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Following the release of the 7-inch "La Tua Amica Più Cara / Corteggiamento Lento" last September, Marengo is thrilled to announce Lumiero's debut LP, Il Primo Grande Disco Di Lumiero. Distributed by Four Flies Records, the album will be available starting Friday 5 December.

Featuring a timeless voice and a sophisticated touch, Lumiero sends poetic postcards from Milan and its Barona district that expertly blend auteur pop, chanson, and 60s exotica. Born in '97, Lumiero is the city's new chansonnier. Drawing inspiration from both the core and fringes of Milanese life, he offers a romantic, nuanced, yet playfully irreverent look at contemporary Italy and its profound longing for new horizons.

Marquis's compositions and arrangements provide the perfect backdrop for Lumiero's captivating melodies, acting as both canvas and frame. Meanwhile, the lyrics explore passionate romances, fleeting summer escapades, and a nation striving to reconnect with its core identity.

Moving between exotic waltzes and theatrical atmospheres, Lumiero's full-length debut is imbued with lightheartedness, underpinned by elegant songwriting and vocals that combine irony and melancholy. Living fully in the present but rooted in tradition, the album's tracks are little musical gems that bridge eras and generations, infusing the classic style of Italian songs with a modern, elegant, and cinematic quality.

And so, as time comes full circle, we find ourselves at a new beginning.

Some things are just too good to be hidden from view. That's certainly the case with Things To Think About, the first album from Dutch electronic music legend Steve Rachmad's lesser-known Sterac Electronics project.
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Rachmad first rose to prominence in the late 1990s, spearheading a surge in Dutch techno that was heavily inspired by the futurist intent and machine soul of Detroit. Since then, he has continued to successfully explore a wide range of dancefloor-centric electronic styles under a dizzying array of aliases.

It's a while, though, since the public has been treated to a heavy dose of Sterac Electronics material. He first established the alias at the turn of the millennium, primarily as an outlet for hardware-driven electro music shot through with funk and soul.

A handful of highly regarded 12' singles were released on Music Man and Interpersonal XP, before Rachmad began focusing on other projects. When inspiration struck, he returned to the project, jamming out tracks using a mighty collection of vintage synthesizers and drum machines.

Recently, Rachmad and Tom Trago decided to revisit the Sterac Electronics archive, discovering a killer collection of cuts created at different points over the course of the last 15 years.

Now 9 of those spellbinding hardware jams have been gathered together for the first time on Things To Think About, a warm, rich and evocative collection of electro-fuelled workouts that giddily pay tribute to the music of Rachmad's youth.

From the thrusting, synth-driven machine funk of Original Pattern' and mutant electrofunk revivalism of Game Changers', to the baggy West Coast boogie of Metratron' and intergalactic hustle of Archetype' (which sounds like Cybotron covering the 1988 version of The KLF's What Time Is Love'), Things To Think About is an lesson in the emotion-rich, mood enhancing possibilities of spontaneous hardware jams.

The highlights don't stop there, either. Check, for example, the crystalline synthesizer melodies, body popping drum hits and spacey chords of Tuning Into Frequencies' and the breezy humidity of opener Altruistic Endeavor'.

Like the rest of the tracks on the album, they feel timeless, as if they could have been made at any point during the last three decades. From Steve Rachmad, we wouldn't expect anything less.

Things To Think About will be released as a limited-edition double album, preceded by a 12' single featuring another previously unheard gem from the vaults.

The follow up to his 2017 album, Produced With Love II is a collection of brand new songs from one of the UK's most longstanding, respected and fiercely independent artists. In a flash-in-the-pan industry like music, Dave Lee's career is notable for both its longevity and consistency. As a record producer and remixer, DJ and curator, he's now clocked up well over 30 years and, if such things existed, would be nailed on for a carriage clock for long service to add to the numerous hits and landmarks he's enjoyed over a storied career. His latest album, Produced With Love II, continues the work he started with 2017's superb collection. Incorporating aspects of house, soul and disco and crafted with the attention to detail you'd expect from someone of Lee's heritage and calibre, Produced With Love II comprises 12 brand new songs and will arrive in June 2022. The writing process has always remained the same and Dave has always preferred to work face-to-face with artists whenever possible - albeit with a few enforced remote sessions due to the pandemic.

