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Das Album wurde ursprünglich 1982 veröffentlicht. Auf der LP finden sich Bilgeri Hits wie: "Video Life" und "In The Night". Der Vorarlberger ist gelernter AHS-Lehrer und außerdem erfolgreich als Musiker, Schauspieler und Künstler.Die Re- Edition seines Albums "Bilgeri" ist ab November remastered auf Vinyl erhältlich, limitiert und nummeriert und ausgestattet mit einer transparent roten marbled Vinylplatte.

Reissue des zweitens Albums GOSPEL der US-Pop-Punk-Band Fireworks auf Cloudy Clear-farbigem Vinyl. Das Album erschien 2011 auf Triple Crown Records, enthält die Hitsingle ARROWS und gilt als ihr bestes und erfolgreichstes.

Im Jahr 1997 läutete "Solid" ein neues Kapitel in der Geschichte von U.D.O. ein. In den darauf folgenden Jahren sollte eine Vielzahl weiterer Heavy Metal-Meilensteine folgen. Nach nun über 25 Jahren werden diese Klassiker endlich neu aufgelegt. Am 24.11.2023 erscheinen die ersten vier Alben der Reihe - teilweise zum ersten Mal - auf Vinyl. "No Limits", aus dem Jahr 1998, wird dabei als limitierte transparent blaue Vinyl erhältlich sein.

Der legendäre Hip-Hop-Pionier DJ Muggs und der häufige David-Lynch-Kollaborateur Dean Hurley haben gemeinsam den Original-Soundtrack zum 2023 beim Sundance-Filmfestival uraufgeführten Spielfilm "Divinity" geschrieben und produziert, der am 24. November über Sacred Bones auf CD und LP erscheinen wird. "Divinity" ist eine dystopische Science-Fiction-Odyssee, die von Steven Soderbergh produziert und vom visionären Regisseur Eddie Alcazar inszeniert wurde. Das Zusammenspiel von DJ Muggs und Dean Hurley ergibt einen Soundtrack, der "Divinity" über den Bildschirm hinaus zu einem multidimensionalen Erlebnis macht und den Hörer zu einer unvergesslichen Klang-Odyssee auf unbekanntem Terrain einlädt. Inmitten der außergewöhnlichen Ästhetik und Thematik des Films ist die Filmmusik eine zehn Tonnen schwere Hantel aus Klanggewichten. Mit 8-Bit-Samplern, Wavestation-Synthesizern, erweiterten Chor- und Streichertechniken schafft es der Soundtrack, wild zwischen den Arenen von Musik und Sounddesign zu pendeln. Ein Klangerlebnis, das die gleiche Intensität wie der Film einfängt und wiedergibt. Tracks wie "The Brothers" und "Reflective Dreams" überschlagen sich mit Vangelis-esken Tönen und malen mit breiten Strichen cineastische Erhabenheit und ätherische Wunder. "Main Titles" und "Infinity Techno" hingegen schwingen sich zu unerbittlichen, strafenden Klängen auf, mit brutaler, pulsierender Energie, die für das verdrehte, unerbittliche Streben nach Unsterblichkeit steht. Ein herausragendes Stück des Albums ist zweifellos "Divinity 2 Infinity: The Odyssey" featuring Kult-Hip-Hop-Legende Kool Keith. Der Song wurde speziell für den Film geschrieben und ist eine gelungene Reminiszenz an die End-Credit-Songs der 90er Jahre, die damals auf die Themen des jeweiligen Films zugeschnitten wurden.

"This Is a Manifesto of My Love of the Free Human, and My Affection for Those Sparks That Arise From Our Friction. When,
when We Are Open to Each Other, We Manage to Draw From Them a Friendship and a Sharing That Will Build Us Even More." Folamour Discover Manifesto , the New House & Pop Album Recorded in the Hustle and Bustle of Marseille and Amsterdam. This Album Conveys A
message of Peace and Communion, a Mix of Electronic Pop and Club Anthems. Funk/house Artist and Outstanding producer,
Folamour Draws on a Variety of Encounters to Express His Musical Desires and Ideas. Amadou Et Mariam ; Family Habits ; Tim Ayre ;
Khazali; Baccus; Emmanuel Jal and Jungle by Night Bring Their Talent and Energy to This Brand New Project. ...

Découvrez "Manifesto", le nouvel album house & pop enregistré dans l'effervescence de Marseille et Amsterdam. Cet album transmet un message universel de paix et de communion, un mix de pop électronique et d'hymnes club. Artiste funk/house, et producteur hors pair, Folamour se nourrit de rencontres diverses pour exprimer ses envies et idées musicales. Amadou et Mariam ; Family Habits ; Tim Ayre ; Khazali ; Baccus ; Emmanuel Jal ou encore Jungle By Night viennent apporter leur talent et leur énergie sur ce tout nouveau projet. En presque 10 ans, Folamour a cumulé plus de 600 dates dans plus de 30 pays ! Après une tournée en Amérique et en Australie, il a pris la route des festivals cet été, avec des performances inoubliables à We Love Green, Glastonbury, Primavera et dans toute l'Europe ! "Manifesto", double gatefold, artwork de Misterpiro.

Vocal Shades And Tones is a miraculous leftfield library classic from the genius mind of celebrated UK composer/singer/vocal arranger Barbara Moore. It's a heavenly groove-based blend of jazz, Latin, soft-psych, folk-funk and gospel soul. Recorded for the legendary Music De Wolfe in 1972, it's an audacious start-to-finish listen, as dizzying as it is dazzling. It's a perfect snapshot of a musical era, supported by Moore's glorious vocal arrangements. Widely regarded among collectors, DJs, and lounge/easy-listening acolytes as an absolute essential it is viewed as the holy grail by many production music heads, rarely appearing for sale and disappearing in a flash when it does. Indeed, originals now go for over £300 and it's easy to see why. Just one of the reasons why this fresh Be With reissue, part of a wider De Wolfe reissue campaign, is so utterly crucial.

Racing out the gate, the driving "Hot Heels" is a bright, sophisticated scat groove which sounds Brazilian, richly produced as if coming by the hand of Arthur Verocai. Yes, *that* good. It's followed by "It's Gospel" which is, er, a wonderfully slow and deeply soulful gospel treasure. The appropriately monikered "Steam Heat" is a darker, breathy gem, one for salacious crates and one of the record's most infamous tracks. "Fly Away" is pastoral West Coast soft rock, very much in conversation with John Cameron and Keith Mansfield's epochal KPM recording, Voices In Harmony. "His Name Was" is a stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks Beach Boys accapella church-organ stunner, whilst "Swing Over" is another carefree, richly produced sun-dappled smasher. The gentle Bossa and sunshine soul of the aptly-titled "Touch Of Warmth" closes out a virtually perfect A-Side.

