quête:karl

Faitiche welcomes a new artist: Christina Kubisch belongs to the first generation of sound artists. Her practice ranges from performances, concerts, to works with video and visual art, but she is best known for her sound installations and electro-acoustic compositions.

TUNING brings together three pieces by Christina Kubisch from different periods of her oeuvre. What they have in common is the way they transform sound phenomena originally considered “non-music” into compositions.

Jan Jelinek: Gaming in Silence (2024) is the most recent work on this compilation. It’s a collage of electromagnetic waves, voice, and abstract sound textures. How did this combination come about?

Christina Kubisch: Gaming was commissioned as a fixed-media composition for the Sound Dome at ZKM Karlsruhe. Since Resonances: The Electromagnetic Bodies Project (2005), I’ve been making recordings in the old and new server rooms at the ZKM and in their permanent collection of historical computer games. Computer games like Asteroids (Atari, 1979) and Poly-Play (VEB Polytechnik, 1986) have specially generated analogue electromagnetic waves that interest me in particular on account of their density, rhythms and textures. I originally studied painting and to me the work of composition often feels like painting an abstract picture. I alter my source material as little as possible, layering and overlapping until a distinctive sound space emerges. In recent pieces, I sometimes combine magnetic waves with field recordings or live instruments. In Gaming it’s my recording of a Chinese song about silence.

JJ: Two persons walking through a street in Madrid (2004) is a recording from your Electrical Walks series. Here we should give a brief explanation of one of your best known works: participants in an Electrical Walk move through public spaces wearing prepared headphones that allow them to receive electromagnetic waves from their surroundings – for example from security gates, ATMs or neon signs. They discover a situation that normally is inaudible to the human ear and they can actively shape it by choreographing their movements. I really admire this piece, not least because there’s no clear dividing line between participants and artist. What exactly do we hear in Two persons walking through a street in Madrid (2004)?

CK: With this early work, I wanted to understand what is heard by people participating in an Electrical Walk in the same place but moving in different ways. The Spanish composer Miguel Alvarez-Fernàndez and I set off from opposite ends of a major shopping street in Madrid, met briefly in the middle, and then continued to the end. We both recorded our walks and I then layered them over one another. You might call it a work of electromagnetic conceptualism.

JJ: Diapason (2009 version) is an installation that plays a composition based on sounds from fifteen tuning forks. This setting is audible in the recording: there’s no dramatic arc, no beginning or end – instead, it recalls a piece of aleatoric music focussing on the decay phase. How did you come to make this work and could you tell us something about your compositional method?

CK: Diapason is part of a series of three pieces that deal with “non-instruments” or instruments that no longer exist: electrical mine bells used to send signals to the workers underground; a historical glass harmonica originally used for medicinal purposes; and tuning forks that were used by doctors to test people’s hearing. All of these methods are no longer in use. The sound of the tuning forks, audible only if held close to the ear, was recorded at the electronic studio at Berlin’s Technical University in such a way that even their decay remained audible. The frequencies range between 64 and 2048 Hertz and they can be adjusted at micro-intervals using small movable weights. The sequence and the duration of the pauses are dictated by chance and were not defined in advance. The 2009 version was created for an installation in the historic Holy Cross Church (Korskirken) in Bergen. Visitors could enter and leave the space at any time, deciding for themselves where and for how long they wished to listen to the sounds played back over an array of small loudspeakers placed on the floor of the apse.

Credits:

Gaming in Silence: commission of the ZKM/Hertzlab, Karlsruhe 2023
elektronic sound processing: Tom Thiel
sound engineering and mixing: Eckehard Güther

Diapason: produced at Elektronisches Studio of TU Berlin
rearrangement: Eckehard Güther

Christina Kubisch, published by Edition Christina Kubisch / Random Musick Publishing

image front: Transitionen 2021 by C. Kubisch, sonagrams of electronic waves (courtesy: Galerie Mazzoli Berlin)
image back: Diapason Tuning Fork, property of Folkmar Hein, Photo: Archiv Christina Kubisch

design by Tim Tetzner
mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi
Thanks to Miguel Álvarez-Fernández, Folkmar Hein, Dominik Kautz and Mario Mazzoli

Wired was an ephemeral improvisational music project formed by Michael Ranta, Karl-Heinz Böttner, and Mike Lewis. On 28 April 1970, the trio recorded an extended studio session of approximately 140 minutes, in collaboration with Conny Plank, who engineered and mixed the recording in real time, incorporating elements of live electronics. This session was subsequently edited to album length and released in 1974 as part of the Free Improvisation 3LP box set issued by Deutsche Grammophon, alongside recordings by Iskra and New Phonic Art.

Owing to its exploratory electric sound world and Plank’s distinctive spatial production techniques, the Wired recording acquired a degree of underground cult status, particularly among listeners associated with krautrock and psychedelic improvisation.

Shortly after the studio session, Ranta and Böttner travelled to Japan, where they spent approximately six months performing with Karlheinz Stockhausen at Expo ’70 in Osaka. In addition to these activities, they engaged in various independent musical projects and performances.

The present release, sourced from the personal archive of Michael Ranta, documents a live duo performance by Ranta and Böttner, recorded on 27 July 1970 in an outdoor setting in Kyoto (the exact location remains unknown), before an audience of approximately 200 music teachers. The recording exhibits sonic and aesthetic characteristics closely aligned with the previously recorded studio material, retaining the distinctive “Wired” sound while situating it within a live, site-specific context.

Michael Ranta: percussion, voice, home-made instruments, tapes, tape delay, effects Karl-Heinz Böttner: guitar, organ, ocarina, voice, effects

Metaphon is pleased to present this première edition, which brings together a near-complete collection of the acousmatic works of Liliane Donskoy, recorded in the 1970s and 1980s.

Liliane Donskoy (*1933) is a French, classically trained pianist, music teacher, and composer of both instrumental and acousmatic music. She began her musical training at an early age, undertaking private piano studies with Yves Nat at the age of thirteen, shortly after the Second World War. During the 1960s and 1970s, she pursued advanced studies with prominent figures of twentieth-century music, including Darius Milhaud, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Schaeffer, and Guy Reibel, and participated in courses led by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Iannis Xenakis.

Despite this extensive and diverse training, Donskoy encountered limited institutional and professional opportunities to fully realize her artistic vision. A decisive turning point occurred in 1977, when she gained access to the facilities of the Institute of Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music (IPEM) in Ghent. There, she realized and completed the majority of her acousmatic compositions.

Donskoy’s oeuvre is characterized by a high degree of structural complexity, precision, and expressive intensity. Her work reflects a pronounced and distinctive artistic temperament, manifested through a rigorous exploration of sound material and form. Notwithstanding its artistic significance, her music has remained largely unknown, as her compositions were neither widely circulated nor formally released, leading to their relative obscurity until the present publication.

Metaphon is pleased to present this première edition, which brings together a near-complete collection of the acousmatic works of Liliane Donskoy, recorded in the 1970s and 1980s.

Liliane Donskoy (*1933) is a French, classically trained pianist, music teacher, and composer of both instrumental and acousmatic music. She began her musical training at an early age, undertaking private piano studies with Yves Nat at the age of thirteen, shortly after the Second World War. During the 1960s and 1970s, she pursued advanced studies with prominent figures of twentieth-century music, including Darius Milhaud, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Schaeffer, and Guy Reibel, and participated in courses led by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Iannis Xenakis.

Despite this extensive and diverse training, Donskoy encountered limited institutional and professional opportunities to fully realize her artistic vision. A decisive turning point occurred in 1977, when she gained access to the facilities of the Institute of Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music (IPEM) in Ghent. There, she realized and completed the majority of her acousmatic compositions.