On her fourth full-length album as Shedir, Sardinian sound artist Martina Betti offers a profound meditation on what it means to be human on the threshold of uncertainty.

We Are All Strangers is a series of ambient tapes-tries shaped by duality and introspection, where sound becomes a space to explore the tension between identity and ambiguity, presence and disappearance, connection and solitude. Inspired by the idea that we are all strangers, however, first and foremost to ourselves, Betti crafts seven fluid, slow-burn compositions that inhabit a sociological liminal zone—what she comments as an “inner elsewhere.”

These aren’t songs in the traditional sense, but evolving sonic environments that feel like emotional states made audible. Environmental textures, submerged electronics, and deep low-end pulses coalesce into a dreamlike architecture of sound: immersive, fragile, and quietly transformative.

Rather than offering answers or closure, the album invites us to live in radical openness—to stop trying to define everything we see and feel, and instead bathe in what remains unnamed. In this sense, We Are All Strangers is an invitation: to sit with uncertainty, to embrace the unfinished, and to find resonance even in our collective disconnection.

For listeners drawn to the introspective frequencies of Rafael Anton Irisarri, Félicia Atkinson, or Lawrence English, Betti’s music offers a similarly haunting and immersive experience—one where strangeness is not a flaw, but a starting point. In her hands, ambient music becomes a kind of reflective shelter: a place to brush against each other in the dark and begin to learn, as she puts it, “the difficult art of closeness.”

Spike Lees neuester Film ,Highest 2 Lowest" zeigt das Leben des Gründers des fiktiven Plattenlabels Stackin Hit's, gespielt von Denzel Washington. Der Soundtrack hat eine coole Auswahl an Original-Songs von etablierten Musikgrößen und neuen Künstlern. Die aufstrebenden Sängerinnen Jensen McCrae und Aiyana-Lee bringen ihre einzigartigen Stimmen ins Album ein, während die Harlem-Legende Eddie Palmieri mit seinem Salsa-Orchester für energiegeladene Auftritte sorgt. Das absolute Highlight ist der ebenfalls aus New York stammende A$AP Rocky (der auch in dem Film mitspielt), der zwei knallharte Ohrwürmer beisteuert, die uns daran erinnern, warum er einer der modernen Superstars des Rap ist. Die Starpower des Soundtracks wird durch eine mitreißende Orchesterpartitur von Howard Drossin untermalt und durch ein vom Jazzpianisten Fergus McCreadie angeführtes Trio ergänzt.

Over two years in the making, and many more in the two musician’s shared dream, ‘Real Thing’ unites longtime collaborators Michael Collins (Drugdealer) and Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood). Recorded across continents, ‘Real Thing’ is a return, a refinement and a reminder of the deep connection that has bound these two titans of song over multiple collaborations. The journey of ‘Real Thing’ began when Collins, while on a European sojourn, crossed paths with Parisian producer Max Baby. As one does while in Paris, they found themselves in a studio owned by a member of the 1970s French prog rock band Magma. There, a chord progression long-gestating in Collins’ brain blossomed into a bonafide demo.

Collins recalls, “I realized immediately that it was the perfect thing to show Nat, who I had been wanting to collaborate with again for years.” The connection and musical camaraderie between Collins and Mering dates back to 2014 in Oakland, where a chance meeting and studio session marked the genesis of their enduring partnership. Collins reflects, “Since then, I’ve felt like she’s my musical family. I can’t really ask for more in terms of someone who inspired me to even get to this place in my songwriting.” On the B-side is ‘The News’, Drugdealer’s first collaboration with Robbie Chemical. What began as a simple harmony grew into a panoramic partnership, the musician’s voices effortlessly entwined, and a pop paragon envisioned. Inspired by generational conversations on chaos, change and connection, the track opens a new chapter - topical, personal and unmistakably Drugdealer. As Drugdealer, Michael Collins has crafted a career that blends introspective songwriting with a reverence for classic pop and R&B. A native of the East Coast, Collins’ musical adventure began with the experimental pop collages of Run DMT and Salvia Plath before evolving into the more melodic, refined songwriting heard in Drugdealer’s acclaimed albums ‘Raw Honey’ and ‘Hiding In Plain Sight’.  Natalie Mering, better known as Weyes Blood, has similarly forged a path of emotive, transcendental folk-pop that delves into themes of myth, love and existential longing.

