quête:lot
Cuban music has a new global ambassador: Cimafunk. With a name and image that pays tribute to the Cimarrons – Cubans of African descent that resisted slavery – and music and showmanship that re-embodies funk legends from the last century, the medical-school student turned funk artist has developed into a musical force crafting the sonic future of the island and a global, cultural phenomenon that unites and celebrates blackness across borders, oceans and languages.
After the success of El Alimento, Cimafunk delves even further into his exploration of the intersections between funk and the sounds of the continent and gives us Pa' Tu Cuerpa (Mala Cabeza Records), his most polished and mature production to date. For this occasion, Cimafunk has summoned a constellation of extraordinary artists and musicians.
"Collaboration is something I really enjoy," he confesses. "This album has artists that I had always wanted to work with, of whom I am a fan and of whom I have a lot of influence from them." From the legendary touch of funk master George Clinton, who also appeared on Cimafunk’s last album, to the jazz mastery of top AfroCuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, through the vibe of Colombian rockstars Monsieur Periné, to the Caribbean rhythms and melodies of Haitian producer Michael Brun, and the youthfulness from Havana’s urban street scene of Cuban newcomer Wampi, each guest works like a piece of clockwork in this masterpiece.
“Cuchi Cuchi” is the track that immediately takes you to the Cimafunk of 2024. Catchy, danceable and super funky, “Cuchi Cuchi,” which is a playful way to say “hooking up,” is a Cuba meets New Orleans mashup ready to explode when performed live. “It’s really funky and you can envision me on stage with my band and feel the way I dress, dance and live life just by playing the track,” says Cimafunk. “My musical director Dr. Zapa is the producer and he’s been with me since the beginning. ‘Cuchi Cuchi’ is Cimafunk & La Tribu after a few years of exploring the world thru festivals, venues, dressing rooms and parties.”
New Orleans – Cimafunk’s new home – jumps out track-after-track on “Pa’ tu cuerpa.” The explosive flow of New Orleans bounce-icon Big Freedia on “Pretty” and the unreplicated, powerful horns of Trombone Shorty on “I don’t care” highlight Cimafunk’s affinity with and full-on embrace of New Orleans music and culture. He’s now a regular performer at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and leads an annual New Orleans – Cuba festival and cultural exchange program, Getting Funky in Havana, that has brought New Orleans top artists and musicians to Cuba to perform for the Cuban people and do work in the schools. The result is a sonic experience as innovative as it is impossible to label; Caribbean but borderless, rooted in Havana but with echoes of Detroit funk and New Orleans bass, horns and street-corner vibes.
- Kiss The Sky
- Even When I M Not
- The Island
- Activating Learning Mode
- Deploying Rescue Transmitter
- System Breach
- The Accident
- The Egg And The Fox
- Hatching
- Brightbill
- Pinktail
- You Re His Mother Now
- Eat, Swim, Fly
- Fink
- Roz Builds A Home
- Bedtime Story
- Activating Interspecies Outreach Protocol
- Swimming Tests
- Kind Of Normal
- Rockmouth
- The Confession
- In The Wrong Place
- Universal Dynamics
- Non-Negotiable
- Truce
- Return
- Vontra
- The Wild
- Back Online
- I Have Everything I Need
- You Don T Have To
- Roz S Story
- The Migration
- I Could Use A Boost
- Task Complete
- Unauthorized Lifeforms
- Rescue Mission
Crystal Clear - Blue Orb + Mint, G[50,84 €]
The Official Vinyl Release from The Dreamworks Animated Feature Film
Deluxe 2xLP Crystal Clear with Blue Orb & Green, Mint, Blue, and Black Splatter
Heavyweight Gatefold Packaging with Matte Satin Coating
Exclusive Director and Composer Liner Notes
12 Page Booklet with Artwork from The Film
In partnership with Back Lot Music, Waxwork Records is thrilled to release THE WILD ROBOT Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music by Kris Bowers.
The soundtrack also features two songs performed by Maren Morris titled Kiss The Sky and Even When I'm Not.
Waxwork Records is ecstatic to release THE WILD ROBOT Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music by Kris Bowers as a deluxe double LP
featuring crystal clear vinyl with blue orb and green, mint, and black splatter housed in a heavyweight gatefold jacket with matte satin coating.
