Search:k man

Elements.Archive proclaims their manifesto: Acid Techno embraces social ideals on A side / Detroit's Techno-logy genesis on B side.

In the heart of the cosmos, a tale unfolds. It begins with "My Space," where ethereal synths weave a cosmic tapestry, guiding you through distant galaxies. As you journey further, "Satan" emerges, beckoning you to dance with the darkness itself, under the canopy of sadistic beats.

Venturing deeper into the EP, "Get Stupid" takes you to an enigmatic dimension, where gravity-defying rhythms entice you to embrace your wildest instincts. In "Yallah," the atmosphere shifts, transporting you to a mystical oasis where sonic mirages shimmer in the desert of sound.

And just when you thought the adventure reached its pinnacle, "Can't Get Enough" mesmerizes with its infectious grooves, leaving you irresistibly addicted to the sonic enchantment.

Turns out Coco Bryce is more than just a hot piece of man meat. On "My Space" this enigmatic master of sound once again harnesses the forces of the universe to craft five enthralling compositions. His boundless creativity and passion for exploration shine through in every beat, taking you on a euphonic jungle expedition like no other.

ChatGPT rated this release 5 out of 5 on Tripadvisor

Their approach to music beckons the voices of years gone by, clearly evoking inspiration from bluegrass icons like Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin and the Stanley Brothers. Described as one of the busiest, hardest working, and most entertaining bands in bluegrass, The Kody Norris Show brings back to the stage, old school suiting swagger with their custom matching suits, harkening visual spectaculars like those who donned the legendary western wears of designers like Nudie and
Manuel. Their sophomore album with Rebel Records, titled 'Rhinestone Revival' has everything that their fans love from The Kody Norris Show...and more! The album boasts 12 hard driving traditional bluegrass tracks, upping the honky-tonkanty, with the addition of percussion to really achieve a proper toe tapping collection.

ENEMY, the trio of drummer James Maddren, pianist Kit Downes and bassist Petter Eldh make their We Jazz Records debut with their third album The Betrayal, out 22 September 2023. After their self-titled debut (Edition, 2018) and the follow up (Vermillion, ECM 2022), the explosive yet lyrical trio is seeking new directions with the 12-track new record, arguably their strongest yet.

ENEMY, the trio of drummer James Maddren, pianist Kit Downes and bassist Petter Eldh make their We Jazz Records debut with their third album The Betrayal, out 22 September 2023. After their self-titled debut (Edition, 2018) and the follow up (Vermillion, ECM 2022), the explosive yet lyrical trio is seeking new directions with the 12-track new record, arguably their strongest yet.

A/B-Side effect green/yellow/purple vinyl. Limited to 200 copies. "I had just got off the road and went right into the studio out in the desert at Rancho de La Luna. I was living in the house just behind at the time making sessions super convenient. I was set to record with my band the Bros in a couple weeks but I decided to go into the Rancho early and get some sounds. Tony and I ended up recording a bunch of songs that I was writing on the fly. A week later the Bros showed up and we recorded another batch of songs with the band playing live in the front room. After we wrapped I combined both my solo session and the Bros session and released in as one record called Saved By Magic on my label Duna records. That was 2005. Now I'm rereleasing this record on HPS and I've decided to separate the two sessions into their original bodies of work. My solo session and the Bros session. I mostly did this because I feel the Bros deserve to have something of their own as they were a magical band. I also just thought it would be cool. I call both records Saved By Magic Again."

Eyes Of Innocence is an album by Miami Sound Machine, originally released in 1984. It was the band’s breakthrough album due to the success of the lead single “Dr. Beat”, which became a global hit. It peaked at #6 on the UK Singles chart and reached the top 20 in many countries, including Australia and the United States. The album also features the singles “I Need A Man” and “Prisoner Of Love”.



Miami Sound Machine was an American band that made Latin- influenced music. The group was established by the Cuban- born Emilio Estefan Jr. and featured the vocals of singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan.



Eyes Of Innocence is available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on orange coloured vinyl.

Departing from the Steve Miller Band after a two-album stint, Boz Scaggs set up shop in Muscle Shoals, recording his debut album with that legendary set of studio musicians known for their down-and-dirty backing work for Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, among many other Southern soul legends. The Muscle Shoals rhythm section and guitarist Duane Allman give this music genuine grit. From the Jimmie Rodgers cover "Waiting for a Train" and the folky "Look What I Got!", to the extended 11-minute blues workout "Loan Me A Dime", this album is a thoroughly showcase for Boz Scaggs' musical vision and an enduring blue-eyed soul masterpiece.

Mit der ersten Single „vampire“ läutete die dreifache GRAMMY Gewinnerin Olivia Rodrigo das zweite Kapitel ihrer Karriere ein – und nimmt ab sofort Kurs aufs zweite Album: GUTS erscheint am 08. September!

Emotional noch intensiver und extrem abwechslungsreich arrangiert, setzt die 20-Jährige für „vampire“ auf eine ähnliche Dynamik wie bei ihrer Single „drivers license“, mit der sie 2021 den internationalen Durchbruch schaffte. Kein Wunder also, dass „vampire“ sofort als „Monster Power Ballad“ (Pitchfork) gefeiert wurde. Zeitgleich kündigte Olivia Rodrigo mit GUTS ihr zweites Album an. Zum Teil auch in den New Yorker Electric Lady Studios geschrieben, entstand das neue Album größtenteils mit Dan Nigro in dessen Garagenstudio in Los Angeles, mit dem die 20-Jährige bereits für ihr Debütalbum SOUR zusammengearbeitet hatte. Während Olivia in den vergangenen 24 Monaten selbst „gefühlt 10 Jahre“ reifer geworden sei, klingt auch ihr Songwriting sehr viel ausgereifter und selbstbewusster als zuvor: „Dieses Mal ging’s viel mehr ums eigentliche Songwriting – was manchmal auch bedeutete, dass ich mich selbst gar nicht so ernst nehmen durfte. Wir haben wahnsinnig viel ausprobiert und sind schließlich bei einem Sound gelandet, der viel mehr Rockeinflüsse hat als meine älteren Sachen“, so Rodrigo. ”GUTS” erscheint auf CD und Vinyl in diversen Formaten.

Eddie Money’s self-titled debut album, released in 1977, was an immediate commercial success and an amazing start to the singer’s career. The album’s singles “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets To Paradise” both reached the top of the Billboard charts. It was produced by Bruce Botnick, who is best known for his work on the legendary album L.A. Woman by The Doors.

Ultimately, the album sold 2 million copies in the US alone, and Eddie Money became an established figure in the rock music scene of the late 1970s and 1980s.

Eddie Money is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on pink coloured vinyl.

Wie schreibt man einen Liebesbrief an die popmusikkrönende AnNa R.? Der Kopf will weismachen, dass ihr der Gedanke gerecht wird, nach Rosenstolz, Gleis 8 und Silly bereits alles von ihr zu kennen. Das Gefühl warnt jedoch davor, ihr damit nicht mal ansatzweise gerecht werden zu können. Dieses Empfinden geht noch tiefer, nachdem der letzte Ton ihres neuen Album "König:In" verklungen ist.Willkommen zurück, AnNa R.! Schön, dass sie endlich unter eigenem Namen prämiert, die gute Freundin des großartigen, sich lüstern-beständig neu erfindenden Luders Popmusik. AnNa R. ist die Frau, die stimmlich staunendes Mädchen, freche Göre, große Schwester und sinnliche Baroness gleichzeitig sein kann. Ebenjene vertraute Stimme, die eigentlich nie weg war, ist zurück! Sie hat sich zwangsläufig verändert. Ihr Verhältnis zu Liebe, Gesellschaft, Politik und Feminismus ist nuancenreicher geworden. Der Appell ans Verbindende, der ihren Gesang seit jeher prägt, ist geblieben - die Popausrichtung ihrer Musik erst recht.

Topaz Jones is a rapper, producer, and filmmaker from Montclair, NJ. Rooted in an independent ethic, Jones’ oeuvre moves to document and preserve the intimacy and intricacies of Black life. His music builds from a deep investment in community, concerning itself with all measures of time at once; his vantage effortlessly weaves through the (sur)real with generous detail and the sensitivity of one who’s lived many times before. It’s hip-hop for now, as informed by the depths of tradition - funk, soul, jazz - and a grand imagination for what’s to come. To experience Topaz Jones is to be greeted with unseen flavors of a collective familiar performer both decorated and versatile, Topaz Jones is a trailblazer across medium and genre. He shapeshifts with ease, rendering no stage or space unfit for his presence. He’s shared stages with Future, David Bryne, The Roots, and Moses Sumney, and been featured at Bonnaroo, Wireless Festival, and Rolling Loud. Jones’ music has amassed over 50 million streams, earning features in the likes of Vogue, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Pitchfork, The FADER, and Okayplayer. In 2021, Jones released his critically- acclaimed second album Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma. The album’s accompanying short film, a collaboration with directorial duo rubberband., received a Short Film Jury Award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and was acquired by The New York Times Op-Docs

Pianistin Geri Allen, Bassist Charlie Haden und Drummer Paul Motian schließen sich in den 80er Jahren zu einem Trio zusammen. Haden, weltberühmt als Mitglied von Ornette Colemans Doppelquartett sowie von Keith Jarretts Trio mit Motian am Schlagzeug, der wiederum mit dem Bill Evans Trio Jazzgeschichte schreibt, und Allen, der mit Steve
Coleman die Jazzwelt revolutioniert, präsentieren Bud Powells groovigen Klassiker „Oblivion", Ornettes Post-BopIkone „The Invisible" und ihre eigene geschaffene Werke, die die hohe Kunst des Trios manifestieren.

Vienna has a storied history as a ground zero for new music. Radian, who call Vienna home, embodies the city"s spirit of innovation. Martin Brandlmayr (drums, electronics), Martin Siewert (guitar, electronics) and John Norman (bass) are stalwarts of the European contemporary music community. Distorted Rooms presents a dazzling new elevation of Radian"s employment and manipulation of microtones with a new emphasis on abstracted guitar motifs, often employing a more loop-based or electronic approach to the guitar"s sonics. Radian"s visionary approach to composition speaks to a lifetime of working in forward-thinking music. The trio expertly hone in on sounds often removed from the sheen of the recording process and mine them for unique, rich textural sound palettes which they then meticulously arrange. Distorted Rooms creative process began with multi-stage recording of often the smallest sounds, from pick-scrapes to an amplifier"s latent hiss. These slivers of sound are then restructured and processed through a variety of techniques that transform them drastically. Radian have always been interested in sounds that might be considered byproducts and maximizing their creative and aural potential. More minor gestures like switching a pedal on and off or toggling the guitar"s pickup are mic"d and spun into textures that crackle and froth to fascinating effect. Radian"s angular, expansive music delights in tension and contradiction, sound and silence, improvisation and composition. The trio employs a singular and wholly unique sense of microtonality. While their creation process is complex, the resulting music is emotionally affecting, creating an aura of suspense and at times unease. Brandlmayr, Siewert, and Norman share an unconventional, wildly imaginative approach to sound.

Mad Honey are a dream-pop band from Oklahoma City, OK. "Satellite Aphrodite" is the debut album from Mad Honey. The exciting first chapter of a band destined to be part of the modern indie-rock lexicon for years to come. As opener "Tuff's Last Stand" emerges, we are transported into Mad Honey's lush world of musical melancholy. This leads to the hazy and hook laden "Heavier Still", "Fold", and "Larkspur". Unforgettable songs that showcase a sophistication deep within Mad Honey's multi-layered approach. At the midpoint where many albums meander, "Satellite Aphrodite" continues to ascend. "Eileen", "E.T.Y.N", "R U Feeling It", and "Psycho" all shimmer and sway with punk heart and pop sensibility unlike anything else out there today. The acoustic heavy "Kamakura" then playfully brings us to "Concentration" and poignant title track. Two infectious songs that show Mad Honey discovering their own youthful creative magic in real time.

Say Anything's 'Baseball' is the band's first full length album, originally self released and never before pressed to vinyl. Baseball is the predecessor to seminal album 'Is a Real Boy' and features 15 rare and hard to find tracks.

Susan Tedeschi ist eine der am meisten gefeierten Blues- und American Roots-Musikerinnen ihrer Generation. Ihr unnachgiebiges Engagement für ihr Handwerk - sowohl als Solokünstlerin als auch in der Tedeschi Trucks Band - hat ihr mehrere GRAMMY-Nominierungen und die Bewunderung des Publikums auf der ganzen Welt eingebracht. Alles begann bescheiden bei Blues-Jams in ihrer Heimatstadt Boston in den frühen 90er Jahren und führte zu bedeutender regionaler Anerkennung, aber mit der Veröffentlichung ihres Solodebüts Just Won’t Burn im Jahr 1998 machte Tedeschi der breiten Musikwelt klar, dass sie eine echte Kraft ist, mit der man rechnen muss.

