quête:l like

Leon Michels ist still und leise zu einem der gefragtesten Produzenten der Musikszene geworden.Sein unverwechselbarer Sound hat die Aufmerksamkeit des Mainstreams auf sich gezogen und inspiriert gleichzeitig weiterhin die Underground-Szene. Seit dem 2023 erschienenen Album Glorious Game von El Michels Affair & Black Thought war Michels als Produzent für andere Künstler aktiv - darunter Norah Jones' Grammy-prämiertes Visions, Clairos Grammy-nominiertes Charm, Kali Uchis' ,Moonlight" sowie Alben für seine Labelkollegen Brainstory, Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, Thee Heart Tones und Liam Bailey. Sein neues Album 24 Hr Sports markiert die langersehnte Rückkehr unter seinem eigenen Namen: El Michels Affair.24 Hr Sports wurde inspiriert von Mode und Grafikdesign der Sports-Illustrated-Magazine der 80er- und 90er-Jahre, MF DOOMs Special Herbs-Alben, den dort verwendeten Sample-Quellen und Gospelmusik à la Pastor T.L. Barrett. Die Summe dieser Einflüsse, gepaart mit Michels' unfehlbarem kreativen Gespür, ergibt ein Rezept für einen Instant-Klassiker - ein Werk, das zweifellos zu den meistgefeierten Veröffentlichungen des Jahres 2025 zählen wird.Der Album-Opener ,Drum Line" ist ein hymnischer, mitreißender Track mit Marschband-Schlagzeug und donnernden Bläserarrangements, die sofort alle Aufmerksamkeit auf sich ziehen und den Ton für das folgende Album setzen. 24 Hr Sports bedeutet eine deutliche Abkehr von der bisher überwiegend instrumentalen Musik im Katalog von El Michels Affair. Mit einer Vielzahl von Gesangsfeatures spiegelt das Album das schwer einzuordnende Genre seiner Musik wider.Das erste dieser Features ist ,Mágica" mit dem brasilianischen Künstler Rogê, der die ohnehin energiegeladene Nummer mit seinen fußballinspirierten Lyrics auf ein neues Level hebt. Weiter geht es von Brasilien nach Ghana: In ,Say Goodbye" feiert Florence Adooni ihre Individualität mit lässigem Selbstbewusstsein und wechselt mühelos zwischen Frafra und Englisch, besonders eingängig im Refrain: ,never gonna find a girl like me_".Labelkollege und weltbekannter Trompeter von The Roots, Dave Guy, veredelt den 70er-Jahre-Groove von ,Oakley's Car Wash" mit seinen charakteristischen Bläserlinien, bevor der Track in ein Dub-artiges Outro übergeht. Vom wilden zum sanften Klang: ,Anticipate" mit Clairo knüpft an die musikalische Chemie an, die das 2024er-Album Charm hervorgebracht hat. Clairo gleitet über die typischen EMA-Arrangements, während sie sich nach unerreichbarer Liebe sehnt - getragen von einer perfekt eingespielten Band.,Eastside" ist ein Stück, das einen Sonnenaufgang am Meer vertonen könnte - Leon Michels' Sinn für Raum und Arrangement wird hier besonders deutlich. Aus Japan ist der Suginami Children's Choir auf dem üppigen Track ,Clean The Line" zu hören - sie singen ein Lied über den Mond, die Sonne und Vögel. Danach reißt ,Cortex" mit verzerrten Gitarren und donnernden Drums die Tür auf - ein Moment purer, filmreifer Intensität in der Mitte des Albums.Leon Michels übernimmt selbst den Lead-Gesang auf ,Shining", einem Song über die Suche nach einem Freund, mit dem man die Freude eines sonnigen Tages teilen kann. Der international gefeierte Shintaro Sakamoto ist auf ,Indifference" zu hören - ein lässiger Song mit federnden Basslinien und gefühlvollen Flöten, in dem Sakamoto zwischen Gesang und gesprochener Poesie über eine vergängliche Liebe reflektiert.Das Grammy-prämierte Duo Norah Jones und Michels kommt auf ,Carry Me Away" erneut zusammen: Jones' honigsüße Stimme schwebt über einem schwer einzuordnenden, aber sofort liebenswerten Track. Michels lehnt sich hier wieder mehr in Richtung El Michels Affair-Stil, der sich klar von seinen bisherigen Produktionen für Norah Jones abhebt. ,Take My Hand" stellt den Gospel-Einfluss in den Vordergrund - mit dem Fabulous Rainbow Singers Choir im Refrain und einem Saxophon-Solo der verstorbenen Jazzlegende Rahsaan Roland Kirk.,Open Season", ein Piano-getriebener Midtempo-Track mit Gruppenrufen wie ,we want the gold, we want the gold_", könnte den perfekten Soundtrack für eine Slow-Motion-Highlight-Reel liefern. Der treffend betitelte Albumabschluss ,Victory Lap" schließlich ist ein traumhafter, euphorischer Ausklang, der dem gesamten Werk würdig ist.Am Ende spricht die Trophäe auf dem Albumcover Bände: El Michels Affair ist Champion Sound - und 24 Hr Sports macht das unmissverständlich klar.

Leon Michels ist still und leise zu einem der gefragtesten Produzenten der Musikszene geworden.Sein unverwechselbarer Sound hat die Aufmerksamkeit des Mainstreams auf sich gezogen und inspiriert gleichzeitig weiterhin die Underground-Szene. Seit dem 2023 erschienenen Album Glorious Game von El Michels Affair & Black Thought war Michels als Produzent für andere Künstler aktiv - darunter Norah Jones' Grammy-prämiertes Visions, Clairos Grammy-nominiertes Charm, Kali Uchis' ,Moonlight" sowie Alben für seine Labelkollegen Brainstory, Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, Thee Heart Tones und Liam Bailey. Sein neues Album 24 Hr Sports markiert die langersehnte Rückkehr unter seinem eigenen Namen: El Michels Affair.24 Hr Sports wurde inspiriert von Mode und Grafikdesign der Sports-Illustrated-Magazine der 80er- und 90er-Jahre, MF DOOMs Special Herbs-Alben, den dort verwendeten Sample-Quellen und Gospelmusik à la Pastor T.L. Barrett. Die Summe dieser Einflüsse, gepaart mit Michels' unfehlbarem kreativen Gespür, ergibt ein Rezept für einen Instant-Klassiker - ein Werk, das zweifellos zu den meistgefeierten Veröffentlichungen des Jahres 2025 zählen wird.Der Album-Opener ,Drum Line" ist ein hymnischer, mitreißender Track mit Marschband-Schlagzeug und donnernden Bläserarrangements, die sofort alle Aufmerksamkeit auf sich ziehen und den Ton für das folgende Album setzen. 24 Hr Sports bedeutet eine deutliche Abkehr von der bisher überwiegend instrumentalen Musik im Katalog von El Michels Affair. Mit einer Vielzahl von Gesangsfeatures spiegelt das Album das schwer einzuordnende Genre seiner Musik wider.Das erste dieser Features ist ,Mágica" mit dem brasilianischen Künstler Rogê, der die ohnehin energiegeladene Nummer mit seinen fußballinspirierten Lyrics auf ein neues Level hebt. Weiter geht es von Brasilien nach Ghana: In ,Say Goodbye" feiert Florence Adooni ihre Individualität mit lässigem Selbstbewusstsein und wechselt mühelos zwischen Frafra und Englisch, besonders eingängig im Refrain: ,never gonna find a girl like me_".Labelkollege und weltbekannter Trompeter von The Roots, Dave Guy, veredelt den 70er-Jahre-Groove von ,Oakley's Car Wash" mit seinen charakteristischen Bläserlinien, bevor der Track in ein Dub-artiges Outro übergeht. Vom wilden zum sanften Klang: ,Anticipate" mit Clairo knüpft an die musikalische Chemie an, die das 2024er-Album Charm hervorgebracht hat. Clairo gleitet über die typischen EMA-Arrangements, während sie sich nach unerreichbarer Liebe sehnt - getragen von einer perfekt eingespielten Band.,Eastside" ist ein Stück, das einen Sonnenaufgang am Meer vertonen könnte - Leon Michels' Sinn für Raum und Arrangement wird hier besonders deutlich. Aus Japan ist der Suginami Children's Choir auf dem üppigen Track ,Clean The Line" zu hören - sie singen ein Lied über den Mond, die Sonne und Vögel. Danach reißt ,Cortex" mit verzerrten Gitarren und donnernden Drums die Tür auf - ein Moment purer, filmreifer Intensität in der Mitte des Albums.Leon Michels übernimmt selbst den Lead-Gesang auf ,Shining", einem Song über die Suche nach einem Freund, mit dem man die Freude eines sonnigen Tages teilen kann. Der international gefeierte Shintaro Sakamoto ist auf ,Indifference" zu hören - ein lässiger Song mit federnden Basslinien und gefühlvollen Flöten, in dem Sakamoto zwischen Gesang und gesprochener Poesie über eine vergängliche Liebe reflektiert.Das Grammy-prämierte Duo Norah Jones und Michels kommt auf ,Carry Me Away" erneut zusammen: Jones' honigsüße Stimme schwebt über einem schwer einzuordnenden, aber sofort liebenswerten Track. Michels lehnt sich hier wieder mehr in Richtung El Michels Affair-Stil, der sich klar von seinen bisherigen Produktionen für Norah Jones abhebt. ,Take My Hand" stellt den Gospel-Einfluss in den Vordergrund - mit dem Fabulous Rainbow Singers Choir im Refrain und einem Saxophon-Solo der verstorbenen Jazzlegende Rahsaan Roland Kirk.,Open Season", ein Piano-getriebener Midtempo-Track mit Gruppenrufen wie ,we want the gold, we want the gold_", könnte den perfekten Soundtrack für eine Slow-Motion-Highlight-Reel liefern. Der treffend betitelte Albumabschluss ,Victory Lap" schließlich ist ein traumhafter, euphorischer Ausklang, der dem gesamten Werk würdig ist.Am Ende spricht die Trophäe auf dem Albumcover Bände: El Michels Affair ist Champion Sound - und 24 Hr Sports macht das unmissverständlich klar.