Also included is a 12-page booklet with exclusive liner notes by director Chris Sanders and composer Kris Bowers alongside artwork from the film.
- A1: 200.000.000 Lire
- A2: Pickled Lotus Root (Feat. Rlx & Daniel Son)
- A3: You See My Face?
- A4: Listen (Feat. Crimeapple)
- A5: Pistola Giocattolo
- A6: What Could I Say? (Feat. Primo Profit)
- A7: Stovetop
- A8: Pillow Talk (Feat. Elcamino)
- B1: La Giovane Vedova
- B2: L'amour (Feat. Clovis Ochin)
- B3: Taking Off The Mask
- B4: After The Gold
- B5: Fxck You (Feat. Lph Crack & Lph Stat)
- B6: Step To Him
- B7: Career Criminal (Feat. Shaykh Hanif)
- B8: Con I Soldi In Testa
Enter the clandestine world of "No Face, No Case", the latest opus from Boston hip-hop producer MichaelAngelo, out this in Friday March 22nd on all digital platforms!
This project draws inspiration from the underworld and its enigmatic vibe, infusing every track with an irresistible aura of mystery and grit. Even though Michaelangelo production take cen-ter stage, he enlists a lineup of top-tier lyricists to tell a story of its own, including CRIMEAPPLE, Primo Profit, RLX, Daniel Son, Shaykh Hanif, Elcamino, Clovis Ochin, LPH Crack and LPH Stat. "No Face, No Case" isn't just an album – it's an experience and a visceral journey into the heart of the underworld crafted by one of the most interesting pro-ducers around these days!
When Acid Jazz was in its mid-1990s pomp, it released a lot of great records. Sometimes they flew past at such a pace, we had moved on to something else before we realised how good they truly were. ‘Lovesick’ by the Night Trains is one such record.
A phenomenal mixture of a distinctive sample turned into a un-ignorable groove, an unforgettable melody (and the soulful vocal from Marcia Johnson), weaved around a Miles-like trumpet. It should have been a hit. But it wasn’t. Instead, it is a cult classic, which we are being fully indulgent in releasing on a 7-inch single.
Night Trains were the brain child of Hugh Brooker, and they released the first ever acid jazz single in 'Open Channel D’, appearing on early groundbreaking Acid Jazz compilations. It resurfaced on the label in 1993 with the ‘Sleazeball’ album, from which Lovesick was the lead single. Hugh has in many forms kept the group going until the present day. A testament to persistence and good taste, in the face of industry indifference. Hugh is one of the originals and we are proud to still work with him to this day.
This is the first time that ‘Lovesick’ has appeared on a 7", and it is flipped with the previously-unreleased on vinyl ‘Only Know About Love' on the B-side.
- Why This Record Intro
- Tonya Harding
- Wreckless Boy
- Haterade
- A Real Honey
- Shut The Fuck Up
- Parking Lot
- Buckhead Betty
- Don't Touch My Shit!
- Roll Dem Dice
- Parcheezi
- Fatty Pad
- Nestle In My Boobies
- Bloody Shirt
- The Missing Letter
- Wife Eyes (Bonus Track)
- Never Wanted You (Bonus Track)
- Larger Success Outro
+ REPRESS OF THE LONG OUT OF PRINT DEBUT ALBUM BY THE COATHANGERS + LIMITED EDITION FOURTH LP PRESSING ON NEON BUTTERFLY VINYL + REMASTERED WITH TWO BONUS TRACKS + EXPANDED ARTWORK BY BRADFORD COX (DEERHUNTER, ATLAS SOUND) + HOUSED IN A GATEFOLD JACKET + DL COUPON // Eighteen years ago, four young Atlanta women picked up instruments without any prior musical experience or lofty aspirations and decided that they were going to start a band so that they could play a friend's party. The house-show begat more shows around town, and the feisty and fiery live sets begat an album. Recorded during a single graveyard shift at a local studio and mixed the following night, the self-titled debut album by The Coathangers was a raw, rowdy, and revelrous affair. What it lacked in polish it made up for in its undeniable energy and charisma. "We didn't think anyone was going to listen to it," says vocalist/guitarist Julia Kugel. "We knew our friends in Atlanta would get it, but we didn't think it was going to go anywhere. We were just excited to make a record." Little did Kugel or her bandmates_vocalist/drummer Stephanie Luke, bassist/vocalist Meredith Franco, and keyboardist Candice Jones_know that their scrappy house show-anthems would catch on, prompting years of international tours, a slew of excellent LPs and singles, and, eventually, a deluxe version of their boisterous debut, The Coathangers. The eponymous debut album by The Coathangers is a whirlwind ride of a band at the most frenzied, celebratory, and free moment of their existence. As a standalone record, it's a brash and bawdy rocker sure to please anyone who likes their rock n' roll sweaty and messy. As a piece in the band's legacy, it's an exhilarating reminder of the band's youthful care-free beginnings. The deluxe remastered version of The Coathangers includes the bonus tracks "Wife Eyes" from the Hard Candy EP and the title track from the Never Wanted You EP. The Coathangers on vinyl features expanded artwork by Bradford Cox (Deerhunter, Atlas Sound) in a gatefold jacket.