Donskoy’s oeuvre is characterized by a high degree of structural complexity, precision, and expressive intensity. Her work reflects a pronounced and distinctive artistic temperament, manifested through a rigorous exploration of sound material and form. Notwithstanding its artistic significance, her music has remained largely unknown, as her compositions were neither widely circulated nor formally released, leading to their relative obscurity until the present publication.

This is the Dahmers third album “Creature Feature” and the band continues to dig deeper in to a world of dark things, the things that don't belong, provokes, gives you the creeps or just makes you want to look away. “Our vision has been to explore and develop the bands sound but also to maintain the bands profound and colorful essence. “We want people to get excited when they hear the album, take them with us to another planet and make 'em forget about all the trouble in the world for a while” - Christoffer Karlsson (Lead singer/guitar)
The album was recorded and co-produced by Johan Gustafsson aka “The Johan and only” from the Hives in studio Ingrid in Stockholm. There's a new level and feel to the production with guest musicians on some tracks. With instruments like brass, cello, flute and piano the songs reaches their full true potential, along with added synth elements this gives the band a fresh feel. There's a wide variety of songs on the album where every track has it's very own theme, sound and characteristics. Where deep subjects like darkness, sorrow and alienation are being explored along with the bands continuing homage to the classic slasher and giallo flicks of the 70's and 80's, but also songs about a Swedish fakir, cults, rats and creatures from outer space. This album is a celebration to trash culture and to the underdogs, all delivered with a catchy uplifting chorus that The Dahmers is known for.
Creature Feature will be released on the bands own label Eerie sounds and will be out on February Friday the 13th.

Floh de Cologne – Lucky Streik ist ein Klassiker der deutschen Krautrock-/Rockgeschichte, erstmals veröffentlicht Anfang der 1970er Jahre und nun wieder als 2LP-VinylEdition erhältlich. Die Platte vereint politisch engagierte und experimentelle Rockmusik mit gesellschaftskritischen Texten, für die die Band bekannt ist

Sweden’s celebrated super-group Backlura unveils yet another brilliant collaboration
following up the success with Bob Hansson. This time Backlura are joined by two of the country’s most luminous musical voices: vocalist Isabella Lundgren and accordion virtuoso Lisa Långbacka.
Together they craft a timeless homage to ”Kärleken” (Love - in English), weaving stylish, emotionally charged reinterpretations of classics by legends such as Édith Piaf and Rufus Wainwright among others

With bands such as Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Coroner, but also more obscure formations such as Fear Of God, Excruciation, and Infected, Switzerland has always been a fertile breeding ground for extreme metal. Messiah, originally formed in 1984, also played a major role in the development of thrash and death metal in Switzerland. They released two groundbreaking albums on Chainsaw Murder Records: “Hymn To Abramelin” in 1986 and “Extreme Cold Weather” a year later. In the early nineties, Messiah signed a contract with Karl Walterbach's label Noise Records, on which three more albums were released: “Choir Of Horrors” (1991), “Rotten Perish” (1992), and “Underground” (1994). The classic lineup of Messiah during the Noise era consisted of vocalist Andy Kaina, who passed away far too early in 2022, Steve Karrer on drums, Patrick Hersche on bass, and band founder Brögi on guitar. Many consider “Choir Of Horrors” from 1991, produced by Sven Conquest at Sky Trak Studios in Berlin, to be the pinnacle of Messiah's work. Messiah Infernal Thrashing Records (MITR) is now releasing the 35th anniversary edition of this classic on vinyl

April Records proudly presents the new album from Stockholm Stockholm-based bassist and composer Jon Henriksson - a confident and flexible statement that deepens his place within contemporary Scandinavian jazz. Following the success of his 2023 debut Harmonia which placed second in Orkesterjournalen s Golden Album " readers " poll, Henriksson returns with music that foregrounds collective interplay, shifting forms, and a strong compositional voice. Born in Gothenburg and now active across Sweden and Europe, Henriksson has collaborated and toured with artists including Lars Jansson, Hakan Broström, Erik Söderlind, Klas Lindquist, Jonas Kullhammar and Christina von Bülow. Alongside leading his own ensembles, he remains a soughtsought-after bassist in a wide range of projects, balancing a deep connection to the jazz tradition with a modern, exploratory approach. Shapeshifter is built around a core quartet of tenor saxophone, piano, double bass and drums, expanded with guitar on three tracks and trombone on two. The album moves fluidly between contrasting moods, from forceful and driving to reflective and restrained, with each piece shaped by the musicians " intuition and responsiveness. The title reflects Henriksson s compositional philosophy: allowing roles, textures, and forms to evolve as the music unfolds.The ensemble brings together long long-standing musical relationships. Pianist Rasmus Sorensen and Henriksson have collaborated since their studies at Skurups Folkhögskola (Henriksson is a longstanding member of Sorensen s own trio), while drummer Jonas Bäckman forms part of a well well-established rhythm section partnership with the bassist across numerous projects including the Britta Virves Trio. Saxophonist Karl Karl-Martin Almqvist, a member of the Danish Radio Big Band, completes the quartet, with guitarist Pelle von Bülow and trombonist Rasmus Holm joining the session shortly before recording to expand the album s sonic palette where the music called for it. Originally conceived as a quartet album, Shapeshifter took its final shape in the lead lead-up to recording as additional instrumental colours were introduced organically. The piece Toninho , a tribute to Brazilian guitarist and composer Toninho Horta, features acoustic guitar and subtle wordless vocals, reflecting melodic influences that sit naturally within the album s contemporary jazz framework. Across the record, space, pacing, and interaction remain central. Rather than forcing constant motion, the music allows ideas to develop with clarity and intent, resulting in an album that highlights Henriksson s growing assurance as a composer and bandleader, while keeping the collective at its core.

On her new album, Two Whole Summers, Half A Life, Lisa Bassenge is once again accompanied by her trusted fellow musicians, pianist Jacob Karlzon and bassist Andreas Lang, with whom she has already realised numerous projects. Typical of Bassenge, the repertoire comprises a seemingly wild yet harmoniously connected mix of pop, singer-songwriter and jazz elements. The spectrum ranges from Elliott Smith to Duran Duran, from Billie Holiday to Björk. ‘It's always about the expressiveness of the songs – that's the common thread for us,’ emphasises the Berlin-based artist. The album features a track by Hank Williams as well as Madonna's ‘Frozen’ and “Catch” by The Cure. Two original compositions are also part of the recording: the title track ‘Two Whole Summers, Half a Life,’ a tribute to the power of friendship and youth, and the neo-folk ballad ‘I'm Getting Old.’ Both works impressively underline Lisa Bassenge's own artistic signature. For over two decades, Lisa Bassenge has stood for stylistic openness and a characteristic voice that lends new nuances to every song. Despite all the diversity, jazz remains the tonal basis. The Scandinavian-style relaxed sound of Karlzon and Lang lends the interpretations a soft, atmospheric depth.

Green Vinyl, limited to 500 copies. New album from the psychedelic, progressive folk rock band from Skien, Norway! The day belongs to the night The four songs on side A came about in November 2022 for a winter solstice celebration at Oslo Badstuforening. Our take on this was that the solstice invites reflections on the relationship between night and day. Does the day spring out of the darkness of the preceding night or does the night follow and swallow the light of the day? Is it Saturday Night or Sunday Morning? Are we running from the past or catching up with the future? Moving from A to B, Lidskjalv has existed as a demo since the 90s. Many versions have been made, but this is the first proper recording of the song. The passage of time is the future becoming the present. It moves forward in circles like a rolling wheel. Balder, Osiris and Jesus are all vegetation gods emulating the turn of the seasons in their eternal return. After the death of winter, life emerges anew. But not only this; there is also the promise of each dawn bringing a Better Day. According to Snorre, after the Fimbul Winter and Ragnarok, there is a new Earth. From the ashes emerges a better place. This holds also the idea of progress. It is at the core of being a prog band; each album is an improvement on the last, an exploration of new territory, a different perspective.

