fides. He went on to have a spectacular career recording for Clive Davis and Arista Records. Before his untimely passing in 2016, Tony Gable went on to found contemporary Jazz group, "Tony Gable and 206" (206 being Seattle's then only area code). With songwriting, performance and production help from Kenny G.
At the height of grunge, Morphine sounded like nobody else. The Boston trio built their own strange, seductive musical language (coined "low rock" by frontman Mark Sandman), built around Sandman's two-string slide bass and unmistakable voice, Dana Colley’s baritone & tenor saxophone, and stripped-back drums (Jerome Deupree, Billy Conway). Morphine became one of the defining cult bands of the ’90s, but their story came to an abrupt end in 1999, when Sandman suffered a fatal heart attack on stage during a concert in Italy.
More than 25 years later, Cocoon offers an extraordinary final chapter. Its eight songs were recorded during Morphine’s late-’90s sessions before Sandman ultimately shelved the material on the path toward what would become their final album. Rediscovered in the band’s archives decades later, Sandman’s life partner and Morphine estate manager Sabine Hrechdakian and producer Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies) transferred the original tapes and carefully assembled this unified collection of Morphine songs. Dana Colley returned to add new saxophone parts, and Kolderie then brought new mixes to the table. Rather than a collection of demos or outtakes, Cocoon is a fully realized Morphine album revealing a band still pushing forward that somehow waited nearly three decades to find its way into the world
Album Background
The background on the album is that the majority of the songs existed in demo form on a CD release called "Sandbox" a semi-legit release of Mark Sandman music on 2004. These versions are the completed tracks that include contributions from Morphine saxphonist
Dana Colley and produced and mastered by Morphine's long time producer Paul Kolderie.
At the height of grunge, Morphine sounded like nobody else. The Boston trio built their own strange, seductive musical language (coined "low rock" by frontman Mark Sandman), built around Sandman's two-string slide bass and unmistakable voice, Dana Colley’s baritone & tenor saxophone, and stripped-back drums (Jerome Deupree, Billy Conway). Morphine became one of the defining cult bands of the ’90s, but their story came to an abrupt end in 1999, when Sandman suffered a fatal heart attack on stage during a concert in Italy.
More than 25 years later, Cocoon offers an extraordinary final chapter. Its eight songs were recorded during Morphine’s late-’90s sessions before Sandman ultimately shelved the material on the path toward what would become their final album. Rediscovered in the band’s archives decades later, Sandman’s life partner and Morphine estate manager Sabine Hrechdakian and producer Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies) transferred the original tapes and carefully assembled this unified collection of Morphine songs. Dana Colley returned to add new saxophone parts, and Kolderie then brought new mixes to the table. Rather than a collection of demos or outtakes, Cocoon is a fully realized Morphine album revealing a band still pushing forward that somehow waited nearly three decades to find its way into the world
Album Background
The background on the album is that the majority of the songs existed in demo form on a CD release called "Sandbox" a semi-legit release of Mark Sandman music on 2004. These versions are the completed tracks that include contributions from Morphine saxphonist
Dana Colley and produced and mastered by Morphine's long time producer Paul Kolderie.
First ever reissue of the highly sought after '91 EP from TYREE COOPER & DJ PENG. 4 tracks of raw purpose built Chicago warehouse grit and grime that manage to sound just as vital 35 years later as they did on release. All-killer-no-filler. Don't sleep, will go fast.
The man with the hat returns to where it all began. A lot of water has flowed down the Rhine since Rune Reilly Kölsch set out 16 years ago to conquer the raving planet with “Loreley.” But just as that rock stands firm against the floodwaters, so too is Kölsch’s instinct for great tracks, great emotions, and great moments. “Anti Promi Energie” is yet another track that generates incredible energy with astonishing ease. The B-side isn’t just a true standout within the Kölsch canon; it also opens a remarkable new chapter in the label’s history: “Verschwinden” can best be described as techno-folk—or simply as the ideal final track after a night of partying, before the dawn swallows up the happy souls.
Der Mann mit dem Hut kehrt dorthin zurück, wo alles begann. Seit Rune Reilly Kölsch sich vor 16 Jahren mit “Loreley” anschickte, den Rave-Planeten zu erobern, ist viel Wasser den Rhein hinuntergeflossen. Doch so unumstösslich wie jener Felsen den Fluten standhält, so stabil ist auch Kölsch’s Gespür für große Tracks, große Gefühle und große Momente. “Anti Promi Energie” ist wieder so ein Track, der mit erstaunlicher Leichtigkeit unglaubliche Energie erzeugt. Die B-Seite ist nicht nur innerhalb des Kölsch-Kanons eine echte Besonderheit, sondern schlägt auch in der Geschichte des Labels ein bemerkenswertes neues Kapitel auf: “Verschwinden” lässt sich am besten als Techno-Folk beschreiben – oder einfach als der ideale letzte Track nach durchfeierter Nacht, bevor der anbrechende Tag die glücklichen Seelen verschluckt.