- Flatbush Zombies, Nyck Caution, Kirk Knight, Cj Fly, Ak - It Ain't Easy, It Ain't Easy 3:41
- Flatbush Zombies, Nyck Caution, Cj Fly, The Underachievers (2), Kirk Knight, Joey Bada$$ - Left Hand 3:43
- Erick The Architect, Cj Fly, The Underachievers, Zombie Juice, Nyck Caution - Problemz 3:47
- Kirk Knight, Meechy Darko, Erick The Architect, Nyck Caution, Joey Bada$$ - Far Away 3:08
- Erick The Architect, Joey Bada$$, Meechy Darko, Kirk Knight, Cj Fly, Issa Gold - Snow In The Stadium 4:38
- Joey Bada$$, Flatbush Zombies - Rubberband 3:50
- Joey Bada$$, Issa Gold, Erick The Architect - Distance 2:13
- Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers, Nyck Caution, Kirk Knight - Bones 3:29
- Nyck Caution, Erick The Architect, Meechy Darko, Ak (27), Joey Bada$$ - Puke 2:56
- Meechy Darko, Joey Bada$$, Zombie Juice, Kirk Knight - Desperado 3:44
- Meechy Darko, Erick The Architect, Nyck Caution, Joey Bada$$ - One More Round 3:51
- Joey Bada$$, Flatbush Zombies, Kirk Knight, Issa Gold - Coast/Clear 3:48
- Meechy Darko, Kirk Knight, Erick The Architect, Nyck Caution, Ak - Last Choir
The collective has completed many tours together, & its debut album Escape From New York comes across as a collection of high level cyphers from Joey Bada$$, Nyck Caution, Kirk Knight, CJ Fly, Flatbush Zombies & more. Not surprising as the Brooklyn natives, a lot of them friends since childhood, have never shied away from the lyrics-centered tradition of New York hip-hop. Their distinctive voices and skills on the mic, as well as NY-centric storytelling drive the album, & the chemistry is undeniable. The production is tight, but this is also where the supergroup shifts away from musically, perhaps what the title of the project is alluding to. Erick Arc Elliott, Power Pleasant, Sam Wish, and Tyler Dopps lay down slick, bouncy instrumentals as opposed to boom bap, & it's refreshing and fun to hear the group expand its sound. Check out "Distance," "Left Hand," "Snow In The Stadium," "Far Away," and "Coast/Clear." The RSD Black Friday edition features 2LPs on translucent orange color and a Beast Coast Sticker.
Following his recent EP, The Circle of Life, on Pushmaster Discs, Milan's rising techno star Maike Depas returns with a brand-new release on his renowned The Innovation Studio Records. Titled “Sexy Devil Horse”, it is a powerful 10-track collection, featuring many iconic international artists from the Hard Techno space such as Etruria Beat’s headmaster Luca Agnelli, Dutch-based sensation OGUZ and the “Demon of hard techno” also known as Michael Katana, as well as Southern Italian talents CHRS and Gianni Di Bernardo.
This release marks a pivotal moment in Maike Depas’ journey to become one of the highest rated talents in the Hard Techno scene. It will also be followed by a key paradigm shift his label’s business model in 2025. For this occasion, Maike has lined up an amazing group of artists to celebrate those who have shared his musical vision along the way.