It's hard to fathom Martin Bramah's trajectory from his beginnings as a guitarist/writer behind two crazily influential postpunk albums - The Fall's Live At The Witch Trials and Blue Orchids' The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) (vocalist on the latter too, of course) - then nearly three decades of sporadic-at-best activity, offering releases just frequently enough to remind fans of his peculiar brilliance . . . before another stay in the void. Chalk it up to what you want - Mark E. Smith's utter usurpation of The Fall, his split from partner Una Baines after Blue Orchids' debut, the vague collapse of rash experimentation in `underground' music as early `80s nu-pop and American college rock diluted any real spirit, a few failed attempts at working with with Mark again . . . and maybe just life getting in the way. A sense of lost opportunities isn't tough to justify. Inasmuch as Martin was originally the singer for The Fall - Mark began as guitarist but couldn't play! - and given that the group's mythology was born in an era before that gang of Mancunian misfits had even thought of playing, it's high irony that 49 years after The Fall began, Martin has both become wildly prolific and the leader of a band with more rights of inheritance to The Fall's credibility than any other living person could justify . . .yet the band isn't remarkable for that as it is for the range and wealth extent of their collective powers and talent: two great and original guitarists, three of the UK's most daringly-skilled drummers, a genuine bass legend, and a brilliant spare Blue Orchid guitarist. Four albums in, the HOUSE Of ALL is getting ambitious, with each album a subtle improvement on the last, forging a path away from their pasts without denying a thing. Inklings differs from the first three for not having being largely improvised at first, with sounds, rhythm, groove and melody later forged into songs. They rehearsed! They had fun doing it! They're going on an extended tour! There were even extra tracks! We'll leave it to fans and critics to sit down and analyse the specifics of it all, but Steve, Si, Pete, Phil, Karl and Martin have made a bold and powerful album unlike any other you'll hear in 2026 . . . stately, majestic, bold and worthy of a group of real survivors. In perverse form, the album will be officially announced and preceded by a song not on the album!

Benefit compilation with exclusive tracks from live performances & installations at eavesdrop festival 2024. All revenues go to charities providing medical aid and food sovereignty in Gaza.

In november 2024, eavesdrop festival presented its 3rd edition of contemporary electronic music and sound art, taking place in the striking architectural setting of silent green’s Betonhalle in Berlin. ”to eavesdrop” - is invoked as a mode of listening intently, attentively and with curiosity. With its ongoing commitment to adventurous listening cultures, the festival brought together a top-notch line-up of Berlin based and international artists, who share a common practice in electronic sound composition whilst spanning a diversity of inter-related contemporary tendencies. Whether it’s multi-award winning Mariam Razaei’s exceptional turntablism, Ilpo Väisänen’s legendary DIY analogue electronics, Jasmine Guffond’s generative sound installation, Nina Garcia’s extraordinary electric guitar manipulations, Lottie Sebes’ AI voice synthesis or Rashad Becker’s idiosyncratic synthesizer explorations, to name a few, eavesdrop invited listeners to consider, from multiple perspectives, new social and technical developments in international music and sound cultures.

This compilation documents those 2 nights with 9 exclusive tracks - 7 live performances and 2 stereo mixes from multi-channel installations, edited by the festival’s curator / organizer Jasmine Guffond, with a total running time of approx. 78 minutes. All revenues will go to charities providing medical aid and food sovereignty in Gaza: Medical Aid For Palestinians & Thamra.

“Tectonic” is a concise portrait of SIMON BERZ’s geological sound explorations across continents over the last 15 years: drums, electronics, and a set of electronically manipulated basalt stones from Iceland.

SIMON BERZ is a transdisciplinary drummer, sound artist, and music educator based in Switzerland and Berlin. Working at the intersection of improvised music, sound art, and performance, and deliberately crossing boundaries between disciplines, his aesthetics are shaped by a sustained engagement with natural materials, particularly stone, and their sonic transformation through electronic manipulation. Beyond his performance work, BERZ founded BADABUM as an art label and a music school.

For the last 30 years, BERZ has been performing in Japan, China, Russia, the USA, Cuba, Iceland, Turkey, and across Europe. He has collaborated with artists including BILL LASWELL,BABY SOMMER, DAMO SUZUKI (CAN), JAMES TURRELL, JIMI TENOR, JOHN SINGLAIR, JOJO MAYER (NERVE), KONDO TOSHINORI, KIDD JORDAN, LAUREN NEWTON, LEE “SCRATCH“ PERRY, MAURO PAWLOWSKI (dEUS), NILS PETTER MOLVÆR, NIKI GLASPIE, NORBERT MÖSLANG, PAUL LOWENS, PFADFINDEREI, ROB MAZUREK, SKÚLI SVERRISSON, and he was the live drummer for APPARAT. As BERZ understands artistic practice as energy emerging from nature and through dialogue with people, his recorded output is intentionally selective, with one highlight being “Beats versus Breath” with KONDO and LASWELL (2023). Alongside a regular drumkit and electronics, he has developed his own instruments such as the “Lithophon” in which resonating stones are turned into amplified sound through water drops, and “Tectonic”, a set of Icelandic basalt stones shaped through electronic manipulation. These self- built instruments form the material basis for his performances, installations, and sound recordings.

“Tectonic” is also the title of BERZ’s latest work: a summary of his geological sound explorations across continents. From Iceland to Indonesia and Bali, from New Orleans to China, in caves and at shores, BERZ carried his millions-of-years-old basalt stones as both instrument and collaborator. On Java, he met Baron, a builder of stone gamelan instruments. At the Pacitan Tabuhan Cave (Indonesia) he performed with MISBACH BILOK and WUKIR SURYADI (SENYAWA) who work with corals as instruments. BERZ brought these encounters and “field recordings” to the Stöðvarfjörður studio in Iceland, where he recorded with his “Tectonic” set-up, drums, and electronics. The music was later mixed in Berlin by DIRK DRESSELHAUS (SCHNEIDER TM). The resulting album moves from club-driven tracks to ambient passages, from gamelan-inspired textures to HipHop-like beat patterns. It resists easy categorization while staying direct and physical in its impact.

New album by SABA ALIZADEH, a groundbreaking voice in contemporary Iranian music who blends classical Persian traditions with avantgarde experimentation.

Born in Tehran in 1983 as son of the world renowned tar and setar virtuoso HOSSEIN ALIZADEH, SABA ALIZADEH established himself not only as a true master on the Iranian spike fiddle kamancheh but one of the groundbreaking voices in contemporary Iranian music, blending classical Persian traditions with avantgarde experimentation. His music, praised by THE WIRE as "a bridge between the ancient and the contemporary", turns sound and image into powerful narratives of memory and resistance. Over the past years, ALIZADEH (who relocated to the Netherlands a few years ago) has appeared at key festivals and venues such as Reeperbahn Festival, CTM, Flow Festival, Philharmonie Berlin, Kölner Philharmonie, solidifying his reputation as a singular live performer.
After the critically acclaimed releases "Scattered Memories" (his international debut, released on Karlrecords in 2019), "I May Never See You Again" (2021) and last year's "Temple of Hope", his new album fascinates again with a unique artistic voice, weaving together centuries-old sonic heritage and the urgency of the present through deeply immersive, meditative landscapes in two epic pieces. "Rituals Of The Last Dawn" may feel like a sad or resigned title (compared to the positively fierce "Temple Of Hope"), but at the same time the highly meditative music provides a good lot of contemplative strength. Appealing to an open-minded "world music" audience as well as fans of current streams of ambient or drone in its most subtle forms, ALIZADEH's latest work is a strongly needed soul food in bitter times. Created on the spot with his musical partners PIETRO CARAMELLI (guitar and electronics on "First Ritual") and LIEW NIYOMKARN (lap steel and electronics on "Last Ritual"), "Rituals Of The Last Dawn" is a pure, unfiltered emotional expression from one of contemporary Iranian music's leading artists.