Celebrating 20 years of defining, and redefining, electronic alt-pop - Metronomy ‘GREATEST HITS’ is the first comprehensive collection of their “smash hits” spanning across all 7 studio albums, and will be release alongside a separate album of BBC Sessions.

Formed in 1999 by Joseph Mount, Metronomy has released six acclaimed studio albums and become one of the UK's most influential electronic acts. Known for their distinctive visual aesthetic, innovative production techniques, and energetic live shows, Metronomy continues to bridge the gap between experimental electronic music and accessible pop. From the charm of early tracks like "You Could Easily Have Me" to the sophisticated pop of "The Look" and the dance floor magic of "Love Letters," Metronomy's distinctive sound has consistently pushed boundaries while maintaining their unmistakable identity.

The previously unreleased BBC Sessions reveal another dimension to these songs, capturing their magnetic live energy and Joe’s evolving approach to arrangement and performance, all recorded between 2009-2019 across BBC6Music, BBC Radio 1 & BBC Radio 2.

Mit seinem neuen Album Who Is The Sky? schlägt David Byrne ein weiteres spannendes Kapitel seiner künstlerischen Laufbahn auf. Nach dem weltweiten Erfolg von American Utopia - gefeiert als Album, Broadway-Show und HBO-Film - richtet Byrne nun den Blick nach innen: Was bedeutet es, kreativ zu sein? Was ist Liebe? Was ist unser Platz in der Welt? Gemeinsam mit dem Grammy-prämierten Produzenten Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus) und dem New Yorker Kammerensemble Ghost Train Orchestra ist ein Werk entstanden, das persönliche Geschichten mit orchestraler Klangvielfalt und popmusikalischem Feinsinn verbindet. Gäste wie Hayley Williams (Paramore), St. Vincent und Tom Skinner (The Smile) verleihen dem Album zusätzliche Tiefe. Songs wie "My Apartment Is My Friend", "She Explains Things to Me" oder "I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party" erzählen Alltagsbeobachtungen mit Witz, Menschlichkeit und einem Hauch Absurdität. Byrne gelingt es wie kaum jemand anderem, komplexe Gedanken in eingängige Musik zu verpacken und so stets zugänglich zu bleiben. Who Is The Sky? ist verspielt, tiefsinnig und durch und durch Byrne: voller Fragen, Überraschungen und Momente echter Verbundenheit. Ein Album, das zum Zuhören, Nachdenken und Tanzen einlädt, ein orchestraler, verspielter und tiefgründiger Blick auf das Menschsein selbst.

JayWood - the nom de plume of Jeremy Haywood-Smith - is embracing new pastures having moved his music-making from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Montreal, and his new album Leo Negro chimes with a different tone as it looks to reconnect the self and grapple with one's identity. Marking a moment of meaningful change where controlled chaos takes the lead, it philosophises on what it truly means to be an experimentalist building a multi-faceted world where genre is infinite through sounds braver, more playful, and truthful than he's dared deliver before. Despite its astute sampling with layers of twists and turns, Leo Negro doesn't showboat but roars in the presence of vulnerability as it considers one's absolutes as a way of navigating the identity crisis. "Always looking for attention, I admit it, I can't help it, I'm a Leo," he reasons between vintage hip-hop scrubs on `Pistachios,' recalling a childhood need to be the centre of attention then stepping out of the spotlight as a grown-up. "Leos are confident and sure about themselves, but this record isn't that; so really, when translated, the title inspires `black confidence.' It's an uncomfortable, weird, and surreal term which bends the truth and embodies everything within." Experimenting in both life and music, Leo Negro and its first cut, `Big Tings' (feat. California, art-pop duo Tune-Yards) couldn't be further from 2023's Grow On EP and the previous year's slick LP Slingshot. Moving with flow akin to D'Angelo with Toro Y Moi textures, its twinkling intro of whirling synth and playful approach circles back to Jeremy's adolescence when he'd reverse, slow down, and speed up his favourite songs through the media player on his computer. Encouraged by his musical squad Will Grierson, Arthur Antony, Brett Ticzon, and enlisting his stylist and thrifter friends to capture the Leo Negro aesthetic, JayWood's big `in' for 2025 is collaboration, with the tight-knit crew of likeminded musical colleagues captured in session photo grins beaming from his Instagram grid. Nominated for Canada's coveted Polaris Music Prize, it'd be easy to be the cowardly lion; to rinse and repeat what's worked up to this point. But for JayWood, leaning into his natural `what if?' curiosity to make up his own rules as he goes along ("I never really knew what they were to begin with") and venture into honesty's unsafe space to seek comfort, confidence and make even greater connections, really is the only option. After all, he can't help it; he's a Leo.

Zopelar has built a distinguished place in the Brazilian electronic music industry. He is known as a complete and versatile DJ and music producer, and is a key figure in São Paulo’s underground music scene.

With his signature “retro-futuristic-funky-groovy” style, Zopelar has made some celebrated albums and EPs released by labels like Apron Records, Clone Records, Tartelet Records, Soul Clap Records and others.

A prolific producer and sound designer, Zopelar’s work extends beyond music production into the realm of contemporary art and film scoring. His sound pieces have been showcased in prestigious
exhibitions and galleries, including New Museum (NYC) and the Venice Biennale.

Zopelar is now back for his third solo release on Apron Records - LP titled "Call it Love” The first single "We Can Make It" feels nostalgic but with a modern to the future twist which compliments the Apron DNA! It features Brazilian artist Ashira, she lays her beautiful voice over Zopelar classic R&B production..

The second single Je t'aime features French born Brazilian based L’Homme Statue plus Amsterdam’s Retromigration” giving a tropical and very hot Brazilian house for the dance floors and the last single
features US Virgina Beach very own MC “Hernbean5150” With a soulful downtempo smooth production with a perfect complimentary vocal, Some say he reminds them of MF Doom”.

Overall this LP slams in every way and its very well put together, whether at home, driving, in nature or in the clubs, it takes you on a journey for your listening pleasure!

Emil Friis’ neues Album Moving Images, seine erste Soloveröffentlichung für das Klassik-Imprint 130701 des Labels FatCat, ist ein Zeugnis der menschlichen Verfassung und der Dinge, die uns als Spezies zusammenbringen. Es ist inspiriert von den Bewegungen des menschlichen Geistes und den Geschichten, die wir durch Musik, Worte, Kunst und Film teilen.