The title is meant to be provocative and captivating, just like its content: catchy and fresh enough to attract ravers and clubbers from around the world. Its artwork was created by the master Luden Works. It features a plastic female figure with an undefined appearance, yet with sensual curves and a powerful surge of energy, like a wave enclosed in a sphere, representing Maike’s and The Innovation Studio Records’ logos.
From the galloping rhythm of “Sexy Devil Horse” and “Hear The Sound” to the groovy and elegant “Ce Soir” there is an immediate feel about the artist’s singular touch and eclecticism. Same goes for the tangible contrasts which make a key element of this release, where the minimalistic mood of “StarKiller” and its maximalist counterpart “Dark Serenade” carry the listener through a full-spectrum emotional rollercoaster.
Hard Techno and Psy Trance vibes go hand in hand with ‘90s Trance and Rave echoes, creating a blend of recognisable and innovative samples that can resonate with many different types of audience and like-minded artists. This aspect is fundamental in the direction Maike and his team have decided to take.
It all comes from afar: starting with a classical musical background – playing the piano at Conservatory level for many years, including Berlin’s own Funkhaus. This theoretical and practical knowledge, mixed with a long-time passion for electronic music, made it easier for Maike to shape and cultivate his authentic sound since a very young age.
As part of its evolution, The Innovation Studio Records will officially open its doors to new talent and renowned artists starting in 2025. The team’s vision is to create an international reference point for quality and innovation, shaping a brand-new artistic movement based on combining the modern vision of our generation with our cultural heritage from the past, thanks to the team that we put together, both in terms of approach and technique.
It'll be a structure built from the ground up, combining the best of analogue technology in a modern workflow with the highest level of music hardware, audio monitoring and studio design. In their view, there are two types of productions: those that stay ‘inside the box’ and those that get into your heart.
The desire to unite instead of dividing, to join forces instead of competing, is the key to Maike’s success and a real drive to turn the studio lights on every single day. Despite playing a lot with dystopic, cyberpunk-like atmospheres throughout his artistic journey, music doesn’t feel like a means to escape reality for Maike. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
The definition Maike uses the most to describe what The Innovation Studio Records wants to become is “a mysterious display cabinet”: a place where an artists will never know what emotion will arise or what direction will be taken next. Although hard work, professionalism and common inspiration will ultimately still be its main fuel, a true sense of community and empathy will be crucial to shape the future Maike and his team have in mind for it.
In a very romantic way, the idea is to re-create the same atmosphere from the Italian Renaissance masters’ workshops. Places where different artists - with opposite backgrounds and styles - could all mingle and inspire each other, in order to foster the creation of something unique. A collective effort for a greater good.
About MAIKE DEPAS
Young hard techno DJ-producer Maike Depas (born Michelangelo De Pasquale) has seen the future of music and it’s called metaverse: “In the future it will blow up,” he predicts. “And it’s going to revolutionize the way we experience music.” Bowled over by Skrillex and Martin Garrix by the age of eight, and DJing at smaller Milan clubs by the time he was eleven, Depas went on to study composition and piano at the prestigious
Milan Conservatory before learning ‘life- changing” lessons from the best in the business at Catalyst’s 4-week Advanced Sound Design course in Berlin’s Funkhaus . His production gets inspired by huge 90s trance synths as much as pounding hard techno from artists such as Kobosil, In Verruf and Amelie Lens.
2024 marked the launch of MAIKE DEPAS 2.0, a tectonic audio-visual shift that entails a wide array of content from DJ sets livestreamed from Berlin’s Teufelsberg and other dystopic locations around Europe to cyberpunk-inspired outfits designed by Demobaza, a cyberpunk-inspired casual couture brand best known for their sustainable Dune X Demobaza collection. Over the course of a developing metamorphosis from a flesh-and-bone individual to a mysterious CGI character, Depas is another step closer to revolutionize the dance music scene through the metaverse.
The prolific, virtuosic original Bjarki Sigurðarson returns to the concept album format, with ‘A Guide To Hellthier Lifestyle’. It’s the first LP to be released on Differance.
‘A Guide To Hellthier Lifestyle’ explores the psychological landscape of contemporary social issues, offering a sideways rumination on lifestyle dilemmas and wellness obsessions, presenting itself as a response to the modern condition. It combines storytelling with innovative sound textures – encouraging listeners to pause and contemplate the absurdities of contemporary life. Neither a critique nor an endorsement, it represents an honest exploration of our world through Bjarki’s sonic lens, gleaming a heart of darkness, but eventually finding light.