Known for her ethereal voice and evocative lyrics, Mering’s latest works, ‘Titanic Rising’ and ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’, are nothing short of modern classics, though also feel like just the start of this artist’s undeniable ascent.  “For both artists, this is their first song since their respective 2022 albums, and what a way to come back. ‘Real Thing’ feels like uncovering a forgotten ’70s disco duet” - PASTE  “A lush and insistent folk-pop jam” - Stereogum  For fans of Mac Demarco, Kate Bollinger, Men I Trust, Toro y Moi, TOPS, Alice Phoebe Lou, Tame Impala, Thee Sacred Souls, Vacations, Allah-Las, Kurt Vile, Beach Fossils, Slow Pulp, Foxygen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Hand Habits, Father John Misty, Oracle Sisters, Whitney, The Lemon Twigs, Mild High Club, Khruangbin, Angel Olsen.

During the 35 years of making music, Dave Lee has constantly been searching for new singers and writers to work with. A search that’s ended up with many fantastic collaborations and releases with the likes of Thelma Houston, Taka Boom, Dianne Charlemagne and Seal. More recently this quest led him to Maurissa Rose and the creation of their album ‘London / Detroit’. After hearing Maurissa's voice on a Theo Parrish record Dave reached out to her and after a few long phone conversations and mp3 swaps they both agreed a visit to London would be much more fun than trying to work together remotely. Maurissa made the journey from her home in Detroit to write and record an album with Dave at his studio in March 2022 - as they both feel that creating music together in the same room is always better. The fruits of their labour yielded 11 brand new songs (and 1 cover) tapping into their collective love of Soul, Disco and R&B, with a sprinkle of Soulful House. This album is a special one for Dave Lee as it’s the first time in his career he’s recorded an entire album with same singer on every track.

In the album’s liner notes Dave talks of how Maurissa is a naturally creative person, full of ideas, warm & unpretentious which is reflected in her vocal performances throughout ‘London / Detroit’. Dave’s expertly crafted music is backed up with a deeply passionate yet effortless delivery from the Detroiter, a marker of someone who has honed and perfected their art. When it comes to the music side of this LP, Dave Lee is once again proving he’s still at the top of his game and shows no sign of relenting. Drawing from his encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Soul/Funk/Disco, we are treated to a range of styles, BPMs and influences from 95bpm street soul to more uptempo disco and boogie flavours. Be it the rippling synth voyage opener of ‘You Decide’, taking the Johnnie Taylor classic ‘What About My Love’ into a modern Boogie realm, upping the tempo on the soulful houser ‘I Feel the Sun” or bringing the tempo back down to the bassy acidic chug of ‘You’re Giving Me Life’. Mr Lee is truly adept at creating a modern disco soul sound without the usage of samples.

London and Detroit might be two very different cities on opposite sides of the Atlantic but this album is proof that creative synergy knows no distance.

Out everywhere on Feb 28th on Gatefold Vinyl, CD and Digital/Streaming.

DJ Subaru returns to Palms Trax’s CWPT with ‘Dog’, showcasing three tracks of offbeat dancefloor material that encompasses throbbing italo, sticky indie dancefloors and snarling, timeless punk.

Following on from their 2024 EP ‘Lots of Love’, the short time since has seen the DJ and producer rising on their own terms, scoring Tune of The Week from BBC 6Music’s ‘Introducing’, playing multiple gigs at Berghain/Panorama Bar and elsewhere around Europe, always returning to hone their cultishly adored Pleasuremaxxx party in their home city of Leeds.

Title track ‘Dog’ reunites DJ Subaru with regular vocal collaborator Chopper Johnson, delivering a gratifying sermon of canine defiance to suit Subaru’s razor-sharp motorik disco, whose pumping bassline and angular guitar licks prove irresistible to dancers seeking independent energy in the lineage of CBGBs or Trash.