Das Album umfasst ein breites Spektrum an Instrumenten und Emotionen: düstere Kammermusikstücke wie „For Goodbyes“, bedrohliche, aber hoffnungsvoll hypnotische Ambient-Stücke wie „Zero“, sanfte Solo-Piano-Stücke wie „Dancing“, poetische und verspielte Flöten- und Synthesizer-Stücke wie „Through Air“ und spannungsgeladene, filmische Streicher-, Synthesizer- und Klavierstücke wie „An Upward Motion“.

„Moving Images“ ist auch ein gemeinsames Projekt zwischen Friis und ausgewählten Filmemachern. Jeder der 15 Albumtracks wird von einer Videoarbeit begleitet. Die Filmemacher Kevin Brooks, Shaun Hart, Morgan Jon Fox und Jonathan Meyers hatten kreative Freiheit, die Stücke zu interpretieren, die ihnen am meisten zusagten.

Das aus nur wenigen Elementen bestehende Arrangement sorgt für ein enges Zusammenspiel aus Instrumenten und Emotionen sowie der Tiefe der Texturen. Die Originalkompositionen werden auf Synthesizern, Streichern, Holzbläsern und Klavier dargeboten. Mit Beiträgen von Künstlern wie dem renommierten Streicher Davide Rossi werden sie in cineastische, moderne klassische Werke verwandelt. Die Stücke sind so voller Helligkeit, Sensibilität, Spannung und düsterer Schönheit, dass es oft den Anschein hat, als würden die Instrumente miteinander sprechen. Die Phrasen wirken manchmal einsam. An anderer Stelle schweben und fliegen sie. Trotz ihrer Kürze sind die Resultate von Wärme und Inbrunst erfüllt.

Emerging from the shadows of a small apartment in Chicago’s South Side Pilsen neighborhood in 1999, Winterlight was produced and mixed by Daniel Thompson over the course of three years, from 1999 to 2002. It’s an intimate and evocative album that captures a pivotal chapter in Thompson’s life and echoes the spirit of a formative era in the underground music scene.
Thompson’s journey began in the heat of Houston, Texas, where his love for sound quickly became an obsession. By the late ’90s, he was among the first DJs in Houston to champion the sound of Chicago house, often driving long distances from Texas to Chicago in search of records, inspiration, and connection. These trips—equal parts pilgrimage and education—eventually led him to relocate to Chicago, where his artistic vision would fully take shape. Winterlight is the direct result of that move. Crafted over several years, the album embodies a raw, hands-on approach to production, built from analog synths, outboard gear, and hours of meticulous layering. Thompson leaned on tools like the Kurzweil K2000, SE-1, Juno-106, and classic processors such as the DP4 and TC Electronic units, shaping each track with
care and intention.
Blending atmospheric textures with hypnotic rhythm and subtle experimental flourishes, Winterlight captures the sound of an artist deeply engaged with his tools and surroundings. His extensive vinyl collection—over 3,000 records—served as both palette and inspiration, with carefully chosen samples lending further depth and narrative to the music. Now set for release across all digital platforms and as a limited double 12" vinyl edition through Berlin’s Word & Sound, Winterlight invites listeners into a soundscape that is both immersive and personal. More than just an album, it is a sonic document of a moment in time—rich in tone, memory, and intent. For those willing to listen deeply, Winterlight offers a rare window into the underground spirit of the early 2000s and the inner world of a producer finding his voice.

Pleasure of Love reissue imprint, New Islands, is back with another stunning restoration of a sought-after 12” gem. Originally produced by Paul Robb of Information Society in 1987, Venus II emerged as an otherworldly girl group in the Minneapolis scene. The mysterious duo wrote, programmed/sequenced, and performed everything live in the studio and on stage, including their local hit “Oh Boy.” Over the years, balearic heads have come to know and love this rare 12”. Now New Islands, sourcing from the original multi-track tapes, delivers a wicked, lush reissue of the original songs along with a pair of Justin Strauss remixes. Recommended if you like Nu Shooz, Tom Tom Club, and Torch Song.

Ben Pest and ARA-U unite for the next release on No Static / Automatic. Kaos Sympatic EP started life with the pair recording jams of various vintage studio kit, including an EMS VCS3, Roland VP330 and an Orgon Systems prototype known only as the “Silver Box”, which developed into full tracks over subsequent sessions. Ben Pest has been busy releasing high grade club tracks including collabs with Radioactive Man and Kursa for Asking For Trouble and Love Love Records last year, and with solo EPs dropping on Cultivated Electronics and Posh End music. Here he links with NS/A boss ARA-U, turning out some of their headiest material to date.

The EP kicks off with ‘Err Hello’, it’s wholly discordant, lairy, and unapologetically weird. ‘‘Get A Grip’ drifts in with hallucinatory wafts of sound over a warped riff, building into a granular, distorted headfuck of a hoover-bass moment. This one will make the subs rattle on the right side of distortion. On the B Side title track ‘Kaos Sympatic’ gets stuck in with a big broken beat and guttural sub that transforms into a techno drop to drive this track home. Finishing up, ‘Slapback’ serves up a cut of high energy electro funk, coming off like classic ERP on heat. Limited edition purple vinyl.

The debut single from Soul Music nobility, The Womack Sisters, is a one-two punch of soulful excellence. "If You Want Me" displays uncompromising rawness with pop-sensible control in equal measure. Propelled by the percussive attack of the piano and the hard-hitting call and response vocals, the track has a satisfyingly feel-good swing, allowing the groove to accentuate the hook. Sure to be a universally filed disc for DJs looking to bring some life to the dancefloor. On "I Just Don't Want You" sisters Kujcha and Zeimani's plaintive background vocals and BG's powerful lead come together like a harmonic bouquet in full bloom. A deeply soulful ballad at its core, it tells a tale of someone coming to terms with the pain of being in love with Mr Wrong when you know you deserve Mr Right.

Within the nine carefully composed tracks of Young Bones, Mel D’s characteristic voice stands out in all its facets, varying from fragile to powerful, haunting to playful, but most of all soulful. With a voice that’s both extraordinarily clear and melancholic, Mel D is something surprisingly rare: a singer whose artistic expression goes beyond the mere use of her voice. On Young Bones, Mel D uses contemporary figures, rephrasing them into timeless formulas. Her unique musical language embodies references to genres like Indie or Alternative. In other moments, her sound leans baroque, then jazzy, soulful, and contemplative. Each song represents an ode to being connected: to the world, other people, and most of all to the beauty of music. Mel D draws her inspiration from struggles felt in the current world climate: “I have felt overwhelmed by the world we live in and its countless challenges,” said Mel D. “As if we’re all a bit directionless in our own lives.” Nevertheless, Mel D uses her musicality as a tool for resistance - using it to transform sadness and anger into creativity, and to give world-weariness a voice that seduces, comforts, and inspires. On Young Bones, Mel D sings us to a place where we might find hope - with songs rooted in concern, solidarity, humanness, and empowerment, inviting the listener to lean into those feelings. Bring the Witches Back, a hymn to witchcraft, is a quiet song that summons the return of witches with feminist urgency, for more love and magic to open ourselves towards each other and the world. Soft, a soulful song with a tender melody, gently lulls the listener into an in-between dimension, full of opportunities. Meanwhile, in the coming-of-age ballad, Slowly Growing, she raises questions about belonging and identity, pointing directly at our emotional core. Where Do You Look When It Hurts? speaks to the sensation of exhaustion and emptiness, offering musical warmth and a sense of community in moments of lethargy. Finally, listening to the album, one always feels in good company. Playfully working in folk and electro-pop elements, Mel D takes us on a ride toward love and a sense of belonging, particularly on the track We win. Young Bones was recorded in Zurich and Paris with two outstanding producers of our times: Renaud Letang, who has previously collaborated with Feist, Chilly Gonzales or Lianne La Havas, and Dino Brandão. The latter recognized Mel D’s artistic uniqueness during their first meeting, inviting her to a recording session in his studio and bringing her into the band of Swiss superstar, Faber. Mel D’s solo project was more a product of coincidence than planning, as she says, even though an undisputed talent and passion for music had always been apparent throughout her youth. During her studies in fine arts in Zurich, she founded the electronica-duo mischgewebe, and composed soundtracks for theater and movie productions, as well as for exhibitions. Long before forming her current artistic identity, she went by the nickname Mel D, in a humorous reference to the Spice Girls. Although her personality and musical language suggest thoughtfulness and a melancholy touch, Mel D acknowledges that an honest laugh is never out of place, making her sympathetic and approachable.