Zur Feier des 25-jährigen Jubiläums des Albums wird Fantasy Records am 22. September 2023 Just Won’t Burn (25th Anniversary Edition) veröffentlichen. Diese spezielle, erweiterte Ausgabe mit 16 Titeln enthält das Originalalbum sowie fünf bisher unveröffentlichte Bonustracks: eine alternative Aufnahme von ”Looking For Answers”, zwei neue Outtakes des Albums und zwei Live-Versionen von Just Won’t Burn, die mit der Tedeschi Trucks Band im New Yorker Beacon Theatre aufgenommen wurden.

Susan Tedeschi ist eine der am meisten gefeierten Blues- und American Roots-Musikerinnen ihrer Generation. Ihr unnachgiebiges Engagement für ihr Handwerk - sowohl als Solokünstlerin als auch in der Tedeschi Trucks Band - hat ihr mehrere GRAMMY-Nominierungen und die Bewunderung des Publikums auf der ganzen Welt eingebracht. Alles begann bescheiden bei Blues-Jams in ihrer Heimatstadt Boston in den frühen 90er Jahren und führte zu bedeutender regionaler Anerkennung, aber mit der Veröffentlichung ihres Solodebüts Just Won’t Burn im Jahr 1998 machte Tedeschi der breiten Musikwelt klar, dass sie eine echte Kraft ist, mit der man rechnen muss.

Zur Feier des 25-jährigen Jubiläums des Albums wird Fantasy Records am 22. September 2023 Just Won’t Burn (25th Anniversary Edition) veröffentlichen. Diese spezielle, erweiterte Ausgabe mit 16 Titeln enthält das Originalalbum sowie fünf bisher unveröffentlichte Bonustracks: eine alternative Aufnahme von ”Looking For Answers”, zwei neue Outtakes des Albums und zwei Live-Versionen von Just Won’t Burn, die mit der Tedeschi Trucks Band im New Yorker Beacon Theatre aufgenommen wurden.

Die Rapperin Coi Leray veröffentlicht ihr neues Album „COI“ am 22.09.2023 auf LP.

Auf 16 eklektischen Tracks beweist sie ihre Vielseitigkeit und stellt ihren widererkennbaren Flow zur Schau. Neben Giggs, Lola Brooke und Saucy Santana sind auch David Guetta und James Brown auf dem selbst betitelten Album vertreten.

Ihr Musikstil wird oft als eine Mischung aus Rap, Trap und R&B beschrieben.

Ihr energetischer Rap-Flow und ihre eingängigen Hooks lassen so manches Herz höher schlagen.

Built around recordings by the acclaimed pedal steel player Henry Senior, the album's six hypnotic and enveloping tracks are supplemented with piano, strings, synths and field recordings performed by Wallis.

The making of the album took an unplanned route. During the winter 2021 lockdown, Wallis began work on an album of more conventional songs, sending several to Henry Senior (Danny & The Champions Of The World, Honey Harper) to record pedal steel parts remotely. Though subsequently deciding to shelve the album, he realised that Senior's pedal steel outlines of the songs formed the basis of something completely different.

The result is an immersive, meticulously crafted album that recalls the ambient pedal steel work of Chuck Johnson and Daniel Lanois mixed with the ethereal post- classical instrumentation of Stars Of The Lid and the field recording work of Claire Rousay.

In Huge Gesturing Loops' is Wallis' fourth release in as many years. The album's title comes from a poem by Philip Larkin. The artwork was put together by designer Luke Jarvis based on the 1930s swimming pool on Marshall Street in Soho, where Wallis swam regularly while working on the album.

Committed to tradition, yet set on innovation, Super Duty Tough Work is a constantly evolving, art-rap ensemble with their intentions set on shaking up the industry and providing offerings that elevate joy, while standing in opposition to the homicidal capitalist ideals of the ruling class and their aspiring accomplices.

Rooted in the tradition of Black American resistance arts, Super Duty Tough Work is known for their scathing wit and thorough analysis, pushing their radical politic of revolution, party, and bullshit - both on record and on stage.

Inspired by the dirty jazz sample sound of 90s east coast hip hop, Super Duty Tough Work are the live incarnation of hip hop culture's quintessential era, appearing as a band but manifesting a sound that's more akin to something straight out of an MPC or SP-404 sampler.

Revered for their methodically curated sets, Super Duty Tough Work mixes laidback rap action and razor- sharp delivery with hypnotic loops and effortless transitions, keeping audiences on their feet and transfixed in anticipation for what's coming next.

Simply put: internationalism is the theme, liberation through hedonism is the dream, and satisfaction is guaranteed from the team whose specialty is taking audiences on a journey through a culture where loops are slayed and jewels are the tools of the trade.

Super Duty Tough Work. Paradigm Shift. Worldwide 9/8 via Next Door Records.

"We are Sex Swing, we don't have many riffs."
Sex Swing is a British experimental rock band formed in London in 2015

Named after the fictional character created by James Thurber-- popularized by Ben Stiller in 2013's The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty--Hayes has always channeled his thoughts and emotions through that character, rather than write about himself directly. "I really related to the character of Walter Mitty," says Hayes. "He's known for daydreaming too much and being lost in his head, which has been accurate to the Walter in my songs.

But really it's all just a cover up because back in those days we were still on family computers and I didn't want anybody to see songs by Dustin Hayes on iTunes." The band released a number of EPs and albums before going on something of a hiatus in 2015. But the creative itch was something Hayes couldn't stop scratching, and in 2016 he reformed the band as Walter Etc., the idea being to allow members to come and go as they please, weaving in and out
of records as life and schedules allowed.

Now, though, Walter Etc. have returned with When The Band Breaks Up Again, a new album made by the original three members with a very telling title. "The three of us got into music together via Green Day and more '90s pop-punk and skate punk stuff," explains Hayes.

Yo! Bum Rush The Show was the debut album from Public Enemy, originally released in April 1987 on Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted the sample-heavy sound by production team The Bomb Squad and was very much a Rick Rubin-directed production. Each track is comprised of kicking heavy guitars toward the front, honing the loops, rhythms, and samples into a roar with as much in common with rock as rap.

Punk pioneers Crass continue their vinyl reissue series, repressing their limited releases by adjacent artists through Crass Records, in association with One Little Independent. The series, including over twenty bands and solo artists recorded at the legendary Southern Studios and produced by Penny Rimbaud, continues with two more historic pieces from the Crass Records catalogue; ‘Farce’ by Rudimentary Peni and ‘Can’t Cheat Karma’ by Zounds.

Zounds are an English post-punk band from Reading, Berkshire, formed in 1977. Originally, they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the Fuck Off Records label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene. The name of the band is derived from the old English ‘zounds’, a contraction of ‘God’s wounds’, referring to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ, formerly used as a mildly blasphemous oath.

The band met up with fellow anarchists Crass when, legend has it, their van broke down on the road. They made their way to nearby Dial House, where Crass were based, who helped them with repairs. The two bands became friends, and although musically very divergent, they shared many common political views. Zounds shortly afterwards released their first EP, ‘Can't Cheat Karma’, on the Crass Records label in 1980. The EP featured possibly their most well-known track ‘Subvert’, a call to arms against the grind of daily life. The release of this EP and association with Crass led to an increase in the band's profile in the embryonic anarcho-punk scene, touring with both Crass and Poison Girls. They split in 1982 but reformed in 2007, and remain active today.

Penny continues; “Zounds could have made a fine pop group, but they were far too socially sassy to fall for that one. No, their commitment to radical political change, so abundantly clear in their lyrics, set them apart from the commercialism that had so blighted the likes of The Clash and other punkish pretenders. Having been drawn from the ranks of hippy bands like Here and Now, Zounds encouraged dissent and personal change, and, at their own cost, to pursue and promote them as ideologies. Can't cheat karma? No, nor ever beat it. Zounds were hip to this fine point. Want a better life?

Then make it for yourself. Ain't no one gonna help you out on that one. Find your own way, it's the only way there is.”

First released on 7” vinyl, limiting the sound, the new series has been remastered for 12” by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios, allowing them to be heard as never before. This, plus enlarged replicas of the original covers, brings new gusto to their already radical sound.

Zaoui is the former leader of Therapie Taxi (over 500,000 albums sold, over 900M streams...). Today he unveils his first solo album, on which he worked for three years, after a first EP released in June 2022. The album features feelgood tracks, sunny pop and raw songs. He can sing deliciously provocative lyrics as well as words of abysmal depth. Zaoui is a human, and like all humans, he is multiple. He is Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, lightness and turmoil: at once a brat and a caring father. This is a modern album by a man who has torn off all his masks. And taken a lot of risks. A furiously lively record.

Sofia Grant überzeugt auf ihrer Debüt-EP mit komplizierten Gesangsharmonien, lyrischem Geschichtenerzählen und delikater Studioproduktion. Die aufstrebende, britische Jazzsängerin, Pianistin, Komponistin und Arrangeurin trat im Laufe ihrer Karriere an Orten wie der Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms), Alexandra Palace (Later... with Jools Holland), Ronnie Scotts und Village Underground auf. Sie ist ferner Gründerin der Jam-Session HIGHER GROUND, die einen sichereren und integrativeren Raum für Künstler aller Geschlechter und musikalischer Backgrounds schaffen will. Ihr atemberaubendes Debüt festigt sie als eine Person, die man im Jahr 2023 im Auge behalten sollte.

C-50 Cassette Tape. 100 Copies only.

dispari introduces you to Hanoi-based Vietnamese artist Trần Uy Đức. Carried by large curiosity, urgency and delight, their sonic expression can be grasped as a self-exploration which is touchingly intimate, fragile, rebellious and cociliating. In their own words:

„It's my desire to escape into this person I don't know.
Die, orphaned kite flutes.
Watch me escape the orphaned kite flutes.
If you beat it up many times.
Don’t, don't, he predict thunder.
Who asked me tonight to explain one, two, two miracles.
Same problem.
C-c-c-fuck
I'm singing for my body.“

Trần Uy Đức

Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by New York's no wave scene, many Italian bands of the early '80s, playing far from the footlights of the world's stage, began creating compelling, and often cutting edge, hybrid sounds. This kind of experimenting soon went viral along the entire peninsula: from Southern Italy to the Alps, creating a brave new Italian take on post-punk. From the nervous white funk of Neopolitans Bisca, to the instrumental explorations of Confusional Quartet, to the "fake jazz" of the Hi-Fi Bros (who even had a track produced by Arto Lindsay), to Band Aid, this collection testifies to one of the most creative periods of the Italian underground. Also features: Eazycon, Modern Model, Die Form, Funkwagen, Nofun, Hakkah, Illogico, Rinf, and State Of Art. Includes CD; CD features the previously unreleased bonus track by La Maison, "Noise Express".

The last decade has seen a seismic shift in how people buy and play music, vinyl has returned to being the dominant physical format with CDs consigned to second fiddle. Things were very different back in 2012 when we compiled and released the eponymous "Cool Runnings" on CD only. The vinyl revival is a belated opportunity to give the band their first long playing record to complement that earlier CD release. Together for a dozen years, Cool Runnings were one of Bristol's longest lasting bands gigging throughout the 1980s, though their failure to gig beyond the West Country meant they were also one of the City's best kept musical secrets. Originally formed in Weston-Super-Mare by Keyboardist Mark Tuck and Guitarist George Condover, they immediately relocated to Bristol and recruited various local musicians including an experienced and talented singer, Winston Minott. Although "Robin Hoods of The Ghetto" was their solitary release, the band regularly recorded material throughout their career and fortunately thanks to the foresight of George and Mark in holding onto various master tapes, Bristol Archive Records were able to release the band's self-titled debut album "Cool Runnings" in 2012. For this vinyl release we've selected eight tracks recorded between 1983 and 1985 at various local studios, and a solitary live track to give an idea of why the band were so popular in person. Although their music leans towards the more mellow end of the market, Lovers Rock, music ideally suited to Winston's soulful voice, the band were more than capable of writing good roots tunes including the excellent "We Must Go Home", "Children of Zion" and "Robin Hoods of The Ghetto". Winston Minott had spent many years touring all over Europe with soul band The Invaders and many songs showcase his vocal talent, but a particular highlight has to be "Playhouse" an alternative recording of which can be found on "The Bristol Reggae Explosion Volume 3". Perhaps proper management would have seen Cool Runnings achieve the success and wider exposure that their combined talents and unique take on reggae undoubtedly deserved. Now thirty years after the members went their separate ways, Bristol Archive Records are pleased to finally release the vinyl album that if things had worked out differently should have appeared in the 1980s

Portland-based Kevin Palmer returns to blundar with his Best Available Technology for another release (having previously been featured on cassette). This time it’s on vinyl but still messing about with the same business of constructing and deconstructing head-nodding beats into a foggy bowl of ambience that has become the trademark sound of BAT.