The B-Side opens with the easy grace and dramatic build of "Voice Force Nine". The jaunty "Very Fine Fellow" may be the only track to slightly grate so we advise heading to the slower, moody "Shades-Tones", eminently more compelling with sparkling, hypnotic piano throughout, underpinning the gorgeous wordless vocals. Just beautiful. It was sampled by Redman for his Method Man-featuring "Do What Ya Feel" on the great Muddy Waters. We're back in Brazilian territory with the cool, uptempo "I'm Feather" before swooning to the warm, relaxed "Drifting", another total highlight which was famously sampled by Koushik on his legendary remix of Madvillain's "America's Most Blunted (Doom's Verse)". The penultimate track, "Take Off" is a bright, organ lounge groove before this remarkable set is rounded out by the beaty "Fly Paradise". It's so so good, it sounds like Rotary Connection fronted by The Mamas & the Papas. As noted in a recent Guardian article on Moore's life, "there is a plushness and electricity in the tight vocal harmonies that spring out, sung with the precision of cathedral choristers decades before Auto-Tune." Amen.

In the 1960s, Barbara Moore was a member of Top of the Pops’ resident vocal-harmony group, The Ladybirds and sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield’s TV show. Her own outfit, the Barbara Moore Singers, were regulars on TOTP, singing with Jimi Hendrix when he performed "Hey Joe" live in Lime Grove Studios. An important detail for Moore was the shepherd’s pie she bought Hendrix when she found him alone, looking emaciated, near the BBC canteen. By 1970, she was working as a session singer for De Wolfe and, by 1972, was composing her own tracks for De Wolfe and working within their tight creative strictures. Each short track had to evoke an obvious mood and theme, with no significant key or tempo changes. Her response, this very album, managed to stay between the lines while cohering as an overarching artistic masterpiece.

The audio for Vocal Shades And Tones has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

"Heavenly Cream 'An Acoustic Tribute To Cream'" ist eine akustische Hommage an die
legendäre Band Cream und enthält Beiträge von Musikern wie Ginger Baker, dem
Cream-Texter Pete Brown, Paul Rodgers von Free, Bernie Marsden, Joe Bonamassa,
Bobby Rush, Malcolm Bruce (Sohn von Jack Bruce), Debra Bonham, Maggie Bell und
anderen.
Obwohl Cream nur zweieinhalb Jahre lang existierte, hat ihr Einfluss und ihre Berühmtheit
im Laufe der Jahrzehnte scheinbar immer weiter zugenommen.
Ein Höhepunkt dieses Projekts war die Beteiligung des Originalschlagzeugers von Cream,
Ginger Baker. Leider stellte sich heraus, dass dies die letzten Aufnahmesessions waren,
die er jemals gemacht hat.
Ein weiterer großer Pluspunkt war die Beteiligung von Bobby Rush, dem großartigen
Blues-/Funk-Meister im Alter von 85 Jahren. Seine Energie und sein Schwung waren
spektakulär.
Joe Bonamassa hatte nicht ganz realisiert, dass alle Aufnahmen akustisch waren, aber er
hat seinen Verstärker für sein Slide-Spiel bei "Sunshine" in großartiger Weise eingesetzt.
Die kraftvolle Stimme von Deborah Bonham erschütterte eindrucksvoll die Wände der
Abbey Road Studios, als sie ein paar Tracks aufnahm. Ihr Ehemann Peter Bullick trug
ebenfalls zur Mischung bei und zeigte seine Gitarrenfertigkeiten mit großer Leichtigkeit.
Die Auftritte von Maggie Bell waren eine willkommene Erinnerung daran, dass sie immer
noch eine der größten britischen Blues-/Soul-Künstlerinnen unserer Zeit ist. Und der
Multiinstrumentalist und Sänger Malcolm Bruce, der auf jedem Track spielte, leistete
einige zauberhafte Arbeit, auf die sein verstorbener Vater Jack sicherlich sehr stolz
gewesen wäre.
Wenn das nicht genug wäre, setzt die phänomenale Stimme von Paul Rodgers die
süßeste Krönung auf diese feine Sammlung von Tracks mit seiner unverkennbaren
Präsenz.
Im Jahr 2006 erhielt Cream den Lifetime Achievement Award bei den Grammys. Die
Compilation enthält Beiträge von Joe Bonamassa, der dreimal für den Grammy nominiert
wurde, Bobby Rush, der zweimal den Grammy gewonnen hat, sowie Malcolm Bruce, dem
Sohn von Jack Bruce, der auf jedem Track spielt. Produziert wurde das Album von Rob
Cass, der auch das letzte Album von Jack Bruce, "Silver Rails", produziert hat.
RD

Following on from the psychoacoustic concrète of Outside Ludlow / Desert Disco LP (BT075), Sam Dunscombe returns to Black Truffle with Two Forests / Oceanic. Dunscombe has been active in recent years on multiple fronts, including as a key member of the Berlin community of Just Intonation researchers and practitioners; working with composers like Taku Sugimoto, Mary Jane Leach, and Anthony Pateras; and the release of Horatiu Radulescu - Plasmatic Music vol. 1 (the result of many years performance research into the thought and music of this seminal Romanian spectralist). In parallel with these activities, Dunscombe has been deeply involved in research on the role of music in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, prompting these two side long pieces, composed using field recordings and digital synthesis. As Dunscombe explains in the accompanying liner notes, music plays a key role in psychedelic-assisted therapy, yet it is often restricted to stock forms of New Age, ambient and electronica. Taking seriously the potential for spatio-environmental sonic experiences to add to the therapeutic process, these two pieces are intended to suggest how ‘a music-as-environment approach may help to add options to the therapist’s toolbox’. ‘Two Forests’ begins in a central Californian sequoia grove. Bird songs and buzzing insect life are treated with a variety of time-based processing methods (slicing and recombination, primitive granular synthesis, delay, and so on), which strip the field recordings of their linear, documentary character, reframing them in an enchanted web of traces and echoes. Analysing the pitches found in the original recordings, Dunscombe used them to generate a large Just Intonation pitch set. These tones are woven slowly into the field recordings, gradually building in density and complexity until the forest has been transformed into an unreal space of infinite proportions. Emerging from this cosmic expanse in the final minutes of the piece, we find ourselves in the Amazon rainforest outside Manaus, Brazil. As Dunscombe writes, the piece creates ‘a sense of place-gone-strange, of space and time simultaneously expanding and contracting across octaves, miles, and minutes’. On ‘Oceanic’, several recordings of different beaches fade in and out to create a texture both homogenous and constantly shifting in both the rhythm of the waves and each recording's sense of depth and distance. Tones relating in simple ratios to the average rhythm of each beach float over each other, colouring the white noise texture of the field recordings with shifting hues. In both pieces, Dunscombe forgoes the easy consonance that bogs down much contemporary ambient music for a richer harmonic array informed by extended tuning practices and spectralism. The end results suggest a hitherto undreamt-of meeting of Radulescu’s undulating sonic masses and the discreetly processed location recordings of Irv Teibel’s ‘psychologically ultimate’ Environments. Looking beyond the insularity that can afflict experimental music culture, Dunscombe’s work is a moving argument for the healing power of expanded approaches to sound and music. Even outside of a psychedelics-assisted therapy, frequent immersion in Two Forests / Oceanic is almost guaranteed to produce beneficial psychological results.