World Of Echo announces the reissue of two remastered albums by Japanese guitarist and songwriter Naoki Zushi, 1988’s Paradise, and 2005’s III. Two classics of Japanese psychedelia, both Paradise and III were originally released on Org Records, the imprint of Shinji Shibayama of acid-folk group Nagisa Ni Te, with whom Zushi has guested on second guitar for decades. Both intimate and expansive, rich with revelatory songwriting and blasted, sky-scouring guitar, these reissues return these albums to print for the first time since the 2000s. It’s the first time III has been officially released on vinyl, with an extra, previously unreleased track, “Under The June Moonlight.”

Recorded in Kyoto’s Townhouse Studios in mid 1987 and released in limited-to-500 vinyl pressing in 1988, Paradise emerged from a scene in Kansai, Japan that was embracing the idiosyncracies of 1970s singer-songwriters, the soaring solos of early seventies psychedelia, and the DIY impulse of 1980s post-punk. While Zushi’s musical history stretched back to the early eighties – he was a founding member of Jojo Hiroshige’s noise outfit Hijokaidan – he found his feet with groups like Hallelujahs, whose dream-pop collection Niku O Kuraite Chikai Wo Tateyo was recently reissued by Black Editions, and Idiot O’Clock.

Paradise appeared two years after that Hallelujahs album and share much the same membership – Zushi’s backing band on several of the songs includes Shibayama on drums and Ken-Ichi Takayama (aka Idiot) on electric guitar, though just as often, Zushi plays all the instruments himself. The coordinates here are wide-reaching – you can hear the volume and intensity of Neil Young & Crazy Horse (on “Hallelujah: Left Side” and “Paradise: Midday”), the slow-motion magic of Galaxie 500, the idiosyncratic spirit of The Only Ones, all mixed up with tender guitar miniatures and stumbling garage-psych-pop moves.

Seven years later, after the transitional album Phenomenal Luciferin, Zushi released III. Perhaps his masterpiece, it’s already been bootlegged on vinyl, but this reissue is the real deal. The album was recorded at Studio Nemu over seven years, and sees Zushi backed by Shibayama (bass) and Masako Takeda (drums), his erstwhile bandmates in Nagisa Ni Te. By this stage, Zushi had started to really stretch out, and many of the songs on III swoon languorously, taking their sweet time to say what they need to say. It’s rich with lovely, melancholy songs, in a similar realm to bandmates Nagisa Ni Te, of course, but you can also hear traces of everything from Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs, through seventies private press loner folk, to the slow-burn meanderings of the likes of early Low or Damon & Naomi.

When interviewed by Shibayama in the mid-nineties, Zushi said of Paradise, “it was a sort of collection of songs that had meant something to me up to that point… it was my paradise. I wanted to create paradise.” That’s something Zushi achieves on both of these albums – visionary Japanese psychedelia, en route to paradise. - Jon Dale







g Under The June Moonlight vinyl only bonus track

After the success of the first volume, “Nihon No Wave 2” continues to unearth the hidden history of Japan’s underground electronic scene from the ’80s. This second installment digs even deeper into the archives, showcasing more rare tracks from obscure artists who operated on the fringes of Japan’s independent music world.

Like its predecessor, “Nihon No Wave 2” captures the raw energy and experimental spirit of the "Nippon-wave" era—where lo-fi synths, minimal rhythms, and post-punk aesthetics converged into a uniquely Japanese take on global sounds. Many of these recordings, originally released on cassette compilations or small-run vinyl with no international reach, have remained virtually unknown outside Japan.

Nu-hardcore quintet, Bodyweb, are the sound of someone’s nervous system on the verge of breakdown—hyperactive, tormented and unflinchingly vulnerable. Born out of the Leeds hardcore scene, they’re a shape-shifting alloy of jagged emotion and precision chaos. What began as late-night jams between Louis Hardy (Higher Power, Big Cheese, Fate) and Ben Jones (Pest Control) eventually mutated into train_wreck_simulation, a debut EP filled with frantic breakdowns and nu-metal swag that felt like the soundtrack to a digital exorcism. The final piece of the puzzle came from Hardy’s estranged childhood friend, pq. His twisted samples and synthetic textures are haunted and disturbed, injecting cyberpunk soul into hardcore flesh. Contorting through several iterations in the following years, the band absorbed Luke Thompson (Stiff Meds) on drums, filmmaker Tom Hobson on guitar and Naomi Macleod (Empire State Bastard) on bass, and laid down their first collective offering. deadwired is due out on Flatspot Records later this year. Bodyweb's second EP is a violent thesis on connection and pain that sends Hardy’s unfiltered vocals through heaven and hell. Four overstimulating tracks run a gamut of styles and influences from Slipknot to Björk, constantly lane-switching between dizzying heaviness, ambient soundscapes and brain-burrowing hooks. Entirely self-produced, deadwired upgrades the sonic formula laid down on the last record and raises the question: what else could exist in Bodyweb’s twisted roadmap? Nothing seems impossible. What seems important, however, is retaining the rawness in a style that can often turn sterile. “We still wanted it to sound very human. It had to be well produced but not cold and lifeless.” shares Hardy. “We didn’t use a click track. All guitars were real amps with microphones. We tried to make everything as real and raw as possible, we recorded using all the same gear we use when playing live too to really capture the energy of how it feels when we jam together." ‘Deadwired’ is a snapshot of violent implosion. Four ADHD-fuelled transmissions from the edge of spiritual collapse. It drags metallic hardcore through glitched-out ambience to confront ego death, generational trauma, and the violence of being alive. On stage, Bodyweb don’t just perform, they purge. Raucous live electronics meld with digitally contorted guitars. Breakbeats meet breakdowns—no backing track in sight. Bodyweb enable a collective catharsis. Mosh, dance, dive, scream, heal. A physical therapy session screamed into the void.

Gatefold sleeve Insert Seventh studio album by black metal band Satyricon Includes the single "Black Crow n A Tombstone" and “My Skin Is Cold” Originally released in November 2008 through Roadrunner Records, The Age of Nero is the seventh studio album by black metal band Satyricon. Most of the album was written in a forest cabin, with the collaboration of Snorre Ruch (Thorns).

It was recorded in part at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. In this studio bands like Metallica and Nirvana had also recorded. In support of the release The Age of Nero the band did a full European headlining tour in November /December 2008. The album includes the single "Black Crow on a Tombstone" and “My Skin Is Cold” (also released as 5 track EP prior to album release). Available on black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve and it includes an insert.

Connection is the new ten song LP from Los Angeles powerhouse Orgone featuring collaborations with Cyril Neville, Kelly Finnigan, Pimps of Joytime, and more. The album is the inaugural release on 3 Palm Records, distributed by Colemine Records and Secretly Distribution. A spiritual follow up to fan favorite Bacano, Connection is gritty, lean, and tight soul and funk at its best. It explores the invisible threads that bind us all, spiritually, emotionally, and artistically. Much like the collage that adorns the cover, this hard hitting collection of songs illuminates the essence of Orgone: a musical pastiche of different vocalists, heavy riffs, vintage production, and a core rhythm section that never disappoints. The synergy created in these songs demonstrates that the whole is truly greater than the sum of all the individual parts and players.