Initially inspired and influenced by the sound-worlds created by Hank Shocklee, BDP and KDAY, Palmer spent his formative years combing pawn shops for samplers. This kicked off his self-described obsessive compulsive work crunching out impossibly naive and obviously unschooled jams in what might have been and continues to be an attempt to capture and document something he felt when listening to the bombastic sonic collages of early hip hop.

Going backwards in order to go forward could be an apt mantra to describe the philosophy behind BAT. Often attached with labels like nostalgia and melancholy, Palmer surely deals with the longing for that perfect time capsule of N.Y. hip hop in the 90s - but where others zoning in on that era simply imitate it, Palmer goes way further into a world of his own making.

Far removed in both time and place to the outskirts of Portland, the sonics of Palmer filters through an outsider’s perspective, sometimes offering a personal journal of the here and now via field recordings from skateparks and surfing trips.

As if one would imagine looking slightly to the left of what was supposedly going on, these tracks continuously shift one's focus. That funky feel good beat is there, but almost always just out of grasp. Palmer gives us the sound of a memory slipping away.

Yet this reads not as the end of something, but rather a stepping stone into a world of possibilities. Operating at the outskirts of genre, you could imagine anything from dub, hip hop, ambient or techno to emerge and crystalize from the haze, yet it never does. This is all those things and nothing. Or maybe it’s just some “sad fucked up funk” as Palmer puts it.

Curated by 78-rpm record collector Pat Conte, The Secret Museum of
Mankind: Atlas of Instruments - Fiddles, Vol 1 continues the legendary
series and seeks to show the diverse range of fiddle sounds and styles
developed and practiced across the globe
The compilation, drawn from Conte's pioneering and remarkable personal
collection of 78- rpm discs recorded in the 1920's-1950's, presents fiddle music
recorded across the world from Crete to Madagascar, Mexico, England, Sicily,
Norway, India, the USA, Cape Verde, China and more.
The album is available via digital download and on vinyl, in a beautiful gatefold
package. It includes a liner notes booklet by curator Pat Conte, original drawings
of rare and unique fiddles in Conte's collection, by artist Jeff Tocci, and beautifully
remastered audio by Don Fierro. Additionally, the interior gatefold design features
a selection of historic images of fiddlers, also curated by Conte and drawn from
his collection.

We are delighted to finish off the last full EP on the Telomere series with a new Artist you may or may not be familiar with.

Aspetuck, a US based DJ and producer. has his vinyl debut with a well rounded and stacked four tracker.

This EP blends the many genres of electronic music while leaning towards the deeper and melancholic sounds of electronica. Tart Jam, is a real Jam that will get the dance floor movin’, groovin’ and smilin’!
Very limited black copies as always with a few colored copies available via the Wex bandcamp, be quick!

Ting Mong is the sixth full-length album of new material from
Cambodian/American band Dengue Fever, and their first album in more
than eight years
In Khmer folklore, a Ting Mong is a decoy or mannequin, similar to a scarecrow,
used to fight away evil spirits and plagues.Available in vinyl and CD, the new
album artwork is from Japanese artist Imiri Sakabashira and features nine new
tracks, many clocking in at more than four minutes. The band recorded the album
after a hiatus followed by a global pandemic, which allowed them to flesh out
tracks which presented themselves as slower, more lengthy, psychedelic jams.

The third volume of the most libidinous edit series around is finally landing on the shelves, ready to make even the hardest-to-please clubgoers drenched in sweat on the dancefloor.

The record starts at full speed with "Erotic 707 Sample," an irresistible feast of splashes and drums, just to abruptly transition into a smooth and dreamy mood with the downtempo gem "Tudo Ligado."

The B-side opens with the seductive Disco-House vibes of "Disco Manina," peaking with the anthem "Oh...Money!" - perfect to be sung along while holding hooves.

Pure UKG gold from ’98, as the masterful M.A.D Productions aka M.J. Cole and Darryl 'B' joined forces with the queen Carroll Thompson to produce the highly sought after underground cut ‘Too Late’. With originals selling for £90+ it’s about time a remastered, reissue hit the racks.

Providing a snapshot into the explosion of UKG across the country in the late ‘90s, a melting pot that bubbled up so many classics in its heyday, ‘Too Late’ is straight up, soulful UKG perfection. The ‘Deep Vocal Mix’ lays Thompson’s slick, sensuous vocals over a skippy bumper of a beat, subby bassline and sublime pads. Peaktime, warm-up or warm-down this is an unquestionable garage groover.

Take to the flip for the ‘Underground Dub’. The duo chop up the vocals in trademark style, turn the swing and skip of those hats up to the max, whilst wobbling and weaving soulful stabs to create a 4x4 heater that is guaranteed to have hands drawing for wheel-ups left, right and centre.

East Village series is back with a 4 organic disco edits without filter. Pure disco that is filled with the nostalgia of distant memories.

No action needed, just put in you bag and play it for all night long!

We’ve got a special AA-side vinyl release for all Toolroom and Cutting Recs fans with the original UK Edit of the seminal ‘This Brutal House’ from Nitro Deluxe followed, by the 2023 rework from Toolroom’s founder Mark Knight! A release you do not want to miss!

Sat in-between Electro and House genres, Nitro Deluxe’s pivotal record ‘Let’s Get Brutal’ on legendary imprint Cutting Records helped paved the way for the early beginnings of House music as we know it today. A record that has influenced so many of House music’s iconic artists, from being sampled by Kevin Saunderson (aka Good Life) in their huge hit ‘Big Fun’ and most recently, Mark Knight.

An unmistakable record and one that struck a chord in the early career days of label boss Mark Knight, who simultaneously sought to beef up his current sets in 2023 with the magic of those early House records, when the opportunity arose to update this classic Mark straight in. Keeping this new version sentimental to the original, with all those original synth elements included but laid over the top of an up-to-date Tech House groove with a renewed energy, so that today’s floors will appreciate that seminal riff, all over again.

As one half of Minutes Unlimited, a group formed with fellow electronic producer Michna (Ghostly International), Eliot Lipp displays a talent for creating precise, shiny techno/trap that showcases both artists’ synth and drum machine dexterity.

He also provides the prefix for the appropriately named Lipphead, a collaborative effort with underground hip-hop and downtempo producer Blockhead. Lipphead’s loose and experimental approach to dance music stands in stark contrast to the cold, methodical tone of Minutes Unlimited.

Somewhere in between and slightly off-center of these two sounds is 'Encounters,' Lipp’s forthcoming full length LP. From laid-back downtempo cuts 'Know By Now' and 'The Lowdown' to choppy upbeat hip-hop instrumentals like 'Guitar Maniacs' – Eliot condenses years of growth and influence into this expansive double LP. Comprised of 16 tracks, the sequencing of Encounters pulls from Lipp’s DJing experience, creating a seamless and cohesive listening experience from start to finish.

Balishark will be finally out on earth physically, on twelve with a pretty handprinted cover with love. This record is something very special for us, its a bunch of eternal "souvenirs" of smile, light, sun, fun.... with our friend, this beauty man on the back cover, sunbeams filled!! !! ! !

Five songs compose this album, the first one, balishark is a proper "pièce sonore", its a lot of Pierre Sharki's field recordings he did in the wonderland of Balì, they, with Guitos Samba, Jonas Taupe Gun and Grand Matthias fixed a composition from this atmos sound in La Cabane, studio in Lyon. "Jawabarat" is a pure interpretation of west java gamelan rhythm and logic. And the B face are jams only, excerpt from early mornings! A multi world sounds around our friend Guitos Samba :)

The concept behind the debut album by Neapolitan producer Paolo Petrella, (also known for Fratelli Malibu, SuperMegaFuckinMachine, and Nu Genea's live band bass player) is both straightforward and unparalleled. It involves re-imagining Renato Carosone's iconic hits infused with the vibrant essence of Cumbia. An original and fresh perspective of the history of Napoli, re-thinking traditions while blending cultures, like an imaginary colony of South Americans living in Napoli’s fishermen neighborhood of Santa Lucia.

Cumbia Luciana sounds like the manifestation of a dream, as the poem on the liner notes recites:

“It's 3pm in the afternoon, the sea is calm and there are some clouds in the sky from time to time the sounds of mopeds can be heard in the street. A boy is in his bedroom and out of boredom keeps time by tapping his fingers on the bed frame.
He leaves the house for a walk keeping the sea on his side. Rumor has it that ten days ago immigrants arrived from Peru,
the boy walks and listens it's Sunday, day of celebration, it's 3.30pm the boy walks and listens he is interrupted by a whole new sound, never heard before from a window of a ground floor house men are playing, the boy stands under that window for a while”

Dynamite cuts is proud to unlesihing a series of Dewolf library grooves. All firstime on 7" vinyl including the Original 70s sleeve design.

First up are two amazing grooves are taken from the original mega rare Formula album. We have Chosen "Long Weekend" which is a bass-driven, percussive, heavy groove, great drums - the perfect DJ tool. On the flip is, "Design" - uplifting, bright, funky guitars and bass, a right little mover; it just calls Dynamite Cut 7" and it was so right, the PERFECT track.

Barry Stoller is the award winning composer and original writer for Match of a Day, The Sweeney (1975), Dawn of The Dead and many more scores we may recognise

We are very honored to present you Dana Lewis Kelley - Alpha (re-issue from 1999)

Unfortunately this great artist also known as DKMA left this world way too early...

Many thanks to his Brother, Lyle Kelley who keeps Dana’s legacy alive!

"If you can imagine a love child between MAC DEMARCO and SPAR-KLEHORSE, then this would be what you're left with." - SO YOUNG MAGA-ZINE
Raised in North Queensland, Australia, Jarrod Mahon is not one to shy away from bold new endeavors. Once parting ways with his previous record label in 2019, Mahon chose to go fully independent, relocating to Berlin in 2019 (where he still resides), despite having no contacts at all in the country. What’s more, having recorded/performed under the pseudonym Emerson Snowe for over a decade - during which time he home-recorded five albums and 13 EP’s, toured with the likes of King Krule or Ariel Pink, played showcases SXSW and the Great Escape, the works - Mahon took that brave, most uncommercial decision to release under his own name and start almost totally anew.
“There was never really a concept to that name Emerson Snowe other than having some kind of separation from who I was as a person,” Mahon explains, “using a moniker gave me that confidence to push myself further mentally and to give myself some kind of a freedom”. And through the process of creating what would become his debut album, Mahon saw that he had outgrown the need for this protective persona. ‘Everything Has A Life’ was meant to be the debut Snowe album”, he admits, “but after I finished mixing it with Syd Kemp, co-producer I realized that I had actually grown a lot and was much more comfort-able with who I am and what my personal beliefs are.”
The choice of ‘Everything Has A Life’ as the album title, pulled from beauteous opening track ‘All I Know’, neatly summarizes this new outlook: moving on from ‘self-pity’ of the past-self by becoming present for the loved ones around you, improving understanding of one’s own self, via the wider world at large.
That track marks the first written during a lockdown stint in LA where Mahon wrote and recorded every day for 2 months, produced nigh on 250 demos and birthed the bulk of the record. It also brought Mahon back to his all-time favorite, Sufjan Stevens’ Ilinois and its blend of widescreen orchestral landscapes and more candid, naked acoustic-leaning variations - an important influence for the album's stylistic contrasts. Another key inspiration for the record too brought Mahon back to his roots - those full-bloom strains of his Mum’s Beloved Neil Diamond, an annual Christmas irritant to Mahon as a child, yet an artist he’s come to respect in adulthood. “Whatever the reason, with age I came to love the big show band sounds,” he says, “the idea of a performer on stage with a mas-sive orchestra with strings was amazing to me.”
With the help of producer Syd Kemp (Ulrika Spacek, Vanishing Twin), such grand designs could be met. - “When we first met, he asked me if I would like real strings on it. I said of course.” Enter Magda Mclean on violin (Caroline/the Umlauts), and Gamaliel Rendle Traynor on Cello (Sweat, Fat White Family), whose strings helped lift the record to romantic new heights.
He continues: “I said to Syd that the only thing I wanted to achieve with this rec-ord was that I wanted it to make me cry at one point. And we got there eventual-ly.” The final culmination of all these strands, ’Everything Has A Life’ is indeed a treasure trove of emotive riches. Locking into that bittersweet, quintessentially ‘pop’ combination of triumphant rhythms and confessional, stream-of-consciousness lyrics plucked straight from the heart, Mahon faces up to years of substance abuse with a series of gorgeous, blushing melodies: “I was using, I was drinking, I was lying to my friends, I was messing up again, I was hiding from myself”, he joyously chants on ‘The Growing’.
A banquet fit for an indie king, Everything Has A Life is loaded with psych-pop lusciousness (‘All I Know’) and anthemic glam fuzz (‘Death Of The Ladies Man’, ‘Deadstar’, or ‘Sonny is my Best Friend’); recalling that foundational Sufjan Ste-vens influence too with shambling flecks of country (‘Charly (Romantic Heart)’). There’s also those lo-fi crepitations of ‘My Man’ and ‘I can’t’ harking back home-recorded demos that lie at the core of Mahon’s creative process.

