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Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue another Warda classic from the 70s, We Malo, originally recorded in 1975 by the legendary Arabic Diva who has sampled by Jay-Z and J Dilla. The album blends traditional Arabic music with 1970s grooves, showcasing Warda's distinct vocal style. She is accompanied by a full-sized orchestra, updating the classy traditional sound with modern instruments (electric guitar, organ). We Malo was penned by composer Baligh Hamdi. This reissue features newly remastered audio, original cassette artwork and a two-page insert with a new introduction by Mario Choueiry from the Institut du Monde Arabe

Da Taylor Nordberg und Jeramie Kling den Titel der 1992er Massacre-EP "Inhuman Condition" als Namen für ihre neue Band wählten, nachdem sie das Death-Metal-Flaggschiff 2020 verlassen hatten, erscheint es plausibel, dass in den letzten fünf Jahren an diesem bewährten Old-School-Sound festgehalten haben. Das dritte Inhuman-Condition-Album "Mind Trap" ist jedoch mehr als nur Massacre 2.0 und markiert eine Steigerung auf allen Ebenen. Die Tatsache, dass sich das ursprüngliche Trio, das durch den altgedienten Bassisten Terry Butler (zu verschiedenen Zeiten ebenfalls Mitglied von Massacre) vervollständigt wird, bei der Arbeit an neuem Material nie Ziele setzt, hat sich als Segen erwiesen: "Wir haben das Gefühl, dass wir unsere Identität gefunden haben und endlich über die Verbindung zu Massacre hinweg sind", sagt Nordberg. "Beim Schreiben, Aufnehmen, Mischen und so weiter wurde nichts überstürzt. Dieses Album zeichnet sich durch eine gewisse Behaglichkeit aus, hat aber immer noch diese knallharte Kante." Die Songs auf "Mind Trap" sind dem Gitarristen zufolge ein "Kommentar zu der Welt, in der wir leben". "Einige meiner Texte befassen sich mit dem erdrückenden Einfluss der Technologie auf unsere Spezies. Die Platte hat alles - Blut, Eingeweide, Serienmörder, Sci-Fi-Horror, schlechte Menschen." Die Band produzierte das Album vollständig in ihrem eigenen Studio, und das Ergebnis kann sich mehr als hören lassen. "Mind Trap" kommt mit einem weiteren bestechenden Artwork von Dan Goldsworthy (Accept, Alestorm) und zeugt von der besonderen Chemie des produktiven Duos hinter Inhuman Condition.

blck Vinyl, „Heimat" - ein Begriff, der lediglich eine Beziehung zwischen Menschen und Räumen bezeichnet, aber dennoch seit jeher hoch emotional aufgeladen ist. Oft missbraucht, sorgt er mitunter für Unbehagen, lebhafte Diskussionen und Deutungsstreitigkeiten. Maik Weichert (Gitarre) kommentiert: „'Heimat' ist nicht als engstirniger Endpunkt gemeint, wie er von Agitatoren und Populisten verwendet wird, sondern als Ausgangspunkt für Beobachtungen und Perspektiven

Nautilus are back again, back to the future, with their teaser for the upcoming studio album in 2026! The first single for the theme-based release deals with a true anime icon and a legendary soundtrack, which Nautilus imaginatively and skillfully reinterprets in their typical groove sound. In the feature, Japanese singer and sanshin virtuoso Anna Sato beams the song into a next dimension with her singing.

The single is rounded off by a master of club remixes, DJ and producer Delfonic from Berlin, a highly respected artist by Gilles Peterson, who gives the piece a magical touch for every deep dance floor with heavy beats.

Be quick on this unique release.

"Space is infinitely large and anything is possible in this universe."
Captain Future

WRWTFWW Records is very happy to release Swiss cult band Grauzone’s recording of their April 12th 1980 live show at Gaskessel in their hometown of Bern. The 9-track album, documenting the very beginnings of the group, is available as a limited edition white vinyl LP in heavy 350gsm sleeve with special artwork by band member Stephan Eicher.

Experience the early Grauzone days, live from Bern, Switzerland, with a concert recorded at legendary local venue Gaskessel, with Martin Eicher on guitar and vocals, Christian G.T. Trüssel on bass, Marco Repetto on drums, Stephan Eicher on synth, and Claudine Chirac on saxophone. The performance is a true time capsule of the early 80s underground, showcasing the punk side of Grauzone with renditions of songs that were never officially released, as well as future fan-favorite “Moskau”. A piece of Swiss music history, This limited release is a must have for all Grauzone fans and DIY archivists.

About Grauzone:

The pioneering band from Bern (Switzerland) had a short-lived but highly-regarded career which birthed a cult discography that still fascinates and resonates today. Consisting of core members Martin Eicher, Stephan Eicher, and Marco Repetto, and on-and-off participants Christian GT Trüssel, Claudine Chirac, and Ingrid Berney, the elusive group broke new grounds in the early 80s, experimenting with punk and industrial music, early techno sounds, minimalism, new wave, pop, and various electronics. With an innovative and polished approach to design, visuals, performance, and all around style and philosophy on top of their superb music, the constantly transforming unit developed a whole experience - the Grauzone experience: wild and unpredictable, yet sophisticated and cohesive, or as Swiss music historian Lurker Grand would call it, "an Art band with a Punk attitude".

Completely rejecting the music industry rules and refusing to play the game of promotion, touring, release schedules, and TV appearances even though they had a multi-platinum international hit with the song "Eisbär", the band quickly disintegrated in full convention-defying glory, leaving behind an inspiring music legacy for the world to discover and discover again, one generation after the other.

Stephan Eicher went on to be, arguably, the most successful Swiss musician ever, with an international career extending from pop chanson to experimental escapades and collaborations with Moondog, artists Sophie Calle and Sylvie Fleury, and author Martin Suter among many other luminaries. Marco Repetto flourished as a techno and ambient producer, releasing multiple projects including releases on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label.

Stepping up to the plate for the second release of our catalog, we are pleased to share 'Aura Protocol', a four-track collection that taps into the emotive and melodic depths of 90s influenced progressive house from Mexico based Producer, Mahkina.