The album utilises hyper-stereo techniques, soothing melodies, complex audio structures, AIgenerated voices and sampled vocals – influenced by Coil, Genesis P- Orridge, and Paul Lansky. Bjarki investigates how specific frequencies can impact consciousness, awareness, mood, and mental state, thereby influencing our perception of reality. His vaporous sound design provides a listening experience that bridges the physical and imaginative realms; sometimes placing the listener in contemplative sanctuary, and at others making them lost – somewhere strange, uneasy, disconnected.
Bjarki on his Guide To Hellthier Lifestyle
“This new album has been two years in the works. It’s sort of my take on all the social weirdness and wellness obsessions happening right now. It kicked off with a track I started in California – the story of a soul that got born into the wrong womb. During that time, I was noticing more and more of this whole ‘wellness religion’ everywhere – people trying to sell you ‘good vibes’ and random people offering you life coaching sessions on Instagram who maybe have less life experience than a houseplant. All these apps that track our every move; it’s like they’re repackaging control and calling it ‘self care’. Capitalism in yoga pants. Thats when I started putting ‘A Guide To Hellthier Lifestyle’ concept together. A never ending, self improvement rabbit hole. We are all being sold this idea that we are not quite enough and we need to buy our way out to being better.
At one point, I took a break from the album and started working on another album full of satirical speeches, AI generated voices, where I create my own voices and type in some ideas of speeches, taking the piss out of wellness gurus and life coaches. I messed a lot with these AI voice generators, creating these deep, faux serious monologues. Proper weird stuff, but it cracked me up. Reminded me of the early days, when I was 13, making tracks on Fruity Loops, mucking around with text-to- speech generators. After the break I came back to finish ‘The Guide’ on a much deeper level.
I moved part of my studio to Latvia and continued in the countryside for few months. I realised that I just wanted something beautiful. So, yeah, this album is all of that. It’s spiritual, bits and pieces from the past, all these weird cultural moments, and whatever strange places my head goes. It’s a reflection, a rebellion, a bit of a piss take. But mostly, it’s just me, doing what I do.” - Duncan Clark
The album will be released only in its entirety, December 13th digi, with no advance singles.
People Pleasers is a brand new label that kicks off with the first sounds of a new project, Shep, by respected veteran producer Jay Shepheard. It is house music which underpins these but plenty more goes on up top. 'Peach Buzz' shows that from the off with some nice airy pads and emotive vocal stabs that will make any floor take note. 'Trust Your Nose' is a deep, warm cut with shuffling drum and humid 90s organ stabs while 'The Bell Curve' has a late-night feel thanks to the pulsing synth sequences that roam about the mix. 'Higher States Of Nonchalance' shuts down with the most heady sound of the lot and a persuasive dub feel that is perfect for back rooms.
While autumn is slowly getting its grip on the city of Vienna, the Luv Shack bakery hasn’t been sitting still, and now there’s a delicious new batch of Disco Biscuits!
This time with lots of surprising new flavors by Rising Seed (“Back For More” - Indian spice, extra Disco sprinkles!), B.Visible (“Suffering of KP” - bold and crispy with a bittersweet aftertaste!), Peletronic (“Drifting” - robust and very deep, good for late hours!) and Jon Gravy (“When You Leave”) - LOTS of sugar, 90s bubblegum!
Get yourself a biscuit, will ya?
- A1: Escudo Y Espada
- A2: La Misma Luna (Feat. Angélica Garcia)
- A3: De Nuevo Otra Vez
- A4: El Año Del Dragón (Feat. Σtella)
- A5: No Se Puede
- B1: La Catarata
- B2: También
- B3: Espejismo
- B4: Por Qué
- B5: Fe
White Vinyl[21,81 €]
Rafael Cohen’s Spanish-language solo project Las Palabras gives the D.C. punk scene veteran and member of dance-rock group !!! (Chk Chk Chk), the words to reveal himself as a Latin alternative artist and what he calls “a cautious believer”. Fe, Faith his second Las Palabras album, and first on the Barcelona label La Castanya, “deals with what it means to have faith, what it means to have doubts, and what it means to stay open to the idea that something untouchable and unknowable may exist”.