With »News from Planet Zombie«, The Notwist return to view after years of exploration and experiment with an album rich in both melancholy and positivity, sketched across a suite of thrilling, fiercely committed pop songs. It’s an album reflecting a chaotic world, but responding with warmth and generosity, to achieve creative and spiritual consolidation. Recorded in their home base of Munich, it reconnects with the security of the local to explore the troubles of the global: a guiding impulse writ large across this album’s eleven songs. It’s also the first studio album since 1995’s »12« that the entire band recorded together in the studio in its expanded live formation.

A new album by The Notwist is always a curious endeavour; their musical language is as consistent and resilient as the contexts for creativity are unpredictable and ever shifting. For »News from Planet Zombie«, the core trio of Markus and Micha Acher and Cico Beck embraced the plural possibilities of writing together, bringing songs to the collective and then arranging, rehearsing and recording that material live, in the studio.

The result is an album that’s energised, fully in ›the now‹, with spectacular moments where you can hear the magic bubbling up in the dynamic between the Achers, Beck, and fellow members Theresa Loibl, Max Punktezahl, Karl Ivar Refseth, and Andi Haberl. If »Teeth« begins »News from Planet Zombie« quietly and reflectively, by »X-Ray« everyone’s supercharged, blasting out future anthems with the collective energy cranked up high. The chiming keys of »Propeller« skim the instrumental’s surface like stones across burbling water; »The Turning« clangs its way into one of the album’s most heartwarming melodies.

»News from Planet Zombie« was recorded over one week at Import Export, a non-profit space for arts and music. You can tell, too; there are some pleasingly rough edges here, as though The Notwist’s striving for hazy perfection means they’re also confident enough to let the songs breathe and mutate between our ears. That openness to chance also takes in guest turns from friends both local and international, reflective of a cosmopolitan Munich: Enid Valu joins in on vocals, while Haruka Yoshizawa guests on taishōgoto and harmonium, Tianping Christoph Xiao on clarinet, and Mathias Götz on trombone.

The Notwist aren’t best known for cover versions, but »News from Planet Zombie« features two: a gorgeous version of Neil Young’s »Red Sun« (from 2000’s »Silver & Gold«), which the group originally developed for a theatre play directed by Jette Steckel, and a take on Athens, Georgia folk-pop gang Lovers’ »How the Story Ends«. They slot into the album’s narrative perfectly, nestling in like old friends, revealing The Notwist as poetic interpreters. Played well, the cover version is both acknowledgement of fellow travellers and act of generosity, and The Notwist nail both aspects here.

And that narrative, the way the album plays out? »News from Planet Zombie« acknowledges the distress of our current geopolitical impasse, while reminding us there are collective ways forward. Fed through the figure of the zombie, Markus Acher explores our anxieties: »In the title and some lyrics I reference B- and horror-movies, which is a reference to the crazy world at the moment, which seems to be like a really bad and unrealistic B-movie.« But there’s a reminder here not to lose the thread entirely, that these things, too, will pass.

»The river here in Munich I often go to has been there forever and will be there long after us,« Acher reflects, pinpointing an important source of succour for him, »always the same but always changing. Very calming, but also always reminding me that like this river time only flows into one direction and you can’t go back. Every moment is very precious.«

Artwork by Marie Vermont

The Notwist:
Markus Acher: vocals, guitar
Micha Acher: bass, sousaphone, euphonium, trumpet
Cico Beck: electronics, keyboards, guitar, recorder, percussion
Theresa Loibl: bassclarinet, clarinet, piano, harmonium, organ
Max Punktezahl: guitar
Karl Ivar Refseth: marimbaphone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, congas, percussion
Andi Haberl: drums, dulcimer
+
Enid Valu: vocals on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11
Haruka Yoshizawa: taishōgoto on 6, harmonium on 9, 10, 11
Tianping Christoph Xiao: clarinet on 4, 10, 11
Mathias Götz: trombone on 4, 10, 11

With »News from Planet Zombie«, The Notwist return to view after years of exploration and experiment with an album rich in both melancholy and positivity, sketched across a suite of thrilling, fiercely committed pop songs. It’s an album reflecting a chaotic world, but responding with warmth and generosity, to achieve creative and spiritual consolidation. Recorded in their home base of Munich, it reconnects with the security of the local to explore the troubles of the global: a guiding impulse writ large across this album’s eleven songs. It’s also the first studio album since 1995’s »12« that the entire band recorded together in the studio in its expanded live formation.

A new album by The Notwist is always a curious endeavour; their musical language is as consistent and resilient as the contexts for creativity are unpredictable and ever shifting. For »News from Planet Zombie«, the core trio of Markus and Micha Acher and Cico Beck embraced the plural possibilities of writing together, bringing songs to the collective and then arranging, rehearsing and recording that material live, in the studio.

The result is an album that’s energised, fully in ›the now‹, with spectacular moments where you can hear the magic bubbling up in the dynamic between the Achers, Beck, and fellow members Theresa Loibl, Max Punktezahl, Karl Ivar Refseth, and Andi Haberl. If »Teeth« begins »News from Planet Zombie« quietly and reflectively, by »X-Ray« everyone’s supercharged, blasting out future anthems with the collective energy cranked up high. The chiming keys of »Propeller« skim the instrumental’s surface like stones across burbling water; »The Turning« clangs its way into one of the album’s most heartwarming melodies.

»News from Planet Zombie« was recorded over one week at Import Export, a non-profit space for arts and music. You can tell, too; there are some pleasingly rough edges here, as though The Notwist’s striving for hazy perfection means they’re also confident enough to let the songs breathe and mutate between our ears. That openness to chance also takes in guest turns from friends both local and international, reflective of a cosmopolitan Munich: Enid Valu joins in on vocals, while Haruka Yoshizawa guests on taishōgoto and harmonium, Tianping Christoph Xiao on clarinet, and Mathias Götz on trombone.

The Notwist aren’t best known for cover versions, but »News from Planet Zombie« features two: a gorgeous version of Neil Young’s »Red Sun« (from 2000’s »Silver & Gold«), which the group originally developed for a theatre play directed by Jette Steckel, and a take on Athens, Georgia folk-pop gang Lovers’ »How the Story Ends«. They slot into the album’s narrative perfectly, nestling in like old friends, revealing The Notwist as poetic interpreters. Played well, the cover version is both acknowledgement of fellow travellers and act of generosity, and The Notwist nail both aspects here.

And that narrative, the way the album plays out? »News from Planet Zombie« acknowledges the distress of our current geopolitical impasse, while reminding us there are collective ways forward. Fed through the figure of the zombie, Markus Acher explores our anxieties: »In the title and some lyrics I reference B- and horror-movies, which is a reference to the crazy world at the moment, which seems to be like a really bad and unrealistic B-movie.« But there’s a reminder here not to lose the thread entirely, that these things, too, will pass.

