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The wait is over, Return To The 37th Chamber is El Michels Affair's highly anticipated follow up to 2009's underground cult classic Enter the 37th Chamber. Churning out classic records since then for the likes of Lee Fields, The Arcs, The Shacks, and tons more, it is clear that EMA's signature sound is stronger & sharper than ever. This time, in addition to re-interpreting the Wu compositions for a live band, EMA pays homage to the production and sonic fog that makes a RZA beat so recognizable. Producer and bandleader Leon Michels recorded the album completely analog, sometimes hitting 6 generations of tape before it was ready for mixing, giving the Return to The 37th Chamber it's own hazy sound. Adding to the unique fidelity, the record is laced with psychedelic flourishes, John Carpenter' synths, heavy metal guitars, triumpha0nt horns, and traditional Chinese instruments that make up for the lack of the Wu's superlative vocals. From start to finish it's a dark trip that walks the line between RZA's timeless hip-hop aesthetic and the cinematic soul EMA has become known for. El Michels Affair tackles some classics like 4th Chamber and Wu Tang Aint Nuthin to Fuck Wit, as well as some deeper cuts like Ol Dirty Bastard's Snakes, Raekwon's Verbal Intercourse, and Shaolin Brew, Wu-Tang's contribution to the St. Ide's Hip Hop endorsement campaign from 1994. This time El Michels brings some of the Big Crown family along for the ride. Lee Fields handles vocal duties on Snakes and is joined by Shannon Wise of The Shacks for their version of Tearz, which pays as much homage to the Wendy Rene sample as it does to the Wu-Tang Clan. Lady Wray makes an appearance on the cover of Method Man's hit, All I Need, lending her vocal prowess to what gave the Wu one of their biggest hits of all time. Interspersed throughout the record are some original interludes that are like the rug that ties the room together,' giving Return To The 37th Chamber a cinematic narrative that makes it a proper El Michels Affair record and not just a collection of covers. From the music to the presentation, this album is a perfect example of what can only be achieved through diversity. The end result is as much a kaleidoscope of influences and multiculturalism as the city it was recorded in. El Michels Affair is once again, sounding out the city' that raised them, pulling elements of art and culture from across the country and around the globe to create an album truly unique in it's own right.

Over 10 years ago, Leon Michels released his first full length record, Sounding Out The City. It was Michels' first full length record under the moniker El Michels Affair. At the time, the budding retro soul scene consisted of mostly organ quartets a la The Meters and of course, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings were in the early days of their ascent to world domination. Leon Michels, who was 18 when recording Sounding Out The City began, had just released Thunder Chicken, the first record by his high school band The Mighty Imperials. At the time of SOTC, Michels was just discovering early rocksteady, afrobeat, and 60's garage rock, which inevitably crept its way into the songwriting. He purchased a Tascam 388, an 80's 1/4" reel to reel 8 track intended for home recordings, and began recording music in a 10x10 box with no windows that also doubled as his childhood bedroom. Along with fellow Mighty Imperials Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss, and Sean Solomon, and Michael Leonhart, Thomas Brenneck, and some of the musicians from The Dap Kings, Michels recorded the LP over a two year period. Upon it's release, it received some rave reviews and the small deep funk community ate it up, but due to the lack luster promotion and distribution the rest of the world was slow to catch on to the instrumental gems featured on SOTC, which Michels appropriately labelled as "cinematic soul". However, in 2005 it found it's way into the hands of the people who were organizing a series of concerts for Scion that paired bands with MC's. El Michels Affair was contacted about playing one show with Raekwon The Chef of Wu Tang Clan fame. The show was such a success it led to a tour, and then to another set of concerts that featured multiple members of the Wu-Tang Clan. This eventually led to the release of El Michels Affair's second record, "Enter the 37th Chamber" which introduced them to a much larger audience and has been their most successful release to date. Michels has since gone on to produce and co-produce numerous records for powerhouse soul artists like Lee Fields. He shares songwriting credits with Adele, Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah, Aloe Blacc, and has played on records by Ray LaMontagne, Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys and Dr. John.

Kraak & Smaak formed in Leiden in pursuit of a particular blend of funk, disco and electronic soul, and over two decades and seven albums, Oscar de Jong, Wim Plug and Mark Kneppers have sharpened a sound that's unmistakably their own: warm, analogue, and always twisting old soul into something new. That sound has carried them from small European clubs to Coachella and American late night TV.
Their 2025 album Velvet Seas was written between Leiden and Los Angeles, and it shows: Californian light and a touch of psychedelia sit easily alongside deep funk and a cinematic reach. The record leaned on a wide circle of guests, among them IVAR, Berenice van Leer, Izo FitzRoy, Butter Bath, The Undercover Dream Lovers, iogi, Kosta G and Kainalu.

Velvet Seas Remixed hands the album's best moments to a curated set of international producers. British disco heritage, classic French touch, Brazilian disco funk, Melbourne club music and homegrown Dutch groove all take a turn, with each producer bending a familiar song toward their own instincts while keeping the album's character intact. Longer, extended versions and alternate mixes round out the full release, letting several of these tracks land in more than one form.




a 01: Nothing Is Forever (Yuksek Remix) [feat. Kosta G]
[b] 02: Travel Light (Diogo Strausz Remix) [feat. Ivar]
[c] 03: Velvet Seas (Ray Mang Remix) [feat. Izo FitzRoy]
[d] 04: Heat (Anoraak Remix) [feat. Butter Bath]
[e] 05: Real Love (Harvey Sutherland Remix) [feat. Kainalu]
[f] 06: Tracel Light (Sound Support Remix) [feat. Ivar]
[g] 07: Heat (Stirmouth Remix) [feat. Butter Bath]

[a] A1 | Nothing Is Forever (Yuksek Remix) [feat Kosta G]
[b] A2 | Travel Light (Diogo Strausz Remix) [feat Ivar]
[c] A3 | Velvet Seas (Ray Mang Remix) [feat Izo FitzRoy]
[d] B1 | Heat (Anoraak Remix) [feat Butter Bath]
[e] B2 | Real Love (Harvey Sutherland Remix) [feat Kainalu]
[f] B3 | Tracel Light (Sound Support Remix) [feat Ivar]
[g] B4 | Heat (Stirmouth Remix) [feat Butter Bath]

Tapper Zuki's debut album 'Man Ah Warrior' was originally released in 1973.It's classic Dee Jay style has been copied by many but bettered by few. An album that more than most shows that raw talent with little resources can still be a great, great thing.
Tapper Zukie (b.1956,David Sinclair , Kingston, Jamaica) was raised in the rough and tough West Kingston area of Jamaica between the districts of Trench Town and Greenwich Farm.
Living pretty much on the streets from an early age the youth including the young Tapper had no choice but to fall into the hands of the political parties that controlled the various ghetto areas of the town.
Fear of landing in even more trouble, a plan was devised by Tapper's Mother ,Brother ,Reggae producer 'Blackbeard' and family friend Bunny 'Striker' Lee .The plan was to send the wayward Tapper to England to cool his ways.
A UK tour with the number 1 Reggae Dee Jay U-Roy was already arranged on his arrival, Bunny Lee got the young Tapper to toast over a Slim Smith rhythm, the London crowd loved it
He also caught the eye of producer Larry Lawrence who took Tapper on and cut his first single 'Jump and Twist'
Nine further tracks were recorded for producer Clement Bushey that would result in this album 'man ah Warrior.
We hope this introduction to Tapper Zukie's music inspires you to look further into his catalogue of great music.
An artist ahead of his time, whose music has influenced many........
as Patti Smith stated 'Music of the Most High'............