Written and produced by Cohen in his home studio in Brooklyn and mixed by Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada, Fe builds on nylon-string guitar and electric bass with live drums and synthesizers in songs that embrace elements of 70s Brazilian funk and an amalgam of beats from hip hop to bachata, interspersed with contemplative ballads on which Cohen’s voice and guitar can be quiet enough to hear the rumble of a bus going by in the background.
“Fe” is colored by musical influences that include those Brazilian grooves, but also shades of Sade, Sounds of Blackness and eighties electro funk group Zapp. The arrangements spotlight the rhythm section, with drums played by Chris Egan (!!!, Solange, Blood Orange) and featuring Alberto Lopez (LCD Soundsystem, Stanley Clarke) on percussion. Cohen credits Adrian Quesada for the album’s warm, worn-in tone: “He made the beats sound a lot bigger and gave it an ’80s hip hop feel. He really understood the references and brought his background in Latin music to it”
Rafael Cohen’s Spanish-language solo project Las Palabras gives the D.C. punk scene veteran and member of dance-rock group !!! (Chk Chk Chk), the words to reveal himself as a Latin alternative artist and what he calls “a cautious believer”. Fe, Faith his second Las Palabras album, and first on the Barcelona label La Castanya, “deals with what it means to have faith, what it means to have doubts, and what it means to stay open to the idea that something untouchable and unknowable may exist”.
Written and produced by Cohen in his home studio in Brooklyn and mixed by Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada, Fe builds on nylon-string guitar and electric bass with live drums and synthesizers in songs that embrace elements of 70s Brazilian funk and an amalgam of beats from hip hop to bachata, interspersed with contemplative ballads on which Cohen’s voice and guitar can be quiet enough to hear the rumble of a bus going by in the background.
“Fe” is colored by musical influences that include those Brazilian grooves, but also shades of Sade, Sounds of Blackness and eighties electro funk group Zapp. The arrangements spotlight the rhythm section, with drums played by Chris Egan (!!!, Solange, Blood Orange) and featuring Alberto Lopez (LCD Soundsystem, Stanley Clarke) on percussion. Cohen credits Adrian Quesada for the album’s warm, worn-in tone: “He made the beats sound a lot bigger and gave it an ’80s hip hop feel. He really understood the references and brought his background in Latin music to it”
- A1: Destroy All Neighbors
- A2: Always Hallways
- A3: Rocking In The 5Th Dimension
- A4: Bob Marley & Me
- A5: Vlad's Hallway Now / Bitch / Sex Maniac / Kevin Bacon Haircut / Hemifacial Spasm
- A6: My Epic Nightmare Life In Montage / My Girlfriend Has Sleep Apnea & There's A Vlad In My Bed
- A7: Get Out Of My Kitchen
- A8: Gloss Bounce / Euro Trip '69 / Pumping Jeremy Irons / Consensual Hand Puppet In Thump Country / Penetrate / The Gored Torso (Decapitation Blues)
- A9: Swig's Advice On Corpse Disposal
- A10: Make The Body Disappear
- A11: Dirty Boys
- A12: I Am God, Destroyer Of Vlad
- A13: I Live!
- A14: One Hot Lick Iii: Let's Go Incinerate A Body
- A15: Meating Your Heroes
- A16: Stupid Willie Brown
- A17: Dragging Plastic Wrapped Bodies From A Van Music
- A18: Mona Lisa Grimace
- A19: Cool Dawn Dimension Shirt Theme / Fuck All Night Music / Sticky Pleather Jonah Jams
- B1: Progressive Rock Is Life
- B2: Epitaph For The Fallen Circus: Demo
- B3: Requiem For Pig Guy
- B4: My Girlfriend Has Just Realized That I'm A Very Violent Murderer Person / A Not So Beautiful Mind / Ode To Generic Investigative Tv Journalism Music
- B5: Eleanor
- B6: The Neon Rainbow
- B7: The Mythology Of Madness, Call To Arms
- B8: Caleb Bang Jansen Has A Gun / Cops Ruin Everything / The Ex Girlfriend Suddenly Appears To Witness Your Potential Suicide By Cop
- B9: A Big Bear Story
- B10: Epitaph For The Fallen Circus
- B11: You Mean Everything To Me Even If I've Scarred You For Life Since You Witnessed A Horrible Crime (A Love Song)
- B12: Free - Performed By Man Man
Destroy All Neighbors is a twisted splatter-comedy about a deranged journey of self-discovery full of goopy practical FX, a well-known ensemble cast, and LOTS of blood. William Brown (Jonah Ray Rodrigues), is a neurotic, self-absorbed musician determined to finish his prog-rock magnum opus, facing a creative roadblock in the form of a noisy and grotesque neighbor named Vlad (Alex Winter).