The A1 track ‘God, How Do I Handle This’ kicks off the EP with an introspective mood, blending atmospheric pads and hypnotic bass-lines. The deep, melodic structure recalls the emotional core of 90s prog, while evolving into an intricate tapestry of sounds. The second track ‘Flavour & Spice’ plays into Mahkina's latin roots. A fusion of playful percussion, and lush chord progressions, evoking the vibrant energy of classic 90s house, with an added modern twist from the artist's production style.

Flipping over to the B-Side, ’Sacoodelo" takes listeners to a well placed euphoria. Combining driving rhythms with evolving loops and rich synth work, its experimental side takes influence from the rhythmic structures of classic trancey house. The final track ‘Connected’ feels like the emotional and sonic culmination of the EP. Taking the listener on a more expansive journey, weaving through moments of tension and release via atmospheric build-ups, emotional breakdowns, and a sense of resolution toward the end.

RLF002 is a well represented embodiment of Mahkina's ability to fuse classic styles with contemporary sounds, resulting in an immersive, dynamic listening experience that resonates with both the heart and the body.

“The Rough And The Smooth” was the highly anticipated 2nd album from Outside. Written, produced, mixed and engineered by a 22 year old Matt Cooper, who journeyed through dub, jungle, hip hop and latin rhythms and vibrant, modal jazz. Playing much of the instrumentation including keys and drums, Matt was joined by some of the scene’s finest players from Jhelisa, Imaani, Greg Osby, Cleveland Watkiss, Byron Wallen, Tony Remy and Gary Crosby.

Upon release, ‘The Rough And The Smooth‘ received huge acclaim and was hailed as a masterpiece by the music press from GQ, MOJO, The Face and Mixmag and fans alike, taking Outside to another level.

From the complex funk of ‘Journeyman‘ parts 1 and 2, to the Nu Yorican hit of ‘The 29/8 Steps‘, to the powerfully emotive violin led jungle of ‘To Forgive But Not Forget‘ and the epic jazz and beats fusion that is ‘Moodswing‘, the album was impossible to pigeonhole and influenced a generation of music heads and artists.

New Traditions is a collection of pipe music, electronic music, mouth music and folk music from five emerging and prominent Scottish artists.

It started in Sutherland with a recording of The Waters of Kylesku. “Do you learn any Gaelic at the school?” asks Hamish Henderson of Christine Stewart. “No,” she answers. “That’s a shame,” he responds, “Isn’t it?” she says. Then she sings. Her voice is of the peat itself, grown from the earth as the language was. It soars raptor-like above drenched ground and scoured pink rock.

Next, to Nancy Dorian, a linguistic missionary of sorts, who came from America to watch a language die. She charted the decline of Gaelic in a cluster of Sutherland villages from 1963 to 2020 when the terminal native speaker passed. Gaelic has origins in nature, with each letter of the alphabet named after a tree. It seems significant that the land of the north is now all-but devoid of forest.

Enter Alan Lomax, who travelled the world documenting indigenous music. Material from his archives feature on (fucking) Moby’s platinum selling Play. Despite the record’s worldwide commercial success we know very little of the music he essentially exploited.

Then musician Martyn Bennett, who built tracks around Lomax recordings of Scots and Gaelic voices, and did so with love that shared his blood with the cancer that killed him. His records both popularised and preserved obscure indigenous Scottish music.

This collection of tunes has similar intent: to consolidate ephemeral words in physical grooves - real as the rigs that still scar the earth - but also a desire to interpret. These versions have the greatest reverence for the originals at heart, but like the architecture of a great gallery, serve to protect and elevate.

Atlantic Records is thrilled to announce F1 The Album - the supercharged companion album to Apple Original Films and Warner Bros. Pictures’ high-octane, action-packed film F1, starring Brad Pitt. From the label that brought you the award-winning, blockbuster soundtracks Barbie The Album, Twisters: The Album, The Greatest Showman, Suicide Squad and more, F1 The Album is driven by brand new tracks from an exhilirating lineup of superstar artists.

Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.

At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.

There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.

The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.

The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

The Bluebells' Sisters is a perfect snapshot of early '80s "Sound of Young Scotland": Glasgow indie pop with bittersweet spirit, sharp hooks, and heartfelt harmonies. Signing to the then-nascent London Records, and working with a procession of esteemed producers (including Elvis Costello who became a mentor and teacher to the band), The Bluebells enjoyed three UK hits in the 1980s ('Cath', 'Young at Heart' and 'I'm Falling') before touring widely throughout Europe and North America, developing their live sound and signing to Seymour Stein's Sire Records in the U.S.

A decade later in 1993 that 'Young at Heart' hit the U.K. No 1 spot following its use as a T.V. advert for Volkswagen. Fast forward to this decade The Bluebells have reformed with a flurry of shows across the past two years including a triumphant return to Glasgow at Barrowlands for Celtic Connects, and just announced for the Acoustic Stage for Glastonbury Festival 2025.

This new edition of Sisters has been remastered and produced in consultation with the band, using the best audio sources available, including non-album singles and B-sides, bonus tracks from the original cassette edition and new liner notes from Will Hodgkinson.

"Wind, Again" is Sary Moussa’s fourth studio album and second album on Other People. Based between France and Lebanon, Moussa returns with a riveting electro-acoustic album informed by his ever-changing relationships to space, listening, and resonance as well as his growing interest in the study of harmonics in electronic and electro-acoustic music.

Years in the making, “Wind, Again” approaches distinct musical worlds and languages by bringing together improvisations by musicians performing on Western and West Asian instruments such as the Hammond organ, clarinet, saz, and buzuk with electronic arrangements and textures. Rather than force a rapprochement of these musical worlds through the instruments, and keenly aware of the weighty sonic histories they carry, Moussa proposes another way through which they can exist together in contemporary electronic composition.

Composed of six tracks, each of which demonstrate an array of recording and processing techniques, the album generates moments of tension produced by the synthesis of textural, tonal, and harmonic encounters that Moussa calls “shadows”, which outline an impressionistic musical language, existing at the edge of familiarity. Such moments permeate tracks like “Everywhere at once” and “Violence” that open with the Hammond organ and the saz respectively and slowly reveal an expansive field of sounds that showcases each of the musicians’ characteristic performances and Moussa’s densely layered textures. It is a latent yet unrelenting tension through which the composer invokes rather than represents a collective experiential state, especially familiar to those who know his environment. In “Wind, Again” these shadows are articulations of sounds steeped in traditions they are never quite tethered to. Such articulations are implied and alluded to, they play within a musical reference without the latter explicitly existing in the recording, always teetering, never completely here nor there.
Sonically and musically, the album is fueled by the cultural, social, and personal realities that Moussa was brought up and lives in.