Thanks to dedicated fan Tom Huissen who took his one channel reel-to-reel tape recorder into various London clubs in 1967, these historical performances were captured for all time. Unheard for almost fifty years, John recently obtained these tapes and began restoring them with the technical assistance of Eric Corne of Forty Below Records. Corne adds, "While the source recording was very rough and the final result is certainly not hi- fidelity, it does succeed in allowing us to hear how spectacular these performances are." It's truly an exciting glimpse into music history

Der aus Seattle stammende Produzent Jeff McIlwain, alias Lusine, kehrt mit seinem 9. Album Long Light zurück und feiert damit sein zwanzigjähriges Bestehen bei Ghostly International. Lusine, der als Einfluss für unzählige elektronische Künstler wie die Londoner Loraine James und andere gilt, ist bekannt für viszerale, kinetisch neugierige Musik, die Techno, Pop und experimentelle Kompositionen miteinander verbindet. In den letzten Jahren hat McIlwain sein Handwerk mit mehr kollaborativer, songorientierter Arbeit in die Höhe getrieben. Long Light" zeigt die durchgehende Linie; seine charakteristischen Looping-Muster und Texturen sind dynamisch und dennoch minimalistisch wie immer. Strukturell geradlinig, straff und hell, strahlt das Material als das direkteste in seinem Katalog, mit Gesangsbeiträgen von Asy Saavedra, Sarah Jaffe und den Sensorimotor-Kollegen Vilja Larjosto und Benoît Pioulard. Lusine hat seinen Sound schon früh gefunden, aber er hat nie aufgehört, an seinem Potenzial zu feilen, geduldig die Ablenkungen zu dekonstruieren und die Rätsel zu lösen. Mit Long Light erreicht ein prozessgeleiteter Künstler ein außergewöhnlich erfreuliches Niveau an Klarheit und Unmittelbarkeit. McIlwain sieht den Titel, der der lyrischen Phrase "long light signaling the fall again" entnommen ist, die Benoît Pioulard für das spätere Titelstück geschrieben hat, als einen Leitfaden, der mehrere Bedeutungen widerspiegelt. "Es gibt diese Art von Paranoia, bei der man nicht weiß, was real ist, es ist ein Zeitalter der großen Angst und es gibt all diese Ablenkungen", erklärt McIlwain. "Es ist wie ein Spiegelkabinett." Dem langen Licht zu folgen ist der einzig wahre Weg, und diese Metapher wendet er auf die Aufnahmen des Albums an, die ebenfalls einen zyklischen Charakter haben, ähnlich wie die Jahreszeiten. Wie der Beginn des Herbstes schließt das Album eine Periode der Kultivierung ab; "Musikmachen ist ein Kampf und man muss eine Menge Geduld haben." Long Light ist der Beweis dafür, dass das, was jenseits des Lärms, am Ende des figurativen Tunnels liegt, all die Arbeit wert ist, die man auf dem Weg dorthin geleistet hat. In der gesamten Sammlung identifiziert McIlwain das zentrale Klangelement, einen Gesangsausschnitt oder eine einfache Beatsequenz, auf dem alles andere aufbaut. Auf dem Opener Come And Go" vervielfältigt er eine Gesangseinlage seiner langjährigen Mitarbeiterin Vilja Larjosto zu einem himmlischen Chor, der an den Sensorimotor-Hit Just A Cloud" erinnert. Es ist die Bass-Hook auf der Single "Zero to Sixty", die sich um die Stimme von Sarah Jaffe windet, deren geschmeidiger Tonumfang und coole Darbietung die Quelle für Lusines unverwechselbares Mapping ist.

Der aus Seattle stammende Produzent Jeff McIlwain, alias Lusine, kehrt mit seinem 9. Album Long Light zurück und feiert damit sein zwanzigjähriges Bestehen bei Ghostly International. Lusine, der als Einfluss für unzählige elektronische Künstler wie die Londoner Loraine James und andere gilt, ist bekannt für viszerale, kinetisch neugierige Musik, die Techno, Pop und experimentelle Kompositionen miteinander verbindet. In den letzten Jahren hat McIlwain sein Handwerk mit mehr kollaborativer, songorientierter Arbeit in die Höhe getrieben. Long Light" zeigt die durchgehende Linie; seine charakteristischen Looping-Muster und Texturen sind dynamisch und dennoch minimalistisch wie immer. Strukturell geradlinig, straff und hell, strahlt das Material als das direkteste in seinem Katalog, mit Gesangsbeiträgen von Asy Saavedra, Sarah Jaffe und den Sensorimotor-Kollegen Vilja Larjosto und Benoît Pioulard. Lusine hat seinen Sound schon früh gefunden, aber er hat nie aufgehört, an seinem Potenzial zu feilen, geduldig die Ablenkungen zu dekonstruieren und die Rätsel zu lösen. Mit Long Light erreicht ein prozessgeleiteter Künstler ein außergewöhnlich erfreuliches Niveau an Klarheit und Unmittelbarkeit. McIlwain sieht den Titel, der der lyrischen Phrase "long light signaling the fall again" entnommen ist, die Benoît Pioulard für das spätere Titelstück geschrieben hat, als einen Leitfaden, der mehrere Bedeutungen widerspiegelt. "Es gibt diese Art von Paranoia, bei der man nicht weiß, was real ist, es ist ein Zeitalter der großen Angst und es gibt all diese Ablenkungen", erklärt McIlwain. "Es ist wie ein Spiegelkabinett." Dem langen Licht zu folgen ist der einzig wahre Weg, und diese Metapher wendet er auf die Aufnahmen des Albums an, die ebenfalls einen zyklischen Charakter haben, ähnlich wie die Jahreszeiten. Wie der Beginn des Herbstes schließt das Album eine Periode der Kultivierung ab; "Musikmachen ist ein Kampf und man muss eine Menge Geduld haben." Long Light ist der Beweis dafür, dass das, was jenseits des Lärms, am Ende des figurativen Tunnels liegt, all die Arbeit wert ist, die man auf dem Weg dorthin geleistet hat. In der gesamten Sammlung identifiziert McIlwain das zentrale Klangelement, einen Gesangsausschnitt oder eine einfache Beatsequenz, auf dem alles andere aufbaut. Auf dem Opener Come And Go" vervielfältigt er eine Gesangseinlage seiner langjährigen Mitarbeiterin Vilja Larjosto zu einem himmlischen Chor, der an den Sensorimotor-Hit Just A Cloud" erinnert. Es ist die Bass-Hook auf der Single "Zero to Sixty", die sich um die Stimme von Sarah Jaffe windet, deren geschmeidiger Tonumfang und coole Darbietung die Quelle für Lusines unverwechselbares Mapping ist.

Erstmals und endlich auf Vinyl erhältlich - das Solodebüt des Musikers und Produzenten Tobias Kuhn aka Monta aus dem Jahr 2004. Erscheint als weißes 180g Vinyl im Gatefold-Sleeve. "Wir unterteilen das Leben gerne in künstlich voneinander getrennte Kapitel, sprechen von "Neuerfindung" oder "zweiter Geburt", wenn jemand nun plötzlich etwas scheinbar ganz anderes macht als zuvor. Tatsächlich aber ist das Neue immer schon im Alten angelegt, die meisten Übergänge sind fließend. Nehmen wir zum Beispiel Tobias Kuhn: Natürlich ist Kuhn heute vor allem als einer der renommiertesten und besten deutschen Musikproduzenten bekannt. Kuhn hat mit Clueso, Udo Lindenberg und den Toten Hosen gearbeitet. Man kennt ihn als Produzenten und Co-Songwriter so unterschiedlicher Künstler wie Feine Sahne Fischfilet, Mark Forster, Alec Benjamin, Alice Merton, Noah Kahan, Lost Frequencies, Gurr und Milky Chance, er schrieb für den "Tatort" die Musik, man könnte die Liste endlos fortsetzen. Aber vor dieser Geschichte, vor der Geschichte des Top-Produzenten Tobias Kuhn gab es eben noch eine andere - und wenn man genauer hinguckt, gehören beide untrennbar zusammen. Begonnen hatte sie in Würzburg. Es sind die Neunzigerjahre, Familie Kuhn hatte in Cambridge und in Peking gewohnt und war nun ausgerechnet nach Unterfranken gezogen: Das malerisch gelegene, architektonisch reizvolle Würzburg mag bedeutende Universitäten haben, mit 130.000 Einwohnern knapp als Großstadt gelten und das sogenannte "Herz der Weinregion Franken" sein, als Popmetropole ist die Stadt eher nicht bekannt. Aber natürlich kommt der beste Pop traditionell ja genau aus solchen Orten, aus der Provinz, von den Hochschulen, aus den Fabriken. Eben dort, in Würzburg, gründet Tobias Kuhn mit 15, 16 Jahren die Band Miles gemeinsam mit Gilbert Hartsch zunächst als klassische Schülerband. Der Schlagzeuger Andreas Wecklein und René Hartmann (Bass) komplettieren das Line-up, letzterer wird später durch Nina Kränsel ersetzt. Wie gesagt, es sind die Neunzigerjahre: In den USA initiiert der Sänger und spätere Pop-Impressario Perry Farrell die erste Ausgabe der heute weltweit erfolgreichen Festivalreihe Lollapalooza als grellen Rock'n'Roll-Zirkus und Abschiedstournee seiner Band Jane's Addiction. Das gefällt Kuhn und seinen Freunden natürlich, also schmieden sie in der bayerischen Provinz den einigermaßen größenwahnsinnigen Plan, in Deutschland etwas ähnliches aufzuziehen. Spoiler: es gelingt. Auf diese Weise entstanden drei Alben, bis der Gitarrist ausstieg und irgendwie allen klar wurde: alles erlebt, alles erzählt, mehr geht nicht. Kuhn schrieb sich daraufhin für Medizin ein, doch die Musik ließ ihn nicht los. So begann das zweite musikalische Kapitel im Leben des Tobias Kuhn. Unter dem Namen Monta wendete er sich einem intimeren, Folk-grundierten Ansatz zu und nimmt so zwei Alben auf, deren Veröffentlichung er selbst übernimmt. Bald gab es ein weltweites Netzwerk kleiner Indie-Labels, die die Monta-Musik vertrieben und sogar die "Sunday Times" machte "Where Circles Begin" zum Album der Woche. Und so begann die dritte, bis heute andauernde musikalische Karriere von Tobias Kuhn: die des Produzenten und Songschreibers. Kuhn wäre nicht Kuhn, wenn nicht auch dieser Abschnitt wieder von einer Reihe scheinbarer Zufälle und Begegnungen befeuert worden wäre, die sich eben nahtlos aus allem, was davor war, ergaben." Torsten Groß

Michael Mayer’s IMARA imprint is proud to announce a reissue of German electronica maestro Schlammpeitziger’s second album, Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut. Originally released in 1996 by Köln’s A-Musik label, it was the first Schlammpeitziger release to signal to a much wider audience that there was something very special going on in the music of Jo Zimmermann, the mastermind behind Schlammpeitziger. And while he’s subsequently gone on to release a further eight albums for labels like Sonig, Pingipung, and Bureau B, Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut is where it really all started for this most singular musician, illustrator and performance artist. Named after the ‘Schlammpeitzger’ or Weather Loach, a fish that breathes through its intestines, moves through substrate, and is surprisingly sensitive to changes in barometric pressure – hence its name – Schlammpeitziger is a similarly remarkable, singular creature.