Swooped Records would like to introduce our limited series of vinyl only edits We love many of the edit labels with 1-2 tracks per release, and we’re going to help you value up with 4 top-shelf cuts on every record! We kick it off with Chainsnatcher “Jump Up In It” Vox that is straight up, dirty, bumping House music! It’s also featured on Derrick Carter’s for The 6 Mix w/ Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC’s flagship BBC Radio 6 Music. Next up Ric Viera of Guided Methods fame teams up with Elrose for “Only Ewe”. This funky House take on an afro-boogie jam will shake the dance floor and keep the discerning heads nodding. The flip side brings us Chainsnatcher “Jump Up On it” Dub. This is for those that want a stripped back version of the Vox with well placed, minimal vocal snippets and that dance floor boogie. Agent 818 rounds it off with “Don’t Let Nobody” and it’s time to get the summer time vibe started pronto! This jam will do the trick whether it’s day party-fun to after-hours strutting, just ask DJ Heather as she’s been playing it for a minute now.
*TIP* Previously released on Low Company in 2023, now back... a weirdo lo fi gem
Naturestrip, Naarm, Australia write:
"purely physical teeny tapes perform an invaluable public service in exhuming static cleaner lost reward’s ‘breathing under honey from the heady year o’ 2023’, a slack-jawed riddle within the all-consuming enigma that is thee world of tarquin manek™.
few records command a reissue so soon after their release, the soil heaped atop the (sainted) low company corpse still remaining more than a little damp, but this one’s discreet-to-the-point-of-fury initial release justifies the flogging of the proverbial carked horse, boiled back down into glue for a fresh round of rollicking mucky. arriving as the last release on that fine imprint, ‘breathing under honey’ represents (obliquely, natch) something of a convenient summary of that aforementioned elegantly sloshed world™, condensing as it does the artist’s proclivities exercised among the sweetest of contemporary depth-dwellers, articulated alongside/within y.l. hooi, bum creek, carla dal forno, f ingers, kallista kult, under endless solo monikers…the fun never ends.
let loose here in a suitably gonzo/spellunked mood, the second full-length under the static cleaner moniker (see debut $mile$ from 2013 thru altered states) is compiled of delirious half-thoughts & riddimic gestures accumulated between 2013 & 2020, everything wet & awash with a fine sprouting of lysergic mush between its digits. the implication thereof might suggest something schlonky or amateurish, but fear not, prospective listener, for your ears are in the sticky hands of one of the finest shit-savant prodigies these times have known, crud-caked technoid shapes & blissed pop-glob nous submerged in sublime dubbed-out grog, the resulting sonar-pong shards positively chemical in their ability to simultaneously slant + seduce.
think: martin denny face-deep in a paper bag at the black ark, graciously fucked tropicalia, liquid dub techno housed in vat of spiked quaff, the skaters infiltrating urban tribe, lopsided + caked to the nines in glitter for the gutter.
utterly tranced, sumptuous/sweet & patently ill. a classique of this modern horror epoch if there ever was one."
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the release of Remek Depo, the very first electronic record from the former Yugoslavia, the group Beograd has decided to unveil eight previously unreleased tracks in the context originally intended. The band initially planned to title their first album as Mrak ( eng. Dark). Recorded with Du Du A and other collaborators, this album serves as a manifesto of resistance—not only in Belgrade and Yugoslavia but everywhere else.
The A-side opens with the track 1984, named after George Orwell’s seminal novel. This piece was recorded in a single night in the same year, featuring Zoran Zagorcic (Du Du A) and one of the first Yamaha DX7 synthesizers. It encapsulates the dark and tense atmosphere of Belgrade during a period marked by economic crisis, characterized by shortages of essential products like coffee and oil, as well as electricity restrictions. This oppressive environment also impacted personal relationships, leading to unconventional expressions of passion and desire, as exemplified by the subsequent track from 1985, Mracni Predjet Zelja (eng: That Obscure Object of Desire). However, the primary source of frustration was political, stemming from the abuse of nationalism and the incitement of inter-ethnic conflicts within the complex Yugoslav society. This sentiment is vividly illustrated in the songs Hare Krishna and Belgrade Beat, recorded just before the country’s collapse in 1991. Remarkably, despite their protest, these songs convey messages of strong optimism and hope. In “Belgrade Beat Dejan Kostic (Du Du A) raps and Dejan Stanisavljevic sings. ”Od Studija B do Amerike, Beograd širi svoje talase, mi nismo sami u nama je svet, dolazi veliki preokret” (eng. “From Studio B to the USA, Belgrade spreads its waves, we are not alone, the whole world is with us, a great change comes!”). It is no surprise that this song was frequently broadcast on student Radio Index during the student and anti-war protests in 1992.