»The river here in Munich I often go to has been there forever and will be there long after us,« Acher reflects, pinpointing an important source of succour for him, »always the same but always changing. Very calming, but also always reminding me that like this river time only flows into one direction and you can’t go back. Every moment is very precious.«

Artwork by Marie Vermont

The Notwist:
Markus Acher: vocals, guitar
Micha Acher: bass, sousaphone, euphonium, trumpet
Cico Beck: electronics, keyboards, guitar, recorder, percussion
Theresa Loibl: bassclarinet, clarinet, piano, harmonium, organ
Max Punktezahl: guitar
Karl Ivar Refseth: marimbaphone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, congas, percussion
Andi Haberl: drums, dulcimer
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Enid Valu: vocals on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11
Haruka Yoshizawa: taishōgoto on 6, harmonium on 9, 10, 11
Tianping Christoph Xiao: clarinet on 4, 10, 11
Mathias Götz: trombone on 4, 10, 11

rot/schwarzes Marble Vinyl. Offensichtlich parkverliebt_ eine musikgewordene Parksituation: Du schlenderst langsam durch das zerbrechliche Idyll inmitten der Stadt, die Luft ist kalt und klar, die Arme hinter dem Rücken verschränkt. Hochgewachsene Bäume spannen den Raum auf, gedämpfter Stadtlärm mischt sich mit dem Rascheln der Blätter, mehr oder weniger verwirrte Tiere sehen aufmerksam in Deine Richtung. Du setzt Dich auf eine Parkbank, hältst inne und fängst an Dich darüber zu freuen, wie schön das alles eigentlich ist. ParkWalkers emopop/slowcore sound ist bestimmt durch zwei cleane Gitarren (Hannes & Nicola), eindringliche Basslinien (Arnaud), entspannte Drums (Armin) und der warmen Stimme von Nicola. Melodien, die hängen bleiben, in meist klassischer Songstruktur. Die lieben 90er oder Nullerjahre lassen grüßen, vielleicht fällt einem American Football, Snow Patrol ein oder fühlt sich an Death Cab for Cutie und Weakerthans erinnert. ParkWalker haben sich 2018 gefunden, und leben verteilt in Berlin, Stuttgart und Karlsruhe. Klar in der DIY-Szene verwurzelt haben sie viele Stunden auf Bühnen im In-und Ausland mit verschiedenen Formationen verbracht, u.a. Tidal Sleep. Nach ihrem Debüt "Distant Phenomena" im Jahr 2021 ist für Herbst 2025 das zweite Album "The Extra Mile" bei This Charming Records geplant. Das Album wurde in den RAMA Studios aufgenommen und von Christian Bethge (z.B. Messer) produziert und gemastert

The story of how we heard about D.J. City.
Once upon a time P.P. D.J.ed in Stockholm. Picked up by legend Sling from the airport, with what I recall was a very nice old Jeep, that had a tape deck.
That Tape deck was playing a cassette that quickly caught our attention. We found out, on it was „1- 800 Techno“, a project by another local legend D.J. City. Somehow we received the tape and digital files and have been playing them ever since.
Years later we met D.J. City at a gig for Cocktail D’Amore, it was a brief and pleasant introduction as he was handing over the decks to us.
It took some more time until we really got in touch and started a work relation that quickly turned into friendship. Circa 10 years later, we have the opportunity to properly shine light on this project that started it all.
You can listen to the full release digitally and on Vinyl for the first time. „1-800 Techno“ that is Karl Lihagen & Johan Norling (aka D.J. City) with „For Several Eternals Before There Were Years“. This I guess is what you call a „full circle moment“. Enjoy!

Viktoria Tolstoy, celebrated for her expressive voice, emotional storytelling and cross-genre artistry, seamlessly blends jazz, pop and original songs.
Her standout tracks ‘Autumn Breeze’ (4.6M streams) and ‘Calling You’ (6.5M streams) have reached millions of listeners worldwide.
Collaborations with top Scandinavian and European jazz artists, including Nils Landgren and Esbjörn Svensson, have positioned Viktoria as one of the leading female voices in European jazz.
Jacob Karlzon, renowned Swedish pianist and composer, is recognized for his virtuosic technique, cinematic soundscapes and inventive harmonic language.
Their collaboration began in the mid-1990s, forming one of the most enduring and successful partnerships in Scandinavian jazz.
Their music bridges Nordic lyricism and modern jazz sophistication, appealing to both jazz and a wider crossover audience. A trusted name on the European scene, they continue to tour internationally and attract strong streaming and media presence.
Their new duo album reflects and renews that bond - an intimate conversation shaped by time, friendship, and change. The world has shifted since their last recording and so have they. Yet their shared musical language endures - evolving, deepening, and gathering new shades of emotion. There is a rare ease between them: two Artists who no longer need to explain, only to listen and respond.
The result is music that feels unforced, sincere and alive - born of trust and the courage to explore the unknown. In the end, it’s the simple beauty of reunion: two musicians meeting again, with everything they’ve lived and everything still to discover

Voivod wurde 1982 in Jonquière, Quebec, von Sänger Denis „Snake“ Belanger, Gitarrist Denis „Piggy“ D'Amour, Bassist Jean-Yves „Blacky“ Thériault und Schlagzeuger Michael „Away“ Langevin gegründet und nahm eine Reihe von Demos auf, bevor Brian Slagel auf die Band aufmerksam wurde und einen Vertrag mit Metal Blade Records unterzeichnete. Das Ergebnis war das furiose Debütalbum „War And Pain“, das im August 1984 veröffentlicht wurde. Zu dieser Zeit teilten sich alle vier Mitglieder eine Wohnung in Montreal und lebten von 150 Dollar Sozialhilfe pro Woche. Da sie die Schule bereits hinter sich hatten, konnten sie fast jeden Tag proben, was zur Entstehung ihres zweiten Albums „Rrröööaaarrr“ führte. Während der Aufnahme des Albums wurde fast die gesamte Ausrüstung aus dem Proberaum gestohlen. Um Geld aufzutreiben, organisierte die Band zusammen mit ihrem Manager Maurice Richard das legendäre „World War III“-Festival. Dort lernten sie Karl-Ulrich Walterbach kennen, der Voivod davon überzeugte, bei seinem Label Noise Records zu unterschreiben. Nach „Rrröööaaarrr“ von 1986 hieß Voivods zweites Album für Noise „Killing Technology“ und gilt weithin als der größte kreative und klangliche Sprung der Band. Es wurde in West-Berlin unter den wachsamen Augen von Harris Johns aufgenommen und kam 1987 auf den Markt. Weniger hektische Kompositionen wie „Tornado“, „Ravenous Medicine“ oder „Killing Technology“ hoben die Kanadier schnell von ihren Thrash-Zeitgenossen ab. „Rrröööaaarrr„ haben wir mit unserem Tontechniker in einer heruntergekommenen Schule ohne Geld selbst produziert“, erklärt Michael Langevin in dem Buch „Damn The Machine. The Story Of Noise Records“ des amerikanischen Autors David E. Gehlke. „Plötzlich hatten wir ein professionelles Umfeld, ein richtiges Studio mit einem richtigen Produzenten und ein Label, das die Finanzierung sicherstellte. Es ging Schritt für Schritt. Für „Killing Technology“ haben wir vielleicht ein bisschen langsamer gemacht. Wir konnten die Rollen spielen, und es hat viel Abwechslung. Es ist mein Lieblingsalbum und in meinen Ohren die perfekte Mischung aus Thrash, Prog und Hardcore. Es ist definitiv ein entscheidendes Album.“

Waiting is the essence of travel. Patience is its own reward.