Meanwhile, 'Rush' channels the same philosophy into a pogoing pleasure palace, raising the tempo and masterfully dividing its impulses between the cosmic elegance of Norwegian nu-disco and Pete Waterman’s poppers-fuelled strobe light fantasies. The result is an international anthem in memory of all local discotheques.

Finally, ‘Swoon’ steps back from the fizzier attitude of its tougher siblings for Subaru’s most disciplined attempt yet at a “proper club track”; the result succeeds entirely on its own terms, destined to transfix revelers with blissful analogue chords and slinky drums, while never skipping a beat on Subaru’s unique sonic character. From Leeds, with love.

After collecting his greatest successes on the album "Greatest", Savage returns with Dancing in the Dark: a single that merges the magic of Italo Disco with a modern sound and cinematic visions. It is an elegant and energy-filled comeback where the past and future meet on the dance floor. The vinyl features the original versions on side A, while side B includes reworkings by A. P. Mono, an Italian DJ and producer based in Warsaw, and by Babert, one of the leading names in the Italian Nu-Disco scene.

A love letter to the deep history of the dancefloor, the three-tracker begins with 'Scouse Kiss', where Chicago meets Liverpool as Discothèque Credits reimagine a hidden Lil’ Louis-inspired pop mix into the 12” club dub that never was. 'Dirty Talk' follows, transforming an Italo classic, often cited as the blueprint for New Order’s Blue Monday - into a stripped-back proto-house workout from Machine Disco, dripping with machine funk and looped 808 programming. Finally, 'Burnt' burns bright with acid-soaked sharpness – a hypnotic groove built for the deeper hours of the night.

BBE Music is proud to present the latest J Jazz Masterclass Series reissue, 1978 soul/jazz tour de force album ’Push’ by Noriko Miyamoto. For the first time, this critically acclaimed series that delves deep into the history of Japanese Jazz will be releasing an album by a Japanese female singer, Noriko Miyamoto produced by one of the legendary figures in Japanese Jazz, Isao Suzuki. The release of her incredible debut album, ‘Push’, coincided with a surge in popularity for local female jazz singers such Kimiko Kasai, Yasuko Agawa, etc. that crossed over into the pop market. It was originally released by the now-defunct label, Yupiteru Records in 1978. Since then, it has been reissued a few times in Japan but recently, along with a surge of worldwide interest in old Japanese music, ‘Push’ has been gaining a cult status among foreign music heads, with the price for an original pressing skyrocketing in the second hand record market. This reissue of ‘Push’ will be the first time ever that this album will be officially released worldwide. Long before R&B music went onto enjoy mainstream success in Japan, a soul music and disco loving lady, Noriko Miyamoto who started her music career working as a dancer at the legendary Tokyo disco, ‘Mugen’, was inspired by Tina Turner’s performance there and decided to became a soul singer. It was at a time in the early 1970s when there were only a handful of female songstresses who sang soulfully in Japan. In 1977, Miyamoto was scouted by Isao Suzuki to join his band, Soul Family and subsequently, with their backing, he produced Push, an album that kickstarted her career. It is an album that exquisitely combines her jazzy and soulful vocals with Suzuki’s acoustic bass and precocious playing from his youthful and vibrant group at the time. Along with Sadao Watanabe, Terumasa Hino, Masabumi Kikuchi and George Otsuka, bassist, cellist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer and band leader, Isao Suzuki was considered to be one of the most influential figures in Japanese jazz history. Beloved by many in the Japanese jazz scene as “Oma-san”- Suzuki was renowned for developing young talent.

Inner City Sound Archives is the work of a small crew of obsessive DJs, diggers, and archivists. For years, they hunted lost reels — digging through basements, flea markets, forgotten storage rooms — until they uncovered a batch of mysterious acetate tapes. No credits, no labels. Just cryptic handwriting and the hiss of time. What they found were raw, extended disco cuts — played once or twice at underground NYC loft parties in the late '70s, passed hand to hand among a tight circle of selectors, then lost to history. Now, after painstaking transfers and full analog remastering, these tracks are back. Unpolished, hypnotic, physical. Restored with love. Cut loud. Pressed right. For our debut release: six unreleased NYC disco bombs, presented in their original long versions across Sides A & B. Once championed behind closed doors by the likes of Larry Levan, Francis Grasso, Steve D’Acquisto, Walter Gibbons, and Richie Kaczor.