Both personal and musical ties with the musicians who feature on the album is central to Moussa’s practice. In the title track “I will never write a song about you”, musician Julia Sabra opens with rolled piano chords, followed by Paed Conca on clarinet and Abed Kobeissy on buzuk, before Moussa’s electronic processing pieces together, lifts, and sustains the melodic direction of the track that emerged from the musicians’ separate improvisations. For Moussa: “The initial connection between the three performances was made on a track that no longer existed, the original recording was both an obstacle and necessary step for the track we hear on the record. It’s as if we were all telling different stories and I pulled on the thread that held them together”. The track, and more generally the record, is tinged with a melancholy of things lost, though it never fully succumbs to it.
“Everything inside a circle”, Moussa’s most personal track and for which he provides the only vocals on the record, harkens back to a childhood memory of listening to music with his mother in a car: “There was a sound I was looking for — a memory of a sound and how I first heard it. This track is a hybrid of that memory and what I wanted to make of it”. The track relies heavily on generativesystems and perhaps embodies most the ambiguous quality of the record’s music in its refusal to be pinned down by one musical tradition or another.
“Wind, Again” is both familiar and alien, cold and warm; it pays homage to the mechanics, materials, and tactility of the instruments and converges acoustic and synthetic spaces. What anchors the sound of the album are the elements of a whole that cannot find its own idiosyncrasy and that is precisely why Moussa’s album is a tour de force.

Gerade, als MONO anfingen, die Grundsteine zu "You Are There" zu legen, experimentierten sie zusammen mit dem ebenfalls aus Tokio stammenden elektronischen Komponisten WORLD'S END GIRLFRIEND. Die Zusammenarbeit resultierte in einer Reise voller neoklassischer Leichtfüßigkeit und Leuchtkraft, die sich jeglicher Kategorisierung entzieht. "Palmless Prayer..." ist weniger ein alles enthüllender Tagtraum als eine Erinnerung an das Schöne, das bereits um uns herum existiert.

"Chasing the funky symphonies that filled my head and my dreams..."

December 25th, 2023 - an Instagram post. Stimulator Jones shared half a dozen FIRE tracks from his beat tape archive. We were immediately drawn to the rough hewn boom bap.

"I'd release that", Rob commented.

Hours of material was shared and the result is this: Cool Green Trees (1999-2005). A collection of beats and loops Stimulator Jones created between the ages of 14-20 at home in his basement, bedroom and computer room in Roanoke, Virginia.

You will not believe the profound soulful genius contained within these naive schoolboy melodies.

December 25th, 1998 - 25 years ago to the day and his much-coveted Yamaha SU10 sampler was finally bestowed upon young Stimmy AKA Sam Lunsford: "I immediately hooked up a CD Walkman to the input jack and looped the beginning two bars of Grover Washington Jr.'s "Mercy Mercy Me". I don't know what exactly was so thrilling about hearing two measures of music repeating over and over but it was so infectious and hypnotizing and enthralling to me. I'll never forget that ecstatic rush of making my first loop - an uncontrollable, gleeful smile plastered all over my face." When you hear the pocket breakbeat symphonies featured here on Cool Green Trees, you'll feel the same sense of frisson.

In the wake of his Stones Throw breakthrough - Exotic Worlds & Master Treasures - Stimulator Jones was pegged by many as a 90s throwback artist. However, he literally IS a 90s artist. He's been recording music most of his life and he's now 40. He created the bulk of Cool Green Trees as a teenager. Everything before 2004 was recorded when Sam was still in school. He was in 8th grade when he made the 1999 tracks - he didn't even have his learner's permit. This album is a snapshot of a young man in a simpler time. Things were still mysterious back then and he was flying blind, relying on his ears and having to figure things out for himself: "I had no road map for becoming a beatmaker. I have been collecting music since I was a kid, I am a lifelong digger and seeker of cool and interesting sounds. I was there in the golden age of Hip Hop, and while I may have been a suburban white kid in Roanoke, Virginia, I was tuned in and I bought so many classic albums when they came out. I was attracted to Hip Hop because of the musical and poetic quality. I was hypnotized by the rhythms, partially because I was a drummer. I didn't brag about collecting my breakbeat records or making beats - it was something I did in isolation. It wasn't something I generally wanted to bring attention to and it didn't really score me any cool points. I certainly wasn't flexing on social media about it."

Hell, he can do that now!

Opener "Pharoah Jones" was inspired by Yesterday's New Quintet and Madlib's ability to capture that classic 70s sound whilst playing all the instruments. Sam created this one stoned afternoon by laying down a 2 bar loop and a shaker loop on his Yamaha SU700 sampler. He hung a microphone from the ceiling and played his Yamaha Stage Custom drum kit over the top before adding ender Rhodes and playing his dad's Selmer tenor sax through an Electro Harmonix Memory Man echo pedal. Yes! Up next, "Ghost Gospel" utilises a dope loop from a gospel record and adds some soul-funk drums overtop, whilst working that filter knob. Says Sam: "The loop reminded me of something Ghostface would rap over. The sample was in 3/4 waltz time but I flipped it for a 4/4 groove, a technique I picked up from RZA. "Ill Feeling" uses sped-up pieces from a dusty old funk record and putting them over a classic NOLA drum loop; gain chopping up a slow, bluesy 3/4 time signature and bending it to a 4/4 groove. Classy shit. "Capital Punishment" features drums tapped in live, inspired by MF Doom's Special Herbs series. "Do Not Adjust" consists loops found on a compilation of 70s French music at Happy's Flea Market, a classic Roanoke digging spot.

The sublime, evocative title track, "Cool Green Trees" was created when Sam was still living at home. He dumped samples off his SU10 into the family desktop and arranged them in a demo version of Pro Tools: "This track was sort of my ode to the DJ Shadow style of sample based production. Super spacey, slow, and moody. The heavily filtered drums were inspired by Alec Empire's 'Low on Ice' album. I later added some scratches and sounds from a Spider Man storybook record." "Chill Scratch" snags the final bit of a bossanova record and pairs it with a drum loop before adding experimental scratching run through an Electro Harmonix Memory Man echo pedal. "Poisonous Fumes" was made using a sampler, mixer and a turntable; a kind of mixtape beat collage with added scratches and sounds from various records. Using dialogue from superhero records was a nod to Madlib. "Welcome Aboard The Starship" is dark, downtempo trip-hop with a spooky bent. Sam paired a slow, hard drum loop with a guitar sample grabbed off a psychedelic rock record. To finish, he added various backwards sounds and weird atmospheric effects and a little scratching. Swoon.