He finally works up the nerve to demand that Vlad keep it down, and William inadvertently decapitates him. But, while attempting to cover up one murder, William's accidental reign of terror causes victims to pile up and become undead corpses who torment and create more bloody detours on his road to prog-rock Valhalla. The soundtrack is an infectious slice of progressive rock cues, EDM freakouts, 80’s synth pop and so much more by the brilliant Ryan Kattner & Brett Morris. Released in conjunction with SUB POP Records, and features an original song by MAN MAN, artwork by Johnny Dombrowski, and pressed on coloured vinyl.
- American River
- Methatonin
- Vixen
- B.f.f
- Nerve
- Piedmont
- Crybaby
- Gold Medal
- Duck Eat Duck
DESTROY BOYS" catalog vinyl is back in stock!
2024 has been a big year for the band with the release of their new album, Funeral Soundtrack #4 (available on Hopeless Records) and Epitaph Records are harking back to these two seminal vinyl releases from the band"s early days, just in time for Black Friday! "Sorry Mom" (2017) ( on vinyl for the first time!) and "Make Room" (2018)- both albums will be available on black vinyl. DESTROY BOYS formed in 2015, when founding members Violet Mayugba and Alexia Roditis were just 15 years old, and each release has marked a period of growth and change. "Looking back, our first three albums marked the deaths of things," says guitarist Violet Mayugba. "They were soundtracks to our funerals, whether they were for our ages, our mental states. We"ve gone through a lot of changes as a band and as people." "The first one (Sorry, Mom) was our high school album," Mayugba explains. "On the second record (Make Room), we went to college and were saying goodbye to our childhood. On the third one, we"d just gone through COVID and, speaking for myself, I lost my entire sense of self and gained a new one." Now, at 24, Mayugba and Roditis are standing firmly on solid ground with more resolute and confident than ever in their place as musicians.
The Equatoguinean Norberto de Nöah established in Madrid in the early 80s, where he became a firebrand of African culture in the vibrant Movida. In 1988 he self-released his first solo album, a blend of homeland sounds —modern and traditional— with new synth and drum machine touches. The vanished album finally gets its well-deserved reissue.
Edition of 500 albums on vinyl (Bandcamp download code included) - Original artwork with new 14 pages insert and poster
In the mid-1980s, the European media, music industry and public became increasingly interested in African music. This was a period of international success for King Sunny Adé, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Ray Lema, Touré Kunda, etc. Spain, with its own particular conditions, wasn’t oblivious to the phenomenon and the Equatoguinean Norberto de Nöah may be its best exponent.
Norberto moved in the early eighties from his hometown in the island Fernando Po (now known as Bioko) to its former colonial capital, Madrid. While studying dramatic arts, he created and led the band Nohkis, made up of African and Spanish musicians. In 1985 they released the maxi-single “Mujer española” / “África, ¿dónde está tu gloria?”, and the song “El loco”, was released on a compilation LP called Esto es increíble, both on the label Lollipop. According to the journalist Patricia Godes, they were first artists to record an African music record in Spain. It received positive reviews and a great impact on the most independent side of Madrid’s La Movida movement. Very soon afterwards, Nohkis’ band split up.
Afterwards, Norberto would concentrate on his solo career, and Norberto de Nöah and The Böhöbé Spirits Müsic was released in 1988, definitely a solo album. Norberto created his own label, Kilimandjaro Productions, and composed, arranged and produced all the songs of the LP. Moreover, he sang and played all the instruments: a vast selection of organic instruments, a Yamaha RX-5 drum machine and a Roland D-50 synthesizer.