Another side of Steve Rachmad. Preceeds and album of archive tracks that shows the far reaching talents of this master producer.. TIP!


Some things are just too good to be hidden from view. That's certainly the case with 'Things To Think About', the first album from Dutch electronic music legend Steve Rachmad's lesser-known Sterac Electronics project.

Rachmad first rose to prominence in the late 1990s, spearheading a surge in Dutch techno that was heavily inspired by the futurist intent and machine soul of Detroit. Since then, he has continued to successfully explore a wide range of dancefloor-centric electronic styles under a dizzying array of aliases.

It's a while, though, since the public has been treated to a heavy dose of Sterac Electronics
material. He first established the alias at the turn of the millennium, primarily as an outlet for hardware-driven electro music shot through with funk and soul.

A handful of highly regarded 12' singles were released on Music Man and Interpersonal XP, before Rachmad began focusing on other projects. When inspiration struck, he returned to the project, jamming out tracks using a mighty collection of vintage synthesizers and drum machines.

Recently, Rachmad and Tom Trago decided to revisit the Sterac Electronics archive, discovering a killer collection of cuts created at different points over the course of the last 15 years.

Now 9 of those spellbinding hardware jams have been gathered together for the first time on 'Things To Think About', a warm, rich and evocative collection of electro-fuelled workouts that giddily pay tribute to the music of Rachmad's youth.

'Things To Think About' will be released as a limited-edition double album, preceded by this 12' single featuring another previously unheard gem from the vaults.

With hundreds of millions of streams worldwide, Samm continues to bring sincerity and soul to every note he sings. London-born Nigerian singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is redefining modern soul with emotion and rich storytelling. Blending gospel, R&B, blues, and alternative influences, his music captures the highs and lows of love, growth, and self-discovery. After breaking out with fan favorites like “Broke” and “Grow,” Samm earned critical acclaim from COLORS, Clash Magazine, The Guardian, NME, and NPR and collaborated with artists like Pharrell Williams, John Legend, Quincy Jones, and more. Samm Henshaw’s new album It Could Be Worse captures the raw beauty of heartbreak, healing, and growth. Blending soul, gospel, folk, indie, and funk, the London-born Nigerian artist channels vulnerability and emotional honesty through live instrumentation and powerhouse vocals. The project reflects on love, loss, and the humor in pain with songs like “Float,” “Get Back,” and “Tangerine.” The result is a soulful, hopeful, and deeply human record that reaffirms Samm’s place as one of today’s most authentic voices in modern soul. It Could Be Worse is being released exclusively on Vinyl first.

'In collaboration with the children of Nico Kasanda, better known as Docteur Nico, Planet Ilunga proudly presents an anthology dedicated to African Fiesta Sukisa, available as a 3LP set and a digital release with bonus songs. This release is the result of many years of preparations and was realized in close partnership with Liliane Kasanda, Nico’s eldest daughter. Marking forty years since his passing, we felt that the year 2025 was the right time to honor Docteur Nico’s legacy with this original collection.
'Almost all of the African Fiesta Sukisa songs were released on Nico’s Sukisa label which translates in Lingala for “the final accomplishment”. The music on Sukisa, crafted by Nico and legendary vocalists such as Chantal, Sangana, Apôtre, Mizele, Lessa Lassan and Josky, embodies the essence of that powerful phrase with genius, class and depth. The label ran between 1966 and 1975 and released approximately 280 songs. Ngoma also issued the group between 1967 and 1971 and, in addition, reissued material from the Sukisa label. Many of these songs have become part of the collective memory of Congolese society and are still heard, discussed, and analyzed daily across digital platforms worldwide, as well as on numerous Congolese radio and TV stations.
'The album we put together features some of Nico’s signature songs alongside never before reissued tracks from the Sukisa catalog. It furthermore contains a large booklet with song commentary, testimonial interviews from well-known musicians, journalists, fans and Nico’s entourage, besides never before published photography about his personal and musical life.
'Alastair Johnston, author of the book ‘A Discography of Docteur Nico’ and longstanding Planet Ilunga collaborator, designed a stylish booklet and cover using all our collected material. Audifax Bemba, longtime admirer, compiler and connoisseur of Nico’s music, and the author of most of the song commentary in our accompanying booklet, offers his portrait of Docteur Nico:
“After displaying technical virtuosity with African Jazz, expert and accomplished guitar with African Fiesta, which musicologist Sylvain Bemba described as a dream guitar, Nico Kasanda was consecrated ‘dieu de la guitare’ by the public in the late sixties. With his band African Fiesta Sukisa, Docteur Nico displays his wide palette of unusual sounds. While exploring the Hawaiian guitar with its clear, airy, plangent, psychedelic effluvia, he continues to replicate the piano comping technique, and adds two missing strings to his bow: a simulation of the sanza (likembé or thumb piano), whose sounds he reproduces right down to the noisemakers of the tiny tin rings, on the one hand, and the sounds of the Luba balafon on the other. The right note, in the right place, at the right time, is the triptych on which Nico Kasanda’s playing is based, a note dressed in the perfect sound. A guitar of pure emotion. With African Fiesta Sukisa, his playing takes a ‘Chopin-esque’ turn, sending out more notes in a sublime adagio. The true artist is the one who simplifies everything. Docteur Nico is a genius of our time, whose style makes him the supreme exponent of the most important guitar school in Congolese music. He is recognized by his peers as the greatest African solo guitarist of all time. Sculpting sound in a tireless quest for beauty, Nico Kasanda has sublimated the guitar throughout his career.”






