Experimental rock quintet from Los Angeles for fans of Unwound, Duster, Slint, and Lowercase. Mixed and engineered by Tim Green at Louder Studios (Unwound, Melvins, Jawbreaker). Live appearances with Flenser labelmates, Have a Nice Life, Chat Pile, Midwife, and tour dates planned throughout 2023. Since its formation in 2018 by like-minded Calarts students Alex Kent (guitar, vocals), April Gerloff (bass), and Sylvie Simmons (guitar), as well as the recent addition of Clint Dodson (percussionist), Los Angeles-based quartet Sprain has honed its signature flavor of experimentalism to a razor-fine point. Gradually moving from twisting conventions in its early works of minimalist slowcore to now transcending the confines of genre altogether, Sprain's evolution over the past several years has encouraged the band to embrace a sound true to its muse. With its latest record, The Lamb As Effigy or Three Hundred And Fifty XOXOXOS For A Spark Union With My Darling Divine, the band has translated this intent into an ambitious work that pairs its resplendent scale with uncompromising honesty towards the band's artistic and conceptual essences. The most extraordinary of art isn't created without its fair share of trials, of which Sprain faced numerous during the recording process of The Lamb As Effigy, with the sum and circumstances of them nearly sealing the album's fate in limbo. With obstacles including session reschedulings as a result of a line-up change and a major studio electrical failure at the last possible moment, a mixing process that demanded the organization of several years of material across four separate studios, and the recording of the actual songs pushing the members of Sprain to their own physical limits, there were several times where the band considered scrapping the whole thing altogether. But Sprain persevered, applying the knowledge and willpower derived from those struggles to get The Lamb As Effigy across the finish line. Clocking in at nearly two hours, The Lamb As Effigy resembles an aural parallel to the human experience itself, with all the glorious beauty, crushing brutality, and unexplainable chaos that comes with it intact. Explosions of earth-sundering guitars, angelic keys, swirling strings, and bursts of improvised electronic noise coalesce to weave a visceral yet unique sonic tapestry bearing hints of no-wave, sound collage, 20th-century avant-garde, and free jazz. Spanning bellowing howls, emphatic spoken word, and nuanced croons, Alex Kent's dynamic vocal delivery adds texture to these eight meditations on otherwise immaterial topics and the meaning or the lack thereof they embody.

FINALLY BACK IN PRINT in 2023! The third SYR release documents Sonic Youth's first collaboration with Jim O'Rourke. This sharp Esparanto-addled 'Muzikaj Perspektivoj'-series edition contains 3 new songs, and 50+ minutes of music. Invito al Cielo is an album by Sonic Youth. It was released on March 2, 1998, and was the third in a series of experimental releases issued on the band's own SYR label. SYR3 marked the beginning of the band's collaborations with producer and musician Jim O'Rourke; his continuing work with the group after SYR3 resulted in O'Rourke becoming an official member of Sonic Youth by 2002's Murray Street.

Nicole Sabouné will release her fourth album "Kismet", a soundtrack that no one ordered or asked for but which fits perfectly with the listener's everyday, miserable or wonderful life. A both powerful and intimate song cycle that is tied together by a recurring melodic theme and whose sonic ideal was taken from the idea that it would be a soundtrack to a Sofia Coppola film. "I wanted it to feel grand but at the same time fragile, I like how Sofia Coppola often succeeds in conveying just that feeling," says Nicole. On the album, where there are also influences from both krautrock and Massive Attack, Nicole Sabouné has written some of the songs herself and others together with Billy Cervin. In addition, Nicklas Stenemo (Kite) and Björn Yttling (Peter Bjorn and John, Lykke Li) figure as songwriters on each song. Jon Bordon has been a co-producer - together with Nicole and Billy - as well as mixing. Nicole Sabouné released her critically acclaimed first full-length "Must Exist" in 2014. The follow-up "Miman" from 2015, inspired by Harry Martinsson's epic "Aniara", was named the best album of the year by Fredrik Strage. In 2021, the Jenny Wilson-produced third album "Attachment Theory" came, which prompted Nöjesguiden to write: "Nicole Sabouné seems to have simply found her way home."

Step into the captivating world of Melody Fields as they release their transformative albums, "1901" and "1991." With a marbled musical background, these albums are crafted with the precision of a brushstroke by the likes of Pablo Picasso or Gustav Klimt. Each track is carefully composed, drawing inspiration from manic behavior, fixated obsessions, and the pursuit of something greater. Melody Fields explores themes of spirituality, faith, trust, and conviction in various forms, often leading to addiction or madness. During the pandemic, Melody Fields accumulated hours of material, embracing the freedom to experiment with drum machines and synthesizers in one session, and exploring oriental instruments in another. The result is a sonic tapestry that defies conventions and pushes boundaries. The primary album, "1901," can be described as a rock album with psychedelic influences. It features repetitive guitar riffs, distorted soundscapes, and mesmerizing three-part harmony vocals. As they traverse these musical landscapes, Melody Fields is joined by guest musicians from esteemed bands such as Goat and Holy Wave, adding an extra layer of sonic brilliance. The album culminates with the captivating track "Mayday," a haunting composition written by the legendary Klaus Dinger from Neu! In contrast, "1991" is a concept album that evolved from late-night jam sessions, experimental sounds, and danceable music. It presents four remixes, including contributions from Goat and Al Lover, breathing new life into the original composition “Jesus” from “1901”. Notably, "1991" includes the thought-provoking composition "Diary of a Young Man," written by Daniel Treacy from Television Personalities, which invites introspection and reflection. Melody Fields' "1901-1991" presents a sonic journey through time, combining elements of rock, psychedelia, and experimentalism. These albums showcase the band's dedication to musical craftsmanship and their willingness to embrace diverse influences. Prepare to be immersed in their sonic universe, where boundaries are shattered, and creativity knows no limits.

Step into the captivating world of Melody Fields as they release their transformative albums, "1901" and "1991." With a marbled musical background, these albums are crafted with the precision of a brushstroke by the likes of Pablo Picasso or Gustav Klimt. Each track is carefully composed, drawing inspiration from manic behavior, fixated obsessions, and the pursuit of something greater. Melody Fields explores themes of spirituality, faith, trust, and conviction in various forms, often leading to addiction or madness. During the pandemic, Melody Fields accumulated hours of material, embracing the freedom to experiment with drum machines and synthesizers in one session, and exploring oriental instruments in another. The result is a sonic tapestry that defies conventions and pushes boundaries. The primary album, "1901," can be described as a rock album with psychedelic influences. It features repetitive guitar riffs, distorted soundscapes, and mesmerizing three-part harmony vocals. As they traverse these musical landscapes, Melody Fields is joined by guest musicians from esteemed bands such as Goat and Holy Wave, adding an extra layer of sonic brilliance. The album culminates with the captivating track "Mayday," a haunting composition written by the legendary Klaus Dinger from Neu! In contrast, "1991" is a concept album that evolved from late-night jam sessions, experimental sounds, and danceable music. It presents four remixes, including contributions from Goat and Al Lover, breathing new life into the original composition “Jesus” from “1901”. Notably, "1991" includes the thought-provoking composition "Diary of a Young Man," written by Daniel Treacy from Television Personalities, which invites introspection and reflection. Melody Fields' "1901-1991" presents a sonic journey through time, combining elements of rock, psychedelia, and experimentalism. These albums showcase the band's dedication to musical craftsmanship and their willingness to embrace diverse influences. Prepare to be immersed in their sonic universe, where boundaries are shattered, and creativity knows no limits.