In the smoggy orange light of a new millennium, the young Deb Demure would take the bus, once a week, from his home in crumbling Hollywood to his grandmother's apartment, nestled in the pastel pristineness of Beverly Hills. During these visits, Deb couldn't help but notice the disconnect between the glow of his grandmother's temple, and the downtrodden, alienated figures that populated the seats of the mass transit that took him there. Week after week, he would observe these characters: fading B-movie starlets, leisure-suited alcoholics and forgotten civil servants. But one fateful commute home, as the twilight waned to the purple Los Angeles night, he realized these figures were not as lost as they appeared - there was a nobility in their failure, reflective of the dignity of the city's vanishing golden era. They were survivors, in need of a voice: a spokesperson for every color of hope and hopelessness, transcendent of gender and time; Drab Majesty became Deb's musical podium for this undertaking. Raised in a music-centric household, Deb would find the time to teach himself to play his father's right-handed guitar upside down and left-handed; an unorthodox fashion from where his earliest understanding of chords and harmony were conceived. Exploring the bins of discarded vinyl in his neighborhood thrift stores, his toolkit expanded with the subterranean sonic gems of the recent past. Influences range from the virtuosic arpeggiated guitar work of Felt's Maurice Deebank and the grittier pop progressions of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's Chris Reed as well as Steve Severin from Siouxsie and The Banshees. He also studied the harmonic oscillations and utilization of the occult power of vibratory frequency present in New Age sounds of Greek artist, IASOS. In terms of orchestration, he consciously culls from the seaside maximalism of Martin Dupont and mechanized grooves of early Depeche Mode. Like a dualistic pendulum, his vocals swing from a preistly baritone to a choir boy's falsetto reflecting the sepulchral ambiance of church visits with his grandmother. Currently the drummer for Los Angeles lo-fi rock ensemble Marriages and having honed an unorthodox home recording style, Deb sources his sounds from a repository of "mid-fi" synthesizers and other lesser-quality instruments. Following the release of his debut cassette EP, "Unarian Dances", he also shared a split 12" with synth pop forefathers, Eleven Pond. During the Spring of 2015, Drab Majesty signed with Dais Records and released his first single, Unknown to the I, as a introduction for his first initial foray into the album format, romantically titled Careless. Written over the course of 2 years, "Careless" is a compendium of songs that have outlasted a malicious burglary of his studio, his struggles with substance addiction, and most recently, the death of his beloved grandmother.

Gastr del Sol"s second album returns at last to the vinyl format - its first physical manifestation in well over a decade. Once again, a drop of the needle may ignite any number of queries, summed simply in one: What IS this music? Such is the potent energy of Crookt, Crackt, or Fly, retaining its otherworldly qualities some 32 years and countless musical movements since. Crookt, Crackt, or Fly expands upon The Serpentine Similar"s minimalist stance in unexpected ways, imposing further austerity in the soundscape but for an unpredictable expansive quantity periodically overflowing, waves of blood sluicing through the elevator doors. This is partially due to a change within the group dynamic: the departure of bassist Ken "Bundy" Brown and the arrival of a new partner for guitarist and singer David Grubbs - guitarist and sound fuckerer Jim O"Rourke. O"Rourke"s initial work with Gastr involved editing and recomposing recordings of the Grubbs-Brown-&-sometimes-John-McEntire lineup, producing an utterly outré collage of cut-ups and other types of tape processing. This became the "20 Songs Less" single, after which he was invited to play with the group. It was a time of flux; Brown recalls playing a Gastr show at the Metro around this time featuring himself, John McEntire, Grubbs and O"Rourke - and one of the pieces played was a Tortoise song! Throughout these shifts, Gastr del Sol"s music was never less than fully considered and composed, even in moments redolent with the suggestion of the random and the non-sequitur. Grubbs and O"Rourke made no attempt to replicate Serpentine"s arrangement of thick, scaly drones and hypnotic song-visions in their own partnership, finding Crookt, Crackt,"s sound instead in spiny, gamelan-like interactions between their (mostly acoustic) guitars, played precisely in and out of formation with bright, fleet-fingered abandon. O"Rourke"s fondness for field recordings and his capacity for tape manipulation intersected with Grubbs" sensibilities, edifying his evolving song style: written with increased sharpness and sly surreal humor, sung closer to silence. Halfway into "Work from Smoke", the sudden collapse of the sound-walls around us signals Crookt, Crackt"s major departure. From the thicket of guitars, a swell of drones and free-jazz squeals, made up of bass clarinet, vibraphone and organ, pulls the listener into an entirely other acoustic space. "Every Five Miles" derails in similarly tactile fashion: a guitar duet boils up thunderously, then fragments and spirals apart. As a free electric guitar part crops up, improbably holding the center, the acoustic space around it continues to disintegrate in ambient stereo. A wedding of folk music idioms to classical, improvised and modern compositional modes (including Gastr"s own formative post-punk mode), Crookt, Crackt, or Fly is a song-based reality steadily giving way to its alternative alchemies playing out within.

In the spring of 2020, Ben Cook _ a.k.a. Young Governor, Young Guv, or just Guv _ was holed up in the New Mexico high desert, his U.S. tour having been abruptly covid-cancelled during a southwest swing. He and his bandmates were living moment to moment in something called an Earthship, a solar-rigged adobe structure sustainably constructed with, among other things, recycled bottles and tires. And out there in the serene vastness, as a short ride-it-out stint turned into a nine-month sojourn, Ben was writing music, slowly, little by little, mostly at night while the others slept. By the New Year, almost in spite of himself, he had created a new album, two new albums actually, and through the ordeal he was forever changed. In a place he never expected to be, under circumstances no one could have predicted, and in the face of physical isolation, emotional desolation, and existential dread, Ben created GUV III & IV, a collection of songs dedicated and testifying to the eternal healing power of love _ how to find it in the world, in others, and most importantly, in himself.

Nestled away in the UKs quiet, picturesque east coast town of Ipswich, the lads in Basement are conflicted between the comfort of the beautiful familiar and the allure of escape. This duality pervades the band's existence. As frontman Andrew Fisher's gravelly yowl skips and stretches over driving rhythms and poignant guitar melodies, its clear Basement expertly walk the line between the contrasts of heartrending pop and gruff post-hardcore. When working through a slow-burning mid-tempo or pounding out driving punk, Basement has a quiet layer of jagged desperation weaving songs together under the smooth melodic surface. Much like a coming of age, the songs are toiling, torn and bursting at the seams.

Johnny Cash "With His Hot and Blue Guitar" is the debut album from the Man in Black, featuring hits like "I Walk The Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues". Released in 1957, it was the first LP ever issued on Sam Phillips' Sun Records label. Pressed on black vinyl.

Local Philadelphia singing sensations Al and Tyrone Chestnut self produced the classic 12" single "Sweet Little Rita” mixed in New York in 1983
by the highly regarded Steve Goldman, who was the chief engineer for Mighty M productions and whose mixes for Kashif, Evelyn Champagne King, Melba Moore, George Benson and others, became radio staples. Like most Street Level releases,
"Sweet Little Rita" was recorded inPhiladelphia, mixed in New York, and originally released in Canada. Presented here is the original 12" version plus bonus instrumental version.

In the smoggy orange light of a new millennium, the young Deb Demure would take the bus, once a week, from his home in crumbling Hollywood to his grandmother's apartment, nestled in the pastel pristineness of Beverly Hills. During these visits, Deb couldn't help but notice the disconnect between the glow of his grandmother's temple, and the downtrodden, alienated figures that populated the seats of the mass transit that took him there. Week after week, he would observe these characters: fading B-movie starlets, leisure-suited alcoholics and forgotten civil servants. But one fateful commute home, as the twilight waned to the purple Los Angeles night, he realized these figures were not as lost as they appeared - there was a nobility in their failure, reflective of the dignity of the city's vanishing golden era. They were survivors, in need of a voice: a spokesperson for every color of hope and hopelessness, transcendent of gender and time; Drab Majesty became Deb's musical podium for this undertaking. Raised in a music-centric household, Deb would find the time to teach himself to play his father's right-handed guitar upside down and left-handed; an unorthodox fashion from where his earliest understanding of chords and harmony were conceived. Exploring the bins of discarded vinyl in his neighborhood thrift stores, his toolkit expanded with the subterranean sonic gems of the recent past. Influences range from the virtuosic arpeggiated guitar work of Felt's Maurice Deebank and the grittier pop progressions of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's Chris Reed as well as Steve Severin from Siouxsie and The Banshees. He also studied the harmonic oscillations and utilization of the occult power of vibratory frequency present in New Age sounds of Greek artist, IASOS. In terms of orchestration, he consciously culls from the seaside maximalism of Martin Dupont and mechanized grooves of early Depeche Mode. Like a dualistic pendulum, his vocals swing from a preistly baritone to a choir boy's falsetto reflecting the sepulchral ambiance of church visits with his grandmother. Currently the drummer for Los Angeles lo-fi rock ensemble Marriages and having honed an unorthodox home recording style, Deb sources his sounds from a repository of "mid-fi" synthesizers and other lesser-quality instruments. Following the release of his debut cassette EP, "Unarian Dances", he also shared a split 12" with synth pop forefathers, Eleven Pond. During the Spring of 2015, Drab Majesty signed with Dais Records and released his first single, Unknown to the I, as a introduction for his first initial foray into the album format, romantically titled Careless. Written over the course of 2 years, "Careless" is a compendium of songs that have outlasted a malicious burglary of his studio, his struggles with substance addiction, and most recently, the death of his beloved grandmother.