Two people. A Telecaster guitar with a few effect pedals. A drum machine. An audio interface is connected to a laptop. The ingredients are simple yet effective.

But any suggestion of four-track cassette machines and vintage bedsit productions is quickly dispelled by digital dubbiness and refined arrangements. A tail of reversed echos. The crystalline flourish of octave-pitched delays. Riddled hi-hats tickle and taunt. A bass drum asserts its space.

Winkler's guitar patterns have a fragmented, almost haphazard connotation. Searching in a shimmer of reverb. Until the beat, the framework, sets in to reveal structure. Intentionality. Reihse's programmed rhythms go just to the point of a groove, holding the moment of tension, knowingly delaying the gratification. Beats that have scratchy patina anda subtly playful edge; their crispness stands in contrast to the contemplative drift of the guitar. Is it a trance? Or a dance? Yes.

There are some apparent references here: a good portion of Les Disques du Crépuscule, some kraut-esque electronica, even a smidgen of Morricone / Spaghetti Western, blending into a kind of Musique Noir – yet these serve as a set of orientational coordinates, rather than quotations.

This is so far the most assured release by Periode, perhaps eschewing some of the naiveté that was wilfully cultivated in earlier output – there is no cheeky cover version this time. And no singing either. The nine pieces have the quality of a series, a variation on a mood, or a subset of moods. What emerges is an inviting swagger in the face of bleakness. There is a profound melancholy, but it is not the darker kind, and does not exclude humour.

First impressions may suggest that this is purely nocturnal music. Yet it equally evokes the harsh sunlight and baking summer heat. Or a rainy day. And transportation: the music suggests the motion of travel, even if that travel only happens within the mind. And waiting. Waiting while doing nothing much. Because that's all you can do. (Alexander Paulick)

On his debut album “Scattered Memories”, the composer, musician and true master on the Iranian spike fiddle kamancheh SABA ALIZADEH blends his instrumental virtuosity with spherical electronics, samples of Persian music instruments and field recordings from his hometown Tehran.

Born in Tehran in 1983 as son of the world renowned Tar and Setar virtuoso HOSSEIN ALIZADEH, SABA ALIZADEH studied the Iranian spike fiddle with SAEED FARAJPOURY and KEYHAN KALHOR plus photography and later experimental sound art with MARK TRAYLE at the California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles. His musical activities that lead him all around the globe for performances (a.o. at Carnegie Hall) branch into 2 different areas: on the one side ALIZADEH is a highly reputated virtuoso on his traditional instrument, on the other he likes to approach music from a more experimental / technological aspect in his electronic / electro-acoustic pieces. This not being enough, he founded Noise Works in 2014, a platform and label for organizing experimental concerts and for the transfer of knowledge of music technologies among young Iranian musicians which makes him a central figure at the forefront of the current, very vivid Persian music scene that gained a lot of attention through artists like SIAVASH AMINI, PORYA HATAMI and of course SOTE who included a track by ALIZADEH on the compilation “Girih: Iranian Sound Artists” that he had curated.

In 2018, ALIZADEH self-released his debut “Scattered Memories” on CD in Iran which now, in a reworked version, sees its deserved world-wide release as LP and DL. Over the course of 10 tracks ALIZADEH melts his 2 musical worlds into 1: tradition meets modernism, eastern sounds meet western production, folklore meets contemporary electronics. An album that will appeal to an open-minded “world music” audience as well as fans of current streams like ambient or drone in its most subtle forms.

Zeitkratzer director Reinhold Friedl and his ensemble present new compositions, grounded on Domenico Scarlatti's piano sonata F-minor K.466. Commissioned by the dance company Rubato and dedicated to Mario Bertoncini (1932-2019).

Little is known about Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). His music is, so to speak, left to its own devices: free, cheeky, playful, sonorous, surprising. Harmonically strolling again and again into unforeseen regions, the ear leads, not the theory; and also the fingers get their right: playful and haptic it goes. Scarlatti explained, "since nature has given me ten fingers and my instrument provides employment for all, I see no reason why I should not use all ten of them."

Freedom, friction and listening pleasure instead of convention: "He knew quite well that he had disregarded all the rules of composition in his piano pieces, but asked whether his deviation from the rules offended the ear? He believes there is almost no other rule than that of not offending the only sense whose object is music - the ear."

Reinhold Friedl applied this principle and composed the music for a choreography by dance company Rubato. Dance music drawn from Scarlatti, who was so inspired by dance music. The material of the piano sonata F-minor K.466 is twisted anew in all its richness, shifted back and forth, declined, frozen, noisified, sound structures extracted, floating. Those who know the sonata, will more than smell it’s shadows. Dedicated to Mario Bertoncini (Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza) who was particularly fond of K.466, on which all the music presented here is grounded.

"Wild flowers", Barbara Zubers had once called Scarlatti's music. Let them bloom.

With their highly anticipated fourth album, The Third Sleep, Norwegian progressive rock band Oak delivers a striking exploration of societal complacency and the struggle of the individual. The album contrasts light and darkness, both thematically and musically, seamlessly blending folk-inspired acoustic passages with the raw intensity of progressive metal, evoking echoes of Opeth and beyond. Expanding on the lyrical themes of The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise, The Third Sleep ventures deeper into the subconscious, weaving suggestive and poetic storytelling with sharp social commentary. More outward-looking than its introspective predecessor, the album invites the listener to engage, interpret, and reflect. With a rich musical foundation that spans classical piano, electronica, progressive and hard rock, Oak has carved out a distinctive sound-both captivating and challenging in equal measure. Recorded in Ljugekroken (Oslo), the album was mixed by David Castillo (Katatonia, Leprous, Opeth) and mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, Donner) at Dude Ranch Studio, Sandoya. Prepare to experience The Third Sleep, a thought-provoking journey through sound and emotion.

White Vinyl Repress

World Party was a musical group, predominantly the solo project of its sole consistent member, the songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger. Wallinger started the band in 1986 in London after leaving the Waterboys.

Featuring the #2 most downloaded/ streamed hit Is It Like Today?, small limited runs of each World Party album (5 total) will be pressed on white vinyl, with the run marketed as “The White Albums”, cheekily referring to Karl’s re-recording of The Beatles and his fans eternal quest to hear them.

2025-2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Happy Mondays, a milestone celebration of one of Britain's most iconic and era-defining bands.

To celebrate, London Records will launch a series of special anniversary releases, beginning with a fully remastered brand-new compilation: The Factory Singles. This definitive collection captures the band's ground-breaking output from 1985-1992, celebrating their pivotal role in shaping UK music culture. Classic remixes from Paul Oakenfold, Andrew Weatherall, Terry Farley and Jon Carter make up bonus tracks on the 2CD and 2LP.

The release will be available across multiple formats, appealing to collectors and fans alike.

Complementing the physical editions, a series of brand-new digital remixes will be unveiled from world-renowned artists Daniel Avery, Paul Oakenfold, Mella Dee, and Shadow Child and more, bridging the Mondays' legacy with today's electronic innovators, and a revisit from Paul Oakenfold.

This campaign marks the beginning of an extensive celebration of the Happy Mondays' 40-year legacy, bringing their iconic sound to both devoted fans and new generations

ENTER PLANET DUST goes full 80s Chicago for label head DONALD DUST’s new collaboration with Buenos Aires’ expert slinger of 12”s, knowledge-dropper of all things House, New Beat and dark Disco, and increasingly decorated Dance record vocalist GALA.