"Bloc Party zählen zu den prägendsten Indie-Bands der 2000er Jahre. Ihr Debüt Silent Alarm wurde mit dem NME Award als „Album of the Year“ ausgezeichnet und verkaufte sich weltweit über eine Million Mal. Über zwei Jahrzehnte hinweg hat sich die Band mit kontinuierlicher Weiterentwicklung und intensiver globaler Touring-Präsenz eine treue und stetig wachsende Fanbase aufgebaut.

In den vergangenen vier Jahren wurde ihre Ausnahmestellung eindrucksvoll bestätigt und gleichzeitig eine neue Generation von Fans gewonnen – von Welttourneen mit Paramore über ausverkaufte Headliner-Shows im Londoner Crystal Palace Park bis hin zu gefeierten Auftritten bei Festivals wie Reading & Leeds. Mit dieser neuen Dynamik im Rücken und nach ihrem größten Tourjahr seit zwei Jahrzehnten kündigen Bloc Party nun ihr nächstes Album an. Das Werk erzählt die Geschichte einer einjährigen Beziehung – intensiv, persönlich und schonungslos – produziert gemeinsam mit Studiolegende Trevor Horn.

Zudem spielen Bloc Party eine Co-Headliner-Arenatour durch UK & Europa zusammen mit Interpol sowie großen US-Open-Air-Shows mit Muse."

"Bloc Party zählen zu den prägendsten Indie-Bands der 2000er Jahre. Ihr Debüt Silent Alarm wurde mit dem NME Award als „Album of the Year“ ausgezeichnet und verkaufte sich weltweit über eine Million Mal. Über zwei Jahrzehnte hinweg hat sich die Band mit kontinuierlicher Weiterentwicklung und intensiver globaler Touring-Präsenz eine treue und stetig wachsende Fanbase aufgebaut.

In den vergangenen vier Jahren wurde ihre Ausnahmestellung eindrucksvoll bestätigt und gleichzeitig eine neue Generation von Fans gewonnen – von Welttourneen mit Paramore über ausverkaufte Headliner-Shows im Londoner Crystal Palace Park bis hin zu gefeierten Auftritten bei Festivals wie Reading & Leeds. Mit dieser neuen Dynamik im Rücken und nach ihrem größten Tourjahr seit zwei Jahrzehnten kündigen Bloc Party nun ihr nächstes Album an. Das Werk erzählt die Geschichte einer einjährigen Beziehung – intensiv, persönlich und schonungslos – produziert gemeinsam mit Studiolegende Trevor Horn.

Zudem spielen Bloc Party eine Co-Headliner-Arenatour durch UK & Europa zusammen mit Interpol sowie großen US-Open-Air-Shows mit Muse."

David Thomas Broughton, accompanied by Neil Turpin (drums) and Matthew Bourne (piano), form a Leeds-rooted group bringing unpredictable performances that move fluidly between song and
abstractionat.

Neil & Matt perform improvising explorations around David’s snippets of words and guitar. In turn, David responds to Matt and Neil, building and dismantling loops that can be subtle, often harmonious, sometimes obtuse.

The record, due for release in summer 2026, a selection from an improvised recording session in February 2020, just before the first lockdown.

Die fünfte Vinyl-Auflage ist bei Bad Afro traditionell in Blau und auf 500 Exemplare weltweit limitiert! Das Album verdankt seine Entstehung den psychedelischen 60er Jahren und dem Einfluss von Sky Saxon, Arthur Lee, Morricone und Syd Barrett und strahlt dennoch so hell und frisch wie die Morgensonne. Vom barocken Pop von "A Sound for Two" über die knackigen Garage-Licks von "My Heavenly Way" und "Sold for Sinners" bis hin zur wogenden Pop-Eleganz von "The Only One" und "The Ecstacy Once Told" ist dies ein Album, das von der Hand der spirituellen Erleuchtung berührt wurde. Der charismatische Bandleader Daniel Poulter schreibt wunderschöne Songs, unter deren psycedelischer Oberfläche sich zeigt, dass THE DOLLY ROCKER MOVEMENT eine großartige Popband sind, welche zudem einen ganz eigenen Klang und Stil besitz. Trotz der Tatsache, dass das Album 13 Jahre alt ist, ist es das meistgestreamte Album auf Bad Afro.

The newest sound suite by Night Foundation, the solo project of visual artist and Noir Age label owner Richard Vergez. Inspired by reality and light. Mental objects that traverse our minds in the form of sound. Things familiar, but new to your ears. Interest in the things left behind. Some were just accidents that fell on the tape. Manipulations of time.

A memory archive containing exposed wires, slightly broken machines, and those slow, morose moments in film or the happy accidents in dreams. Live, improvised sequences for liminal synths, one-string guitar, mutated trumpet, metal objects, drum box. That type of thing. Under the spell of Brussels, Leeds, and Berlin.

Night Foundation is a current collaborator with Little Annie and has releases on labels such as Psychic Liberation, Jungle Gym, and Amulet of Tears.

For fans of:

Bourbonese Qualk, Klaus Schulze, x.y.r., Tomaga

Limited edition cassette with Rispgraph cover and newsprint insert.

Set for release Sept. 11, 2026

Tommy McCook was not only a founding member of the legendary Jamaican Ska group The Skatalites, but also a brilliant musical arranger. His informed understanding of Jazz, R&B and in fact most music styles would always add another layer to any song put his way. This made him the go to guy for most of the Jamaican producers, who would use his arrangement skills to pepper up their latest tunes.

Tommy McCook, (b1927, Havana, Cuba) came to Jamaica with his mother from Cuba aged 11 and entered renowned Alpha Boys School for underprivileged children, a school that placed great emphasis on musical tuition. At the tender of 14, such was his talent he has left to join Eric Deans Orchestra and took on stints with other bands led by Don Hinchman and Roy Coburn. All the bands played in the Swing and Jazz style of the times. He relocated to the Bahamas in 1954 where he further developed his Jazz technique and upon his return to Jamaica in 1962 began working Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One and became involved in the development of Ska. His knowledge of Jazz, R& B and Jamaican musical forms helped set the tone for the group of musicians he was working with and would name the Skatalites. The group, consisting of Don Drummond (Trombone), Roland Alphonso (Tenor Saxophone), Jackie Mitoo (Piano), Lloyd Brevett (Bass), Lloyd Knibbs (Drums), alongside Tommy himself on Tenor Saxophone. The group would back all the major Ska vocalists pf the day and would also go on to cut a catalogue of instrumental music. The Skatalites split up in 1965 and Tommy McCook moved over to work with Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle Studios where he formed The Supersonics. A set of musicians under his guidance that consisted of Lynn Tait and Ernest Ranglin (Guitar), Neville Hinds and Winston Wright (Organ), Gladstone “Gladdy” Anderson (Piano), Hugh Malcolm and Arkland “Drumbago” Parks (Drums), Clifton “Jackie” Jackson (Bass), and Tommy and Hernon Marquis (Saxophone). The more laid back sounds from 1966-1968 would be given the name Rocksteady of which again McCook was at the forefront. The top producers like Bunny Lee would use the musicianship of Tommy McCook and his arrangement skills to enhance this new sound.