Like all Schlammpeitziger’s music, Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut is overflowing with melody. Using the simplest of set-ups – much of his early music was made with Casio keyboards – Zimmermann magics entire worlds of joy and melancholy. The nine songs here are both rich tributes to the joys of the everyday, and surreal fantasias. “Cosmic Fick” sails out to sea on clouds of taffy and spindrift; “Winterschlafsüßbärentraum” slips and slides around a dream aviary of the mind; the closing “Mango und Papaja auf Tobago” is a diorama spun from springs and Slinkys. Sometimes there are echoes of more peaceable Kosmische music – think Cluster circa Sowiesoso – and both the pacing and the amorphous, tactile textures sometimes recall Chris & Cosey. But Zimmermann’s unique signature is everywhere on Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut – simply put, no one else makes music quite as lovely and incandescent as this.

The album’s initial release coincided with an explosion of interest in the music coming out of Köln. This was a unique moment – one where pop, techno, house, ambience, avant-gardism, musique concrete, heavy DSP, and all kinds of other creative phenomena got muddied up in the ‘general jelly’ of Köln’s fast-moving, spirited musical communities. Zimmermann was closely aligned with the music coming out of the A-Musik and Sonig labels – a tightly-knit collection of artists centred around the A-Musik record store, making all kinds of weird and wonderful music, from the electronica of Mouse On Mars to the compositions of Marcus Schmickler, from the electro-acoustics of C-Schulz and Hajsch to the digitalia of FX Randomiz. Zimmermann himself would collaborate with the latter on an album under the name Holosud; friends such as Mouse On Mars and Kompakt’s Reinhard Voigt turned up on Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut’s remix EP.

Here, then, is one of the loveliest albums of its era, a pop-electronics album of serious play, one as moistly melancholy as it is melodically riveting. Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut is rare beauty indeed.

Michael Mayers Label IMARA ist stolz darauf, eine Neuauflage des zweiten Albums des deutschen Electronica-Maestros Schlammpeitziger, “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut”, bekannt zu geben. Ursprünglich 1996 vom Kölner Label A-Musik veröffentlicht, war es die erste Veröffentlichung von Schlammpeitziger, die einem viel breiteren Publikum signalisierte, dass in der Musik von Jo Zimmermann, dem Mastermind hinter Schlammpeitziger, etwas ganz Besonderes vor sich ging. Obwohl er seitdem weitere acht Alben für Labels wie Sonig, Pingipung und Bureau B veröffentlicht hat, ist “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” der Ort, an dem alles für diesen einzigartigen Musiker, Illustrator und Performance-Künstler begann. Schlammpeitziger, benannt nach dem “Schlammpeitzger” oder Wetterbarsch, einem Fisch, der durch seine Därme atmet, sich durch den Untergrund bewegt und erstaunlich empfindlich auf Veränderungen im Luftdruck reagiert – daher der Name – ist ebenfalls eine bemerkenswerte, einzigartige Kreatur.

Wie alle Musik von Schlammpeitziger ist auch “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” voller Melodien. Mit einfachsten Mitteln – ein Großteil seiner frühen Musik wurde mit Casio-Keyboards gemacht – zaubert Zimmermann ganze Welten voller Freude und Melancholie. Die neun Songs hier sind sowohl reiche Hommagen an die Freuden des Alltags als auch surreale Fantasien. “Cosmic Fick” segelt auf Wolken aus Karamell und Gischt hinaus aufs Meer; “Winterschlafsüßbärentraum” schlittert und gleitet durch einen Traum-Vogelkäfig im Geist; das abschließende “Mango und Papaja auf Tobago” ist ein Diorama aus Federn und Slinkys. Manchmal gibt es Echos von friedlicherer Kosmischer Musik – denke an Cluster circa “Sowiesoso” – und sowohl das Tempo als auch die amorphen, taktilen Texturen erinnern manchmal an Chris & Cosey. Aber Zimmermanns einzigartige Signatur ist überall auf “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” zu hören – ganz einfach, niemand sonst macht Musik so lieblich und leuchtend wie er.

Die ursprüngliche Veröffentlichung des Albums fiel mit einem Aufschwung des Interesses an der Musik aus Köln zusammen. Dies war ein einzigartiger Moment – einer, in dem Pop, Techno, House, Ambient, Avantgardismus, Musique Concrete, Heavy DSP und allerlei andere kreative Phänomene sich in der “Allgemeinen Gelee” der schnelllebigen, lebendigen musikalischen Gemeinschaften von Köln vermischten. Zimmermann stand in enger Verbindung mit der Musik der Labels A-Musik und Sonig – eine eng verbundene Gruppe von Künstlern rund um das A-Musik-Plattengeschäft, die alle möglichen seltsamen und wundervollen Musikrichtungen produzierten, von der Electronica von Mouse On Mars bis zu den Kompositionen von Marcus Schmickler, von der Elektroakustik von C-Schulz und Hajsch bis zur Digitalia von FX Randomiz. Zimmermann selbst würde mit letzterem an einem Album unter dem Namen Holosud zusammenarbeiten; Freunde wie Mouse On Mars und Reinhard Voigt von Kompakt tauchten in der Remix-EP von “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” auf.

Hier also eines der schönsten Alben seiner Zeit, ein Pop-Electronics-Album voller ernsthaftem Spiel, so feucht melancholisch wie melodisch fesselnd. “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” ist wahrlich eine seltene Schönheit.

Tunesday Recordings proudly presents its third release, bringing the two balearic pop originals "Brazilian Breeze" and "Mysterious Nights" from the sought-after 1986 LP "Leaving You" by Preludio to today's dance floors. The Italo-influenced songs mark the very ¦rst work of Peter LaSalle who has made a name for himself with several releases under the moniker Sound Surgeons in the 2000's. As a ¦rst endeavour
under the moniker DNA (standing for Danny, Norm & Andres), the trio centered around Andres Astorga aka Trujillo brings out their own vsionary reworks with nothing but the songs' titles as inspiration. On "Brazilian Breeze", they dive deep into an ocean-blue rippling with cool synthesizer sequences and steel drums. "Mysterious Nights" teases you into a Linn Drum-driven adventure in which hazy waves mingle with late 80's guitar licks and soothing brasses. Many thanks to Peter LaSalle for making this reissue possible and many thanks to
Santi Oviedo for literally revising the original artwork.

The Handsome Family definieren seit über 30 Jahren das dunkle Ende des Americana. Brett schreibt die Musik und Rennie die Texte. Ihre Arbeit wurde von vielen Künstlern gecovert, darunter Jeff Tweedy, Andrew Bird und zuletzt Phoebe Bridgers. Ihr Song "Far From Any Road" war die Eröffnungsmelodie für die erste Staffel von HBOs True Detective und wird immer noch jede Woche von Tausenden von Shazams aus der ganzen Welt geteilt. Die neue Platte von The Handsome Family begann mit einem Schrei in der Nacht. 'Es war ein düsterer Winter in der Mitte der Pandemie', sagt Brett Sparks. "Eines Nachts gegen 4 Uhr morgens begann Rennie im Schlaf zu schreien. Sie schrie: 'Komm in den Kreis, Joseph! Heute Nacht ist kein Mond da.' So beängstigend es auch war, ich dachte, Mann, das ist ein guter Refrain!'. Wenn man Brett bittet, seine Musik zu beschreiben, sagt er: "Western Gothic". Es ist Musik, die von den verlassenen Malls in der Wüste inspiriert ist, wo rissiger Asphalt vor Hitze schimmert und dorniges Unkraut langsam das Land zurückerobert.

Simone De Kunovich
Mythical Figure
Use variably, whenever you need: D.J. at MainStage, High Profile Fashion Event, Underground
Basement Club, Balearic Terrace Situation.
Gifted selector. Room filling presence. Oversized packaging.
He (here) deals three cards.
“Flow My Tears“ High Roller Euro House
„Super Mana Drain“ OMG Modern High Energy
„Warp Lord“ Early Morning, Playful Dark Eternal Bliss
„He who masters the sound glows“

Im April 2007 ist "Handbuch für die Welt", das vielleicht beste Fehlfarben-Album seit "Monarchie und Alltag", erschienen. Bei Tapete Records erscheint dieses Meisterwerk am 15. September - erstmals auch auf Vinyl - als Wiederveröffentlichung. "Handbuch für die Welt" gibt uns tatsächlich ein Gefühl für die Welt in der wir leben. Es ist eine erwachsene Welt, hart und schön zugleich. Lustige Hütchen oder modische Tänzchen findet man hier weniger. Aber jeder, der sich darauf einlässt, wird ein Stück von sich selbst entdecken. Pop ohne Lügen, könnte man sagen. Und irgendwie war das ja auch einmal, vor langer Zeit, eine Definition von Punk

There was a certain curiosity about Lewis Fautzi's next step with us. Despite his own personal style, we couldn't imagine that he would choose to release a new atmospheric and experimental album.

The result is absolutely stunning.

'Manner of Death' was produced during one of the worst moments of his life and the feelings he put into it are not relatable for most of us but yet understandable. Besides all this there aren't enough words we can write about it.

All we can do is be thankful for such a masterpiece!

The Faithful Brothers

Soul and R&B from Tel Aviv

"It's so difficult to produce the feel and the excitement of the classic northern sound, but The Faithful Brothers were born to do it and they do it so well." Craig Charles, The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show, BBC Radio 6 Music.

Is there a Northern Soul scene in Tel Aviv? The surprising answer is – yes, there is. If you're a soulie and in town, look for the Tel Aviv Soul Club, and you might find yourself swaying across a talcum-powder covered floor to Tel Aviv's own unique blend of classic Northern Soul 45s and early 1960s R&B sounds.

Chances are that those 45s will come out of the record boxes of one of the brothers Neeman, Johnnie and Bin. Sons of an Israeli diplomat, they travelled abroad extensively as children, in the 1960s and 1970s, discovering the wonderful world of rare soul music on the way. Tel Aviv Soul Club, aka TASC, is the brainchild of Yashiv Cohen, a DJ who, in 2006, lured the brothers Neeman, whose massive soul collections been hitherto confined to their respective living rooms, into playing their records to the Tel Aviv public. Yashiv is also the lead singer of Men of North Country (MONC), a Tel Aviv band with a distinct sound, blending rock, British pop and soul, that has recorded two albums for the London based label Acid Jazz Records, and toured Europe numerous times.

Since Neeman means Faithful in Hebrew, Yashiv woke up one morning with the crystallization that MONC must create a spin-off, a more puristic soul band, called the Faithful Brothers. There the biological Neeman/Faithful brothers would be joined by some of the members of MONC and a few more musical brothers from Tel Aviv to create new, original soul and R&B music. With a nod to the Northern Soul slogan "Keep The Faith", the name seemed too perfect to waste. The fact that the Neeman brothers were collectors, and not musicians, did not bother a man of vision like Yashiv. One day, he sent Johnnie some lyrics he wrote, asking him to compose music for it. Well, Johnnie called Bin, and they met in Johnnie's record room. With Johnnie playing some of the few chords he knew on his dusty old acoustic guitar, out came Teenage Frost, the first-ever musical composition of the Neeman brothers, recorded by MONC.

It took a few more years, but gradually the brothers succumbed to their fate, to continue their musical progression, from collectors to DJs to musicians. Johnnie took his guitar, Bin took to the piano, and the brothers began pouring out some of their influences, creating new songs. It is finally all coming together. The Faithful Brothers – now an eight-piece band, complete with a mighty brass section – release their first album "The Faithful Brothers".

Pretenders haben die Veröffentlichung eines neuen Albums bekannt gegeben. "Relentless" heißt es und ist das insgesamt 14. der englisch-amerikanischen Rockband.

"Relentless" heißt auf Deutsch? ja, was eigentlich? Das Wort hat eine Reihe von Bedeutungen - "unbarmherzig" etwa, "unermüdlich" oder "unaufhaltsam". Auch Bandleaderin Chrissie Hynde mag diese Mehrdeutigkeit:
"Mir macht es Spaß, die verschiedenen Bedeutungen und Ursprünge eines Wortes zu betrachten. Und ich mochte die Definition: 'keine Anzeichen des Nachlassens von Intensität zeigen'. Das ist das Leben eines Künstlers.
Man zieht sich nie zurück. Man wird relentless."
Nach "Hate for Sale" (2020) ist es das zweite aufeinanderfolgende Album, das in Zusammenarbeit zwischen Chrissie Hynde und dem aktuellen Gitarrenhelden der Band, James Walbourne. Produziert
von David Wrench und aufgenommen in den Battery Studios im Westen Londons, stehen die 12 Tracks des Albums für das, was Chrissie als "The Pretenders Collective" bezeichnet.