In the year 2000, I had gone to the Toad in the Hole basement pub to ask the some members of a local band called the Pets if they could help me record some of my music, in the same way they had recorded their album “Love and War”. In regards to my passion for recording, Love and War remains one of my biggest inspirations of all time. There’s hardly a style of music they don’t try to explore. To my surprise, they had recently lost a member and planned to ask me to start a new band, which we named the Waking Eyes. We spent the next 14 months or so building a sonic landscape in Matt’s parent’s basement in Steinbach, Manitoba. In proper daydream and full-fantasy mode, we prepared for a future vinyl pressing by making the album have seamless song transitions, except for between songs 6 and 7 (or side A and side B). I really never thought this day would come, but I can honestly say it’s a bit of youthful dream come true, and is incredibly rewarding. While I’ve had lots of music pressed to vinyl, never has such a formative part of my songwriting life been etched into that big beautiful disc. - Rusty Robot, The Waking Eyes

C"mon Tigre, the innovative music collective known for their genre-blending compositions, releases their highly anticipated fourth album Habitat. Drawing inspiration from the concept of an ecosystem where various forms of life, both animal and vegetal, thrive and coexist, the album takes listeners on a sonic journey through the intricate and ever-evolving nature"s theater. C"mon Tigre"s ability to blend inï¬éuences from distant corners of the world enriches their music and visual imagery. The album is deeply inï¬éuenced by rhythms coming from Brazilian tradition, the backbone is rooted in samba, forro, through instruments and tempos that come from this cultural magnificence. However, it retains the African jazz, electronic, and mixed inï¬éuences that have characterized the project thus far. Connecting the dots, the result is a richly layered and genre-defying soundscape. The record boasts a stellar lineup of collaborations. Among these are Seun Kuti, heir to the legacy of the legendary Fela Kuti, whose afrobeat roots infuse the album with a potent and infectious energy. The record also features Xenia Franca, a dynamic Brazilian artist hailing from Sao Paulo, Arto Lindsay, recognized as a pivotal figure in the world of experimental music, Giovanni Truppi and the Californian collective Drumetrics which featured on C"mon tigre"s records since their debut in 2014.

The studio at 122 West Loveland Avenue was not an unfamiliar space for Steve Okonski, the leader of his eponymous trio Okonski. Ever since the Colemine label set up shop in Loveland, Ohio it has been a host to a number of groups passing through town, including Durand Jones and the Indications who all of this trio's members have connections to. After setting aside some time in winter of 2020, Okonski, trained initially as a classical pianist, invited Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery and Aaron Frazer to work on an album that was initially planned to be beat driven and fully composed trio instrumentals. After finishing this first session with some improvisations, a second week was booked in the summer of 2021 to try and capture some more of that spontaneous energy. During this session, the tracks were all improvised and recorded live to a Tascam 388 during several late nights at the Colemine HQ. They were structured to allow the group's collective intuition to fully shape the melodies and arcs of the music. The album opens with Runner Up, where a triumphant yet melancholic melody in the piano leads to a more reserved B-section driven by the drums and bass of Frazer and Montgomery. As you journey through the remainder of the album you are met with a plethora of evoked and explored emotions. The calmness one has walking down a moonlit street after midnight, the connection one has for a person who comes into their world for just a moment or a lifetime, and the nerves and catharsis one feels when starting upon a new, unknown journey. Magnolia closes with Sunday, a track that was recorded late into the night at the close of their first recording session. Without the spontaneity of Sunday, the remainder of Magnolia would likely have never come to fruition. Magnolia was composed from the heart and from the spirit of those in the studio those late nights in Loveland. It is the culmination of an emotional and artistic release that was not afforded or recognized before the band sat at their instruments, and because of that it is introspective, meditative, spiritual, and new.

- 20-track collection includes Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band covering Sixto Rodriguez, Iggy Pop & Zig Zags performing a Betty Davis classic, Ethan & Maya Hawke interpreting Willie Nelson, and Angel Olsen paying homage to Karen Dalton - Double LP pressed on special limited edition color wax - Featuring new cover art by renowned British artist Sophy Hollington - Booklet with track-by-track notes by Lydia Hyslop // For more than 20 years, acclaimed reissue label Light in the Attic Records has shined a spotlight on some of music's most unique - and often forgotten - voices. But reviving these long-out-of-print recordings is only half of the process. "We believe that an essential component of archival work, aside from simply honoring the music, is to seek ways in which to bring fresh perspectives, context, and reverence to the original artists and their work," says LITA founder, Matt Sullivan. Thus, LITA's acclaimed cover series was born, in which contemporary acts pay homage to their favorite LITA artists and songs. Spanning more than a decade, 20 of these inspired cover songs will be available together for the very first time on the 2xLP Light in the Attic & Friends. From Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band covering Detroit singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez and Mac DeMarco performing a song by Japanese icon Haruomi Hosono, to Iggy Pop & Zig Zags honoring funk queen Betty Davis, and Ethan & Maya Hawke covering country great Willie Nelson, these performances bridge the gap between generations, languages, and musical traditions.

"Galt MacDermot (1928-2018) was an award-winning Canadian-American composer, pianist, writer of classical music and theatrical pieces. MacDermot also composed music for several film soundtracks (like the 1970 blaxploitation film `Cotton Comes To Harlem') and released several exceptional jazz and funk albums on his own label Kilmarnock Records. He is best known for his work on the Grammy winning 1967 musical Hair (which also produced several number-one singles like "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In") and Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971) for which he won a Tony Award. In 2009 Galt MacDermot was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame and in 2010 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1979, MacDermot formed the New Pulse Jazz Band, which performed and recorded his original music. Galt MacDermot's music is extremely popular with collectors of jazz and funk. Working with jazz and soul musicians such as Bernard Purdie and Idris Muhammad, MacDermot created pieces that used African rhythms (he made the study of African music his speciality). In recent decades, his work has become popular with hip-hop musicians including Busta Rhymes, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Gang Starr, Action Bronson, Public Enemy, MF Doom, Madlib, J Dilla, Obie Trice, Naughty By Nature, Run DMC and Digable Planets_the list is endless. The album "Ghetto Suite" was written in 1970 and released in 1972 and is considered one of the most ground-breaking records ever issued on Galt MacDermot's Killmarnock label and consists out of a selection of songs and poems by Harlem/Bronx school children, set to Galt's music, and sung by vocalist Angela Ortega. Given That Galt's handling the music, you can bet that there's plenty of nicely executed funky touches - supported by rolling bass-work, snapping drums, and organ virtuosity. But the real charm of these groovy tunes comes from the lyrics, which have a simple and to the point way of dealing with issues of racism, poverty and other issues of the time. The story telling is surprisingly gripping even after all these years. The whole album creates an extremely personal direct sensitivity to the environment of Ghetto kids_telling us with defiantly honest intensity what it was like to be young and black, the drugs and the deaths, the topic of incarceration_or simply the fact of being battered by the frustration of Ghetto existence. Ghetto Suite is way more than an entertainment record, it has been used by teachers and counsellors to inspire and motivate the muted voices of the black inner cities_ documenting both their anguish and their triumphs. Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the FIRST EVER vinyl reissue of this exceptional conceptual album (originally released in 1972 and a highly sought-after pricey collectable ever since) This unique record now comes as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition (strictly limited to 1000 copies) with obi strip and features the original artwork and extensive sleeve notes.