Working together halfway across the globe, the two have crafted a compelling single touching on the early sounds of icons like Matt Warren and Razz, with a healthy dose of Euro-Disco and heartbreaking threnodies from the mouths and minds of both parties. Flip the record over for a devilish dub and stomping beat-a-pella courtesy of the ‘Wicked Dub’ and ‘Beat This’ mixes.



Engineered and mastered by Loom Sound Studio’s KARL BARNES. Expect smouldering Spanglish vocals, tweeter-baiting fuzz and slamming synths, demand nothing less!

2025-2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Happy Mondays, a milestone celebration of one of Britain's most iconic and era-defining bands.

To celebrate, London Records will launch a series of special anniversary releases, beginning with a fully remastered brand-new compilation: The Factory Singles. This definitive collection captures the band's ground-breaking output from 1985-1992, celebrating their pivotal role in shaping UK music culture. Classic remixes from Paul Oakenfold, Andrew Weatherall, Terry Farley and Jon Carter make up bonus tracks on the 2CD and 2LP.

The release will be available across multiple formats, appealing to collectors and fans alike.

Complementing the physical editions, a series of brand-new digital remixes will be unveiled from world-renowned artists Daniel Avery, Paul Oakenfold, Mella Dee, and Shadow Child and more, bridging the Mondays' legacy with today's electronic innovators, and a revisit from Paul Oakenfold.

This campaign marks the beginning of an extensive celebration of the Happy Mondays' 40-year legacy, bringing their iconic sound to both devoted fans and new generations

Progressive rock may rarely grace the mainstream spotlight, but its devoted global community continues to thrive, and few bands embody that spirit better than Airbag. Since their debut EP, Safetree (2007), and first full-length album, Identity (2009), the Norwegian quintet has steadily built a worldwide following with their cinematic soundscapes, soaring melodies, and timeless songwriting. From All Rights Removed to The Century of the Self, each release has cemented Airbag's reputation as one of the most vital acts in modern progressive rock, earning critical acclaim and packing venues across Europe and beyond. Now, 16 years and five studio albums later, Airbag returns with their first official live album, captured during a powerful performance at Poppodium Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands in 2024. This double CD / double vinyl release showcases the band at their best, raw, immersive, and sonically stunning. The recordings have been meticulously mixed to preserve the atmosphere and authenticity of the live shows. For collectors, the vinyl edition is a must-have: A deluxe gatefold cover with an exclusive booklet and a limited first pressing on coloured splatter vinyl, a beautiful piece for fans and audiophiles alike. Whether you've followed Airbag from the beginning or discovered them along the way, this live album is a celebration of a band that continues to defy trends, connect deeply with fans, and delivers music that stands the test of time.

Regis and Surgeon return as British Murder Boys with their first 12” since 2014, unleashing two relentless club detonations that fuse industrial ferocity with punk immediacy. On »Now, This Is You«, boulder-heavy kicks, gnashing arps, and Karl O’Connor’s snarled vocals collide in a 150 BPM storm. The flip, »Get In Line«, hits straighter but no softer, driven by pounding bass and sour bleeps that conjure a delirious late-night energy. Brutal, swaggering, and unfiltered — BMB at their most uncompromising.

A new release from Fox & His Friends Records, Chapters (Screen & Stage Dancefloor Jazz from Yugoslavia 1971-1984) by Ozren Depolo brings to light a trove of previously unreleased music spanning more than a decade of his work in film, theater and television. This gatefold audiophile 180g LP, including a 12-page booklet with archival photos and detailed liner notes, offers for the first time a full album composed exclusively of Depolo's own authorship, drawn from master tapes held in private and institutional archives. Mastering and cutting was done by Frank Merritt from The Carvery Ozren Depolo rarely pursued opportunities to record original material, in part due to a general lack of interest among local publishers in jazz discography. Yet he was more than a gifted composer: he was also an accomplished saxophonist, clarinettist, flutist, pianist, arranger and occasionally, a jazz journalist who contributed articles to specialized programs on Radio Zagreb. Depolo also played in international big bands alongside jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Oliver Nelson and Gerry Mulligan, as well as in formations led by Bosko Petrovic, including the Nonconvertible All Stars and the B.P. Convention Big Band. He was a member of ensembles including The Alfi Kabiljo Orchestra, The Dragutin Diklic Ensemble, Jugoslovenska Pop Selekcija, The Stipica Kalogjera Octet, Vaclav Zahradnik & His East All Stars Band and the Zagreb Jazz Quintet. As both composer and arranger, he produced a significant body of work for large jazz orchestras and small ensembles. He was deeply engaged in jazz improvisation and avant-garde classical music, recording numerous chamber pieces for saxophone. A long-standing member of Acezantez, Zagreb's renowned contemporary music ensemble, he also collaborated with international figures such as Ted Curson, John Lewis, Johnny Griffin, Art Farmer, Leo Wright, Art Taylor, Slide Hampton and Lucky Thompson. This selection also includes his collaboration with Igor Savin and jazz vocalist Zdenka Kovacicek who were played on Karl Lagerfeld's fashion shows. The release demonstrates how Depolo was able to shift fluidly between idioms: from driving big-band passages to intimate chamber-like arrangements, from funk-tinged motifs to lyrical, impressionistic soundscapes. This stylistic breadth, always anchored in his deep jazz and funk sensibility, gave his music an adaptability perfectly suited to the hybrid world of stage and screen. The LP highlights that versatility while also presenting the coherence of his artistic voice, one that had gone unrecognized precisely because it was dispersed across so many contexts.

Micor ist eine Band aus Karlsruhe, deren Frontmann Robert Besta (bekannt aus ,Back in Action"/Netflix und seit 10 Jahren bei ,Die Fallers") ist und zu der Johannes Frisch, Stefan Breuer und Marcus Franzke gehören. Im Mittelpunkt stehen Bestas Texte und Kompositionen, deren Musik literarische Tiefe mit roher emotionaler Kraft verbindet und einen ebenso intimen wie weitläufigen Sound schafft. Micor schafft reichhaltige, atmosphärische Klangwelten, die cineastisch und immersiv wirken und den Zuhörer in einen Raum der Reflexion, des Geschichtenerzählens und der Resonanz einladen. Mit ihrer unverwechselbaren Stimme und ihrem künstlerischen Anspruch sticht Micor als einzigartiges Musikprojekt mit einer starken, wiedererkennbaren Identität hervor.

Downwards present Alexander Tucker in metamorphosis from psych folk to techgnostic bard, aided by notable guests – Justin K Broadrick, Regis, Phew, Karl D’Silva, JJOWDY, and Elvin Brandhi – in a quest for disordered convention and new thrills. One up to Tucker’s outings for Alter and The Tapeworm, and spiritual successor to his »Nonexistant« trio on Downwards, »Clear Vortex Chamber« is an enigmatic take on the brownfield edgelands where the eldritch intersects electronic heck. Decades of work spread between hardcore punk, psych rock, folk, and drone — including work with Stephen O’Malley (Ginnungap) and Neil Campbell (Astral Social Club, ESP Kinetic) — feed forward into this album’s unsteady machine rhythms and cranky junkyard atonalities, where Tucker panel-beats aspects of his previous sound with a newfound industrial thrust and cyber-punky lust that suits him dead well.

A crafty example of how to mutate without losing sight of yourself, the album’s eight parts feel like a cyborg patching itself into modernity. On opener »Udug« Tucker’s signature falsetto peals from a A Scanner Darkly-style scramble suit of stereo-strobing electronics, setting a melodramatic, neo-gothic tension that riddles the album thru the knotted, fractured industrial dancehall bullishness of »Mallets« with Yeah You’s feral gob Elvin Brandhi, via a pair of standout »Fedbck« parts with Tucker’s personal idol, Justin K Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, and the rest), featuring the Brum deity’s claw-handed riffs and howl on the first, and smeared with Karl D’Silva’s brass in its noctilucent second part.