We have compiled a great selection of rhythms that featured McCook blowing over tracks stripped of their vocals and replaced with some fantastic lead lines played by Tommy and some of his fellow horns men.
We hope you agree like we do that they do this in fine style.

Inspiration Information Is Presented In An Opaque Metalic Silver Pressing. Well before Shuggie Otis cut his debut album, musicianship and performance had long been a part of his life. The son of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie learned to play guitar as early as the age of two, and performed professionally with his father's band at eleven. Throughout his long and illustrious career he performed on records for the likes of Frank Zappa, Al Kooper, Etta James, and George Duke, to name a few. Despite only moderate success upon its initial release, Shuggie Otis' third album Inspiration Information turned into underground smash decades later and has since maintained a level of cult status normally reserved for mysterious, unearthed legends like Sixto Rodriguez or Lee Fields. Inspiration Information is also noteworthy among Shuggie's other releases, as it was entirely self-produced, as opposed to being overseen by his father Johnny Otis. Shuggie's signature blend of baroque funk is on full display, but with a heavy dosage of psychedelic soul blended in, resulting in an album that's equally swarthy, lush, funky, and emotional; gathering all the best bits of Marvin Gaye, Love, Miles Davis, and even Os Mutantes. Inspiration Information is more than worthy of all acclaim awarded to it, despite the delayed reverence. Track Listing: A1. Inspiration / Information A2. Island Letter A3. Sparkle City A4. Aht Uh Mi Hed B1. Happy House B2. Rainy Day B3. XL-30 B4. Pling! B5. Not Available

Strut presents Nigeria 80, the next essential chapter in the legendary Nigeria 70 series, diving deep into the explosive sound world of 1980s Nigeria.

Following the global impact of 2001's Nigeria 70, which helped introduce rare Nigerian recordings to international audiences, Nigeria 80 continues the journey, unearthing a rich, restless, and wildly creative decade of music from Lagos to Enugu. Despite economic instability and restrictive political conditions in the 1980's, Nigeria’s music industry flourished, driven by a growing network of independent labels such as Tabansi and Phonodisk, which championed local artists and expanded creative freedom. The 1980s also marked a significant rise in visibility for female artists, with trailblazers like Onyeka Onwenu helping to reshape the landscape and open doors for a new generation of performers, writers, and producers.

Nigeria 80 showcases the extraordinary breadth of this era, with all tracks reissued here for the first time. The compilation brings together essential recordings from across Nigeria’s musical spectrum: highlife greats Victor Uwaifo and Nico Mbarga appear alongside Paulson Kalu, whose personal favourite “Akugbue Nwa Ewu” stands out as a prime example of the style. Prince David Bull’s “Soko Soko” (later reinterpreted in Starboy’s Afrobeats hit “Soco”) features as a key touchpoint between eras. Segun Adewale delivers a driving juju workout, while Lekan Animashaun, longtime bandleader of Africa 70, contributes a late-era Afrobeat classic produced in collaboration with Fela Kuti.

The compilation also highlights more experimental and hybrid sounds, from I.C. Rock’s proto–hip hop gem “Advice” to Evi-Edna Ogholi’s self-produced reggae statement “The World”. The set closes with “Apama” by Ibealaoke Chukwukeziri, the “Apama Boy” from Achi in eastern Nigeria, featuring hypnotic vocals and percussion from his Anaedeonu band.

Nigeria 80 is available as a black vinyl 2LP housed in a gatefold sleeve or CD digipak, which includes a 16-page booklet with artist photos and liner notes by Francis Gooding. Compiled by Duncan Brooker. Audio restoration by See Why Audio. Mastered by The Carvery.

It’s been one hell of a wild ride for Wine Lips. Originally formed in Toronto back in 2015 as a part-time project between Cam Hilborn (vox, songwriter, guitar) and drummer extraordinaire Aurora Evans, Wine Lips quickly escalated into a full-blown, full-time, full-on international phenomenon. Their debut album took them across North America followed immediately by an intensive and unexpected tour of Hong Kong and China in 2018. They released their massive “Stressor” album the very next year (2019) to rave reviews and massive critical acclaim. Multiple tracks from Stressor charted across North American and European radio, while several songs ended up being featured in broadcast and Netflix series. Endless touring ensued. Then 2020 happened. The band used their mandatory downtime to fully dedicate themselves to crafting their groundbreaking third full-length “Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party” (recorded by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack). The record was released in October 2021 and then shit really hit the fan. The international music press lost their collective minds, penning over 250 glowing features and super positive reviews spanning 35+ countries. At the time of writing, the album blew past 40 Million spins on Spotify alone.

The vinyl release of MDSBP is currently in its 7th pressing with 9 different colour variants. The lead track “Eyes” has been licensed to a metric ton of films, series and video games including ABC’s The Rookie, Hockey Night In Canada and Population 11. Even more endless touring ensued, except this time the venues were huge and mostly sold-out. The 2024 follow-up album “Super Mega Ultra” was an absolute beast. Recorded by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack in Ontario, the album packed 12 ramped-up supersonic ear-scorching auditory delicacies and racked up millions of plays.

Classic Johnny Clarke album from 1980 restored and re-mastered for best ever sound. Features the hit singles "Every Knee Shall Bow" , "Can't Keep A Good Man Down" along with the Jah Shaka sound system anthem "Bad Days Are Going".
Produced by mixed at Channel One, King Tubby's and NYC by Bunny Lee, Brad Osbourne & Johnny Clarke
'Originally Mr Clarke' delivers in full on every track making it one of THE essential reggae album releases.
Jamaican artist of the year in both '75 & '76 Johnny signed to Virgin Records and released two highly acclaimed albums for Virgin's Front Line label. Still performing and recording today, Johnny also tasted crossover success when his 'Everyday Wondering' hit made number 2 in the UK charts with it's Rupie Edwards 'Irie Feelings' dub deconstruction while Johnathan Richman turned Johnny's Earl Zero penned 'None Shall Escape The Judgement' hit into the international chart topper 'Egyptian Reggae' in 1977.

Doomcrusher fuse stomping industrial riffs, uncompromising gutturals and uplifting hooks - modern core with electronic depth and metal roots.

In the crucible of the apocalypticatmosphere that envelops our world, Doomerusher was forged. Born out of the deepest desire to be the harbinger of change, the band emerged with a resolute mission: to defy the impending doom that looms on the horizon. Founded by Andy Posdziech (Any Given Day), Jean Bormann (Rage), Marv Kinkel & Rob Lee, Doomcrusher's sound is a powerful fusion of stomping and heavy mid-tempo industrial riffs, seamlessly intertwined with uncompromising gutturals that resolve into unfolding and uplifting hooks. The band's sound is further enriched by sophisticated electronic elements, adding depth and complexity to their musical tapestry. The ambition is clear - to redefine modern core music while staying true to the roots of the metal genre. Their music is not merely an auditory experience; it's a journey through the realms of sound, a deliberate exploration of the boundaries of heavy music. Doomcrusher stands as a defiant force against the inevitable, a rebellion that crushes the darkness of doom with an unwavering belief in the transformative power of music. DOOMCRUSHER BIO SHORT: Forged in the apocalyptic atmosphere, Doomcrusher blends stomping industrial riffs with guttural vocals and uplifting hooks. Their music, a deliberate exploration of heavy soundscapes enriched by electronic elements, redefines modern core while honoring metal roots- a defiant force against impending doom