Side B opens with "Keep On Runnin", made on a borrowed Roland SP202 sampler. Having always loved the sound of the Lo-Fi filter on those machines, reminiscent of the Emu SP1200, Sam always imagined Del or another of the Hieroglyphics crew rapping over this beat. You can certainly hear why. "Sounds Impossible" sees Sam experimenting with layering multiple kick samples at different volumes to create patterns similar to those heard by Showbiz and Lord Finesse during their God-level 1995 period. "Painted Faces" was made by chopping up a REDACTED record which he had gotten from Happy's Flea Market and paired it with a REDACTED drum loop. By the time Sam recorded "The Knew Style", he had acquired a shitty old 1960s portable turntable off eBay. It didn't function properly when he bought it but his brother opened it up, cleaned it out and got it working: "I remember he told me that there was a bunch of sand inside of it when he opened it up, as if its previous owner had taken it to the beach. I would take that turntable on my Happy's Flea Market digs so I could preview records...that's how I found this loop."

"Chicken Wing Blues Sauce" loops up a classic blues joint and pairs it with some REDACTED drums. A bit of filtering and arranging et voilà! "Kool Breeze", from 1999, is one of Sam's oldest surviving beats, as is "Sexx Bullets". The Roots sampled the same record, leaving Sam frustrated yet vindicated. "Soul Child" was an early SU10 creation, looping a dusty old Soul Children 45 and pairing it with 70s rock drum loops to great effect. "Take Off Runnin" was another loop found digging with a portable turntable. Paired with some boom bap drums it makes for a hypnotic head-nod groove. "Centurian" was intended to be a little beat interlude a la Pete Rock. The sample is from a sun-dappled soft-psych record and it's paired with a Robin Trower drum loop that just happens to fit perfectly. Sometimes you slap things together kind of haphazardly and magic happens. "Bozack" was the first beat Sam made using Pro Tools, his first foray into using chopped sounds instead of loops, an exciting new world. "Church" is beat interlude using a Phil Upchurch loop with the "Long Red" drums - a favourite break of Dilla et al. Sam was really on a tear in late 2004, probably because he was unemployed and phoneless and able to just make beats all day. He made "Splash One" on a borrowed Yamaha SU700 and again was experimenting with tapping the drums in live with his fingers, instead of using a loop or sequenced pattern. Channeling 9th Wonder, Sam used a water splash sound effect from a Batman record as a percussive element, hence the title (also a 13th Floor Elevators reference). The main loop is a backwards portion of one of his favourite Roy Ayers songs.

"Hank" is another fun little beat interlude thing, created on a borrowed Roland SP202 sampler with the fantastic Lo-Fi effect that resembled the Emu SP1200 at a fraction of the price. "73 goatee", from 99, is another of his oldest surviving beats, created in his bedroom with his Yamaha SU10 and his brother's Vestax MR-300 4-track recorder: "This one will always feel special. I can remember having a feeling all the way back then on the night that I created it that this was a solid beat with a catchy loop. There was something in the Fender Rhodes melody that resonated with me emotionally, and I had never heard a producer sample that portion before. I felt like I had found my own unique sound, my own unique loop. It came from an Ahmad Jamal '73. I actually even recorded myself rapping and scratching over this beat way back then, I still have that version in all its imperfect sloppy glory."

Sam explains just how much these tracks mean to him: "They all have immense historical and sentimental value and I'm proud of them. These beats come from an innocent, simple time when I was just figuring out how to craft these sounds. They're something very personal to me. They are the initial part of a journey that I really was taking *alone*. There was no YouTube. I couldn't Google shit. I didn't even know any other beatmakers, producers or DJs in my town that could teach me anything. It was always just me, alone, in a room with some equipment - chasing the funky symphonies that filled my head and my dreams. What I was doing wasn't cool. Most of my peers thought I was a weirdo and couldn't care less. Creating these sounds was an anti-social endeavour. In a sense, I felt like it was me against the world, and all I had to instruct and assist me were the recordings produced by my heroes - RZA, DJ Premier, Erick Sermon, Beatminerz, Showbiz, Diamond D, Beatnuts, Prince Paul, The Bomb Squad, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, E-Swift, Mista Lawnge, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, El-P and so many more...I dedicate this collection to them, and to my older brother Joe who has always been a musical and technical guiding light for me.

This was a time before every kid was a self-described producer and beatmaker, before everyone had a DAW, before Kanye and "chipmunk soul", before Red Bull beat battles, before there was any social media beyond chat rooms and AOL Instant Messenger, before Soundcloud, before SP-404 mania, before lo-fi beats to study to, before Splice, before targeted ads for MIDI chord packs, etc. In 99 when I told people that I had a sampler and made beats I was mostly met with bewildered confusion and indifference. Kids and adults alike would wonder why I got this weird machine for Christmas instead of something worthwhile like a Playstation or a mountain bike or even a guitar for that matter because at least that could be used to make "real music". Back then, sampling was still not widely respected as an art form - it was seen as lazy, talentless and unoriginal at best and outright criminal theft at worst. I had gotten respect for playing drums and guitar and things of that nature but this was a step in the wrong direction in the eyes of many."

The cover photo is a picture of Sam standing on his back porch in the latter part of 1998, just before he got his first sampler. He was 13 years old, in 8th grade. His dad took the picture with his 35mm film camera: "I actually wanted to be pointing my dad's .22 pistol at the camera lens but he wouldn't let me. He gave me an old walking cane to use instead. The Tommy Hilfiger puffer jacket came from the lost and found at William Fleming High School where my mom worked as a secretary. I was thrilled when she brought it home because we never spent money on expensive name brand clothing like that - we were for the most part strictly a sale rack, bargain bin, thrift store, yard sale, flea market kind of family when it came to clothes. My watch is some cheap off-brand fake gold department store watch." Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry.