Established in 2022, Warm Exit is a post-punk quartet hailing from Brussels, Belgium. Their violently frontal music is an explosive blend of sonic intensity that sets them apart as one of the country's most electrifying and raucous acts. Drawing inspiration from Krautrock, Punk, and Noise, their relentless rhythmic prowess is a testament to their diverse influences. Channeling the spirit of iconic 1970s bands like Wire, The Fall, and Public Image Limited, Warm Exit ventures into the shadowy realm of post-punk with their latest EP. Here, they seamlessly oscillate between fast and slow tempos, high and low energy levels, and vocals that span from tense whispers to unbridled screams. This journey takes the listener through a landscape of discordant riffs, haunting groans, evocative spoken word passages, and industrial undertones. Over the past three years, Warm Exit has cultivated a devoted following both locally and internationally, thanks to their electrifying live performances that leave audiences in awe. Carrying the reputation of a striking live band, they are eager to storm the stage at any and every given opportunity.

Bendik Giske’s Beatrice Dillon-produced 2023 album gets an addendum with reworks from Carmen Villain, aya, Hanne Lippard, Hieroglyphic Being, Wacław Zimpel and Dillon herself.

Giske’s clearly got his ear to the ground; his last remix record was an invitation for Laurel Halo to put her stamp on »Cruising«, while 2018’s »Adjust EP« roped in Deathprod, Total Freedom, Lotic, and Rezzett. Now comes this new LP of remixes and it’s one of the best we’ve heard in aeons. Carmen Villain boots things off with a remix of »Slipping«, following her excellent (and way, way too underrated) »Nutrition EP« with a giddy, subtle roller that sounds as if it’s been constructed using only Giske’s raw stems. His breaths and leathery key presses – already amped up by Dillon’s detailed recording – are magicked into a dubby concrète groove that’s enhanced with the sparest melodic elements: echoing rainforest-at-night horn blasts, and lopped off decay trails that help fuel the momentum.

aya’s revision of the same track takes a different approach, forming forceful overlapping polyrhythms from Giske’s clanks, using the gamelan-like arpeggios for melodic weight and repetition. The result is a constantly shifting, hypnotic trancer that’s achingly organic – more Raja Kirik than Paul Van Dyke. Polish clarinetist and producer Wacław Zimpel, meanwhile, supplements his trippy recent collaboration with James Holden on a similarly levitational wrinkle of »Slipping« that twists Giske’s quivering sequences with microtonal synth prangs, and gusty echoes. But it’s Jamal Moss who plays fastest and loosest with Giske’s source material, calling back to April’s psy-house stunner »Dance Music 4 Bad People« with a powdery, sexualised banger that buries the breathy »Start« stems underneath neon synths, and brittle drum loops.

»I’m a digital nomad,« Lippard deadpans over Giske’s »Not Yet«. »I’m addicted you know that.« It’s a typically dry treatment from the conceptual artist that unexpectedly amps up the hypnotic qualities of Giske’s original, adding her circuitous charm to his concertina-ing sax sequences. And to tie things up perfectly, Beatrice Dillon returns with her diaphanous remix of »Rise and Fall«, built to emphasise the radically different approaches of each artist.

The album introduced a lush, complex dream world that the singer, composer, and producer created and inhabited largely on her own. She produced all the songs, and wrote and performed everything on the self-released collection outside of a re-imagined cover of Pink Floyd’s “Green is the Colour” and 2 other tracks (“The Time,” “Give It Back To You”), which started as instrumentals written by Survive’s Kyle Dixon (who composed the Stranger Things soundtrack with his bandmate Michael Stein), to which Ainsworth wrote melodies and added lyrics. Ainsworth, who’s relocated to Los Angeles from Toronto since 2017’s Darling of the Afterglow, explains that the collection revealed itself to her “as a play taking place in Mother Nature’s vanishing home,” aka Phantom Forest, and that she’s singing from 3 perspectives: herself, Mother Nature, and Greek Chorus. For instance, of the album’s opener, “Diamonds Cutting Diamonds,” she explains: “The Greek Chorus sets the scene, narrating and offering direction on how to enter Phantom Forest. It’s my hope that the listener will imagine the narration to be directed to them as well, as they begin the journey of the album.” You’ll get a sense of this from the collection’s edenic cover art and the playful, pastoral video for the album’s first single, “Can You Find Her Place.” Its inspiration came from Ainsworth’s love for Italian Renaissance painter Botticelli’s 15-century masterpiece “Primavera,” an allegorical representation of the burgeoning fertility of the earth in spring. She notes: “The video features the Greek gods of the painting in a choreographed Baroque style dance.” Keeping with the personal feel of the collection, her sister Abby Ainsworth directed the clip. In line with the classical and historical depths of Phantom Forest, Ainsworth, who holds a Masters Degree in film scoring composition from NYU and studied composition as an undergrad at McGill, notes that although the album might be considered pop, she approached it as an orchestrator. “Even if I’m dealing purely with synths,” she says, “The songs are like a score, each one an evolving journey. I love to use strings so I’ve included my string arrangements on ‘Tell Me I Exist’ and ‘Can You Find Her Place.’ I recorded live musicians on drums, bass, and guitar on ‘Edge of the Throne,’ ‘The Time,’ and ‘Floating Dream,’ and wove those live elements into my programmed elements.” Phantom Forest is a beautiful, vast collection that mixes the historical and the hands on, with hooks about the apocalypse and people obsessively using face-recognition software to see what paintings their face match with, in search of some kind of connection. It’s a journey that holds up to close listening (and lyric reading) and to dance floors, but that can also exist on a purely emotional plane. In all cases, it asks that you listen, and take some kind of action.

"Laurel Hell" ist ein Soundtrack zur Transformation. Eine Landkarte für den Ort, an dem Verletzlichkeit und Widerstandsfähigkeit, Trauer und Freude, Fehler und Transzendenz in unserer Menschlichkeit Platz finden und als würdig angesehen werden können - um letztendlich anerkannt und geliebt zu werden. "I accept it all," verspricht MITSKI. "I forgive it all." Auf "Laurel Hell" festigt MITSKI ihren Ruf als Künstlerin, die die Kraft besitzt, unsere wildesten und zwiespältigsten Erfahrungen in ein heilendes Elixier zu verwandeln. "I wrote what I needed to hear. As I've always done." Nach der Veröffentlichung von "Be The Cowboy", einem der meistgelobten Alben des Jahres 2018, das von Outlets wie Pitchfork (u.a.) zum Album des Jahres gekürt wurde, stieg MITSKI vom Kultliebling zum Indie-Star auf. Mit spürbaren Folgen: Die Schinderei des Tourlebens und die Fallstricke die mit der erhöhten Sichtbarkeit einhergingen, beeinflussten ihre Musik ebenso wie ihren Geist, die sich in der ersten Single "Working For The Knife" niederschlägt. Ein Song, wie ein Prüfstein für das Gesamtgefühl von "Laurel Hell": "I start the day lying and end with the truth / That I'm dying for the knife." "Be The Cowboy" wurde von weiblicher Stärke und Trotz angetrieben, lebte jedoch von seinem Spiel mit Masken. Wie der Berglorbeer bzw. die "laurel hell", nach dem das neue Album benannt ist, kann die öffentliche Wahrnehmung, wie das berauschende Prisma des Internets, eine verlockende Fassade bieten, hinter der sich eine tödliche Falle verbirgt. Die sich immer enger zieht, je mehr man sich anstrengt. "I got to a point, where I just knew that if I kept going this way, I would numb myself to completion." Erschöpft von diesem verzerrten Spiegel und unserer Sucht nach falschen Binaritäten, begann MITSKI, Songs zu schreiben, die die Masken abstreifen und die komplexen und oft widersprüchlichen Realitäten dahinter offenbaren. MITSKI dazu: "I needed love songs about real relationships that are not power struggles to be won or lost. I needed songs that could help me forgive both others and myself. I make mistakes all the time. I don't want to put on a front where I'm a role model, but I'm also not a bad person. I needed to create this space mostly for myself where I sat in that gray area." Die daraus entstanden Songs verkörpern genau diesen Raum. Wie die zweite Single des Albums, "The Only Heartbreaker", die gemeinsam mit Dan Wilson geschrieben wurde und der erste Song dieser Art in ihrer Diskografie ist. "The Only Heartbreaker" verbindet treibenden 80er-Pop mit einem trügerisch einfachen Text, dessen aufrichtiger Refrain ins Ironische kippt, sobald dieser "the person always messing up in the relationship, the designated Bad Guy who gets the blame," beschreibt und sich zugleich fragt, ob "the reason you're always the one making mistakes is because you're the only one trying." MITSKI schrieb viele Songs für "Laurel Hell" während und teilweise vor 2018. Das Album wurde allerdings erst im Mai 2021 final abgemischt. Es ist die längste Zeitspanne, die MITSKI jemals für ein Album gebraucht hat und für die Musikerin inmitten einer radikal veränderten Welt endete. MITSKI nahm "Laurel Hell" mit ihrem langjährigen Produzenten Patrick Hyland in der Zeit der Isolation während der Pandemie auf, als einige der Songs "slowly took on new forms and meanings, like seed to flower." Das Album als Ganzes entwickelte sich "to be more uptempo and dance-y. I needed to create something that was also a pep talk" erklärt MITSKI. Die Spannung, die zwischen ihren raffinierten, aber wehmütigen Texten und dem sprudelnden Pop-Sound der 1980er Jahre entsteht, ist eine dringend benötigte Infusion in Zeiten wie diesen und das Werk einer reifen wie unwiderstehlichen Künstlerin, die auch zu fröhlich ansteckenden Dance-Beats immer noch etwas Profundes beizutragen hat.