The B-side features contemporary songs produced by Beograd, which reflect protests against the current societal conditions in post-war Belgrade. Crafted with musical clarity and irony, these tracks satirize figures of repression, hitting their mark with an almost childlike purity, reminiscent of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” The collaboration between Dejan Stanisavljevic, the leader of the Beograd and the Du Du A group not only influenced his musical expression but also laid the groundwork for the group’s socially engaged music in their later career.
As we remember the two late leaders of the Du Du A group, Dejan Kostic and Zoran Zagorcic, alongside the recently departed member of the Beograd, Milan Bubalo, this gramophone record stands as an important testament to the contributions of previous generations of artists in the fight for a fairer society. We hope it will inspire the younger generation in their current struggles, especially at a time when such inspiration is needed more than ever.
DJ Support: Sam Don, Severino Panzetta (Horse Meat Disco), Chris Howler, Sean Johnston, Bill Brewster, For Mankind, Craig Thompson, Andy Taylor, Massimiliano Pagliara, Dean Dixon, Nathan Detroit and many more
Underground Institution Stompa Phunk Re-Launches Vinyl Label with Raw, Chi-House-Inspired Energy. After three decades of defining the UK’s underground club landscape, legendary Brighton party collective Stompa Phunk is officially moving from the dancefloor to the wax with the relaunch of Stompa Phunk Records Inc.
The Heritage: From The Warehouse: The releases will directly honour the roots of house music, a genre born in 1977 at Chicago’s legendary nightclub, The Warehouse. As that scene matured, a grittier, faster, and more experimental counterpart emerged. Defined by an uninhibited, bass-heavy style, it was a movement driven by local innovators who pushed drum machines and synthesisers to their breaking point... It wasn't just a genre; it was a collision between pure imagination and raw machines. A true "sound klash" transformed the local underground subculture into something global...
Release 1: You Had It (Edit) / Music Got (Dub): Capturing the exact spirit of rough, tape-spliced dubbed cuts. The 12-inch from SP resident Sound Klash pairs a vintage production ethos with old hardware pushed to its limits...
The Philosophy: This EP perfectly mirrors the exact philosophy that has fueled Stompa Phunk’s dancefloors since 1996: uncompromising electronic music rooted in heavy sample-delia, jackin' bodies, Acid energy, disco-dub mentality and second-hand technology. Jackinacidiscotech!
he four tracks of his 2013-released „Feldspar“ EP see Romanian producer YVAT at the absolute peak of his sonic journey.
Roughly operating within the confines of IDM, Braindance, Phonk and Post-Dubstep YVAT serves a highly seductive sonic menu for advanced late night dancefloors with this one, amalgamating his signature backbone of highly detailed and well crunchy beats, shimmering harmonies and warmly caressing, comforting, all embracing low end goodness for those in the know. Criminally underrated and for the first time available to a global
audience.
Press quote:
„You used to dig Autechre but you think their best days are long gone as they've lost their bouncy beats vs. deep strings and nice little melodies path? Went off into deconstruction?
I'm totally with you here and that's why I love Yvats's recent "Feldspar EP" on the great Minor Label so much. The man named Octavian Justinian Uta - and which is better known to his parents under this name - brings back this special and long time missed twist again, serving the best Electronica 12" I've come across in ages. Limited to 200 copies in greymarbled vinyl and hardly available via regular distribution channels. Get your copy, now! “
baze.djunkiii / nitestylez.de / 04/2013
Never officially distributed before and available limited quantities only.
Limited edition of 200 copies. Grey-marbled vinyl pressing
Scarface’s acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk performance arrives across all formats this December as part of Rap-A-Lot Records’ ongoing 40 Years campaign. Backed by a live band featuring legendary producer Mike Dean on keys, the Houston icon delivers intimate, reimagined renditions of career-defining classics including “On My Block,” “Mary Jane,” “Smile,” “I Seen a Man Die” and the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” Arriving just in time for the holidays, this special release commemorates one of Scarface’s most celebrated performances and an unforgettable moment in his storied career.