From Music In High Places is an album by Unwritten Law, released in 2023. From Music In High Places includes a.o. the following tracks: “Before I Go”, “Seein' Red”, “Elva”, “How You Feel” and more. The album is a Coloured Vinyl, High Quality, Insert rock LP.

Philly local talents at the crossing of the 6’s and 7’s, they were initially known as The Twilights. At the time they only recorded 3 songs

for demo purposes. Although all musicians were featured on many productions from Manny Campbell’s stables, The NuRons’ All Of My Life and I'm A Loner being a couple of them. During the mid 1970's The Delights did go on to record and release a few 45's for the Phil-L.A Of Soul Label. Like the previous release in the Unsung Heroes program, these masters are phisically preserved at University of Philadelphia.

Heavenly Cream 'An Acoustic Tribute To Cream' features Ginger Baker, Cream lyricist the late Pete Brown, Free front man Paul Rodgers, Bernie Marsden, Joe Bonamassa, Bobby Rush, Malcolm Bruce (son of Jack Bruce), Debra Bonham, Maggie Bell and others.

For a band that only existed for two and a half years, the influence and fame of Cream seems to have only grown and grown over the decades.

One of the highlights of this project was the participation of Cream's original drummer Ginger Baker. It turned out, sadly, that these were the last recording sessions he ever did.

Another big plus was getting the great Bobby Rush. The 85 year old blues/ funk master verve and energy is spectacular.

Joe Bonamassa didn't quite realize that we were all- acoustic, but plugged in for his slide work on "Sunshine" to great effect.

The powerful vocals of Deborah Bonham gracefully shook the walls of Abbey Road studios when she came in to lay down a couple of tracks. Her husband Peter Bullick also added to the mix, displaying his guitar finesse with great ease.

Maggie Bell's performances were a welcome reminder that she is still one of the greatest British blues/ soul artists of our time. And multi- instrumentalist and singer Malcolm Bruce, who played on every track, did some magical work that his late father Jack would surely have been very proud of.

If that wasn't enough, the phenomenal voice of Paul Rodgers puts the sweetest icing on this fine collection of tracks with his unmistakable presence.

In 2006 Cream won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys. Features Joe Bonamassa 3 times Grammy Nominee, Bobby Rush 2 time Grammy Winner, Son Of Jack Bruce, Malcolm Bruce, plays on every track.

Produced by Rob Cass, also producer of Silver Rails, Jack Bruce's final album.

On 'Der Ferne', Phil Struck intricately weaves an abstract tapestry of textures, incorporating elements reminiscent of Hassellian-like sounds and multi-textured dubby soundscapes, a testament to the musician's getaways from urban life, journeying in the heart of nature. The music's warm and concise amalgamation of audio fragments lends it an ineffable quality, evoking hazy, sun-drenched memories, while the radiating reminiscences of the natural world invite contemplation of its true essence, remaining captivating for the discerning listener. What enigmatic experiences await discovery, and should the extraordinary always overshadow the ordinary?

„Der Ferne im Nahen. Der Ferne jenseits der Stadt. Der Ferne und den Dingen, die sich einem dort zeigen.“

"Der Ferne" stands as the fourth album by ambient and experimental artist Phil Struck, hailing from Kiel, Germany.

»Tropic of Capricorn« is the second album by Lawrence English and Werner Dafeldecker. Based on field recordings made by the prolific Room40 owner that were subtly but decisively altered with electroacoustic techniques through the German improv legend, these two long-form pieces blur the lines between acoustic ecology and aesthetic interventions, concrete local sound worlds and boundary-defying art. They put a focus on our relationship with nature as listeners as much as they call into question where nature ends and human perception begins. They are deeply confusing, disorienting perhaps, in the most beautiful ways.

English recorded the material that form the basis of the duo’s Hallow Ground debut on two different field trips. One led him from the Western coast to the Pilbara region in the North of the country called Australia, the other to the central desert into the lands of the Arrernte people. »These are vast spaces, and in some respects they shun contemporary ideas of civilisation which seek not to listen to the country,« says English. When recording the soundscapes, the artist put a focus on the residues of failed colonial aspirations. »The buildings and objects that remain from the failed cattle pastures and other endeavours create uneasy sound worlds of their own,« he says of the regions that are also places of extraction, especially the heavily mined Pilbara. »There is a distant drone of industry in even the most remote of places; an unsettled sense of heavy breath on the land.« He brought home a document of natural reclamation in time.

The rich source material was then given to Dafeldecker. Spatialising the recordings with transducers applied to different surfaces such as wood, stretched animal skin, glass, or metal surfaces and also re-recording parts of the recordings, he created discrete events that were inserted into, or rather enmeshed with English’s recordings. You’ll hear plenty of birdsong, insect noises and the sound of rain during these 39 minutes; the sounds of a life you can tap into if you tune into your environment. But there are also other things, things that are impossible to categorise even after repeated listens and that call into question whether or not those were really birds, insects, or the sound of rain in the first place. What »Tropic of Capricorn« invites its listeners to listen beyond the preconceived notions of how nature is supposed to be represented in sound and to instead embrace the immediacy of the sensation.

Volume 3 of the TRUST XY recombination series again sees four unique artists channel sonic echoes from the label's past. Stenny is up first, the Italian producer whose name is synonymous with Ilian Tape's much acclaimed crossover of techno and bass music. He complements the deep pads of Versalife's 'Nova Prospekt' with a scorching bass line and rolling breaks programmed in his unmistakable style. Canadian producer and Planet Euphorique label owner D.Tiffany is a champion of complex percussions and an obvious choice to rework Alex Cortex's percussive electro anthem 'We Run Your Life'. Her take chops and warps Cortex's vocals around a twitching techno beat that's both experimental and effective. Side B has UK electro and breakbeat pioneer Clatterbox return to TRUST, reshaping one of the very first Microthol tracks into modern form. At his hands 'Intertronic' turns into a bleeping and hissing, snarling and growling electro bass monster. Lastly Delsin's dub master and TRUST alumni VC-118A takes on 'Tides' by /DL/MS/, replacing the original's sparse funk with a low slung dub techno groove that serves as the foundation for perpetually cascading ebbs and flows of lush and dreamy soundwaves.

Artists like Jalen Ngonda come around once in a lifetime, so it is our privilege and distinct pleasure to announce the release of his debut album Come Around and Love Me.


Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen perform live knows that he is one of the most captivating performers on today's soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm-disarming packed rooms of rowdy concert goers, leaving them silent as they hold fast to every syllable sung. Plans for the album were struck just months before the COVID 19 pandemic shut the world down. Notwithstanding, Jalen eventually made it to Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY where he began writing and recording with the help of producer/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley's Extraordinaires) and a crack team of a-list musicians from the Daptone family.