Auf dem Album kommt es auch zu einer lang erhofften Zusammenarbeit mit Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile), der die Streicherarrangements beisteuert und das 12-köpfige Ensemble für den wunderschönen Schlusssong "I Think About You Daily" dirigiert.

Diesen Sommer waren Pretenders zusammen mit Guns N' Roses im Londoner BST Hyde Park und bei großen Outdoor-Shows zu sehen. Im September werden sie beim Reeperbahn Festival auftreten und eine Show im Berliner Columbia Theater spielen!

Lunatic Rec. delivers a diverse album by Electro veteran Manasyt.
On this record the artist shows his own dystopic view on the random game of life. Black or white? Women or men? Sexuality? IQ? State? Religion? Destiny or American Dream? The darkness of this record’s sound doesn’t really leave a choice to answer. Between fast edged drums and offkey harmonics you get thrown into the ups and downs of a likewise horrible as appealing fever dream in seven sequences. The vinyl comes in a handmade screenprinted fullcover, limited to 300 copies. Download code included.

Im Jahr 1986 erschien in der Bostoner Times eine Anzeige, in der Charles Thompson (alias Black Francis) und Joey Santiago einen Bassisten und einen Schlagzeuger suchten, die sowohl Hüsker Dü als auch Peter, Paul & Mary mögen sollten. Kim Deal (auf den ersten beiden Platten noch als Mrs. John Murphey) und David Lovering meldeten sich auf die Anzeige, und die Pixies waren komplett. Mit ihrem ungestümen Rock, den brachialen Tempowechseln und den sägenden Gitarrenriffs wurden sie zu der Indierockband überhaupt. Kurt Cobain gab zu, dass er einen Song wie "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ohne die Inspiration durch die Pixies nicht hätte schreiben können: "I was trying to write the ultimate pop songs, I was trying to rip off the Pixies". Ob es ihm gelungen ist, sei dahingestellt. Fest steht, dass die Pixies mit "Debaser", "Here Comes Your Man", "Monkey Gone To Heaven" und "Where Is My Mind?" Indieklassiker produziert haben. (aus laut.de)

Released as part of the Acoustic Sounds Series celebrating 70 years of Contemporary Records, Shelly Manne & Friends “My Fair Lady” is the first album to ever consist of jazz versions of songs from just a single Broadway musical. First released in 1956 and recorded by legendary engineer Roy DuNann this new edition features ALL-ANALOGUE mastering from the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman. The record is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP and is presented in a tip-on jacket.

Nach 27 Jahren im aktiven Dienst werden das Engagement und die Intensität des Trios immer größer, und ihre Popularität und ihr Bekanntheitsgrad steigen weiter an. Mit zahllosen Siegen und Erfolgen unter ihrem gemeinsamen Gürtel sind DANKO JONES eine Band von Brüdern, die wenig zu beweisen haben. Aber was soll's, es gibt immer mehr Leute, für die man spielen kann, und mehr Electric Sounds, die man singen kann.
In den letzten zehn Jahren haben DANKO JONES sichtlich einige Gänge hochgeschaltet. Seit sich Frontmann Danko und Bassist JC mit Schlagzeuger Rich Knox zusammengetan haben, lodert das kreative Feuer der Band heller denn je. Eine Reihe von Alben - Fire Music, Wild Cat, A Rock Supreme, Power Trio - hat zu noch intensiverem Touren und unermüdlichem Einsatz für die Sache des Rock geführt. „Electric Sounds“ ist der beste Beweis, dass selbst eine globale Pandemie DANKO JONES nicht aufhalten konnte.

"Hoffentlich kommen wir mit dieser Platte auf Tour und die Leute kommen", sagt Danko. "Ich bin immer angenehm überrascht, wenn jeden Abend ein Publikum vor uns steht. Ich habe gehört, dass Ozzy sich bis heute Sorgen macht, ob die Leute zum Gig kommen werden, und ich kann diese Einstellung irgendwie verstehen. Aber wisst ihr was? Wir haben gerade in der Wembley Arena gespielt! Das ist ein Häkchen auf der Bucket List. Ich bin stolz darauf, dass diese Band in der Wembley-Arena, im Maple Leaf Gardens, im Moskauer Stadion und im CBGBs gespielt hat. Und wirklich, jedes Mal, wenn wir ein neues Studioalbum herausbringen, ist das unser größter Erfolg. Dieses Album ist Nummer 11 und wir sind schon auf dem Weg zu Nummer 12!"

Nach 27 Jahren im aktiven Dienst werden das Engagement und die Intensität des Trios immer größer, und ihre Popularität und ihr Bekanntheitsgrad steigen weiter an. Mit zahllosen Siegen und Erfolgen unter ihrem gemeinsamen Gürtel sind DANKO JONES eine Band von Brüdern, die wenig zu beweisen haben. Aber was soll's, es gibt immer mehr Leute, für die man spielen kann, und mehr Electric Sounds, die man singen kann.
In den letzten zehn Jahren haben DANKO JONES sichtlich einige Gänge hochgeschaltet. Seit sich Frontmann Danko und Bassist JC mit Schlagzeuger Rich Knox zusammengetan haben, lodert das kreative Feuer der Band heller denn je. Eine Reihe von Alben - Fire Music, Wild Cat, A Rock Supreme, Power Trio - hat zu noch intensiverem Touren und unermüdlichem Einsatz für die Sache des Rock geführt. „Electric Sounds“ ist der beste Beweis, dass selbst eine globale Pandemie DANKO JONES nicht aufhalten konnte.

"Hoffentlich kommen wir mit dieser Platte auf Tour und die Leute kommen", sagt Danko. "Ich bin immer angenehm überrascht, wenn jeden Abend ein Publikum vor uns steht. Ich habe gehört, dass Ozzy sich bis heute Sorgen macht, ob die Leute zum Gig kommen werden, und ich kann diese Einstellung irgendwie verstehen. Aber wisst ihr was? Wir haben gerade in der Wembley Arena gespielt! Das ist ein Häkchen auf der Bucket List. Ich bin stolz darauf, dass diese Band in der Wembley-Arena, im Maple Leaf Gardens, im Moskauer Stadion und im CBGBs gespielt hat. Und wirklich, jedes Mal, wenn wir ein neues Studioalbum herausbringen, ist das unser größter Erfolg. Dieses Album ist Nummer 11 und wir sind schon auf dem Weg zu Nummer 12!"

Nach 27 Jahren im aktiven Dienst werden das Engagement und die Intensität des Trios immer größer, und ihre Popularität und ihr Bekanntheitsgrad steigen weiter an. Mit zahllosen Siegen und Erfolgen unter ihrem gemeinsamen Gürtel sind DANKO JONES eine Band von Brüdern, die wenig zu beweisen haben. Aber was soll's, es gibt immer mehr Leute, für die man spielen kann, und mehr Electric Sounds, die man singen kann.
In den letzten zehn Jahren haben DANKO JONES sichtlich einige Gänge hochgeschaltet. Seit sich Frontmann Danko und Bassist JC mit Schlagzeuger Rich Knox zusammengetan haben, lodert das kreative Feuer der Band heller denn je. Eine Reihe von Alben - Fire Music, Wild Cat, A Rock Supreme, Power Trio - hat zu noch intensiverem Touren und unermüdlichem Einsatz für die Sache des Rock geführt. „Electric Sounds“ ist der beste Beweis, dass selbst eine globale Pandemie DANKO JONES nicht aufhalten konnte.

"Hoffentlich kommen wir mit dieser Platte auf Tour und die Leute kommen", sagt Danko. "Ich bin immer angenehm überrascht, wenn jeden Abend ein Publikum vor uns steht. Ich habe gehört, dass Ozzy sich bis heute Sorgen macht, ob die Leute zum Gig kommen werden, und ich kann diese Einstellung irgendwie verstehen. Aber wisst ihr was? Wir haben gerade in der Wembley Arena gespielt! Das ist ein Häkchen auf der Bucket List. Ich bin stolz darauf, dass diese Band in der Wembley-Arena, im Maple Leaf Gardens, im Moskauer Stadion und im CBGBs gespielt hat. Und wirklich, jedes Mal, wenn wir ein neues Studioalbum herausbringen, ist das unser größter Erfolg. Dieses Album ist Nummer 11 und wir sind schon auf dem Weg zu Nummer 12!"

Eigentlich wollten Station 17 nach einer Phase der Distanz nur mal wieder beim Musizieren gemeinsam in einem Raum stehen. Sie fuhren raus aus Hamburg, auf eine abgelegene Anlage im schleswigholsteinischen Hügelland der Hohen Geest, und spielten neue Songskizzen - den ganzen Tag und bis spät in die Nacht hinein. Das Ergebnis wollten sie im Anschluss auf einem Konzert in der Hamburger Fabrik live spielen. Dass zu den Resultaten dann gleich auch ein ganzes Album zählen würde, hatte keiner aus der Band erwartet. Doch die Musik sagte es ihnen mal wieder selbst: das, was hier in der Strahlkraft des Moments entstanden war, ließ sich nicht reproduzieren. Ein Glücksmoment für das Bandkollektiv. "Oui Bitte", Station 17-Album No. 11, war entstanden. Ganz unverhofft, zwischen Pool und Forellenteich... So zeigt sich hier wieder mal und dabei par excellence: Die Musik von Station 17 ist vor allen Dingen so gut, weil es eine so große Freude bereitet, sie anzuhören. Woran liegt das? Nun, zunächst einmal bietet sie ganz unterschiedliche Zugänge! So kann man sich wahlweise auf das intuitive Referenzspiel einlassen, das hier betrieben wird, kann dabei den nachgezeichneten Genrelinien folgen (also: mit Wissen hören), kann sich aber auch an den poetischen Erzählungen orientieren, die in wenigen Worten einen weiten Nachklang eröffnen. Oder man lässt sich ganz einfach vom treibenden, elegischen Rhythmusspiel mitnehmen; liegend, tanzend, wie es gerade kommt. Alles scheint möglich in der Grenzenlosigkeit dieser Musik. Die sieben Stücke nämlich spülen diese offenherzigen Einladungen in einen fließenden, ästhetischen Strom, bündeln sie zu einem Genuss, der die eigene Disposition vergessen lässt. (Hendrik Otremba)

On Rock Island, their second LP, Palm produces evidence of a distinct musical language, developed over time, in isolation, and out of necessity. On the island, melodies are struck on what might be shells or spines. Rhythms are scratched out, swept over, scratched again. Individual instruments, and sometimes entire sections, skip and stutter. There is the sense of a music box with wonky tension or a warped transmission in which all the noise is taken for signal.

Like other groups so acclaimed for their compulsive live show, Palm has been burdened by the constant comparison between their recorded material and their touring set. On Rock Island, they render this tired discussion moot, using the album form to present that which could never be completely live, reserving for performance that which could never be completely reproduced.

Despite appearing behind the instruments typical of rock music, Palm trades in sounds of their own making. On these songs, one of the guitars and the drum kit are used as MIDI triggers, producing an index that can be combed through later and replaced with new information. The percussion is sometimes augmented so as to suggest a multiplication of limbs. The strings are manipulated to choke, crack, and hum like other instruments, or other bodies, might.

Working again with engineer Matt Labozza, the band spent the better part of a month in a rented farmhouse in Upstate New York. With the benefits of time and space, Palm recorded the various elements piecemeal, only rarely playing together in groups larger than two or three. While some members tracked, others holed up in the next room, experimenting with quantization, beat replacement, and other methods borrowed from electronic music. Even accounting for the many labors that brought them to be, these materials seem produced by an organic logic. Their complex friction forms a habit of thought, scores a network of grooves on the floor of the mind.

This is music with dimensionality. Sonic objects are deployed, developed, and dissected in various states of mutation. The listener flits about between the field and the lab. The tone is warm in a way only the sun could make, the pace as forceful and as variable as a gale. Whether one locates Rock Island in a sea or in a refinished attic (as in Greg Burak's album cover), whether one escapes to there or is banished, its psychic environs are charted clearly enough. Only at this remove from the mainland can we sense the conditions necessary for such a strange species of sound.

Longtime friend of the Sweet Sensi Crew, Rumbleton brings his distinct style of Amenism, dubwise, bass RUMBLE junglism. For side A we get the future classic Codex Indica; a deep meditation on dub and junglism. On the side B, Rumbleton meets DJ Clear for Sweet Sensi Records first foray into true Drum Funk. Here we have a taste of what it would be like if soundclash met drum funk junglism.