"HOME" (Original Release year : 1990)

Hothouse Flowers' sophomore album, Home, released in 1990, built on the success of their debut People while showcasing a more mature and introspective sound while maintaining their signature heartfelt, genre-blending approach to music. The album continued their signature fusion of rock, folk, gospel, and blues, its tracks demonstrating both introspection and a vibrant energy.

Home reached No. 1 on the Irish Albums Chart and peaked at No. 5 in the UK. The album was certified Gold in the UK and Platinum in Ireland, reaffirming the band's status as one of Ireland's most successful exports at the time. Lead single 'Give It Up' became a fan favourite, while the band's cover of Johnny Nash's 'I Can See Clearly Now' broadened their appeal, a Top 5 in Ireland and chart hit in UK and Australia.

The band's relentless touring and powerful live shows helped sustain Home's international momentum and commercial success. For 2025 Hothouse Flowers celebrate both Home and its predecessor People with a UK national tour revisiting both albums in full.

London Records celebrate the tour with represses of People and Home on vinyl, with restored artwork faithful to the original editions.

Macht euch bereit für das lang erwartete, brandneue Album "Psychotic Mutilation" von DEMENTED ARE GO! 39 Jahre nach ihrem Debutalbum und 13 Jahre nach "Welcome Back To Insanity Hall" veröffentlicht eine der legendärsten original Psychobilly-Acts um den charismatischen, außergewöhnlichen (manche würden sagen "frenzy") Bandleader Mark "Sparky" Philips ein Dutzend neue Songs, oder sind's nicht doch 13? Schon von jeher scheren sich DAG einen Dreck um den klassischen Psychobilly-Purismus: Ihr Sound ist immer noch eine einzigartige Mischung (Hellbilly) und kombiniert Elemente von Rockabilly, Punk, höllischem Rock'n'Roll mit mal Country-esken Einflüssen oder dunkelsten Blues, alles immer geprägt von Sparkys rauem, giftigem Gesang. Und als ganz besonderer Gast tritt Emanuela Hutter von The Hillbilly Moon Explosion wieder im Duett mit Sparky bei ,Cast A Lonesome Shadow" an. Eine wilde und schräge musikalische Reise durch menschliche Abgründe, Wahnsinn und dunkle Sehnsüchte. "Psychotic Mutilation" mit genau den Songs, die diese kranke Welt verdient. Simply a masterpiece!! Die Pressung der LP-Erstauflage dürfte ein jedes Sammlerherz höherschlagen lassen, denn neben 180g Vinyl, klassisch schwarz oder Multicolour, gibt es noch ein Plakat und am Ende der der endlos B-Seiten-Rille ein verstecktes Special zu finden, oder genauer gesagt: ganz in der Mitte der B-Seite....lasst euch überraschen. LP als 180g Vinyl, Glanz-Cover & A2 Poster, CD als Digipack. Diese Version hier ist klassisch schwarzes Vinyl!

Macht euch bereit für das lang erwartete, brandneue Album "Psychotic Mutilation" von DEMENTED ARE GO! 39 Jahre nach ihrem Debutalbum und 13 Jahre nach "Welcome Back To Insanity Hall" veröffentlicht eine der legendärsten original Psychobilly-Acts um den charismatischen, außergewöhnlichen (manche würden sagen "frenzy") Bandleader Mark "Sparky" Philips ein Dutzend neue Songs, oder sind's nicht doch 13? Schon von jeher scheren sich DAG einen Dreck um den klassischen Psychobilly-Purismus: Ihr Sound ist immer noch eine einzigartige Mischung (Hellbilly) und kombiniert Elemente von Rockabilly, Punk, höllischem Rock'n'Roll mit mal Country-esken Einflüssen oder dunkelsten Blues, alles immer geprägt von Sparkys rauem, giftigem Gesang. Und als ganz besonderer Gast tritt Emanuela Hutter von The Hillbilly Moon Explosion wieder im Duett mit Sparky bei ,Cast A Lonesome Shadow" an. Eine wilde und schräge musikalische Reise durch menschliche Abgründe, Wahnsinn und dunkle Sehnsüchte. "Psychotic Mutilation" mit genau den Songs, die diese kranke Welt verdient. Simply a masterpiece!! Die Pressung der LP-Erstauflage dürfte ein jedes Sammlerherz höherschlagen lassen, denn neben 180g Vinyl, klassisch schwarz oder Multicolour, gibt es noch ein Plakat und am Ende der der endlos B-Seiten-Rille ein verstecktes Special zu finden, oder genauer gesagt: ganz in der Mitte der B-Seite....lasst euch überraschen. LP als 180g Vinyl, Glanz-Cover & A2 Poster, CD als Digipack. Diese Version hier ist klassisch schwarzes Vinyl!

Macht euch bereit für das lang erwartete, brandneue Album "Psychotic Mutilation" von DEMENTED ARE GO! 39 Jahre nach ihrem Debutalbum und 13 Jahre nach "Welcome Back To Insanity Hall" veröffentlicht eine der legendärsten original Psychobilly-Acts um den charismatischen, außergewöhnlichen (manche würden sagen "frenzy") Bandleader Mark "Sparky" Philips ein Dutzend neue Songs, oder sind's nicht doch 13? Schon von jeher scheren sich DAG einen Dreck um den klassischen Psychobilly-Purismus: Ihr Sound ist immer noch eine einzigartige Mischung (Hellbilly) und kombiniert Elemente von Rockabilly, Punk, höllischem Rock'n'Roll mit mal Country-esken Einflüssen oder dunkelsten Blues, alles immer geprägt von Sparkys rauem, giftigem Gesang. Und als ganz besonderer Gast tritt Emanuela Hutter von The Hillbilly Moon Explosion wieder im Duett mit Sparky bei ,Cast A Lonesome Shadow" an. Eine wilde und schräge musikalische Reise durch menschliche Abgründe, Wahnsinn und dunkle Sehnsüchte. "Psychotic Mutilation" mit genau den Songs, die diese kranke Welt verdient. Simply a masterpiece!! Die Pressung der LP-Erstauflage dürfte ein jedes Sammlerherz höherschlagen lassen, denn neben 180g Vinyl, klassisch schwarz oder Multicolour, gibt es noch ein Plakat und am Ende der der endlos B-Seiten-Rille ein verstecktes Special zu finden, oder genauer gesagt: ganz in der Mitte der B-Seite....lasst euch überraschen. LP als 180g Vinyl, Glanz-Cover & A2 Poster, CD als Digipack. Diese Version hier ist klassisch schwarzes Vinyl!