Purple Vinyl, inkl. Poster. The Black Wizards, das in Porto beheimatete Trio bestehend aus Joana Brito (Gitarre/Gesang), José Gomes (Bass/Gesang) und Helena Peixoto (Schlagzeug), kündigt sein neues Album ,Force Majeure & The Acts of God" an, das am 4. September über Hassle Records erscheinen wird. Force Majeure & The Acts of God ist von einem dunklen Humor geprägt. Der Titel bezieht sich auf den juristischen Begriff für unkontrollierbare oder nicht beeinflussbare Umstände und spiegelt damit das Chaos wider, das die Entstehung des Albums begleitet hat. Gleichzeitig deutet er auf den verschmitzten, widerständigen Geist der Band hin.Das Album entstand in einer Zeit, in der politische Landschaften weltweit zunehmend ins Chaos abzugleiten schienen. Es kanalisiert Frustration und Dringlichkeit, ohne dabei in Hoffnungslosigkeit zu verfallen. Für die Texte ließ sich Frontfrau Joana Brito von Büchern über Politik, Geschlechterrollen und toxische Männlichkeit inspirieren. Diese Themen finden sich in Songs wieder, die sich kritisch mit leerer Führung und gesellschaftlicher Spaltung auseinandersetzen. Besonders ,Killing The Buzz" durchschneidet das politische Spektakel mit scharfem Humor und energiegeladenem Punk-Spirit. Musikalisch markiert Force Majeure & The Acts of God einen deutlichen Wendepunkt für die Band. Anstatt den ausufernden Klangnebeln ihres früheren Heavy-Psych-Sounds zu folgen, setzen The Black Wizards nun auf einen kompakteren, raueren und direkteren Ansatz. Das Album vereint die Attitüde des Garage Rock, die nervöse Spannung des Proto-Punk und einen unaufhaltsamen rhythmischen Antrieb. Getragen wird dies von Britos kantigem und durchsetzungsstarkem Gesang, den rauen Gesangsantworten von José Gomes sowie dem kraftvollen Schlagzeugspiel von Helena Peixoto. Aufgenommen wurde das Album während einer intensiven fünftägigen Session mit Cooper Crain in Porto. Das Ergebnis lebt von Dringlichkeit, ungeschliffenen Kanten und einer explosiven Live-Energie.

Mit Woodstock Experience kehrt der Spirit einer ganzen Generation zurück - eingefangen auf einer außergewöhnlichen Picture Disc Vinyl. Diese sorgfältig kuratierte Compilation versammelt ikonische Künstler, die den Sound der späten 60er und frühen 70er geprägt haben. Von Folk und Psychedelia bis hin zu Blues und ersten Rock-Explosionen entsteht ein authentisches Klangbild der Woodstock-Ära. Mit remasterten Originalaufnahmen von u. a. Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Santana und Lee Hazlewood bietet diese Veröffentlichung eine musikalische Zeitreise voller Atmosphäre und kultureller Bedeutung. Ein visuell und klanglich starkes Sammlerstück, das den Geist von Freiheit, Aufbruch und musikalischer Vielfalt perfekt widerspiegelt.

Emerging in the early 2020’s - Static Abyss is a monstrous hybrid of twisted, doom-laden brutal death, comprising of longstanding members of the US metal scene. The band consists primarily of the duo of Deathgrave’s Greg Wilkinson (Guitars/bass) & Chris Reifert (vocals), both also members of legendary American masters of sickness, Autopsy, with Chris also notably starting his career with genre pioneers, Death. The band’s debut, ‘Labyrinth Of Veins’ was released in 2022, & their second album ‘Aborted From Reality’ followed in quick succession, surfacing in 2023.

Returning now for Static Abyss’ third studio album, & with the addition of Chad Gailey of fellow death merchants Necrot behind the drumkit for this release, ‘The Dying Hunt’ plummets the listener again into the festering, psychedelic swamps of lunacy, with the spiralling melodies texturing the relentless savage riffs for an effective nightmare inducing trip through the sonic abyss. Continuously & relentlessly flitting between brutal passages & hypnotic otherworldly craziness, ‘The Dying Hunt’ reflects the ailing world & the unravelling of the psyche of its inhabitants in this darkly dystopian landscape, for a masterful descent into sick Death Metal combined with Crust & Doom elements.

‘The Dying Hunt’ was recorded at Earhammer Studios in Oakland, CA, with engineering, mixing & mastering overseen by Greg Wilkinson himself. Cover art comes courtesy of Jon Santos.

This edition of ‘The Dying Hunt’ is presented on limited yellow marble vinyl, including printed inner sleeve with lyrics.

Die renommierten Gitarristen Steve Hackett und Steve Rothery freuen sich, ihr lang erwartetes gemeinsames Album "The Roaring Waves" vorzustellen. Sieben Instrumentalstücke, die von gekonnt-absurd bis brillant-erhaben reichen, aber alle ein gemeinsames Thema haben: die Tiefe des Meeres. Rothery erklärt: "Im Winter konnte man bei stürmischem Wetter das Rauschen der Wellen hören. Whitby war ein sehr inspirierender Ort zum Leben, ein sehr poetischer und kraftvoller Ort, um aufzuwachsen. Ich denke, dieses Album ist eine Möglichkeit, einige dieser Erinnerungen und Emotionen darüber auszudrücken, was das Meer für mich bedeutet hat." "The Roaring Waves" entstand über einen Zeitraum von fast acht Jahren, obwohl die ursprüngliche Idee, gemeinsam ein Album aufzunehmen, bereits drei Jahre zuvor entstanden war. Aufgrund ihrer jeweiligen Tagesjobs und Tourneepläne konnten sie jedoch monatelang nicht zusammenarbeiten. Die Aufnahmesessions im Racket Club und in ihren jeweiligen Heimstudios brachten jedoch eine Fülle an Kreativität hervor. "Unser Ansatz war ein bisschen old school, so wie die Idee, dass Freunde sich in der Garage treffen, um zu spielen und zusammen abzuhängen", sagt Hackett über ihre Herangehensweise an Kreativität. Derzeit handelt es sich um ein Einzelalbum, da keiner der beiden Gitarristen Zeit für Live-Auftritte aufbringen kann, geschweige denn daran denkt, gemeinsam ein weiteres Album aufzunehmen. Während die Gezeiten kommen und gehen, blicken alle Gesichter auf den leeren Horizont und warten darauf, dass ein letztes Schiff an Land gebracht wird, um endlich nach Hause zurückzukehren. "The Roaring Waves" wird als limitierte CD & Blu-ray Mediabook mit Dolby Atmos-Mixes von Andy Bradfield sowie als Gatefold 180g LP & LP-Booklet erhältlich sein, das von Miles Showell in den Abbey Road Studios mit Half-Speed Mastering gemastert wurde. Das Album wird auch als Standard-CD-Jewelcase und digital erhältlich sein.