The team skillfully blends heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with motown sophistication, leaving the listener in a blissful wash of wonderment. Jalen has been writing songs since he was 14, and his compositions are also very much of these times. He explains, "I love music from the 20th century- I listen to it all the time, but I?m in this world and the 21st century. ...to a stranger, I?d describe my music as modern soul and R&B, while trying to fit in the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between." Come Around and Love Me reveals how he creates a classic approach that is rooted in the sounds of revered pioneers, without falling into imitation-leaving no doubt that Jalen will continue to shine within the superlative, timeless musical tradition that is Daptone?s hallmark.
Now it's your turn to come around and love one of the finest soul albums of the decade.

Written, Produced, and Mixed by Jai Paul.
RECORDED AT HOME IN RAYNERS LANE, LONDON, ENGLAND.

Published by BMG Music Publishing Ltd. Except:

Str8 Outta Mumbai contains a sample of Bala Main Bairagan - Vani Jairam. Banner: Suchitra International Productions “Meera”. Music: Ravi Shankar. Lyrics: Meerabi. Licensing courtesy of UNIVERSAL MUSIC INDIA PVT. LTD.

Crush Written by Berny Cosgrove, Kevin Clark, Clifford Mueller and Andy Goldmark. P ublished by Warner/Chappell North America Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Ltd. and Shapiro Bertstein & Co. Ltd.

Baby Beat contains a sample of “All My Life” performed by K-Ci & JoJo. Courtesy of Geffen Records, A Division of UMG Recordings Inc., under license from Universal Music Enterprises.


Chix contains a sample from “Adagio For Strings, Op11.” as recorded by Leonard Bernstein and The New York Philharmonic, used courtesy of Sony Masterworks, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Lacquers cut by Scott Stratton at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood CA.

Behind the alias GO.SOUL.MAP. hides Salvo 'Dub', one of the most authentic and purest talents with a marked sensitivity,
not only artistic, of the current music scene in Catania, of which, under other guises and names, he has been an indispensable pillar for over a decade.

The debut album of this project is anticipated by two preview tracks that will be released not only digitally, but also in physical format on 7" / 45 rpm.

The launch single is 'Pushing', an explosive track in a Nu-disco key, modern but firmly rooted in the past, with a production that enhances the sound of the keyboards; full of 70s/80s Funk and Soul, it also has a Disco-Pop vein that makes it perfect for radio. The track is excellently performed by Derane Obika of Living Sounds. A Londoner of Nigerian origin, as well as an exceptional singer, Derane is also the author of the song's melodic lines and lyrics, which can be interpreted as a dialogue between an imaginary interlocutor and his spiritual guide journeying through the maze of life.

The 'Pushing' 45 will feature as a B-side an exclusive instrumental version (the one sung by Reiwa Pia will be included on the full-length) of 'Back In The Underwater', a track that combines a Hip-Pop groove with cinematic atmospheres.

GO.SOUL.MAP.'s debut album is titled 'Peaceful Sound for Broken Minds' and is scheduled for release February 28th 2024, a little gem in which pop and soul intersect and the clichés between mainstream and underground leap. A SpaceNu-Disco, Soul and R&B journey in which Derane Obika's fundamental contribution to the lyrics and melodies of no less than nine tracks out of twelve stands out! - This is a greatly anticipated album made for the ears of music lovers performed and produced by musicians with same love for the art of music.
Dont miss it!!!!!!

Will Anderson believes in true love—as both concept and catalyst, aspiration and inspiration. During his 34 years, the Hotline TNT founder and architect has found such love perhaps half-a-dozen times. Each instance has prompted some enormous swing of commitment, like a cross-country move or simply being honest about his budding attraction. It is a hopeful and vulnerable way to exist, a way to ensure maximum bruising during the fall of the breakup. And so far for Anderson, that is how it has always ended, whether the air has slowly seeped out of some once-full balloon or whether it has simply popped, those expanded feelings expelled in an instant. This tension is the brain, blood, and beating heart of Cartwheel, Hotline TNT’s second LP and an endlessly romantic testament to reaching for something that slips forever out of grasp. The byproduct of Anderson’s decades-long quest to pin down the surging sound long in his head, Hotline TNT has come to notice in the last four years through loose association with a feverish surge of shoegaze revivalism. And Hotline TNT indeed trucks in the touchstones you might expect: skywriting guitars that bathe in fluorescent hazes of distortion, blown-out drums that pound as though they’re trying to escape a concrete box, and honeyed vocals that try to rise above the chaotic mess in true-to-life mimesis.

Easy Listening Recordings is here, and to kick things off we've got a new three-track EP from Vancouver's Teen Daze.

We begin with the title track, Quiet City, and immediately conjure up images of late night drives through anonymous city streets. Brimming with emotion, and a gentle energy, this one could find itself at home in a warmup set, early in the night, or one of those aforementioned late night drives. No matter where you hear it, this is one of Teen Daze’s most beautiful tunes.

Life Style brings us out of the car, and onto the sidewalks of that once quiet city. Now there’s a bustling energy from crowds of people, steam rising from the sewers below. You’re navigating it all in stride, with Life Style in your headphones. This is City Music.

We start Side B with an ode to Vancouver, BC, aka The Glass City: Night Club. The soft, swung drums, the walking bassline, the dubbed out bongos; this one feels at home across the entire Lower Mainland. Maybe you’re taking a stroll along the Sea Wall, maybe you’re watching the sun set while sipping on something at Juice Bar, maybe you’re walking up to Paradise at 12 am. No matter how you might experience Vancouver, Night Club has got your soundtrack covered.

Finally, we wrap up this first disc for Easy Listening Recordings with a special vinyl-only track, called New Mood. Pulsating percussion lead this dream-like track through 4 ½ minutes of Balearic Bliss. A beautiful way to finish this first release.

Early support from:
Paula Tape, NIKS, Eug (Public Records), Pleasure Voyage, Masha Mar, Massimiliano Pagliara, Loz Goddard

Error Subcutaneo was born under the sweltering sun of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but their project portrays the colder, more urban side of life in the Caribbean, where cacophonous violence and Cold War monoliths collide with dreams of a better tomorrow The duo take elements of hip- hop, modular electronics, island syncretism, and bebop to twist and distort contemporary narratives on music composition, representing the greater movement of Latin American resistance directly from its epicentre Temporada Ciclonica is a recollection of alibis from a quenched island imaginarium. Palm trees dance in sync with the gales, an omen of the upcoming hurricane season. Pictographic technologies seek refuge in time's embrace, as eerie scents of petrichor and blood fill the corridors beneath the temple steps.