20th Anniversary Edition of «The Creep» by Slomo, this ambient doom masterwork is available on vinyl for the first time via Ideologic Organ. This is a storied album of verbal history, and emerged from a figurative long barrow deep within a virtual space of great depth and contemplation, an inverted framing of acoustic space with heavy floors ranging from the wake of COIL to the heaviest Japanese fire of psychedelia to the monuments of drone coagulating in the early ‘aughts. A first CDR edition in 2005 garnered focus of heavyweights like SUNN O))), Julian Cope, the esoteric legendary record store Aquarius, and the Wire.
Ideologic Organ are honoured to have been tasked to bring this to a limited LP for the very first time, and collaborated with mastering genius Rashad Becker to create a 61 minute single LP in a perfect cut.
Highly Ritualised Somnambulant Glumbient Downer band from Yorkshire, UK.
‘Slomo is a 2-piece made up of myself, Holy McGrail, and Howard «Iron Man» Marsden. Our debut album THE CREEP was released in a run of 100 copies on FUCK OFF & DI in 2005, after attracting a great buzz in its earlier promo form. THE CREEP is a single 1-hour-long track recorded live with minimal overdubs & zero eye-contact. Malnourished musical structures flourish, flounder and flag in virtual stasis.

Leon Michels ist still und leise zu einem der gefragtesten Produzenten der Musikszene geworden. Sein unverwechselbarer Sound hat die Aufmerksamkeit des Mainstreams auf sich gezogen und inspiriert gleichzeitig weiterhin die Underground-Szene. Seit dem 2023 erschienenen Album Glorious Game von El Michels Affair & Black Thought war Michels als Produzent für andere Künstler aktiv - darunter Norah Jones' Grammy-prämiertes Visions, Clairos Grammy-nominiertes Charm, Kali Uchis' ,Moonlight" sowie Alben für seine Labelkollegen Brainstory, Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, Thee Heart Tones und Liam Bailey. Sein neues Album 24 Hr Sports markiert die langersehnte Rückkehr unter seinem eigenen Namen: El Michels Affair.24 Hr Sports wurde inspiriert von Mode und Grafikdesign der Sports-Illustrated-Magazine der 80er- und 90er-Jahre, MF DOOMs Special Herbs-Alben, den dort verwendeten Sample-Quellen und Gospelmusik à la Pastor T.L. Barrett. Die Summe dieser Einflüsse, gepaart mit Michels' unfehlbarem kreativen Gespür, ergibt ein Rezept für einen Instant-Klassiker - ein Werk, das zweifellos zu den meistgefeierten Veröffentlichungen des Jahres 2025 zählen wird.Der Album-Opener ,Drum Line" ist ein hymnischer, mitreißender Track mit Marschband-Schlagzeug und donnernden Bläserarrangements, die sofort alle Aufmerksamkeit auf sich ziehen und den Ton für das folgende Album setzen. 24 Hr Sports bedeutet eine deutliche Abkehr von der bisher überwiegend instrumentalen Musik im Katalog von El Michels Affair. Mit einer Vielzahl von Gesangsfeatures spiegelt das Album das schwer einzuordnende Genre seiner Musik wider.Das erste dieser Features ist ,Mágica" mit dem brasilianischen Künstler Rogê, der die ohnehin energiegeladene Nummer mit seinen fußballinspirierten Lyrics auf ein neues Level hebt. Weiter geht es von Brasilien nach Ghana: In ,Say Goodbye" feiert Florence Adooni ihre Individualität mit lässigem Selbstbewusstsein und wechselt mühelos zwischen Frafra und Englisch, besonders eingängig im Refrain: ,never gonna find a girl like me_".Labelkollege und weltbekannter Trompeter von The Roots, Dave Guy, veredelt den 70er-Jahre-Groove von ,Oakley's Car Wash" mit seinen charakteristischen Bläserlinien, bevor der Track in ein Dub-artiges Outro übergeht. Vom wilden zum sanften Klang: ,Anticipate" mit Clairo knüpft an die musikalische Chemie an, die das 2024er-Album Charm hervorgebracht hat. Clairo gleitet über die typischen EMA-Arrangements, während sie sich nach unerreichbarer Liebe sehnt - getragen von einer perfekt eingespielten Band.,Eastside" ist ein Stück, das einen Sonnenaufgang am Meer vertonen könnte - Leon Michels' Sinn für Raum und Arrangement wird hier besonders deutlich. Aus Japan ist der Suginami Children's Choir auf dem üppigen Track ,Clean The Line" zu hören - sie singen ein Lied über den Mond, die Sonne und Vögel. Danach reißt ,Cortex" mit verzerrten Gitarren und donnernden Drums die Tür auf - ein Moment purer, filmreifer Intensität in der Mitte des Albums.Leon Michels übernimmt selbst den Lead-Gesang auf ,Shining", einem Song über die Suche nach einem Freund, mit dem man die Freude eines sonnigen Tages teilen kann. Der international gefeierte Shintaro Sakamoto ist auf ,Indifference" zu hören - ein lässiger Song mit federnden Basslinien und gefühlvollen Flöten, in dem Sakamoto zwischen Gesang und gesprochener Poesie über eine vergängliche Liebe reflektiert.Das Grammy-prämierte Duo Norah Jones und Michels kommt auf ,Carry Me Away" erneut zusammen: Jones' honigsüße Stimme schwebt über einem schwer einzuordnenden, aber sofort liebenswerten Track. Michels lehnt sich hier wieder mehr in Richtung El Michels Affair-Stil, der sich klar von seinen bisherigen Produktionen für Norah Jones abhebt. ,Take My Hand" stellt den Gospel-Einfluss in den Vordergrund - mit dem Fabulous Rainbow Singers Choir im Refrain und einem Saxophon-Solo der verstorbenen Jazzlegende Rahsaan Roland Kirk.,Open Season", ein Piano-getriebener Midtempo-Track mit Gruppenrufen wie ,we want the gold, we want the gold_", könnte den perfekten Soundtrack für eine Slow-Motion-Highlight-Reel liefern. Der treffend betitelte Albumabschluss ,Victory Lap" schließlich ist ein traumhafter, euphorischer Ausklang, der dem gesamten Werk würdig ist.Am Ende spricht die Trophäe auf dem Albumcover Bände: El Michels Affair ist Champion Sound - und 24 Hr Sports macht das unmissverständlich klar.