Scarface’s acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk performance arrives across all formats this December as part of Rap-A-Lot Records’ ongoing 40 Years campaign. Backed by a live band featuring legendary producer Mike Dean on keys, the Houston icon delivers intimate, reimagined renditions of career-defining classics including “On My Block,” “Mary Jane,” “Smile,” “I Seen a Man Die” and the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” Arriving just in time for the holidays, this special release commemorates one of Scarface’s most celebrated performances and an unforgettable moment in his storied career.
Scarface’s acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk performance arrives across all formats this December as part of Rap-A-Lot Records’ ongoing 40 Years campaign. Backed by a live band featuring legendary producer Mike Dean on keys, the Houston icon delivers intimate, reimagined renditions of career-defining classics including “On My Block,” “Mary Jane,” “Smile,” “I Seen a Man Die” and the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” Arriving just in time for the holidays, this special release commemorates one of Scarface’s most celebrated performances and an unforgettable moment in his storied career.
Scarface’s acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk performance arrives across all formats this December as part of Rap-A-Lot Records’ ongoing 40 Years campaign. Backed by a live band featuring legendary producer Mike Dean on keys, the Houston icon delivers intimate, reimagined renditions of career-defining classics including “On My Block,” “Mary Jane,” “Smile,” “I Seen a Man Die” and the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” Arriving just in time for the holidays, this special release commemorates one of Scarface’s most celebrated performances and an unforgettable moment in his storied career.
Scarface’s acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk performance arrives across all formats this December as part of Rap-A-Lot Records’ ongoing 40 Years campaign. Backed by a live band featuring legendary producer Mike Dean on keys, the Houston icon delivers intimate, reimagined renditions of career-defining classics including “On My Block,” “Mary Jane,” “Smile,” “I Seen a Man Die” and the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” Arriving just in time for the holidays, this special release commemorates one of Scarface’s most celebrated performances and an unforgettable moment in his storied career.
Scarface’s acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk performance arrives across all formats this December as part of Rap-A-Lot Records’ ongoing 40 Years campaign. Backed by a live band featuring legendary producer Mike Dean on keys, the Houston icon delivers intimate, reimagined renditions of career-defining classics including “On My Block,” “Mary Jane,” “Smile,” “I Seen a Man Die” and the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” Arriving just in time for the holidays, this special release commemorates one of Scarface’s most celebrated performances and an unforgettable moment in his storied career.
This compilation presents a selection of highly sought-after tracks and milestone classics crafted by esteemed Royal UK house producers.
Terry Francis, Nathan Coles (rip), Laurant Webb, Dave Coker and Justin Bailey.
With 16 tracks, many of which have never been reissued since their original pressings, fetching prices of hundreds of euros in the second-hand market (if you can find any in decent quality), while others were never released on vinyl. These are milestone classics, recorded and re-mastered directly from the original DATs for the first time.
This collection represents a pinnacle meeting of visionary minds who pioneered an entirely music genre, subsequently shaping the UK club scene with legendary Wiggle residency nights at iconic venues like Fabric. An essential and must-have album curated by Yossi Amoyal for Sushitech Records.
Since his 2013 debut album, Body Issues, Max Ravitz—better known to you and me as Patricia—has been zeroing in on the kernel of an idea. Across seven albums for labels like Opal Tapes, Spectral Sound/Ghostly International, and Acid Test, he’s applied his hand to a lean, focused vision of electronic music, paring away excess to lavish attention on carefully sculpted acid lines, stealthy drum programming, and warmly emotive melodies. For all their restraint, though, his tracks could never be called merely rote or efficient; even at their simplest, they’re steeped in atmosphere and shot through with layers of mystery. Now, on his first record for Balmat, he strips things down even further, revealing the ambient essence of his music.
Across eight tracks, he pours everything he has into the most minimalist music of his career. Many tracks
seem to have been made with just one synthesizer patch and some carefully applied effects—a honing of
his materials that brings the nuances of his music to the fore as never before. Elastic pitches warp and drift; fleeting harmonies bring out new dimensions in his synths’ timbres. “Murmuration” sounds almost like
Baroque music in its lithe, undulating counterpoints. “Birdsong” takes a classic choral pad and stretches it
horizon-wide. And songs like the closing “Yearn” allow the expressive dimension of his music to fill the
frame as never before.