• The Hidden Cameras freuen sich, anlässlich des 15-jährigen Jubiläums von »Origin: Orphan« das Remix-Album »Origin: Orphan Remixed« zu veröffentlichen.

• Die Leadsingle des Albums, der Remix von »Colour of a Man« von den Pet Shop Boys zeigt den brillanten Trademark-Sound des berühmten Duos.

• Und auch Holy Fuck wurden nach einem Mix gefragt und sie lieferten einen Remix getreu ihrer elektronischen Lo-Fi Ästhetik.

One of Norways most acknowledged and established drummers, is finally ready to unleash his debut album as an
solo artist. DUMMY THICC - who’s real name is Sigmund Vestrheim - has played for acts such as Boy Pablo,
AURORA and with his own R&B/Soul-group Giddy Gang.

This album tells the story of DUMMY THICC, with crisp
snares and drums being the focal point of the soundscape. He invites a bunch of his friends in on the
journey, members from Giddy Gang, Ivan Ave and Vuyo jumps on the mic and instruments to help DUMMY
THICC complete his awaited debut album. The album is a travel in sound, and a perfect introduction to the world
of DUMMY THICC as a producer and artist.

Sit back and enjoy 44 minutes of beautiful beats, R&B and hiphop in the spirit of DJ Harrison, Ohbliv, Madlib and other inspirational figures that have been a key source
for Sigmund.

blck Vinyl, „Heimat" - ein Begriff, der lediglich eine Beziehung zwischen Menschen und Räumen bezeichnet, aber dennoch seit jeher hoch emotional aufgeladen ist. Oft missbraucht, sorgt er mitunter für Unbehagen, lebhafte Diskussionen und Deutungsstreitigkeiten. Maik Weichert (Gitarre) kommentiert: „'Heimat' ist nicht als engstirniger Endpunkt gemeint, wie er von Agitatoren und Populisten verwendet wird, sondern als Ausgangspunkt für Beobachtungen und Perspektiven

Official vinyl reissue of Venom's 'Prime Evil', originally released in 1989, recorded after the departure of lead singer and bassist Cronos, replaced for these recordings by Tony 'The Demolition Man' Dolan.

Mit "But remember what you have had" setzt Stephen O'Malley seinen musikalischen Ansatz fort und erweitert ihn auf multiphonisches elektroakustisches Schreiben und akusmatisches Hören. Stephen O'Malley schöpft nicht nur aus seiner umfangreichen Erfahrung als Komponist und Live-Instrumentalist, sondern auch aus den zahllosen Studioproduktions- und Mixing-Sessions, an denen er im Laufe seiner vielen Projekte (solo, mit SUNN O))) oder KTL, um nur einige zu nennen) teilgenommen hat. Die Arbeit von Stephen O'Malley an diesem neuen Stück ist ehrgeizig, eine inspirierte Forschung, die sich mit den tiefen Verwicklungen zwischen Polyphonie, Intonation und Timbralität beschäftigt, die durch melodische Motive verstärkt werden. Dazu beschwört O'Malley sein ganz persönliches Klanguniversum herauf, das sich aus verstärkten Texturen, instrumentalen Dauertönen und roher Energie zusammensetzt, um sie in Wellenfronten, Wellen und Schlägen zu brechen, die eine komplexe, reiche und faszinierende Materie weben. "But remember what you have had" ragt als wichtiges Werk in Stephen O'Malleys Repertoire heraus: Es vereint die Vielfalt seines musikalischen Ansatzes auf beispielhafte Weise und legt gleichzeitig die Grundlagen und Versprechen für die Zukunft einer bereits außergewöhnlichen Reise.

"Word on the Street" ist das amerikanische Debütalbum der kanadischen Avant-Pop-Singer-Songwriterin und Performance-Künstlerin Elle Barbara und geht auf das Konto von Elle Barbara's Black Space - einer Gruppe von Instrumentalisten aus Montreal, die Barbara zusammengerufen hat, um mit anderen schwarzen Musikern ins Gespräch zu kommen und dabei nicht den Erwartungen an den Klang schwarzer Musiker zu entsprechen. "Word on Street" wurde von Elle Barbara in enger Zusammenarbeit mit Renny Wilson geschrieben, komponiert, arrangiert und produziert. Renny Wilson hat das Album über einen Zeitraum von acht Jahren aufgenommen, bearbeitet und abgemischt, in denen Elle, eine schwarze Trans-Person, sich sozial und medizinisch neu orientieren musste, während sie von Sozialhilfe lebte und sich häufig von nur 11 CAD pro Woche ernährte. In diesem Sinne ist "Word on the Street" ein Sieg gegen Klassenkampf und Vetternwirtschaft und ein unverschämtes Zeugnis dafür, wie eine einkommensschwache, von der Sozialhilfe unterstützte, schwarze Mann-zu-Frau-Transsexuelle mittleren Alters es geschafft hat, alle Ressourcen zu nutzen, um die Musik zu machen, die ihr vorschwebt, und die Konventionen der Musikindustrie völlig zu ignorieren. "Word on the Street" ist auch vehement radikal und unabhängig; ein Meisterwerk der DIY-Prog-High-Production, inspiriert von der Art und Weise, wie das Konsumverhalten und die gegenwärtige technologische Zeit dazu führen, dass sich unser Leben verschlechtert und wir uns zunehmend voneinander entfremdet fühlen. Mit einer breiten Palette von Einflüssen, darunter Todd Rundgrens "A Wizard, a True Star", Prince and the Revolution mit "Purple Rain" und "Running Out of Time" von Rexy, beschwört jeder Track auf "Word on the Street", abgesehen davon, dass sie sehr melodisch sind, einzigartige Bilder herauf, die sich aus scheinbar unvereinbaren Bildern zusammensetzen, wie z. B. korrupte Justizsysteme, die Prophezeiungen von Nostradamus und das Eishockeyteam Montreal Canadiens. "Word on the Street" ist eine gemischte Tüte, deren verschwörerische Ästhetik eine antikonsumistische Haltung verbirgt, die zum Widerstand gegen den Aufstieg der künstlichen Intelligenz und anderer Werkzeuge der technologischen Unterdrückung aufruft und außerhalb der aktuellen Überwachungssysteme arbeitet, was wiederum mit Elle Barbaras Vorstoß für Low-Tech-Unterstützung wie Vinyl-Schallplatten übereinstimmt.