The cyclone's ravaging beauty and destruction bring rain, fertility and life to the land, an allusion to the cyclical nature of creation. Masters of musical past ride the storm's eye, a semiotic double- entendre on the spinning nature of the vinyl medium. A pupil glimmers from the dark, a kid rubs its belly in the womb. Press: Truth and Lies - review "a challenging but exhilarating journey through the minds of two young artists who's deep knowledge of local and international music places no harness on their creativity. Raw and instant, these boys look at the world as it is and let its contradictions flow into their creations. 9/10" Received airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music (Gilles Peterson), BBC Radio 3 (The Late Junction - Wolf Eyes' Mixtape) + The Lot Radio NYC - Marco Wibel - Darker Than Wax

Summer's Mine is the third studio album from acclaimed Detroit legend and rapper, Babyface Ray. After an enormous 2022 that saw the release of two full-length studio albums, getting named to 2022's XXL Freshman Class & YouTube Music's Black Voices Fund, and a sold out nationwide headlining tour, Babyface Ray returns to bless the streets with something fun for the summer. The 16 track album showcases a side of Ray that fans have become familiar with, and features appearances from fellow Motor City peers Veeze and Los & Nutty, King Hendrick$, Vory, & Hip-Hop luminary Westside Gunn. Never afraid to make a bold statement, Ray is here to say that in 2023, Summer's Mine.

‘A Concrete Pasture’ by Coen Oscar Polack is the follow-up to ‘Haarlemmerhout’ (2020), an album named after a park close to his home in Haarlem in the Netherlands. ‘A Concrete Pasture’ brings Polack’s interest in exploring the larger world around him back into his music. Polack is a magician in combining field recordings from all over the world, be it a temple in Bangkok, the Dutch Wadden Islands or a the percussive Gamelan instruments, and electronic processing of these recordings. With all these ingredients he creates a vivid, nostalgic, futuristic but familiar world of sounds and emotions.

At first, the colors of the recordings seem scattered, the sounds unrelated, but there is a deeper train of thought running through the music. It is the persistent impression of a travelogue; of places, family and friends, helping Polack in co-creating his music. In ‘Cuore Nero’, nostalgic powerchords are composed into tapestries of ambient-noise, ‘Unseen Shores’ uses a recomposed recording of Polack’s children on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog and develops into visceral, almost spiritual music, and a field recording of Wat Po in Bangkok in ‘Phra Buddhasaiyas’ becomes a luminous homage that the incorporated guitar sound burns into your skull.

While listening, it becomes evident that Polack is being reflective in auditive images and memory, giving a meaning to a music that is liberated of its formalities and charged with a poignant imagery by transformation, one that is bright and lucid and respects the process from recording until ornamentation.

The longest piece of the album ‘Kraaiennest’, starts with the recording of a Hong Kong traffic light, later to be cut up and transformed into a technoid Musique Concrète piece, with a slow progression into a warm crescendo-decrescendo themed electroacoustic piece, which takes on a life on its own. The finale is Polack on this tenor saxophone putting a stamp on the completion of his work, a performance reminiscing of the raw expressiveness of Albert Ayler.

‘A Concrete Pasture’ points to a landscape, or to a person’s current situation in life. Coen Oscar Polack did himself justice by writing an elegant, vibrant album, a tribute to his reflection of reality, his aesthetics, and with raw authenticity and skill, leaving a great space for the audience’s imagination.

Singer, songwriter and author Ali Sethi had been entranced by Jaar's music long before they began collaborating. He'd absorbed the sounds over a number of years, listening casually and taking in their subtleties in bars and rooftop parties across Lahore and London. "It felt familiar to me, that sense of adventure you have when you hear his music, like a tale that teases you and plays with your expectations as it unfolds," says Sethi. "In that sense it resembled the leisurely improvised ghazals and qawwalis I grew up hearing in Pakistan." So when the two were finally introduced by Indian visual artist Somnath Bhatt, a regular Jaar collaborator who also handled the album's artwork, Sethi was well prepared. He began to sketch out voice notes using loops snipped from Jaar's acclaimed 2020 album 'Telas', improvising vocalizations and seductive Urdu poems over Jaar's weightless, time-bending productions. Jaar was astonished by the result; "It was what 'Telas' had been missing," he explains.

Improvisation has been important to the Chilean artist for many years. Before he had even started making electronic music, Jaar jammed on accordion with friends on the street in New York City. It's at the core of his practice, "a moment in time," in his own words. 'Intiha', the opening track on the album, is the first they finished together, and positions Sethi's evocative phrases over Jaar's faded, metallic percussion. It's a perfect proof of concept, re- imagining the world of 'Telas' and augmenting it with a sense of ancestral melancholy and giddy euphoria that's truly transformational.
Sethi is best known globally for his attempts to revive the ghazal, an ancient poetic form that was taken by Sufi mystics from the Arab world to Persia and throughout the Indian subcontinent, where it captivated the royal court. It's been unfashionable in the last few decades, a mannered style associated with decadence, and Sethi offers it a new lease of life through his playfully revisionist covers and renditions. (His most popular single 'Pasoori' is a global phenomenon, one of the most Googled songs of 2022, with hundreds of millions of listeners tuning into its timeless message of forbidden love.) Sethi updates the ghazal form by using his years of training in raga music, lifting metaphors that reflect his journey as an out-of- place queer kid in Pakistan who became a US citizen and now lives in New York City.

Enter COMPASSA! Finally Tom Trago & Charles Levine formally known as The Compass Joint arrived at a new identity that pays homage to their shared musical influences and dedication to compassion, mindfulness, life and music.

At this moment they proudly present The Compass Choice EP, a sonic foundation representing another taste of their range and capabilities with this collaborative project. This latest release dives deeper into a love of FM synthesis and a dance floor interpretation of these mixed up electro-Caribbean-techno-futuristic flavors!

These songs, rhythms and melodies are born out of a pureness of heart and designed to bring positivity, joy and a little Compassa magic to you!

Cycles is a concept which is deeply intertwined with everyday life, both on a micro and macro level. They manifest in various natural, biological and societal processes, influencing our daily routines, behaviours and the world around us. Unconventional rhythms and time signatures, complex patterns, evolving modulations and shifting textures were created and used to present it (Cycles) as an integral part of our existence, shaping how we navigate to the world, make decisions and experience the passage of time..." Kostas Giazlas (Onepointwo). Kostas hails from Thessaloniki, Greece, and describes himself as a keen record collector, who is "always trying to emulate a musical journey into space, time, memories and frequencies". With Influences ranging from late 50s electronic experimental sounds, motorik krautrock bands, lush shoegaze melodies and modern electronica, Onepointwo seeks to crystallise this musical backdrop via judicious use of minimal arrangements, abstract and distorted shortwave radio signals, dystopian soundscapes made up of both digital and analogue sources, all punctuated with heavily affected percussive sounds. The listener is drawn in by the psychedelic impact achieved through repetition. Onepointwo's previous discography ably demonstrates his consummate skill in this field. Keene (Poeta Negra) / SANS (Lotus RecordShop Editions), plus various appearances / remixes in domestic label compilations. He has also clocked up an number of releases on UK labels, including Miracle Pond, Woodford Halse, Werra Foxma and Subexotic Records across various formats; plus several live performances/dj sets and a host of rave reviews including Electronic Sound Magazine.

The debut album of soul singer, Maiiah is also the third full-length by Hamburg collective, Angels of Libra, following on from the success of their collaboration with Irish singer, Nathan Johnston.

Maiiah is a singer with roots in the Balkans but residing in Düsseldorf, the city of the legendary Unique Club and the label of the same name. Soul left its mark on her early on, and when she met Hamburg producer, musician and composer Dennis Rux (Hamburg Spinners/Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Studios) during the pandemic, the two realized they shared a similar musical vision. Their common love of soul music and old rhythm & blues brought them together, and they started recording music together in Hamburg with the Angels of Libra. Lo and behold, their first single together "Obey" got into rotation at tastemaker station Radioeins and confirmed them as a winning team.