The title Songs for Josephine pays tribute to Max’s wife. For years, she’s told Max she’d like to hear him
make an album without drums; he assembled these songs over time, always with her in mind. “Even with
my beat-driven music, I’ve gotten a lot of comments in the past about the ambient textures tucked into
those tracks, so I feel like people have been drawn to that aspect of my music for a while,” Max says. “It’s
been an interesting change of pace making a record with that side of my sound as the focal point.”
For listeners familiar with Max’s music, the effect may be uncanny: This is Patricia through and through, but heard in a whole new way.
—
Balmat is a label with a cloudy outline. Jointly shepherded by Albert Salinas and Philip Sherburne, two
friends living in Cardedeu, Catalonia, and on the Balearic island of Menorca, Balmat grew out of Lapsus Radio, a weekly show born almost ten years ago. Balmat’s mission is simple: to foster new ideas, expand upon personal obsessions, and put enveloping sounds out into the world. “Balmat” means “empty” or “void” in Catalan. But quite apart from any negative connotations, we prefer to think of it in terms of possibility: a space waiting to be filled.
New EP from Polish label Kooky is a challenging and ambitious one. Jay Tripwire, Canada's finest DJ and producer, offers a solid set of 3 minimal (techno) tracks, crafted with a unique passion for detail, raw energy and dark soundscapes. Every track differs in intensity and dynamics, but all of them are a feast for the ears to demanding music lovers. If you are searching for the true beauty of minimal and want to escape from modern dance music that is unfortunately more and more generic these days, this release is just for you.
Following the passing of our dear friend DJ Romain earlier this year, we've spent a long time reflecting on when to share some of the new music he entrusted to Hard Times Records. The incredible response to 2024’s 'The Lost D.A.T.S.' EPs reignited Romain's creative spark at a time when, unbeknownst to many, he was quietly battling serious ill health. After relocating from his beloved New Jersey to Cleveland, the studio once again became his sanctuary, inspiring a remarkable new chapter of music. The 'New Jersey' and ‘Cleveland’ EPs were the first recordings from that period.
Funky Streets completes the first trio of new EPs, but it is also just a glimpse of the wealth of music Romain crafted before his passing. His final studio sessions became an escape from his daily battles, inspiring a remarkable outpouring of new material that he was determined to finish, knowing his beats would continue to warm dancefloors and further cement the legacy of one of house music's true masters.
Opening with the horn-driven swagger of the title track, the EP moves seamlessly into the soulful groove of 'I Like To Boogie' before culminating in the deep, organ-led dancefloor energy of 'This Is Where I Wanna Be’. Romain signs off with 'The Chocolates’ - an uplifting, guitar-laced boogie jam filled with warmth, joy and unmistakable soul.
Beautifully crafted from beginning to end, Funky Streets stands as a lasting testament to DJ Romain's extraordinary talent, timeless musicality, and enduring contribution to House music. His legacy lives on in every groove.
House is the Religion. The DJ is my Deacon. The Music is my God and James Bangura is cool af.
Genuine, passionate, clear, authentic and real…. He isn’t trying, he just is. And his music is the same. It’s fucking cool. It’s real and authentic and it just is James Bangura. So it’s a real honour to add him to the Shall Not Fade roster; from Techno to Jungle to House and everything between the DC native can extract the true essence of a genre and simultaneously make it his own & pay homage to its roots.
So on Jack Sermon there’s no surprise when he flexes a seemingly generationally inherited knack for all things House (and Techno) and delivers four tracks of raw, real, genuine House music. OG shit.
‘House is the Religion, and the DJ is my Deacon, but the music is my God” says the Evangelical vocal on title track ‘Jack Sermon’. Never has there been a more aptly named track…This is a jack sermon… an OG inspired Chi town cut channeling early house music’s soulful beginnings delivered with straight up jacking house beat offset with laidback dusty dub chords….. We don;t say this lightly but we’re calling anthem on this one.
‘Scat Pack’ takes a more percussive and drum forward House motif. Thunderous kicks tease techno but this is still house, NY at heart complete with voguing diva vocals . Blown out and choppy we could say ‘this could have been ripped from a late 90’s club recording on a lost tape’ but that would do disservice to the precise but invisible fusion that's been laid down here..
‘Funk To Berlin’ opens the flip side and in Bangura’s journey to explore classic forms of house and techno, this track may well have taken root from Dub techno pioneers from the past. Deep dub chords and deeper subs lead the track but that jacking percussion makes this more than homage. Machine Funk, Machine soul. AA side business.
‘The Green Line’ closes out the EP in style.. rolling it out with skittering synths that work like percussion, ethereal pads and a faint vocal ‘Chicago’ spiralling into itself making this track one you can get lost in. Some might argue that this one is techno but who cares. It’s the journey not the destination. Two tickets please.