Der finnische Sänger Bobby Oroza veröffentlicht sein Debütalbum This Love bei Big Crown Records. Das Label aus New York City ist bereits Heimat von Bands wie Lee Fields & The Expressions, The Shacks und El Michels Affair. Bobby ist in Helsinki geboren und in einer Musiker- und Künstlerfamilie aufgewachsen. Zu Bobbys Glück hatten seine Eltern eine große Plattensammlung mit frühem Jazz, Blues, Motown-Hits, Gospelchören und Doo-Wop-Gruppen wie The Drifters und The Clovers, aber auch Alben aus Brasilien und Afrika, Folksongs aus Nord- und Südamerika von Bobbys Mutter und Salsa-Musik aus New York. All diese Einflüsse sind heute in Bobbys Musik hör- und spürbar. Auf Kuba studierte er monatelang intensiv Schlagzeug und Gesang. Mit Cold Diamond & Mink, der Hausband von Timmion Records, bestehend aus Bandleader Jukka Sarapää, Sami Kantelinen und Gitarrist/Komponist Seppo Salmi, bildet er ein brillantes Quartett, mit dem er seine Vision in Musik umsetzt. CD&M liefern mit ihren LoFi-Instrumentals die perfekte Untermalung für Bobbys verrauchte Tenorstimme, die Herzen brechen und schmelzen lässt. Der bereits 2016 als 7" Single veröffentlichte Titelsong "This Love" ist längst zum Hit in Lowrider-Kreisen geworden und wurde auf "Hat Trick" von Odd Future Rapper Earl Sweatshirt gesamplet. Der Song ist mit seinen harten Drums, den wilden Riffs, dem vergrabenen Bass und Bobbys verhaltenem, aber intensivem Gesang ein Muss für Soul-Sammler und hat sich als 7? mehr als 3.000 Mal verkauft. Der Song "Your Love Is Too Cold" ist ein Stomper, der Soul-Grooves früher Motown-Stücke mit Gitarrenriffs aus einem Funk-Soundtrack von James Brown mischt und schon jetzt weltweit auf allen Soul-Partys schwer angesagt ist. Bobby hat einiges für die Tänzer im Publikum in petto: Stücke wie "Lonely Girl" und "Falling in Love" sind Verneigungen vor dem Northern Soul, "Keep On Believing" liefert Jazz-Funk wie aus den Siebzigern. Aber "This Love" wendet sich vor allem an die Balladenliebhaber, die voller Sehnsucht in die Nacht schauen. Mit Songs wie "Alone Again", "Down On My Knees" und "Deja Vu" beschwört er eine intensive, leicht abgründige Sinnlichkeit. Eine einzigartige Spielart von Soul, made in Finland.

The Gates of Slumber’s debut album and EP reissued in August Svart Records continue to reissue the works of Indiana’s true doom metal legends The Gates of Slumber by bringing back their debut album The Awakening and early EP Like a Plague Upon the Land in late August 2026. The 2005 EP Like a Plague Upon the Land is a punchy release praised for its authenticity to the genre. Never before released on vinyl, this hard-hitting fan favorite is heavily rooted in 70s rock-influenced doom. Traditional, slow, and heavy in the vein of Reverend Bizarre and Saint Vitus. The Gates of Slumber was formed by Karl Simon in 1998. Various people were in and out of the group between 1998 and 2001, when the Blood Encrusted Deth Axe demo was recorded with Jamie Walters aka Dr. Phibes/Athenar (Boulder, Midnight) on drums and bass. In 2003 Jason McCash took over the bass duties and was a long-time member of the band until his untimely demise in 2014, after which Simon decided it was time to call it quits. That was until 2019 when the renowned metal festival Hell Over Hammaburg wanted to bring the band back on stage to perform at the festival’s 2020 edition. Simon reformed the band with its original member Chuck Brown on drums and Steve Janiak on bass and got back to work, which resulted in the new self-titled album released in 2024 on Svart Records.

The Gates of Slumber’s debut album and EP reissued in August Svart Records continue to reissue the works of Indiana’s true doom metal legends The Gates of Slumber by bringing back their debut album The Awakening and early EP Like a Plague Upon the Land in late August 2026. The 2005 EP Like a Plague Upon the Land is a punchy release praised for its authenticity to the genre. Never before released on vinyl, this hard-hitting fan favorite is heavily rooted in 70s rock-influenced doom. Traditional, slow, and heavy in the vein of Reverend Bizarre and Saint Vitus. The Gates of Slumber was formed by Karl Simon in 1998. Various people were in and out of the group between 1998 and 2001, when the Blood Encrusted Deth Axe demo was recorded with Jamie Walters aka Dr. Phibes/Athenar (Boulder, Midnight) on drums and bass. In 2003 Jason McCash took over the bass duties and was a long-time member of the band until his untimely demise in 2014, after which Simon decided it was time to call it quits. That was until 2019 when the renowned metal festival Hell Over Hammaburg wanted to bring the band back on stage to perform at the festival’s 2020 edition. Simon reformed the band with its original member Chuck Brown on drums and Steve Janiak on bass and got back to work, which resulted in the new self-titled album released in 2024 on Svart Records.

Louisiana Red wurde im März 1932 in Alabama geboren und starb fast auf den Tag genau 80 Jahre später in Hannover. Der frühe Lebensweg von Iverson Minter, auch bekannt als Louisiana Red, war geprägt von Leid. Seine Mutter starb eine Woche nach seiner Geburt an einer Lungenentzündung. Als er fünf Jahre alt war, wurde sein Vater vom Ku-Klux-Klan hingerichtet. Danach lebte er in Waisenhäusern, bis er den Rest seiner Kindheit bei seiner Großmutter verbringen konnte. Als Jugendlicher wurde er wegen Einbruchs zu Zwangsarbeit verurteilt und anschließend von Uncle Sam in den Koreakrieg geschickt. Bluesmusiker wollte Iverson werden, seit er Muddy Waters kennengelernt hatte. Ende der 1950er Jahre spielte er in der Band von John Lee Hooker. Mitte der 1970er Jahre zog es ihn nach Europa, wo er durch Auftritte beim WDR-Rockpalast oder dem Montreux Jazz Festival einem breiteren Publikum bekannt wurde. In den 1980er Jahren verpflichtete Fritz Rau Louisiana Red für sein erfolgreiches Festivalformat "American Folk Blues Festival". 1983 veröffentlichte er sein erfolgreiches Album "Anti-Nuclear Blues", dessen Inhalt und Aussage heute aktueller denn je sind. Die Original-Vinyl-Ausgabe ist inzwischen zu einer gesuchten Rarität geworden. Nun erscheint das Album erstmals auch auf CD mit sechs Bonustiteln vom "American Folk Blues Festival" von 1981 sowie als Neuauflage auf Vinyl im frischen Soundgewand.

Louisiana Red's "Anti-Nuclear Blues" is considered a classic among acoustic blues albums and comes out on CD (w/bonus tracks) and LP in random coloured vinyl , limited to 500 copies worldwide - for fans of Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Sonny Terry, Lightnin' Hopkins Louisiana Red was born in Alabama in March 1932 and died in Hanover almost exactly 80 years later. The early life of Iverson Minter, also known as Louisiana Red, was marked by suffering.

His mother died of pneumonia a week after he was born. When he was five years old, his father was executed by the Ku Klux Klan. After that, he lived in orphanages until he was able to spend the rest of his childhood with his grandmother. As a teenager, he was sentenced to hard labor for burglary and subsequently sent by Uncle Sam to the Korean War. Iverson had wanted to become a blues musician ever since he had met Muddy Waters. In the late 1950s, he played in John Lee Hooker's band. In the mid-1970s, he moved to Europe, where he gained recognition among a wider audience through appearances at the WDR Rockpalast and the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the 1980s, Fritz Rau signed Louisiana Red for his successful festival series, the "American Folk Blues Festival." In 1983, he released his acclaimed album "Anti- Nuclear Blues," whose content and message are more relevant today than ever. The original vinyl edition has since become a sought-after rarity. Now, the album is being released for the first time on CD, featuring six bonus tracks from the 1981 "American Folk Blues Festival," as well as a reissue on vinyl with a fresh sound.