Following in the footsteps of many a classic soul tune, second single, "No No No (I'm So Broke)" is a social critique and commentary. In it Maiiah literally wears her heart on her sleeve, as she sings about the back- breaking job she was working at the time and the poor earnings as a hotel service employee.



But naturally life has more to offer than just work and so a large part of the songs on this record revolve around love. Maiiah gives her own spin to the classic "I'm A Good Woman", which the spirited singer has performed live many times. The story goes that the late DJ and Unique Records label owner Henry Storch sent Maiiah the original song by Barbara Lynn to comfort her after a heavy heartbreak. The song thus holds a very important place in Maiiah's heart, and it was released as the third advance single, recorded during her tour with Nathan Johnston at Bekegg Studios in Rastede, Lower Saxony.



With Dennis Rux at her side and the powerful arrangements of the Angels of Libra, Maiiah has found the right partners for her personal debut. On "Kava" & "Plenty of Life", Hamburg's jack-of-all-trades Carsten Meyer aka Erobique is featured as a guest on the keyboards, so here the rhythm section of the Hamburg Spinners comes together again. The love for old soul, rhythm & blues and the analog sound of the sixties is also fully expressed on this album. The longings and deep feelings in Maiiah's lyrics are carefully picked up musically, whether as a classic R&B song as in "Please Come Home" or in boogaloo party mode as in the Croatian-sung "Kava", the fourth single. "Plenty of Life" is a song for self-cheering and a call to open up to the beautiful sides of life despite all adversity. In "I wanna go", on the other hand, Maiiah longs for her Croatian homeland. The crowning finale of the album is the intense "Infinity" about life's phases and the recurring ups and downs as the essence of human existence.



The ingredients of Maiiah and the Angels of Libra's recipe are authentic lyrics, to the point arrangements, tight horns, rousing background vocals and the spirit of the golden age of soul music, as it was shaped by labels like Motown and Stax. Recorded in part with original equipment from the 50s. Producer Dennis Rux says, "We wanted to create a record that people would go dance to at the Komet" (a neighborhood club on St. Pauli in Hamburg, the band's second home). The joint album combines the Hamburg soul of the Angels of Libra with the passion of Maiiah, who can fully live out her temperament on the mic.

The word "Maintain" is defined as `a condition or state of affairs; to provide with the necessities for life or existence.' To have the ability to maintain is to be able to hold fast to the unpredictable balance that is life, and to find a way to prosper through the most fluctuating of circumstances. LA Hardcore natives DOWNSET are no stranger to this concept, going on to use life's checks and balances as the inspiration for their first new album in almost 8 years: Maintain. Recently signed to world renowned heavy metal label Nuclear Blast Records, and having recently released reissued throwbacks of their original demos, DOWNSET have reawakened the passion of old-school hardcore within themselves, and have tapped back into the energy that fueled them from the beginning: life, death, love, hate, injustice_ and the streets. Recorded and produced by Rogelio "Roy" Lozano himself with help of Nick Jett from Terror during the writing process and pre-production and finally mastered by Howie Weinberg the new album Maintain will finally be available on vinyl in several limited colors on December 2, 2022 on End Hits Records.

L+P-2 is Rivet's second album following his acclaimed debut, On Feather and Wire, released on Editions Mego in 2020. The wheels were already in motion for a subsequent album on the same label, but tragedy struck. Peter "Pita" Rehberg, the legendary owner of Editions Mego, suddenly passed away at only 53 years old, leaving the experimental electronic music community in a state of pitch-black grief. Rivet was among the many deeply affected by this loss. The inspiration and support from Rehberg had propelled Rivet to create at a level he himself was uncertain he had mastered. For Rivet, Rehberg's death felt like the death of music.

However, that brooding sentiment was abruptly shattered when Rivet's beloved dog and companion, Lilo, was diagnosed with incurable cancer just a couple of months later. They were inseparable, and now they would be separated nonetheless. The only way Rivet could cope with this double blow was to compose—for Lilo, for Pita, for his own sanity. L+P-2 is the result.

While the album naturally emerges from a place of despair, it's remarkably comforting. Partly, this stems from Rivet's singular ability to make machines not only sound human but also act human—sincere and warm, yet flawed. In more than one track on L+P-2, you'll encounter a distinctive melody and a gnarly bassline dancing hand in hand with Rivet's eccentric and captivating drum patterns. Then, seemingly on a whim, the melody takes off on its own, leaving the faithful bassline behind—much like a dear friend that suddenly vanishes from your life without warning. Yet life goes on, and so does the music. But never unchanged. Never.

L+P-2 is an album of lamentation, yet also of resolve—a dedication to those who go through life losing more than their share because they always carry too much.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra came to life in basements and bedrooms, the musical vision of Portlander-via-New Zealand Ruban Nielson that fused guitar-god riffs, choppy percussion, soul and funk. II, the sophomore album from UMO, emerged in an era rampant hedonism and isolationism and became the blueprint for everything Nielson has become renowned for. It was, and is, the solidification of Unknown Mortal Orchestra as an endlessly intriguing, brave and addictive band. Ten years on, it's back with an expanded edition. Written during a punishing, debauched touring schedule during which Nielson feared for both his sanity and health, II illustrates the emotional turmoil of life on the road, painting surrealist, cartoonish portraits of loneliness, love and despair. These conflicting themes are evident immediately; on the album's sleeve is an unnerving image of Janet Farrar, the famous British witch, Wiccan, author and teacher of witchcraft. The chilling refrain of opener "Into The Sun" sees Nielson deliver the line "Isolation can put a gun in your hand," softly, his words starkly intelligible above a warm, slow-burning melody that quickly brands itself onto your brain. His playful imagery ("I'm so lonely I've gotta eat my popcorn all alone") mirrors the melody, before a solo that borders on psychotropic ends II`s introduction. UMO is unafraid to dig deeper than the rest, their intoxicating, opiate groove bringing rock'n'roll's exaggerated myths to life. And as it unfolds, II does find Nielson reenergized. "One At A Time" and "Faded In The Morning" boast dizzying choruses and instrumentals; these crusty hunks could have been excavated from a lost 1960s treasure trove. "Monki" unravels over seven minutes like the yarn from a stoner's cardigan with an eye-frying pattern. "Dawn" is a minute of disconcerting noise that stands out between the nooks and crannies of the choruses, guitar solos, groove-heavy bass and drums that were recorded live by newly-recruited drummer Greg Rogove and Kody Nielson in a move away from the electronic percussion employed on album one. II closes with "Secret Xtians," a tender observational puzzle that fizzes to a satisfied end. In celebration of the album's 10th anniversary Nielson's complete collection from the II era is finally available in one compilation, and features the five acoustic tracks from the Blue EP as well as two additional B-sides. Unknown Mortal Orchestra was once Nielson's closeted concern. With an album that uses his singular musical imagination and extraordinary talent to parade his emotions with unyielding honesty, it is now a fully realized band operating at the peak of its powers ten years on.