If you don’t know James Bangura’s music already (or even if you do) do some digging.. Look for releases on Mister Saturday Night, K7! and Floorspeed and check his output as part of “Black Rave Culture” with Amal and Nativesun and as a member of Groovedeep with Toronto’s Ciel and fellow DC native Jackson Ryland.
To close, we’ll leave you with this note from James……. told he is cool af.
House music, to me, exists on a wide spectrum. I’m inspired by its many forms: stripped-back minimalism, percussive drive, hypnotic textures, and soulful undertones. Rather than confining myself to one approach, I treat each track as an exploration—testing structure, pushing rhythm, and allowing subtle details to carry emotional weight. The studio becomes a space where groove and atmosphere meet intention. This body of work highlights that process. It reflects how I balance technical precision with feel, tension with release, and tradition with forward motion. Every decision—from drum programming to spatial design—is part of shaping a sound that feels honest and instinctive. - James Bangura
We are thrilled to announce the release of MOTHERV004, a captivating vinyl compilation that unites house enthusiasts from New York to London, Barcelona to Lisbon, and Bucharest to beyond. This carefully curated 4-track sampler features an eclectic mix of talents, including Santé, Kristofson, Freiboitar, Piem, Cecelia, and Artwerq.
Each artist infuses their unique signature into the tracks, creating a rich tapestry of rhythms and melodies that will carry you away. Just as the vibrant energy of the global house scene continues to evolve. We invite you to immerse yourself in this sonic journey that transcends geographical boundaries. Let the beats guide your feet and the melodies inspire your spirit. Whether you’re dancing in the club or enjoying an intimate listening session!
Played and loved by Jamie Jones, Carl Craig, Sam Divine, Claptone, Joris Voorn, Roger Sanchez, Mark Knight, NESI and many more…
Luca “DJ Rocca” Roccatagliati isn’t just a producer, he’s a shapeshifter of sound. Emerging from the late ’90s under the Maffia Soundsystem alias, he’s spent decades bending genres, dissolving boundaries, and reconfiguring the DNA of club music.
From cosmic disco to leftfield house, Rocca’s catalogue reads like a map of underground excellence. He’s collaborated with a roll call of innovators—Howie B, Dimitri From Paris, Daniele Baldelli, François K, Jazzanova, Zed Bias and many more. Crafting releases for some of the most respected imprints in the game: like Rekids, Toy Tonics, International Feel, Defected, Rush Hour, Hell Yeah, Rotters Golf Club among others.
His output is prolific, restless, constantly evolving.
Partnership is central to Rocca’s universe. With Dimitri From Paris, he co-created Erodiscotique, a sleek electro-disco project that fuses vintage sensuality with future-facing production. Alongside Daniele Baldelli, he’s explored deeper, more psychedelic terrain, delivering albums like Podalirius and Quagga—records that blur the line between Balearic mysticism and dancefloor propulsion.
His aliases Ajello, Supersonic Lovers, Crimea X are parallel auditory dimensions. Each one pushes a different facet of his sound, from Italo-tinged grooves to raw, analog-driven club cuts. As a remixer, Rocca has reworked everyone from Andrew Weatherall to Soul Clap, always imprinting his unmistakable signature.
To say we are excited about this new EP is kind of a massive understatement……
Having been huge fans for over two decades, when he reached out to us it was a bit of an eye rubbing and arm pinching moment.
We have been graced with a 3 track EP titled “Tonight is the Night”
A1. Sun Deck – A link-up with Athens mainstay Lex, drifting somewhere between yacht funk and late-night boogie. Sun-washed grooves, crisp synth leads, and just enough 80s energy to keep it moving without trying too hard.
B1. Italo Boogie Stomp – Does exactly what it says. Rolling Linn drums, sharp synth lines, and a nostalgic flute motif that nods to NYC’s street soul era without getting stuck in it.
B2. Ferroso – Picks up the pace slightly. Deep house drums meet a driving electro bassline, with arpeggiated synths and warm pads rounding it out—focused, functional, and built for the floor.
Mat Fink with his first solo EP, on new label, Funky Soul Creations, delivering driving bass-lines and jazzy melodics. 4 tracks telling stories of diversity and funkiness with touches of Detroit and Chicago energy. From a DJ for a DJ, the versatility of the release is for any environment whether peak-time in the club, at the afters, or just a Sunday afternoon listening. A Side opens with the title track, a raw funky tribal groove with an off-the-top one take vocal that was never written nor planned. That’s followed by a ‘Peace of Deep’, an early morning deep house mood that intensifies and inspires the sun to rise over the horizon. B Side is where the release becomes darker and quirky. The first track offers a hypnotic bass-line with deep textures and rolling percussion lines. The track is set in the environment of the long club night, managing the intensity and progressions.