Hip Hop Collected will take you on a musical journey through the history of hip hop. This 2LP covers the first 20 years of the genre, showcasing 25 early pioneers who participated in the rise of hip hop. This compilation features music from the new labels that started to rise from the underground scene, like Sugar Hill Records, Profile and of course Def Jam. Including artists that defined a genre, a lifestyle and most of all, artists that inspired millions of young kids with both socially critical lyrics as well as classic party anthems.

This hip hop compilation album is part of the new Collected compilation series, which is a collaboration between Universal Music and Music On Vinyl. The compilations bring together the biggest and best names of its genre, combined with forgotten hits and less discovered gems, giving the listener an experience of both nostalgia and uncovering new musical grounds at the same time.

The 2LP features Kurtis Blow “The Breaks”, Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five “The Message”, Beastie Boys “She’s On It”, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock “Get On The Dancefloor”, and Eric B. & Rakim “Paid In Full” amongst many others.

Hip Hop Collected is available as a limited edition of 5000 individually numbered copies on red (LP1) and white (LP2) coloured vinyl. The album includes an insert with liner notes, photos and credits.

Editions Mego presents Bosko, landing exactly 30 years after the initial General Magic flights into the fantastic; the legendary first Mego release, a collaboration with Pita whereby all sounds were harnessed from the buzzing, drinking, humming sounds of fridges MEGO 001 General Magic & Pita and a 12” with Elin called Die Mondlandung (The Moon Landing) MEGO 002 which embarked on a minimal techno template so austere and strange it was one of the historic progenitors of austere and wonky rhythms alongside Sakho and other European explorers.

The initial return of the playful and mystical Austrian outfit General Magic came with the 20th year anniversary vinyl reissue of their classic debut Frantz eMEGO 010. A record so audacious and playful it still baffles as much as it entertains. At some point whilst working on this reissue GM’s Ramon Bauer and Andi Pieper were spurred on to rummage around with ideas and tools once more and after more than two decades of inactivity sonic sorcery was conjured once again. Live shows in honour of Peter Rehberg were performed in Vienna and London. Softbop, a limited risograph collaboration with Tina Frank came with the first new recordings as a digital download came out discreetly online. The first full length album following Rechenkönig in 2000 MEGO 032 “Nein Aber Ja” released in 2023 on Finlay Shakespeare’s GOTO Records on CD and cassette. An ongoing series of mix tapes online further highlights their interests encapsulating a new found angle on electronic mayhem. All of these elements retain the wildly eclectic and ecstatic glow that only they can harness and hand out to an unprepared world.

Now, we have General Magic’s second official full length comeback recording, Bosko. The new album is initially notable prior to the needle hitting the wax or the cursor identifying a track due to the artwork. Made by long term collaborator Tina Frank, this is Frank’s first analogue artwork, with a painting of a happy/nervous machine thing hovering in a landscape of no discernible identity. It’s quasi science fiction hovering amongst the potential for fun. Suited to the music? Natürlich.

Bosko sees Bauer and Pieper update and reframe their original investigations with a fresh supply of head scratching, heart racing tunes that hit the inexplicable with a wild mesh of drums, pianos, synthetic voices and all manner of immaterial sonic play. Startling sonics shock the ears on Club Duchamp which sounds like a conversation between synthetic adult ants in an environment still in development. Elfer features vocals supplied by a female-ish voice who, whilst grappling melody, has trouble executing a firm identity. Noorenhalt catapults along a mainframe of syncopation so unwieldy it feels like the voice, which is utterly alien, provides the only comfort. Seite 5 inhabits a fuzzy zone where a synthetic Horn of Jericho type ambience competes with rhythms never quite sure of who they are. Rise of the Ombré raises the spectral dread. Is this Science Fact? Absolutely nothing within Bosko is predictable.

The amount of change in the miasma of existence and the things we touch in order to make things has shifted so exponentially we are at the point where minds are starting to glaze over. All of this makes the return of the always original, always surprising, always fresh and exciting General Magic totally in tune with the artificial intelligent apocalyptic age we currently inhabit. The tools may have changed but the wonderfully warped gaze of Bosko offers a fresh new vision of perplexing funk and robotic punk.

"Back in print with a brand new 2024 cut by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering, pressed on striking Transparent GOLD colored vinyl and topped off with a collectible “Footlong” OBI. NPR calls “Angherr Shisspa” a “vital reissue of a punk-prog opus”.

Japan's Koenjihyakkei blend progressive rock, jazz fusion, symphonic rock and neoclassicism with the energy of hardcore punk, the volume of metal and the attitude of rock in opposition.

Tatsuya Yoshida’s (of the renowned bass and drum duo RUINS), progressive rock powerhouse is Area and ELP at their most excessive; Deus Ex Machina with tempo changes multiplied by 100; and Magma at their orff-ian choral, fusion jazz, overcharged gospel peak.

“Angherr Shisspa”, the band’s landmark fourth album explodes with glittery keyboard lines, speedy bass/drum workouts, emotive reed respites, and operatic female vocals that take the listener from sheer exuberance to absolute apocalypse... all performed with superhuman technique in confoundingly catchy, complex arrangements.

“...towers over most modern progressive rock because of an attention to detail and an almost overwhelming force of conviction. No irony here: this rocks with the teeth and heart to cut through scenes and the ""overground"" like a knife."" - PITCHFORK"

Rivet’s new album for Editions Mego is an uplifting and joyous affair coming in the wake of tragedy and disenchantment. It is yet another rebirth from an artist willing to take a step back and reprise the current situation he is in. Mika Hallbäck has a long credible history in the Swedish underground. First recognised for his industrial techno works under the Grovskopa moniker he worked privately on more experimental works that eventually came out as On Feather and Wire, an album released on Editions Mego in 2020. After much acclaim for this bold new direction that blended electronic abstraction, pop and industrial forms into a heavy synthetic trip two tragedies struck. One was the passing of label boss Peter Rehberg and then the passing of his dog Lilo, who was as close as a companion one could have. These events led to the release of the more unsettling follow up L+P-2 (Lilo and Pita minus two) on Midnight Shift Records in 2023. Peck Glamour sees Rivet return to the reawakened Editions Mego with an album of optimism inspired by reconciliation with loss and further explorations of new mental/sonic realms.

Hallbäck defines his approach as not being married to any particular machine, instrument, process or genre. However he holds a particular affinity to sampling, of which, he says, provides the dirt and grit amongst what would otherwise be pristine, generic machine music. The contemporary crate digging method of scouring obscure download music bogs for unique sounds was his preferred research practice.

Peck Glamour is an album full of tracks brimming with the excitement of exploration. It's the results of a mind informed by punk, industrial, techno, dancefloor, disappointment, trauma and rebirth. Here the synthetic and authentic is viewed simply as the same means of human rationale and expression.

The opening, ‘Catch Up to Light’, sets the scene with ecstatic and odd fluorescent vocals sliding amongst crystalline likembe whilst synths swirl amongst the external festivities. ‘Orbiting Empty Cocoon’ is somewhat a homage to the alien sound worlds of The Orb, one which takes the listener deeper into a mind melting array of teased potential as visual elements are executed in a mask of audio wizardry and euphoric staccato rhythms, the later being a nod to Singeli music. ‘Patitur Butcher’ is more dance frontal utilising the Ghatam drum and a YouTube rip of a Chinese language lesson. ‘Plastic Bag Putain’ was made during the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and should be clear of its intent. ‘All that Heaven Allows’ is a marimba cover of an imaginary Love Parade anthem. 'Kyrie Geire’ potentially briefly fills the void left by the demise of Coil. The entire trip of Peck Glamour is sewn up with ‘We left before we came’ whereby extraneous recordings of double bass player Gregory Vartian-Foss (tuning/strumming/moving the bass) are superimposed with local field recordings to create a gorgeous bed of sounds acting as an exciting exit music to this sharp collection of cinematic ear excursions.

RRL and Lay-Far are back on GAMM with a killa 7" exploring the bridges between Jamaican sound systems and UK 90's club culture.

Side A delivers an uptempo dub vs breakbeat tune that probably could've been championed by someone like Grooverider or similar in the mid 90s.

On the B side we find a fierce original jungle version with those Amen drums hitting bang on.