c A3 Rose, Arranged By [Strings] – Paz*

[e] B2 Orestes, Keyboards [Keys] – Billy*

[g] C1 Sleeping Beauty (Extended Intro), Bass – Paz*, Guitar [End Lead Guitar] – Troy*

[i] C3 Renholdër, Engineer [Drums] – Alan Moulder, Lead Vocals, Piano – Billy*, Percussion – Josh*, Vocals – Kelli Shafer, Maynard*
[j] D1 Thinking Of You, Guitar [End Lead Guitar] – Troy*

[l] D3 Over (Alt.), Kalimba [Gord] – Maynard*, Piano – Billy*



[c] A3 Rose, Arranged By [Strings] – Paz*

[e] B2 Orestes, Keyboards [Keys] – Billy*

[g] C1 Sleeping Beauty (Extended Intro), Bass – Paz*, Guitar [End Lead Guitar] – Troy*

[i] C3 Renholdër, Engineer [Drums] – Alan Moulder, Lead Vocals, Piano – Billy*, Percussion – Josh*, Vocals – Kelli Shafer, Maynard*
[j] D1 Thinking Of You, Guitar [End Lead Guitar] – Troy*

[l] D3 Over (Alt.), Kalimba [Gord] – Maynard*, Piano – Billy*

Feiern Sie 30 Jahre Freundschaft mit Disney und Pixar’s Toy Story: Die Songs to Infinity and Beyond
zoetrope Vinyl mit den kultigen Songs „You’ve Got a Friend in Me“ aus Toy Story, „When She Loved Me“
aus Toy Story 2, „We Belong Together“ aus Toy Story 3, „I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away“ aus Toy
Story 4 und mehr!

Repress!

Wonderwheel recordings is proud to present the first full-length album from

producer Robin Perkins, aka El Buho. Balance represents a meeting of different currents that make up Buho's music: a fascination with the natural world, and its protection, a fascination with the rhythms, traditions and sounds of Latin America and a fascination with modern electronic music and production aesthetics. The album is peppered with Cumbia, Son Jarocho, Andean instrumentation & Afro-Colombian rhythms. Mixed with this, Robin integrates this idea of "nature music" - putting the sound of a misty forest, the songs of birds, of crunching leaves under foot or the rhythmic tapping of rain alongside synthesized sounds, electronic clicks or claps, deep basses. Trying at once to give them their own space but in a new, surprising perspective - it draws electronic music into something more soft, natural, different and appealing.

Balance is also an album that celebrates community and collaboration, showcasing collaborations with ten different artists form Latin America and beyond, both producers, instrumentalists and singers. Including more of a lyrical presence than his previous EPs, Perkins solicited the participation of talented singers like Dina al Wedidi from Cairo, Luzmila Carpio from Bolivia and the incredible decimas of Mexican poet Citlaly Malpica. The album also features the likes of harpist Veronica Valerio, Argentine multi-instrumentalist Rumo Tumba, jarana player Pablo Emiliano from Mexican Son Jarocho group Semilla and members of the Shika Shika family (the global collective he co-run's) Uji, Barrio Lindo, Kaleema, Minük and Jhon Montoya.

El Buho's music has an incredible power to convey feelings, atmospheres, memories or messages. The message that sits behind this music is to value on the one hand the power of community, of collaboration and of our modern, globally, connected world but also the remembrance, protection and celebration of the very earth we depend upon for our existence.

Rhiza Semar returns with Scarlet Cloak, the second instalment from Dutch-Indonesian producer and label founder Hitam. Emerging from the depths of sonic experimentation, Scarlet Cloak continues Rhiza Semar's mission - blending club-oriented tracks with a left-field approach. With three tracks from Hitam and a remix by Nawaz, the EP offers a subtle nod to early 00's mental tribe, reimagining it with a sleek, contemporary, edge. Pulsing tentatively, Scarlet Cloak opens with delicate drum patterns, paving the way for gritty, heady sonic immersion. Meticulously crafted, faint and distant synths emerge on the horizon, orchestrating an ambience that conjures quiet anticipation - a peaceful wonder drifting through the shadows. Blissfully snaking into the next production, Nawaz remixes the track with a razor-sharp switch in tempo, locking the mental trip. Setting the pace for deep introspection, fast and obscure aquatic layers ripple, submerging the listener into dark, murky textures. Flashes of club lights dissolve into a distorted memory, intangible yet electrifying as Future Kill seizes the mind. Pangs of liquid acid spread through an aphotic tunnel of sound, while percussive elements pump the heart, mirroring the adrenaline rush before stepping into a cavernous rave. In Your Head spins forward, stripped-back minimal layers congregate, spiraling the EP toward a hard climax. Rough-cut textures and skittish vocals lay on a soft bed of snares, creating psychedelic dissonance. The atmosphere thickens and breaks with permeating, rolling kick drums, drawing this 10-minute odyssey to a close. Lose yourself in a sonic labyrinth as Hitam masterfully crafts Scarlet Cloak - a volatile minefield seeping with rude, mental, teeth-gritting energy. credits Words by Charlotte Hingley

New club heat by Fabio Monesi on his own Wilson Records imprint. ''Fabio Monesi delivers what can be considered a true masterpiece or a quintessential House Anthem, demonstrating a profound grasp of the genre's foundational elements while seamlessly incorporating a fresh, nuanced approach to production. House Anthem stands as a polished work that honors house music's rich legacy while boldly pushing the boundaries of contemporary sound. Monesi showcases his remarkable talent for crafting a track that speaks to both the dedicated house enthusiast and the enthusiastic clubgoer, offering a timeless piece of music that transcends trends.''