[xd] Kamulangu [Outro] (Dr. Kasanda – Sukisa 135) Folklore Baluba

Freddie Mercurys Debüt-Soloalbum „Mr Bad Guy“ war der erste Schritt des legendären Frontmanns von
Queen in Richtung Solokarriere. Es enthielt vier Singles und erreichte Platz 6 der britischen Albumcharts.
Auf diesem Album griff Freddie auf Einflüsse aus Disco, Dance und Pop zurück. Daraus entstanden
Songs wie „I Was Born To Love You“ und „Living On My Own“.
Mit „Made In Heaven“ und „Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow“ lieferte Freddie außerdem zwei grandiose
Rock Balladen.
Anlässlich seines 40-jährigen Jubiläums wird „Mr Bad Guy“ auf 180 g schwerem, durchschimmernden
grünem Vinyl aufgelegt.

There are two versions - limited transparent (glass) hand numbered 100 copies or classic black wax. Both 180g.

Himalaya Collective is (probably) the biggest Polish beatmakers association. "Parantele 2" is their 4th album released by U Know Me Records.

A year after the first installment of the "Parantele" project (which involved inviting artists from outside the collective to collaborate), we have a dozen new tracks for you from members of the Himalaya Collective who didn't make it onto last year's album.

This time, you can once again hear the diversity of this largest Polish beatmaking crew. The album features classic beats, plenty of jazz, and live instruments, but fans of fresh, danceable electronica will also find something to enjoy.

"Parantele 2" is an album that deserves the attention of every fan of modern music. Himalaya Collective proves that collaboration and creativity can lead to incredible results. ✨

We encourage you to discover this extraordinary album and immerse yourself in its sounds!

[a] 01: New grounds/Hollow (pt.1) [feat. fravaer & Szymon Zdunek]

2LP, 9mm spine gatefold sleeve with silver hot foil & metallic inks. Printed inner sleeves. Engraving on Side D, the vinyl here is of silvery colour. Pelagic reissued THE OCEAN's 2010 albums "Heliocentric" and "Anthropocentric" on vinyl! "Heliocentric" was the first album with current vocalist Loïc Rossetti, a game changer in the band's history. The album is characterized by his shimmering cleans alongside abrasive, powerful screams. "Heliocentric" sees the band venture into calmer territories as compared to its predecessors: the album is defined not solely by walls of guitars, but also by careful orchestrations of piano, upright bass, strings and textural electronics. Conceptually "Heliocentric" is a comprehensive critique of the legacy of christianity: the iconic opening track "Firmament", still a fan's favourite, starts off with original text from the bible; while "Ptolemy Was Wrong" and "Catharsis of A Heretic" tackle Gallilei's and Copernicus' discoveries that Earth is not at the center of the universe, for which Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake. The album concludes with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and considerations by Richard Dawkins', the spearhead of modern day's aetheism, in the epic 14 minutes closing track duality "The Origin Of Species" and "The Origin Of God". For fans of BREACH TOOL THRICE NINE INCH NAILS CULT OF LUNA ISIS KARNIVOOL ROSETTA RUSSIAN CIRCLES MONO MASTODON OPETH BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME PINK FLOYD