Emerging in the early 2020’s - Static Abyss is a monstrous hybrid of twisted, doom-laden brutal death, comprising of longstanding members of the US metal scene. The band consists primarily of the duo of Deathgrave’s Greg Wilkinson (Guitars/bass) & Chris Reifert (vocals), both also members of legendary American masters of sickness, Autopsy, with Chris also notably starting his career with genre pioneers, Death. The band’s debut, ‘Labyrinth Of Veins’ was released in 2022, & their second album ‘Aborted From Reality’ followed in quick succession, surfacing in 2023.

Returning now for Static Abyss’ third studio album, & with the addition of Chad Gailey of fellow death merchants Necrot behind the drumkit for this release, ‘The Dying Hunt’ plummets the listener again into the festering, psychedelic swamps of lunacy, with the spiralling melodies texturing the relentless savage riffs for an effective nightmare inducing trip through the sonic abyss. Continuously & relentlessly flitting between brutal passages & hypnotic otherworldly craziness, ‘The Dying Hunt’ reflects the ailing world & the unravelling of the psyche of its inhabitants in this darkly dystopian landscape, for a masterful descent into sick Death Metal combined with Crust & Doom elements.

‘The Dying Hunt’ was recorded at Earhammer Studios in Oakland, CA, with engineering, mixing & mastering overseen by Greg Wilkinson himself. Cover art comes courtesy of Jon Santos.

This edition of ‘The Dying Hunt’ is presented on limited yellow marble vinyl, including printed inner sleeve with lyrics.

Led by the lightning-fast guitar work of Alvin Lee, the band had quickly evolved from a traditional blues outfit into one of the most exciting and commercially viable acts of the late '60s British rock scene. This album reflects that transition, combining their Chicago blues roots with heavier rock, boogie rhythms, and early progressive influences. Recorded at a time when studio experimentation was becoming central to rock music, Cricklewood Green shows the band expanding beyond their live reputation into more layered and exploratory territory. The hit single "Love Like a Man" became a defining track of the era, earning chart success and cementing the group's reputation on both sides of the Atlantic. Newly remastered at Air Mastering, this reissue restores the album's original power and nuance. In addition to the album is a newly mixed performance by Charlie Russell of their second set at the Fillmore East on Friday 27th February 1970 on disc two, the sheer power of the band is on full display. On the CD are a selection of rarities with the standout being a newly discovered "Cricklewood Jam" demo, recorded during the album's sessions and never heard until now..

Stray Cats is the first album from Rockabilly band Stray Cats, first released in the UK by Arista in 1981. It was successful in Britain, peaking at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart, and produced the UK Top 40 hits 'Runaway Boys' (No. 9), 'Stray Cat Strut' (No. 11) and 'Rock This Town' (No. 9). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later listed 'Rock This Town' as one of the songs that shaped rock and roll.

Stray Cats debut album came hot on the heels of the two hit singles 'Runaway Boys' and 'Rock This Town,' both energy filled rockabilly songs that hearkened back to the
1950s era of pure rock & roll with an updated, clean '80s sound highlighted by the prominent double bass playing of Lee Rocker and drumming of Slim Jim Phantom.

This album was by far their most successful, hitting number six in the charts and their only entry into the Top 40.

,been thinking bout confession", das dritte Studioalbum der Musikerin und Produzentin Frances Chang, ist eine synthlastige, experimentelle Pop-Erkundung des Selbst und der unermesslichen, unbekannten Tiefen, die es birgt. Das Album, das größtenteils auf einem hundert Jahre alten Stutzflügel komponiert wurde, bettet die unbändigen Emotionen von Changs DIY-Wurzeln in eine komplexe und poetische Klanglandschaft ein, die orchestrale Arrangements mit eigenwilligen, fast skulpturalen, elektronischen und analogen Elementen verwebt, bei der die durchscheinende Stimme der Sängerin die eigenwillige Instrumentierung leitet. Durch eine sich stetig steigernde Poesie führt uns Chang durch eine chaotische Architektur, ein Kerzenlicht fest umklammert, das zugleich selbsttäuschend und schonungslos transparent ist. Auch wenn ,Been Thinking About Confession" klanglich der außerirdischen Schönheit von Björk und der retrofuturistischen Verträumtheit von Broadcast verpflichtet ist, nennt Chang auch eher unerwartete Einflüsse wie Chet Baker, Dionne Warwick und Burt Bacharach, die das emotionale Rückgrat des Albums bilden. Chang hat ihre übliche Gitarre größtenteils beiseitegelassen und diese 11 Songs am Klavier geschrieben, einem Instrument, das sie als ,die weibliche Wurzel meiner Psyche" bezeichnet. Die unheimliche Verschmelzung von unkonventionell eingesetzten Federhall-Effekten, älteren Kompressoren und Röhrenvorverstärkern vor einem eindeutig zeitgenössischen digitalen Hintergrund sorgt für ein Hörerlebnis, das sich gleichzeitig über Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft auszudehnen scheint. Für Fans von Cate Le Bon, June McDoom, Cindy Lee, ML Buch, Bill Callahan, Joanne Robertson

London's Spearmint follow-up their acclaimed 2023 record `This Candle Is For You' with the ambitious new concept album `Chase Me' New single "1986" evokes a time when the world wasn't connected by technology, but there was still a strong connection across the globe: music. Specifically in the song, it's folk in Newcastle and Madrid who are dancing to the same music. The vinyl version also features an exclusive track "Is It Just Nostalgia?" which sees the band time-travelling past `The Tube' and `Soul Train` to Friday nights of the past. Standby for the follow-up single in July_ Spearmint have been making great records since debut `A Week Away' in 1999 (`Sweeping The Nation', `A Trip Into Space', `We're Going Out'). Still the same line-up: Shirley Lee (singing, guitar), Simon Calnan (singing, keyboards), James Parsons (guitar) and Ronan Larvor (drums). This will be their eleventh album proper and the 65th release on their own hitBACK label. Re-united with producer Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti, Cardiacs), the `Chase Me' album tells a story of success, disillusionment, disconnection, peril, and resurrection. Anchored by three chases across a city at night, book-ended by two out-of-body experiences, and working towards a suite of uplifting love songs, it's a thriller, it's a horror, it's an allegory. Song-writer Shirley explains "The story would make a good movie I think_ but we don't know how to do that, so we did this." `Chase Me' will be available digitally, and on limited edition CD and vinyl. The vinyl version will be released on WIAIWYA records, and will include an exclusive 24 page full-colour lyric book, including photos and illustrations. Spearmint will premiere songs from the album alongside tracks from their catalogue that haven't been played for years, or ever in one instance, live at Colours in Hoxton, London, on Tuesday 29th September 2026.