Regis also proves a staunch foil for the album’s most robust, club-ready cut »Zona«, hammered out from buzzing metallic drums and monotone bass drones, and pitting his severed vox against Tucker’s own androgynous harmonies to recall aspects of The Ephemeron Loop via British Murder Boys, whilst scene legend, Can and Ryuichi Sakamoto spar Phew (aka Aunt Sally) ideally tempers the flow in a relatively soothing »Sansu«, sharing more cyber-romantic, recombinant sentiments with the channelling of Robert Wyatt gone Funk Bruxaria on »Folded«.

Quattro Racconti" is a new version of the debut solo album from Wobbler's Lars Fredrik Froislie - This time in Italian, with Stefano "Lupo" Galifi from the legendary Museo Rosenbach on vocals! "Fire Fortellinger" became a great success when released in 2023, and when the opportunity for Lars to do one of the songs in Italian with Galifi, he did - and the 10" release of "Un Posto Sotto il Cielo" came out. And later, when Wobbler played a festival in Italy in 2024, Froislie went to visit Galifi and to record vocals for the rest of the album. The result is stunning! FROISLIE who is himself a huge fan of Italian Prog in general and of MUSEO ROSENBACH in particular, explains: "When I wrote "Et sted under himmelhvelvet", I imagined an Italian version in my head with just STEFANO "LUPO" GALIFI'S vocals. Not so surprising, perhaps, since he is one of my favourite vocalists. I have loved his slightly raspy, but powerful and soulful vocals, ever since I discovered MUSEO ROSENBACH as a teenager. When the opportunity presented itself, I thought it couldn't hurt to ask him, and it gave me much joy that he was actually willing to sing on this. He brings a new dimension to the songs, and it's incredible that he actually sings just as well today as he did 50 years ago. For me, it was both emotional and surreal to hear a voice I have known and loved throughout much of my life, singing my songs."

"Visual artist, musician and composer Satch Hoyt will release a new 10” vinyl album, Un- Muting, on 3 October 2025 on newly minted record label traza, run by Andrea Zarza Canova and distributed by Honest Jon’s Records. This album is the first to document Hoyt’s ongoing, long-term project of un-muting historical African instruments held in Western museum collections and includes his composition: Un-Muting Beyond Misspelt Borders.
Originally commissioned by Nottingham Contemporary for the exhibition Your Ears Later Will Know to Listen, Hoyt’s composition invites listeners to engage with what he calls ‘sonic restitution’, a performative challenge to the silent confinement of instruments within Western conservation standards and ethnographic museums, awakening and celebrating the hybridity, resilience and creativity of the transnational African diaspora.
The composition began with a recording session in October 2023 at the British Museum in London, where Hoyt was granted access to a selection of African instruments held by the British Museum’s Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. In the presence of curators and conservation staff, he played the instruments without written scores, responding instead to their physical and sonic presence.
The recordings were then further developed in Hoyt’s studio, combined with additional performances on both African and Western instruments from his own collection."

For Hoyt, un-muting is both a creative and political act:
"To Un-Mute is to gain access into ethnographic museum collections where I play and simultaneously record the abandoned ancient African musical instruments. These restituted recorded motifs and rhythms accompany my live concerts and recordings. Un-Muting is also concerned with the chapters of patriarchal and racist supremacy which accompany the instruments’ abductions, vehemently opposing the current continuum of this supremacy, its ongoing colonial expansion and continued capital extractivism. It remains focused on the retention of spiritual belief and stalwart visions of liberation leading to eventual global emancipation and self-realisation."
- Satch Hoyt, June 2025

The 10” vinyl record includes a newly commissioned text by critic and scholar Tavia Nyong’o.
The album will be released on vinyl and digital formats on 3 October to coincide with the opening of Satch Hoyt’s solo exhibition Satch Hoyt: Afro-Sonic Mapping Chapter 4 at KARST Plymouth.

Ancient African instruments: Trumpets (Kuba), Sanzas (Chokwe, Lega, Kongo, Yao), Ilimba (Nyamwezi), Whistles (Chokwe, Luba, Pende, Bambara), Talking Drum (Yoruba), Slit Drum (Kuba, Yaka, Tetela, Songye), Bell (Tetela), Rattles (Yoruba, Luba, Bamileke, Pende) and Flutes (Kuba, Kongo, Mossi, Bambara)

Western instruments: Flute, Electric Flute, Roland Handsonic, Synthesizers, Glockenspiel, Wooden Xylophone and assorted hand percussion

Composed, arranged, produced and performed by Satch Hoyt
Engineered and co-produced by Dirk Leyers
Recordings of musical instruments held by the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at the British Museum by Adam Laschinger
Studio recordings of African instruments from Satch Hoyt's collection by Dirk Leyers
Uncredited Female Chant on wax cylinder recording by Karl Edvard Laman (c. 1910), held by the Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv
Additional sound design and production by Call & Response Studios
Mixed by Hendrick Valera (Cali, Colombia)
Mastering and lacquer cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering
Cover art: Satch Hoyt, Score #1, 2020
Design by Elisabeth Klement
Direction by Andrea Zarza Canova

180 Gramm schweres schwarzes Vinyl. Violence Fog, eine sehr kurzlebige, aber kraftvolle Psychedelic-Rock-Band aus Baden-Baden, wurde 1969 gegründet. Die Besetzung umfasste Wolfgang Höfer (Gesang/Flöte), Karl-Heinz Höfer (Gitarre/Flöte/Gesang), Enno Dernov (Gitarre), Hilmar Beine (Bass) und Herbert Brandmeier (Schlagzeug). Ihre Musik mischte rohe, verzerrte Gitarrenklänge und britisch/amerikanisch beeinflusste bluesige Soli zu einem Sound, der von energiegeladenen Riffs bis zu stimmungsvollen und hypnotischen Psych-Jams reichte. Die Band baute sich schnell eine treue lokale Fangemeinde auf und spielte oft in Jugendzentren, Musikclubs und sogar bei Filmpremieren, wo ihre trippige psychedelische Lichtshow ihre Live-Auftritte begleitete. Ihr Repertoire umfasste sowohl Eigenkompositionen als auch Coverversionen von Songs wie ,Paint It Black". Violence Fog wurden bekannter, als sie am 23. April 1971 im Studio Ul des SWF-Radios in Baden-Baden fünf Titel aufnahmen, die ihr energiegeladenes Zusammenspiel aus schwindelerregenden Dual-Lead-Gitarren, Lautstärkedynamik und einer stimmungsvollen Rhythmusgruppe dokumentierten. Trotz ihres Talents und ihrer wachsenden Bekanntheit löste sich Violence Fog kurz nach Abschluss der SWF-Aufnahmen auf, was vor allem auf andere berufliche Verpflichtungen zurückzuführen war. Obwohl ihre gemeinsame Zeit nur von kurzer Dauer war, bleibt Violence Fog ein faszinierendes Kapitel in der lebendigen Psychedelic-Rock-Geschichte Deutschlands. Das Archiv-Plattenlabel Ancient Grease Records hat sich auf die Veröffentlichung seltener Heavy-Rock- und Psych-Musik aus den 1970er Jahren aus aller Welt spezialisiert. Begleitet wird das remasterte Audiomaterial von reichhaltigen visuellen Elementen und ausführlichen Liner Notes, um die unbekannte Musik dieser Ära für Sammler und neue Fans gleichermaßen wiederzubeleben und zu feiern.