Acclaimed Scottish composer Craig Armstrong releases his new work Pacific via his own label CMA Records. Written for piano, cello, and electronics, the three-movement piece was originally commissioned in December 2024 by Christian Kellersman, a pioneering figure in contemporary classical and jazz music, for his new live event series Berlin Confidential, co-curated with Alexander Szlovák. The series aims to promote innovative new music projects, with a particular focus on emerging musicians and composers.

Armstrong was among the first artists invited to perform as part of Berlin Confidential, premiering Pacific at Berlin’s historic Meistersaal concert hall in March 2025. The concert featured Armstrong on piano alongside cellist Lena Angelina von Almen and producer and musician Guy Sternberg, combining acoustic instruments with live electro-acoustic treatments to create a rich and atmospheric sound world.

Recorded in May 2025 at Lowswing Studios in Kreuzberg, Pacific continues Armstrong’s ongoing exploration of blending acoustic and electronic sound in a natural, seamless way. Over several days in the studio, Armstrong, von Almen and Sternberg developed the work’s intricate textures and dynamic interplay, resulting in a recording that captures both the intimacy and expansiveness of the original live performance.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the piece, Armstrong says: “I wrote this work during a time of great instability in the world, I wrote “Pacific” as an Elegy dedicated to the many suffering in today’s conflicts and in the hope that peace will prevail.”

Across its three movements, Pacific 1 is elegiac in nature, with the main themes stated and developed throughout the piece, punctuated by recurring piano motifs. The movement is reflective and atmospheric, with subtle electronic interventions. The second movement is arrhythmic in nature, following shifting time signatures that reflect a sense of uncertainty - the music is searching and static, ending without resolution but leaving hope for one to come. Pacific 3 moves towards peace and resolution, bringing the work to a close with quiet strength and emotional release.

When speaking about the creative process and his collaborators, Armstrong said: “Lena’s beautiful playing , tone and expression worked so beautifully on Pacific, Lena was also a great collaborator and was always willing to experiment and try new musical approaches. Lena is such a natural musician and she brought so much emotion and beauty to the piece. I wish her all the best in her future musical journey.”

He continues: Guy is a unique combination of being a brilliant engineer and mixer and a prolific very talented musician/composer. I was very fortunate to spend time with Guy in his studio in Berlin. His sensitivity to the project and his electronic programming made a wonderful contribution to the composition. His collaboration and friendship made the days working in Berlin such a great experience I would like to thank Emma Ford for her dedication, enthusiasm and guidance on Pacific”

For both von Almen and Sternberg, the collaboration was equally meaningful. Von Almen reflects on the experience of recording the piece, saying: “As a musician, it is always a great privilege to work on a piece together with the composer, and of course I felt even luckier to go through the process of creating something new with an artist like Craig Armstrong. Figuratively speaking, it felt like knitting a silk scarf: using the finest materials and taking the utmost care during the recording, we have realised another beautiful and touching work by Craig, which will bring us and certainly many others great joy. I feel very honoured to have been part of this and to have experienced this warm encounter.”

Sternberg adds: “Diving into Armstrong’s music while working on this record felt like examining a diamond under a microscope, discovering endless beauty within simplicity. Perfection and complexity emerging from simplicity, where every note, tone, noise, and gesture has meaning. I’m deeply grateful to have been part of this process, and for the freedom Craig gave me to express myself through his music, to let our sonic visions merge into one. It’s been both a lesson in music-making and in setting the ego aside, if only for a moment.”

Reflecting Armstrong’s belief in the role of music as a force for empathy and reflection, proceeds from Pacific will be donated to charities working towards peace: Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross.

The limited-edition vinyl release has been pressed on Eco Vinyl at SeaBass Vinyl, a sustainable plant near Edinburgh. The record features striking cover art by Dirk Rudolph, who has designed several of Armstrong’s previous releases.