Civilistjävel! x Mayssa Jallad’s ‘Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels (Versions)’ is a radical response to Mayssa Jallad’s 2023 original LP, a lyrical account of epochal events in Beirut at the dawn of Lebanon's civil war. ‘…(Versions)’ sees Civilistjävel! (aka Swedish producer Tomas Bodén) apply a stripped, dub methodology to Mayssa's rich stems, refracting the Arabic source through the hazy prism of Northern European electronica. Retaining ‘Marjaa…’s deep spatial framing and vaporous, shifting nature, traces are lifted and set down in a new landscape: a ghost of a ghost. Informed by Tomas' singular strand of ambient, minimalist, dub techno, ‘… (Versions)’ recalls the reductive, shimmering pulse of pioneering Berlin-based practitioners Basic Channel/Chain Reaction, but with the parameters stretched into the ether. Where versions typically focus on a rhythm, here the anchor is the tone and texture of Mayssa’s voice, around which a new world has been constructed. Disembodied and liminal, it conjures an eerie panorama that feels like a postscript to the original, further emphasizing the geopolitical events that have had such devastating effect in Mayssa’s homeland of Lebanon since that record’s release. ‘Marjaa…’ (tr. ‘reference’) combined Mayssa Jallad’s two main vocations: music and urban research/architectural history. The album was co-written with Fadi Tabbal and based on Mayssa's Historic Preservation master's thesis (‘Beirut’s Civil War Hotel District: Preserving the World’s First High-Rise Urban Battlefield’). The thesis examined a 5-month conflict that took place within Beirut's skyscraper-laden luxury hotel district of Minet El Husn near the start of the Lebanese Civil War. Addressing a post-war generation who have never been taught this difficult history, ‘Marjaa…’ was an attempt to process trauma, and “a call to protest for the renewal, rather than the recycling of the political class that once destroyed the country and holds us, to this day, hostage of its violence.” Often perceived as a mysterious, shadowy presence, Civilistjävel! has come increasingly to the fore in recent years through a consistently dazzling stream of records, released both anonymously and via Fergus Jones’ FELT imprint, often appearing with scant information and tracks for the most part untitled. Having featured tracks from ‘Marjaa…’ on mixes, and included the album in his picks of 2023, in early 2024 Tomas asked Mayssa to provide vocals for a track on his album ‘Brödföda’. Mayssa remembers, “Tomas asked me to choose one of the tracks he was working on. I was in Boston at the time, so I took a walk and chose a track. I wrote the lyrics at the public park, wondering if I was the only one around that was losing sleep over the genocide in Palestine and the war in South Lebanon. I went back to the apartment and recorded the vocals on my phone, while listening to the track on headphones. Tomas reworked it with the voice and sent it back. I liked it immediately.” Despite the geographical distance from Beirut to Uppsala, Sweden, where Tomas resides, Mayssa’s contribution sounds very much at home in Civilistjävel!’s atmospheric, contemplative sound-world. Tomas’ request was reciprocated by Mayssa soon after, resulting in the spectral, glassy ambience of ‘Etel, Kharita (Version)’. This was followed by an invitation to work on more tracks, which Tomas immediately embraced, intensively jamming out versions live to two-track tape in downtime between travelling. If not entirely dissimilar to his regular working practice, the immediacy of it was unusual. Much was improvised live with just a keyboard (not tethered to a grid), and a restricted set-up that largely forbade later edits - only the rhythm tracks are programmed. A sharp conceptual thinker and composer, Tomas takes creative liberties with Mayssa’s songs in a way that is deeply felt and sympathetically aligned, whilst unashamedly outside of the original context of the record. The voice is leaned into as an instrument, without the clear, specific details of language, and this axis provides an uncertain, amorphous footing - structure is often suggested or hinted at, before disappearing or collapsing into fog, and folding back into the message within the song. A somewhat unprecedented source for an album of versions, even those familiar with ‘Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels’ may at points struggle to hear the songs these versions are rebuilt from, despite the vocal narratives remaining virtually intact. The light has shifted; eroded buildings are foregrounded; fragments of memories appear in chiaroscuro. Signs and signifiers have been replaced. Shorn of the original's warm guitar, ‘Baynana (Version)’ feels like an ominous visitation, the sun no longer visible. ‘Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29) (Version)’ is a molten, clattering invocation. The beat-less tracks nod towards the cold, otherworldly sound-scaping of late '90s isolationism. More propulsive and embodied, ‘Holiday Inn (January to March) (Version)’ and ‘Kharita (Dub)’ are strobing, iridescent techno - lithe, shifting and mutating with almost implausible finesse. A stunning addition to Civilistjävel!’s growing catalogue, ‘…(Versions)’ is a luminous counterpoint to ‘Marjaa…’, and a welcome reminder of how incredible that record remains.

Michi Sarmiento takes center stage on this explosive double-sider from PANORAMA Records, the third release in their 'DISCOS PANORAMA' series, created in collaboration with the legendary Discos Fuentes from Colombia. On the A side, 'Mirame San Miguel' by Michi Sarmiento Y Sus Bravos (1972) brings that irresistible Colombian groove, full of energy and horn-driven soul. Flip it over for 'Cumbia Raja' by Michi Sarmiento Y Su Combo Bravo (1970), a classic cumbia weapon that’s been igniting dancefloors for decades. The Combo Bravo, led by Blas 'Michi' Sarmiento, was a pioneering force in the rise of salsa and tropical sounds in Colombia during the late '60s and early '70s. This reissue delivers absolute Colombian dancefloor HEAT—killer Latin music, built for DJs, collectors, and anyone who loves it loud.

The Advent a.k.a. Cisco Ferreira has a firm footing in quality techno DJs' bags - as well as in dance music history - and today we announce a special treat for the heads: Paraiso is releasing three never before heard tracks, rescued from a DAT lost sometime in the 90s. Titled 'Passado Distante' - you probably guessed it, it means Distant Past - we're talking about a trio of no-frills yet creative and highly energetic technoid ammunition. Classics that never were but now are given a new chance to grace our dancefloors. Opening this record, 'Driven' gifts our ears with syncopated claps and percussion while relentless rushes of hi hats and snares create a steady rhythmic core, creating a funky as hell piece that has the original spirit of techno inscribed in it. Things remain fast-paced and to the bone in the following track 'Circulate', a rolling bassline supporting snare rolls and a cheeky, minimalistic bleep reminiscent of sci-fi worlds. Dense yet concise, like techno bangers ought to. Closing this triad is the irresistibly rhythmic 'Tres Trax', a geeky but powerful closing act that shows Cisco's early wide-eyed aura, blending complex percussion and a bassline so soaked in swing it will have your hips drawing rave sigils as they naturally learn the groove. Dubby details add mystery to this incredibly imaginative Detroit-tinged wonky banger. Cisco did it again.