Jetzt auch als "Translucent Purple Vinyl" LP erhältlich. ,been thinking bout confession", das dritte Studioalbum der Musikerin und Produzentin Frances Chang, ist eine synthlastige, experimentelle Pop-Erkundung des Selbst und der unermesslichen, unbekannten Tiefen, die es birgt. Das Album, das größtenteils auf einem hundert Jahre alten Stutzflügel komponiert wurde, bettet die unbändigen Emotionen von Changs DIY-Wurzeln in eine komplexe und poetische Klanglandschaft ein, die orchestrale Arrangements mit eigenwilligen, fast skulpturalen, elektronischen und analogen Elementen verwebt, bei der die durchscheinende Stimme der Sängerin die eigenwillige Instrumentierung leitet. Durch eine sich stetig steigernde Poesie führt uns Chang durch eine chaotische Architektur, ein Kerzenlicht fest umklammert, das zugleich selbsttäuschend und schonungslos transparent ist. Auch wenn ,Been Thinking About Confession" klanglich der außerirdischen Schönheit von Björk und der retrofuturistischen Verträumtheit von Broadcast verpflichtet ist, nennt Chang auch eher unerwartete Einflüsse wie Chet Baker, Dionne Warwick und Burt Bacharach, die das emotionale Rückgrat des Albums bilden. Chang hat ihre übliche Gitarre größtenteils beiseitegelassen und diese 11 Songs am Klavier geschrieben, einem Instrument, das sie als ,die weibliche Wurzel meiner Psyche" bezeichnet. Die unheimliche Verschmelzung von unkonventionell eingesetzten Federhall-Effekten, älteren Kompressoren und Röhrenvorverstärkern vor einem eindeutig zeitgenössischen digitalen Hintergrund sorgt für ein Hörerlebnis, das sich gleichzeitig über Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft auszudehnen scheint. Für Fans von Cate Le Bon, June McDoom, Cindy Lee, ML Buch, Bill Callahan, Joanne Robertson

Juicy Fruit is as succulent as the name suggests - a feast of flavour served up by Dutch masters Kraak & Smaak. Their fifth studio album is one that sees them sonically revisiting the roots of their first releases, producing an organic and warm electronic disco and funk album packed with hot property collaborators including Mayer Hawthorne, Eric Biddines of Golden Rules, Parcels, Gallowstreet and Cleopold to name a few.

Effortlessly flitting between outright dancefloor boogie and meditative mellow moments it's a record that captivates the listener from start to finish, blending the timeless appeal of disco and electro with the best in indie dance and electronica.

Repeat klingt wie eine Konfrontation: treibende Rhythmen, kantige Gitarren, massive Basslinien und Songs, die sich bewusst gegen einfache Muster stellen. Dabei verlieren Headbutt nie die Kontrolle über ihre Intensität. Zwischen Chaos und Präzision entsteht eine Platte, die gleichzeitig aggressiv, intelligent und zwingend wirkt. Live hat sich die Band bereits als kompromisslose Maschine bewiesen - laut, dicht und ohne Leerlauf. Für Fans von progressivem Punkrock, Post-Hardcore und Bands, die lieber Druck erzeugen als Erwartungen erfüllen. 10 Track 12inch 180 gr.weisses Vinyl 300 Stück handnummeriert im Klappcover und bedrucktes Innersleeve Smith & Miller Records SMR LP054

Available for the first time since its original release in 1980, this is compelling, funky, exploratory jazz from Melbourne, Australia.
The album opens with the floating Song For Bobby, a downtempo gem with the heartbeat aura of Herbie Hancock’s Butterfly; Orchestral Excerpts (From The Symphony Of Life), In The Basement and City Of Stone are high-grade fusion jams with one eye on Weather Report and Return to Forever, the other on the organic Australian sound of Alan Lee and John Sangster. The album closes out with the completely improvised Universal Suite, a 17-minute excursion which begins with a cinematic opening reminiscent of electric Miles at his most introspective before taking flight on passages of hard-driving Latin percussion, shimmering fusion and gritty funk. Slick, cultured and in close dialogue with the most advanced sounds of the era, Pyramid documents one of Australia’s great fusion bands at the height of their powers.

In the early 1960s, beat groups from the Dutch Randstad dominated the national charts. Yet far from the big cities, in the clubs of Drenthe, one band was already being billed as “Beatgroup Number One”: Cuby + Blizzards. But frontman Harry Muskee never embraced that label. Raised on broadcasts from The Voice of America, he possessed a deeper understanding of the blues than most of his contemporaries. Muskee didn’t want to sing ‘songs,’ as he called them, he wanted to sing the blues, raw and unfiltered, in the tradition of Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters.

Their debut single “Stumble & Fall” was recorded in the Bavohuis, a simple gym hall in Amsterdam, with Addy Kleingeld as producer. But the debut album Desolation marked a turning point, recorded at the Phonogram Studios in Hilversum with renowned blues producer Tony Vos, it captured the band exactly as Muskee intended.

The resulting album became a jewel of Dutch music history. Never before had the Netherlands heard a blues singer who poured his emotions into a recording with such conviction and authenticity. Muskee even outshone his British peers. Eric Burdon (The Animals), Paul Jones (Manfred Mann), Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones) and Van Morrison (Them).

At the 1968 Grand Gala du Disque (the Dutch equivalent of the Grammys), Muskee received an Edison Award for Desolation, handed to him by cabaret artist Wim Sonneveld, whose lukewarm speech couldn’t diminish the significance of the moment.

Sixty years later, the legacy of this groundbreaking album still resonates, an essential document of European blues and a defining moment in the story of Cuby + Blizzards.

This 60th anniversary edition of Desolation is now available as an expanded 2LP-set including the original 1966 album plus fifteen bonus tracks. The gatefold version features songs “Things I Remember”, “Stumble & Fall”, “L.S.D. (Got A Million Dollars)”, is a limited edition on blue vinyl and includes new liner notes by Dutch Blues authority Johan Derksen.

Within the broad church of metal and its many offshoots – rock, doom, stoner and all the rest – it remains a minor thrill to stumble across a group who seem to exist at a slight tangent to everything else. Crumbling Ghost is one such anomaly. Crumbling Ghost are not newcomers. They've been operating for some time, releasing records sporadically, Four' is in fact their fourth release. Along the way they've accumulated a fervent coterie of followers, not to mention the occasional nod of approval from tastemakers such as Stuart Maconie, Stewart Lee and Tom Ravenscroft. And though they've appeared at Roadburn, shared stages with Hawkwind and even Damo Suzuki, they remain (possibly by design) curiously under the radar.
The group's core idea is deceptively simple: traditional folk material refracted through the haze and heft of heavy, fuzzy stoner rock with a chunk of psyche and a smattering of doom. But crucially, this is done without the costumery and theatrical tics that often accompany such collisions. No mock pagan pageantry, no graveyard cosplay, no cartoon Satanism.
What Crumbling Ghost latch onto is not folk as a museum piece, but as a lived experience, the dramas rooted in the culture, stories, and daily lives of ordinary people, the folklore, the tales of love and death, murder and adultery, freedom and oppression. Singer Katie Harnett says. "Doting mothers, possessive, violent partners, vulnerable women, seasonal workers and Royal scandals this album is our representation of the trials and tribulations of human existence and universal experiences that still feel relevant today.

Guitarist John adds. "Themes of murder, betrayal, loss, jealousy, and love are found across the record. In particular, the songs of Martin Carthy have been a particular source of inspiration".
The result is a set of murder ballads, supernatural reckonings and cautionary tales, all wrapped in slabs of heavy, thumping fuzz and atmospheric sonics. Harnett's voice sits at the centre: unmistakably folk rooted, but shorn of prettification, melodic yet capable of real bite.