The final track of the release is a cocktail party for the forest animals. Futuristic folk
‘An Undying Love For A Burning World follows Converge’s Love Is Not Enough this year as a pivotal metal album about acknowledging the darkness for what it is and trying to accept it.’ - the QUIETUS
‘Neurosis Know You’re Hurting. Their Stunning New Album Is a Life Preserver.
An Undying Love for a Burning World, the band’s first album with new member Aaron Turner, is a reminder of how even the darkest music can be a guiding light’ - 9/10 ROLLING STONE
Evolution can be ugly and beautiful, painful and euphoric. An Undying Love For A Burning World is the first new release from Neurosis in a decade, and a potent statement of intent and rebirth - one that marks the first new steps of resolve and resilience.
An Undying Love For A Burning World is an epic album of colossal hypnotism - beautiful, fearsome and utterly compelling in a way that only Neurosis can be. Aaron Turner (Sumac, Isis) joins the band on vocals and guitar, a name whose legacy is intertwined with the band’s own and a true kindred spirit.
“From the moment I first heard Neurosis over 30 years ago, I felt this was the music my heart and mind had been seeking but not yet heard. Now after many years travelling along various musical paths of my own, the singular sound and spirit embodied by Neurosis continues to speak to the depths of my being. It is an honor and a true pleasure to have been welcomed so warmly into a band that not only shaped my perspective on the limitless possibilities of music - but has lived and exemplified the necessity of upholding creative integrity and camaraderie above all else.” - AARON TURNER
Neurosis have never been afraid of change, and here they embrace endless regeneration, surrendering to the emotional exorcism through heaviness and distortion that their music incites. Just as the universe tends towards balance, Neurosis’cacophony of noise, rhythm and dissonance always resolves towards moments of beauty. The addition of Turner's powerful vocals and wildly creative and unhinged approach to guitar proves to be a vital force as Neurosis find themselves again at the mercy of evolution and expression.
On every song in the band’s history, Neurosis shifts restlessly between tension and relief, invoking a feeling both feral and transcendent in listeners. The band describe their songwriting process as an inescapable impulse to create with each other - a need rather than a choice. Indeed, the band insist that their return is “not a reunion - we never broke up.”
The album was recorded by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City, Sumac, and Great Falls) at Studio Litho in Seattle during three weekends this winter, and mixed in three days just six weeks before release at Evan's Antisleep Audio in Oakland.
Neurosis will play their first show in seven years on the traditional lands of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana as part of Fire in the Mountains festival by special invitation of Firekeeper Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to reducing youth suicide in Indian Country.
FITM, is a unique festival known for bringing epic music to epic landscapes with the intent of reconnecting and immersing oneself with the natural world, and strengthening our ancestral roots as human beings - an aim which aligns directly with Neurosis’ deep-rooted power.
Stay tuned for further news over the coming months.
PREVIOUS PRESS:
‘In less skilful hands, this relentless sonic oppression would be gruelling, but by expressing human frailty with such visceral abandon, Neurosis have once again turned darkness into euphoria.’ - 4/5 THE GUARDIAN
‘The Oakland band has evolved from gritty metallic punk to harrowing post-hardcore prog to the majestic doom of their current phase’ - 7.9 PITCHFORK
‘It’s not often an album of such stature exceeds one’s anticipations, but Honor is too astounding to not be revered.’ - The QUIETUS
“Fires Within Fires is the summation of thirty years of experimentation in tonality and texture. Yes, NEUROSIS are firmly positioned within the extreme metal underground yet their music, with its ability to generate images of beauty akin to those many of us have experienced in our own lives – not to mention the loss that accompanies them – challenges this categorization. ‘’ - WIRE MAGAZINE - FULL PAGE REVIEW.
"Their intensity remains undimmed on Fires Within Fires...The already converted will take heart from the evidence that age is unable to wither the fury of this heaviest of bands." - KERRANG! 4K REVIEW
"Every monstrous sludge riff gnashes menacingly for the right amount of time and every delicate moment of folk-inspired drift is emotionally exacting. Neurosis continue to create art without equal, and Fires Within Fires is another worthy addition to an awe-inspiring canon containing a number of truly pioneering and timeless albums." - METAL HAMMER - 8/10 LEAD REVIEW
Move in Stereo: The Cars’ Eponymous Debut Album Functions as a Greatest-Hits Set with Classics Such as "You're All I've Got Tonight," "Good Times Roll," and "Just What I Needed"
Experience the Six-Times-Platinum Record in Definitive Sound on
Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set:
Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies,
It Plays with Reference Definition and Presence
1/4” / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe.