DJ Support
Mantra, DJ Trax, Double O, Coco Bryce
Yorobi, Ben LQ (Australia), Tim Reaper, Kid Lib +More

Funkiwala Records presents CUBANGLA - the sixth album by London fusionistas LoKkhi TeRra.
Following on from their hugely successful collaboration with UK afro-beat ambassador Dele Sosimi on 2018's "Cubafrobeat"(mixing afrobeat and Cuban Rumba/Timba), this album sees them return to their Bangla-Afro- Latin-Jazz-Roots.
8 tracks of 21st century London groove – from Sufi Samba to Baul Blues to Bengali folk-Son to Bangla Roots Reggae to London Descargas - recorded in between tours, sessions and collaborations – a true celebration of traditions taking on new forms as they travel and co-exist. In these divided times, their collective musical journey has never been so relevant.

Background
Kishon Khan's Lokkhi Terra have been blending the musical traditions that surround them in London, for many years now.
"Stunning Headliners... A majestic multi-cultural blend of sounds... effortlessly builds bridges between rolling Indian raga rhythms, Afro-Cuban grooves, Acid Jazz/funk and free flowing improvisation" (Timeout London).

The band is composed of musicians who take seriously the different languages of the different genres they mix. Each in their own right play with calibre purist outfits. Members have collaborated with the likes of Hugh Masekela, Tony Allen, Ibrahim Ferrer, Johnny Clarke, Orlando Poleo, Africa Express, Jazz Jamaica, Ska Cubano, Giles Peterson's Havana Cultura, Kyle Eastwood, Bellowhead, Akram Khan to name a very few.
The tracks on this album were gigged for a number of years before being recorded, with the exception of the last 2 tracks which were recorded in 2015 just before performing at Womad and Songlines Encounters.
With CUBANGLA the band has come round full circle – a journey that started a decade ago with their debut No Visa Required (2010). An urban London view on the musical world.

The first physical release from Supa Records featuring two tracks: 'Pleasure Seekers' & 'Uptown'. Founded by Jungle DJ and producer Supa Ape, Supa Records is a UK based Jungle / IDM imprint dropping original rave compositions with a cinematic feel and focus on melody. Whilst remaining true to many of the core elements comprising heavy Jungle music, Supa Records aim to deliver a unique take on this typically sample lead genre.

“The one-man disco machine and pop superstar in waiting” – NME “a euphoric celebration of nightlife”- GQ “One of the most sought-after music makers in the game” – Notion

Der britische Sänger, Produzent und DJ SG Lewis veröffentlicht am 27.01.23 sein zweites Album „AudioLust & Higher Love“.

Ganz im Stil von SG Lewis überzeugt auch das zweite Album durch seine musikalische Vielseitigkeit und schafft einen gelungenen Spagat zwischen 80’s, Dance und Pop-Sound.

Auf 15 Tracks spannt Samuel Lewis einen Bogen von dem vom Nachtleben und Raves geprägten Sound von AudioLust bis hin zur zeitlosen Pop-Ekstase von HigherLove. Als Features auf dem Album sind u.a. Tove Lo, Lucky Daye, Ty Dolla $ign vertreten.

SG Lewis hat sich in den letzten Jahren als einer der gefragtesten Produzenten etabliert – so kollaborierte er bereits u.a. mit Elton John, Clairo, Khalid, Aluna, Chad Hugo und vielen mehr. Auch schrieb er an Dua Lipas Hit „Hallucinate“ von ihrem Hitalbum „Future Nostalgia“ mit. Sein Debütalbum „times“ (VÖ 2021) wurde von Kritikern und Fans gleichermaßen gefeiert und bescherte ihn die Nr. 1 der britischen Dance-Charts.

„AudioLust & Higher Love“ erscheint auf Doppelvinyl.

Ils Veulent Nous Tuer is Bérurier Noir's 3rd maxi 45tours, the title of which is borrowed from the slogan of a banner unfurled by the mutineers from the roof of Fresnes prison. It was an apt title for the group, too, since at the time of its release, the political and police authorities decided to destabilise them by associating them with the Black War activists and arresting many of the Bérus' entourage.

It's a dark album, with hard-hitting lyrics rooted in the social reality of the time (1988) and tackling subjects as diverse as the problems of access to food for the precarious (On A Faim !), prison repression (Sur Les Toits), the excesses of marginal youth (Mineurs En Danger) and the omnipresence of the military and police in our daily lives (Et Hop !). The album compo

--
The band's name alone evokes the epic of alternative rock: rebellious and committed.

Born by mistake on a February evening in 1983, Bérurier Noir soon found themselves the driving force behind a vast "Mouv'ment d'la Jeunesse", determined to take control of their lives in the face of a society that was ultra-conservative at the time. Times have hardly changed.

From their first self-produced records distributed by hand to the creation of self-managed labels, from concerts in squats and wild appearances at demonstrations, on the street or in the metro to endless tours, from interviews given to fanzines and free radio stations to unclassifiable appearances in the mainstream media, Bérurier Noir waged the most exciting war of independence in the history of French rock, with just a microphone, a guitar, a drum machine, a few red noses and patched-up theatre masks.

François, Loran and their 'Troupeau d'Rock' gave the last finger to this turbulent, irredeemable raia, committing hara-kiri at the height of their glory, during three final concerts in the heart of Paris in November 1989.

Forty years after its birth, Bérurier Noir's work continues to resonate, whether at demonstrations or free parties, fuelling the hopes of all those who wish to turn this world upside down and build a truly libertarian society based on solidarity and brotherhood.

For those who missed this unprecedented adventure, the Archives de la Zone Mondiale label is bringing you 8 recordings by Bérurier Noir in the form of limited-edition reissues on highly original colour vinyl ("crown" finish), distributed throughout the year.

Ash sind seit 30 Jahren zusammen, aber es waren die zwei Jahre, die sie voneinander getrennt waren, die sie zu ihrem brillanten neuen Album inspirierten. Wie der Rest der Welt wurden auch Tim Wheeler (Gitarre/Gesang), Mark Hamilton (Bass) und Rick McMurray (Schlagzeug) von der Pandemie überrumpelt. Es war nicht nur die erste längere Auszeit, die die Band in ihrer unglaublichen drei Jahrzehnte währenden Karriere hatte, sondern auch die längste Zeit, in der die drei sich nicht gesehen hatten, seit sie sich in der Schule in Downpatrick, Nordirland, erstmals begegnet waren. Tim Wheeler - wie man es von einem der größten Songschreiber seiner Generation erwarten würde - hatte während Ashs Zwangspause weiter Songs geschrieben. Zum Reboot-Camp der Band erschien er bereit zum Loslegen mit einem Rucksack voller Hard-Rock-Hymnen. Und schwere Zeiten verlangen schließlich nach härterer Musik. Das selbst produzierte "Race The Night" - das achte Studioalbum der Band - ist in jeder Hinsicht herausragend. Aufgenommen im Oh Yeah-Studio in Belfast und mit neuem Fokus, kombiniert die Platte die unwiderstehlichen Rock-Riffs von "Meltdown" (2004) mit der melodischen Meisterschaft von "Free All Angels" (2001) - und das alles verpackt mit einem deutlichen Twist ins Jahr 2023. Und mit den fernen Anzeichen eines oft beschworenen Rock-Revivals am Horizont, könnte es das essentielle gitarrenzentrierte, hymnenreiche Album sein, auf das die Welt gewartet hat. Seit Ash als Teenager mit ihrem Nummer-Eins-Debütalbum "1977" aus Downpatrick auftauchten, ist die Band ein vitales, wachsendes Anliegen. Die meisten ihrer Zeitgenossen sind verschwunden oder haben sich zumindest aufgelöst, bevor sie zurückkehrten, aber Ashs Licht leuchtet so hell wie eh und je. Für dieses Album sind sie sogar zu Fierce Panda Records zurückgekehrt, die eine ihrer ersten Aufnahmen, "Punkboy", auf der 1994 erschienenen Crazed And Confused EP veröffentlicht haben.

BOTANICA is the newly established Japanese label created by DJ/ Producer, Iori Wakasa. It was formed for him to utilize it as a foundation for the realization of his own unique, artistic expression.
And now, he has the pleasure to announce his label’s inaugural title with the release of his own BOTANICA EP.

Born in 1988 in a rural Japanese city surrounded by mountains and the sea with a mild climate, Iori grew up playing RPGs with a father who was a devoted game aficionado. And he was introduced to electronic music through game music from an early age and formed his musical sensibilities through playing the classical piano around the same time.

Influenced by the spirituality and idiosyncrasies of punk rock and ethnic and indigenous music in his youth, also gradually influenced by the Tokyo club scene and the music, it didn't take him long before
he made the choice to start DJing at the age of 17 and soon afterwards, started exploring the path of music production as a form of self-expression.

Iori set up Botanica to convey 2 main concepts of 'presenting music that provides each listener with their own viewpoint' and ‘to construct a fusion between 'nature' and 'man-made objects and human
activity’. Through the experience of traveling around Japan, Europe and Asia and connecting with people of different languages and cultures, he became to appreciate that music transcends all languages and grooves, and the framework in which he would like to shape his perspective and embody it as his way of life is what he envisions as the vital expression for BOTANICA, The two tracks and the artwork included in this first EP are the first steps towards hopefully chronicling the story of the vortex that he resides in now and the new forest that he plans to weave in the future with his label.

'The Pure Land' means in Japanese 'Gokuraku-Jodo (= a space where you can live in bliss)', but in English it is closer to 'utopia' or 'paradise'. However, 'The Pure Land' is a musical work that evokes a
hypnotic and pleasant euphoria through the gradual layering of multiple rhythms and soft particles of spatial sound design. It is also shaped with the aim of liberating the listener and guiding them towards their primal self.

In contrast, 'Lunar Down' expresses the changes that occur in the human state of mind during the extended period from moonrise to moonset especially when the moon sets from its zenith and is completed with a focus on maximum dance floor impact via an inner voice that resonates in the brain that echoes throughout a well-textured bass line and rhythm track.

The artwork for the front cover of this EP was created by SHINOZAKI HILOSHI, an illustrator who has been traveling and painting to express his true way of life that he learnt in the 10+ years of commuting between Tokyo (the end) and the Hawaii Islands (the beginning), and the graphic designer hiro, who stands by Iori`s side as his life partner and as the person who understands him the best. Iori`s first steps are complemented by the label design and art direction by graphic designer hiro, who stands by his side as his life partner and most understanding partner, and the proof is the physical cut, which is presented as the foundation for the future.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce its first release from celebrated London-based Canadian composer Cassandra Miller. Though her body of mature work stretches back almost twenty years, many listeners were introduced to Miller through the success of her astonishing 2015 Duet for Cello and Orchestra, which sets an imperturbable two-note cello part against a series of increasingly dense orchestrations of an Italian folk melody; in 2019, it was selected by The Guardian as one of the ‘best classical music works of the 21st century’. Traveller Song / Thanksong, the first release of her music on vinyl, presents a pair of compositions for voice and ensemble that exemplify Miller’s gently absurd, strikingly beautiful, and utterly unique work.

Like many of Miller’s compositions, these pieces originate in existing music. Traveller Song (2016/2018) begins from a 1950s song of an anonymous Sicilian cart driver recorded by Alan Lomax and Diego Carpitella, which Miller recorded herself singing along to, going on to then record herself singing to her own layered voices. Miller’s untutored voice is an unsteady, wavering wail that has, in her words, ‘more in common with a quasi-shamanistic keening than anything Sicilian’. Heard sometimes alone, sometimes layered, her pre-recorded voice is accompanied by a chamber sextet drawn from London’s Plus-Minus Ensemble. In the first section, Miller’s exposed warble is set to a spare piano accompaniment, somehow both faintly preposterous and magisterial. Following the voice note for note, the piano part often makes use of almost mechanical sequences of parallel chords, reminiscent both of Satie’s Rosicrucian period and the abrupt harmonic movements of a chord organ. The orchestration then opens up to guitar, clarinet, and sliding strings, a delicate environment for Miller’s voice, which, especially when it begins to be layered, generates a powerful sense of intimacy. In its concluding minutes, the folk roots of the original melody return in the form of a glorious full ensemble setting dominated by accordion, clarinet, and strummed guitar. Thanksong begins from recordings of Miller singing along to the third movement of Beethoven’s late quartet in A minor (Op. 132), the ‘holy song of thanks’ the composer wrote to express his gratitude for (temporarily) recovering from illness. Recording herself singing along repeatedly to each of the individual parts of the quartet, Miller created an aural score where each member of the string quartet listens to their own part on headphones, playing by ear. Performed on this recording by Montreal's Quatuor Bozzini, with whom Miller has a decades-long relationship, they are joined by the British soprano Juliet Fraser, who sings material from the Beethoven quartet ‘as slowly and quietly as possible’. The atmosphere of the opening of Beethoven’s Dankgesang, of hushed reawakening and thoughtful reflection, is sustained throughout the fourteen minutes of Miller’s piece, building at points almost to sentimentality before the five individual parts again fall back into a gentle burble of unsynchronised melodic gestures. Like Traveller Song, here the use of the voice is a long way from the mannered performance of much contemporary music, reaching for a human and bodily presence more connected to the reality of the everyday, albeit suffused with wonder. Presented in a stylish sleeve adorned with photography by Lasse Marhaug and liner notes by Cassandra Miller, this is a key release from a major contemporary composer whose work challenges and dazzles in equal measure. .