The album opener 'Bows Of London' is a murder ballad of sisterly hatred and grim sibling rivalry, centred on a haunted fiddle fashioned from a dead sister's bones. The loping relentless, hypnotic backing chillingly and perfectly accompanies the narrative. Of course, the story doesn't end well. 'Bill Norrie' follows, a hooky melody propelled by an insistent bassline and a haunting psych tinged haze punctured with sheets of noise.. The story of young Bill Norrie who sends a token to a married woman, whose jealous husband beheads him, without knowing he was his wife's son from an earlier affair. An instrumental palate cleanser arrives in the shape of 'Valtz Efter Tor Lohne' a Norwegian traditional the band jokingly describe as a "banger".
Then we have 'Lovely Joan' which offers a rare note of sly triumph: a quick witted woman outmanoeuvres a predatory nobleman, escaping with his ring and his horse. Muscular riffs give this tale of empowerment a welcome sense of teeth. 'Gower Wassail' is a traditional Welsh folk tune that captures the raucous spirit of communal ritual, noise making and drink fuelled hope for a good harvest. Captured perfectly here by CG complete with wah wah guitar and a drunken groove catching the song's celebratory chaos. Then we have a little gem in 'Last Of All Sleep' , an original band composition and a genuine highlight: a heavy lidded, shoegaze tinged folk reverie, equal parts distortion and delicacy. It's a drop-dead gorgeous shoegaze-tastic psychedelic grunge mini epic. The album closer 'The Unquiet Grave' is a very apt place to finish. It's about a young man whose constant grief at the death of his true love disturbs her eternal sleep so she cannot rest. Even though the playout on this track, complete with a demonic repeated riff and feedback feels suitably bleak, even this song allows a glimmer of release ... we think.
And there we have it, 7 songs, 7 worlds, all honed to perfection by producer Wayne Adams (Green Lung/Big Lad) that will reward every repeated listen.

Folk and metal/heavy rock do have a connection of course, just look at Green Lung and their 'folk horror' infused musical universe, but Crumbling Ghost are a very different beast.
'Four' amply and beautifully demonstrates that when it comes to 'folk horror' there's nothing quite as horrible as folk ... Here, the horror such as it is, and it must be said, the moments of light, comes not from theatrics, but from the songs themselves – which, after all, is where it's always lived.
Crumbling Ghost are John Mosley – Guitar / Donny Hopkins – Guitar / Ruth O’Loughlin – Bass / Katie Harnett – Vocals / Matthew Atkins- Drums.

Fij makes a vibrant return with his new single "Don't Bring Me Sunshine," a bittersweet, high-speed ode to independence and renewal. Described by Fij as an "anti-love song," "Don't Bring Me Sunshine" flips the script on romance. Its sardonic, bah-humbug lyrics are set against a rush of euphoric energy - inspired by the simple thrill of driving fast with the windows down, music blaring, and summer stretching endlessly ahead. As Fij puts it: "Who needs love when you've got a full tank of petrol... and the whole of Summer lying ahead on the heat-hazed open road?" The track is the latest preview of his long- awaited debut solo album, due this September via Tip Top Records. It signals a clear shift in tone and tempo. After years marked by introspection - shaped by personal upheaval, frontline work during the pandemic, and his role as a funeral celebrant - Fij has hit reset.

Re- embracing the electric guitar, raising the BPMs, and rediscovering joy, his new material blends the fuzzed edges of dream-pop with elements of pop and electronica, all delivered with his signature wit and melodic finesse. Fij first emerged in the early 90s with Adorable, whose debut album Against Perfection (Creation Records) became a cult favourite, earning multiple NME accolades and topping the Indie charts. The band's legacy continues to resonate, with artists citing their influence and figures like Noel Gallagher famously calling their label's decision to drop them a major mistake. Following Adorable, Fij explored new sonic territory with Polak and later collaborated with Terry Bickers of The House of Love, producing critically acclaimed releases that reaffirmed his reputation as one of Britain's most distinctive voices. His baritone - often compared to Lee Hazlewood, Lou Reed, and Richard Hawley - remains as rich and compelling as ever, now carrying a renewed urgency.

A heartfelt band from Small Town, Texas, with a penchant for pop melodies and medieval harmonies, Tele Novella write songs the old-fashioned way and perform them in a minimal style filled with delicate arrangements. Influences include Connie Converse, Lee Hazlewood, Pentangle, Marty Robbins, The Magnetic Fields, and PRAM. Merlyn Belle is a homespun creative bricolage that pulls from influences as diverse as cowboy troubadours and folk baroque to tell stories that are at once cinematic and deeply personal. Painstakingly assembled using a blend of hi-fi and lo-fi recording gear, Tele Novella have crafted a cohesive pop record that feels equal parts mysterious, evocative, heartfelt, and sincere.

The Body"s landmark record Master, We Perish, originally released in 2013, found the acclaimed duo at a crossroads in their career. Recorded just before the duo of drummer Lee Buford and guitarist/vocalist Chip King were leaving their longtime home of Providence for Portland and released in between their breakthrough albums All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood and Christs, Redeemers, Master expanded on the duo"s love of layered worldbuilding with more precision and a stronger emphasis on percussive samples than ever before. The seeds of the duo"s celebrated collaborative inclination are evident as the album features Assembly of Light Choir leader Chrissy Wolpert, choir member Reba Mitchell, Otesanek vocalist Leslie Weitz, and guitarist David Lifrieri. With the expanded edition, the album"s striking cover painting by Providence mainstay Manifester aka Matt Brinkman (Mindflayer, Forcefield) is finally rendered in its original form. Master, We Perish is expanded with rare bonus tracks from The Body"s early days, taken from a pair of rare 7" singles Cop Killer/Dead Cops as well as a split with Get Killed. These storied singles mark the first time the band truly pushed the boundaries of sound in the studio and on record. It also marks the beginning of The Body"s practice of wielding the studio as a veritable weapon to translate their gargantuan sound with deeper impact on LP. The results are not only pushing the capacity of the album format but are sonically riveting. The bonus material was recorded at Machines with Magnets. The band described them economically: "NASTY."

The Body"s landmark record Master, We Perish, originally released in 2013, found the acclaimed duo at a crossroads in their career. Recorded just before the duo of drummer Lee Buford and guitarist/vocalist Chip King were leaving their longtime home of Providence for Portland and released in between their breakthrough albums All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood and Christs, Redeemers, Master expanded on the duo"s love of layered worldbuilding with more precision and a stronger emphasis on percussive samples than ever before. The seeds of the duo"s celebrated collaborative inclination are evident as the album features Assembly of Light Choir leader Chrissy Wolpert, choir member Reba Mitchell, Otesanek vocalist Leslie Weitz, and guitarist David Lifrieri. With the expanded edition, the album"s striking cover painting by Providence mainstay Manifester aka Matt Brinkman (Mindflayer, Forcefield) is finally rendered in its original form. Master, We Perish is expanded with rare bonus tracks from The Body"s early days, taken from a pair of rare 7" singles Cop Killer/Dead Cops as well as a split with Get Killed. These storied singles mark the first time the band truly pushed the boundaries of sound in the studio and on record. It also marks the beginning of The Body"s practice of wielding the studio as a veritable weapon to translate their gargantuan sound with deeper impact on LP. The results are not only pushing the capacity of the album format but are sonically riveting. The bonus material was recorded at Machines with Magnets. The band described them economically: "NASTY."