Among the most critically and commercially successful debuts in history, the Cars' eponymous album doubles as a greatest-hits collection. Not one song on it is widely unrecognized or unknown. Consider the list: "You're All I've Got Tonight." "Good Times Roll." "Just What I Needed." "Moving in Stereo." "My Best Friend's Girl." "Don't Cha Stop." “Bye Bye Love.” Just call The Cars the best new-wave rock album ever made. And a natural candidate for preservation on a Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step pressing.
Sourced from the original analog tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, mastered by engineer Krieg Wunderlich, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, MoFi’s UD1S 180g 45RPM 2LP box set presents the six-time platinum record in the most vivid, wide-spanning, three-dimensional sound it has enjoyed on vinyl. Compared to the label’s outstanding and out-of-print 180g 33RPM version, this collectible edition features richer textures, broader openness, greater presence, and bigger dynamics.
Benefitting from the extra groove space on 45RPM by playing with enhanced definition, deep-black backgrounds, and ultra-quiet surfaces, this reissue portrays the band’s oscillating rhythms, futuristic keyboard passages, and panned images with stunning realism. Songs take on an absolutely surreal quality. The Cars and producer Roy Thomas Baker manipulate arrangements at will to mesmerize listeners' senses. The concept of "moving in stereo” has likely never been truer.
The industry-leading packaging of the UD1S set gives fans another reason to gravitate towards the 1978 album. A deluxe slipcase, two foil-stamped jackets, faithful-to-the-original graphics, and MoFi inner sleeves make for a premium tactile experience. It invites you to immerse yourself in everything about the record, including the now-familiar cover art depicting Nataliya Medvedeva behind the wheel. Enhanced by her glistening ruby-red lips, her face flashes an expression caught between surprise, ecstasy, and disbelief — an apropos way of responding to The Cars whether you’re hearing it for the first or 1,115th time.
Introduced in 2024 into the National Recording Registry for its significance, and ranked the 353rd Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, The Cars explodes with emotion, energy, and hooks. Its songs unite then-disparate styles: bubblegum melodies, art-rock angularity, progressive structuralism, terse minimalism, and power-pop sheen. The stylish arrangements also benefit from a laidback cool and understated irony that remain uncommon in the world of contemporary mainstream music.
Equally rare is the deep chemistry the members shared before they entered London’s AIR Studios and knocked out the record in less than a month. Benjamin Orr and Ric Ocasek began their first band together in the early ‘70s. A subsequent group with future Cars keyboardist Greg Hawke preceded Orr and Ocasek bonding further by temporarily performing as a duo. One final pre-Cars ensemble, Cap’n Swing, brought guitarist Elliot Easton into the fold. A decision by Ocasek to take the band in a rock direction, a crucial lineup shuffle, and a name change begat the Cars so many listeners know and love.
Already a going concern in Boston, the quintet cut its teeth and woodshopped songs for nearly a year and a half before signing with Elektra and partnering with Baker. The Cars enjoyed success right out of the gate, hitting No. 18 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and netting a pair of Top 40 singles in the form of “Just What I Needed” and deceptively happy “My Best Friend’s Girl.” The sarcastic “Good Times Roll” climbed to No. 41, but soon enough, almost every track on The Cars became a radio staple — an honor far more meaningful than chart positions.
Obsessed with incorporating the latest technologies and sounds into its palette, the band spiced tunes with delightful and quirky accents — country-tinged guitar fills, echoing Syndrums, reggae splashes, hard-rock tones, robotic pulses. Orr's low, nuanced deliveries and Ocasek's cool, detached vocals lend shades of doubt and double meaning to the lyrics, which are further counterbalanced by synthesizer flourishes and electronic beats.
Accessible and eccentric, edgy and catchy: The results comprise a landmark whose characters come to vivid life with nuclear boots, dry-drip gloves, ribbon-festooned coiffures, suede-blue eyes, and rock ‘n’ roll hair. It's practically impossible to avoid humming along to every song, all enhanced by Baker's stellar production. Best known for his work with Queen, he ensured the record packed a punchy midrange, opened up with instrumental and vocal separation, and breathed with airy harmonies.
Indeed, from the timeless music to the sleek production and sonic restoration, The Cars on UD1S is just what you needed.