In 1972, left-wing intellectual film critic Uwe Nettelbeck suggested to Anthony Moore that he might write some straight songs (relatively speaking), which in turn prompted Moore to invite his old schoolfriend Peter Blegvad over to Hamburg to form the band Slapp Happy.

Dagmar Krause, a young singer from Hamburg and Moore‘s girlfriend, joined them both on their trip to Wümme to record what was to become this album, Sort of, using Faust as their rhythm section. In honour of this album ́s 50th anniversary the album will get a nicely remastered reissue with the newly founded Week–End Records –the fetsival‘s inhouse label who managed to get the band together for a final reunion shows in November of 2016 and Spring of 2017.

Das neue Album "The Sound of Movies" von Klassik-Superstar Jonas Kaufmann erscheint am 15. September 2023 bei Sony Classical. Großartige Songs aus klassischen Filmen waren schon immer eine Leidenschaft von Jonas Kaufmann, und sein neues Album feiert dies mit unvergesslichen Filmsongs aus fast einem Jahrhundert - Musik, die weltweit das Publikum begeistert hat."The Sound of Movies" enthält Hits aus großen Filmklassikern wie West Side Story, Gladiator, Cinema Paradiso, The Sound of Music, Les Misérables, The Mission, The Great Caruso, Singin' in the Rain, Once upon a Time in America, Breakfast at Tiffany's und vielen mehr! Das Album wurde mit dem auf Filmmusik spezialisierten Czech National Symphony Orchester und Chor unter der Leitung von Jochen Rieder aufgenommen, ein spekatuläres Sounderlebnis ist garantiert. Bei drei Titeln wird Jonas Kaufmann vom bekannten Gitarristen Miloš Karadaglić begleitet. Auch eine Weltpremiere ist auf dem Album zu hören, das Thema aus dem Film "The Cider House Rules" der Oscar®-gekrönten Komponistin Rachel Portman. "Für ein paar Stunden in diese Welt einzutauchen und alles um sich herum zu vergessen, ist unglaublich faszinierend - ähnlich wie im Theater oder in der Oper", sagt Kaufmann über klassische Filmmusik. "Ich bin über viele Jahre viel gereist, oft allein für Wochen und Monate in fremden Städten am anderen Ende der Welt. Neben den Museen war es das Kino - diese großartige Möglichkeit, sich zu unterhalten, wenn man allein ist - das meine Fantasie beflügelte.""The Sound of Movies" erscheint als CD, Vinyl und digital.Die limitierte 2-LP-Gatefold-Edition auf 180 Gramm Vinyl enthält eine persönliche Einführung von Jonas Kaufmann und ein ausführliches Booklet.Das Standard-Jewelcase enthält eine persönliche Einführung von Jonas Kaufmann und ein ausführliches Booklet in Englisch, Deutsch und Französisch.

Guy Pedersen's magical Maxi Music, originally released on cult Parisian library label tele Music in 1972, is psyche-rock and jazz-funk gold. It's a vital Pederson outing, oscillating between the rough and the smooth, but always with those hypnotic grooves. It's a start-to-finish winner, yet the final 13-minute-long opus will blow minds. Trust!

Stirring opener, "Prétexte Pour Indicatifs" is so mighty, it was covered by Keith Mansfield on "Hot Property" from Big Business/Wind Of Change on KPM. It's a track in 4 deliberate parts, the first a rapid tour de force, the second and third presenting organ-and-wah-wah-drenched slo-mo funk workouts and the fourth a return to the frenetic energy of the opening bars. Phew, pretty sensational. "Purgatoire Mood (Interlude)" is a beautiful segue into the stunning horn-laced, swift-paced aggressive jazzy excellence of "Purgatoire Mood 1" and the more poetic "Purgatoire Mood 2". Fast-paced funk beats and dramatic interplay!

"Christophus Colombus" is another song with multiple sections; the intro a rapid wah-wah-enhanced psych-rock statement that truly thrills before settling into a more steady yet no-less unrelenting guitar-funk showcase with wordless vocals and, later, reflective guitar and piano in gorgeous harmony. Closing out this electrifying side, the elegant "Bass In Love" is a soft'n'sultry slo-mo funk instrumental, as rough cello, jazzy piano and salacious, breathy vocals combine to create the scent of lingering heat to pretty rousing effect.

Ushering in Side B, "Sing Song Bass" is a slow starter but, once the drums kick in brilliantly, we're treated to a deeply melodic, propulsive, organ-flute-piano-bass gem - it's truly memorable and absolutely fantastic. The wonky, delirious psych-pop of "Petit Moujik De Nuit" is a curiously compelling number but it serves, for us at least, only as the pre-curser to the phenomenal closing track. An absolute beast that totally slays all before it!

Yes, despite Maxi Music being that rarest of library records - a record that can stand up on its own from front to back - it really does contain that *one* absolute killer track. And Peterson saved the best until last. The real highlight - can you imagine there's better?! - is the blazing psych-rock funky burner that is the infamous 13 minute thriller "Kermesse Non Héroique". Containing a wicked flute solo it genuinely sounds like something off the first Dungen album. Yes, that good. What a way to go out!

The audio for Maxi Music has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

The album features 15 tracks, showcasing Bastien’s truly cinematic sound while exploring new sonic territories. The album touches on the melancholic funk drifting between voiceovers of longing and hurt, through surreal, hallucinogenic folk ballads. It’s the juxtaposition of these genres sewn together with ambient synth skits that really makes the album a musical journey. Playful and serious, as the album title suggests, Bastien manages to induce a rye smile with a tear in the eye.


In Seb’s words, “The album tells the story of a failed relationship, as the man narrators missing his other. Whilst he imagines her comforting him, before accepting the end of the relationship, and feeling that the love he feels, she never did.”

Sharing common ground with luminaries such as David Axlerod, Kate Bush, Roy Orbison, Madlib and The Delfonics; Keb plays guitar, trumpet, bass, drums, piano, flute and more Keb’s writing and recording approach is slightly unique. He explains a little about how his records sound the way they do...

“I have a lo-fi approach to recording, for me it’s about the moment, all my records are time capsules of a certain time in my life, so the sound of the recording is secondary. It’s all about heart, that’s all I’m interested in. If I get a melody I have to record it asap, if the mic isn’t plugged in I use the macbook mic, if I’m not by the computer I’ll record into my phone.

For me personally using/sampling other peoples music isn’t making your own music, using your own soul, showing your own heart, it's just my personal opinion. It’s not right for me. No slur on those that do. If there are any samples on my records, it’s me sampling me. For me, this means the music is mine. It’s ‘of me’. That’s really important for me, because I feel that’s where the honesty is. If my music sounds ‘dusty’, that’s why”.

This approach provides us with a wonderfully inclusive record. The album feels almost ‘performed’ to us, live, on each listen. Coupled with Bastien’s capacity to write music which is almost visual, the album is quite enveloping.

Bastien returns to Def Pressé with this new album after the brilliant, Holy Mountain. Released under the name Grandamme, with friend and collaborator Claudia Kane.

All the essential tracks of Funk, sung by the greatest legends of the genre, gathered in a double vinyl, with :

Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Imagination - Grandmaster Flash - James Brown - Loleatta Holloway - The Whispers - First Choice - Barry White - The Sugarhill Gang - Syl Johnson...

Serious rare disco boogie from Chicago's D&E RECORDINGS main man DAVE MAZE. Vol 2 of the series containing more sought after exclusive remixes, finally getting a proper release via limited edition

Das nunmehr 20. Studioalbum der erfolgreichsten deutschen Art- & Progressive Rockband ELOY. Es ist zugleich das 3. Album einer einzigartigen, vom Band- Mastermind Frank Bornemann als Rock Opera gestalteten Trilogie über das Leben und Schicksal der französischen Nationalheldin und Heiligen Jeanne d´Arc.
Bereits die beiden ersten Alben mit dem Titel „The Vision, the Sword and the Pyre, Part 1 & 2“, auf denen sich diverse illustre Künstler (u.a. Alice Merton) auf der Gästeliste befinden, wurden nicht nur durchweg positiv rezensiert, und erreichten hohe Chartsplatzierungen, sondern fanden auch aufgrund ihrer auf profunden Kenntnissen basierenden Umsetzung in allen historischen Details auf kultureller Ebene viel Beachtung.


Mit „Echoes from the Past” legt nun der Autor nochmal nach, und lässt den durch die Handlung der ersten beiden Alben führenden Protagonisten und Waffengefährten von Jeanne d´Arc, Jean de Metz, die aufwühlenden Ereignisse der Vergangenheit auf sehr emotionale Weise reflektieren.


Musikalisch entstand dadurch ein Werk, bei dem sich sensible und atmosphärische Passagen mit gewaltigen, dramaturgisch geprägten Klangwogen abwechseln, die den ELOY-Fan sicherlich an frühere Konzept-Werke der Band erinnern werden.


Diese Melange ist aber gemäß Frank Bornemann, der sich bei dieser Produktion erneut mit Veränderungen im Line up konfrontiert sah, voll beabsichtigt. Obwohl es sich bzgl. seiner musikalischen Elemente bestens in die Trilogie integriert, ließ es bei seiner Entstehung offensichtlich doch viel Spielraum für künstlerische Momente, die man nicht erwartet, aber die sich außerordentlich prägend für das Album auswirken, welches wieder einmal einzigartig ist.

Sometimes, Mitski says, it feels like life would be easier without hope, or a soul, or love. But when she closes her eyes and thinks about what's truly hers, what can't be repossessed or demolished, she sees love. "The best thing I ever did in my life was to love people," Mitski says. "I wish I could leave behind all the love I have, after I die, so that I can shine all this goodness, all this good love that I've created onto other people." She hopes her newest album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, will continue to shine that love long after she's gone. Listening to it, that's precisely how it feels: like a love that's haunting the land. "This is my most American album," Mitski says about her seventh record, and the music feels like a profound act of witnessing this country, in all of its private sorrows and painful contradictions. In this album, which is sonically Mitski's most expansive, epic, and wise, the songs seem to be introducing wounds and then actively healing them. Here, love is time- traveling to bless our tender days, like the light from a distant star. The album is full of the ache of the grown- up, seemingly mundane heartbreaks and joys that are often unsung but feel enormous. It's a tiny epic. From the bottom of a glass, to a driveway slushy with memory and snow, to a freight train barreling through the Midwest, and all the way to the moon, it feels like everything, and everyone, is crying out, screaming in pain, arching towards love. Love is that inhospitable land, beckoning us and then rejecting us. To love this place _ this earth, this America, this body _ takes active work. It might be impossible. The best things are.

Sometimes, Mitski says, it feels like life would be easier without hope, or a soul, or love. But when she closes her eyes and thinks about what's truly hers, what can't be repossessed or demolished, she sees love. "The best thing I ever did in my life was to love people," Mitski says. "I wish I could leave behind all the love I have, after I die, so that I can shine all this goodness, all this good love that I've created onto other people." She hopes her newest album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, will continue to shine that love long after she's gone. Listening to it, that's precisely how it feels: like a love that's haunting the land. "This is my most American album," Mitski says about her seventh record, and the music feels like a profound act of witnessing this country, in all of its private sorrows and painful contradictions. In this album, which is sonically Mitski's most expansive, epic, and wise, the songs seem to be introducing wounds and then actively healing them. Here, love is time- traveling to bless our tender days, like the light from a distant star. The album is full of the ache of the grown- up, seemingly mundane heartbreaks and joys that are often unsung but feel enormous. It's a tiny epic. From the bottom of a glass, to a driveway slushy with memory and snow, to a freight train barreling through the Midwest, and all the way to the moon, it feels like everything, and everyone, is crying out, screaming in pain, arching towards love. Love is that inhospitable land, beckoning us and then rejecting us. To love this place _ this earth, this America, this body _ takes active work. It might be impossible. The best things are.