In the album he exposed his deepest roots, updating the lexicon of traditional Bubi music, the musician’s ethnic group, a compendium of ceremonial melodies that ancient troubadours composed for the court. Doing so he showed new possibilities to one of the oldest ethnic groups in the world. Besides all this, he was also inspired by American music such as funk, R&B, Latin American music and also by a wide range of African and Caribbean rhythms.
Mixing the traditional and the avant-garde in a spontaneous and natural way, the music contained in the record’s grooves flows freely and takes you to places full of magic and mystery, while still transmitting new and exciting sensations. Even more, according to the Equatoguinean musician and writer Baron Ya Búk-Lu based in Madrid, the album’s sound was “the perfect combination of all characteristics that defined the Equatoguinean Afropop music made in Madrid during the 1980s”, a story that still needs to be told in all its depth and intensity!
Following the release of two LPs and several singles, the activity of Norberto de Nöah and Kilimandjaro Productions (and the subsequent Bananas Podridas) ceased. Nevertheless, Norberto’s links to music continued, as a promoter and DJ in Madrid’s nightlife.
Norberto de Nöah contributed greatly to changing Spain’s musical landscape, breaking barriers and mental frameworks. He was the first to make contemporary and popular Guinean music known to the Spanish public.
The repercussions in the African market of a Spanish (and Bube) speaking African musical project, where English and French dominate, was very difficult. In addition, the passage of time and changes in phonographic formats have diluted the memory of Norberto's legacy. Now it’s time to reverse the situation and break all the outdated frontiers!
Norberto de Nöah and The Böhöbé Spirits Müsic, as every important music piece, was at the same time part of a universal phenomenon of recognition of African music and a very personal project, based on the artist’s nostalgic and heartfelt need to show and homage his ethnic group, the Bubis. In this process he also refreshed his hometown music legacy, giving it a new air and opening the door to lots of other great Equatoguinean artists coming afterwards, as well as being an inspiration for many musicians in Spain.
- A1: Jacob Velez & La Mambanegra Feat Nidia Gongora - Manama
- A2: Tonada - Manezco
- A3: El Hijo Del Buho Feat Los Gaiteros De Bueblo Santo - La Danza Del Espiritu
- A4: De Mar Y Rio - Bailen Y Gocen
- B1: Umu Obiligbo - Udemba
- B2: Amadou Balake - Massa Kamba
- B3: Joi N'juno - Samemala
- C1: Conjunto Latinos - Koemanoe Sami
- C2: Mendes Brothers - Balumuka Palops!
- C3: Gaby Moy - Ene Alengue
- D1: Poirier Feat Waahli -Teke Fren
- D2: Timothee Et Pot & Corentre Dans Tom Hlm
- D3: Locobeach - Idea Desperada
"Because it's the passion for music that drives the person behind the decks, a dj's debut is bound to exude authenticity. It's often themselves they're recounting in music, posing on the slip mats their DNA and what makes them who they are.
When you're just starting out, you're faced with a multitude of routes to take and styles to play. When you know just how devastating it can be to step out of line and empty the dance floor even faster than it filled up, it often takes a lot of audacity to break the unity of a funk evening with a punk track.
Over time, to evolve is to find oneself facing only two roads.
On the first one, to satisfy the greatest number of people and not lose the credit for his fees, the dj adapts to the trend. Whether he likes what he's playing or not, the road has become a freeway and, indeed, a very comfortable one. The audience already knows everything there is to hear and doesn't come to hear anything else. Thirty seconds, or even a minute of each track, is more than enough. Everything has to flow quickly. Everything is marked out and secured. Those who respect the regulations will (normally) make the journey without accident. Several times a week, several times a month, several times a year. Curiosity disappears altogether.
And then there's the other road. Where nothing is expected nor sometimes even ever heard. The road of an unquenchable passion for diggin' and the desire to always know more and more. A passion billed at the price of hours of research-finding spent in the discomfort and possible disappointment of never coming across anything exciting, as well as nights exploring platforms and multiplying clicks resulting in a good old headache. Until that moment of grace happens when, after thousands of fruitless shakes, the nugget stands alone in the sieve, without the slightest doubt as to its quality.
Coming from places never mentioned for their music, sometimes classics of their genre, they are also rarities miraculously saved from total disappearance, as much as current marvels, but threatened to never leave the immensity of the web. Even if the possibility of a text with substance is never excluded, they can tell long stories or be destined solely to make you dance till you're dehydrated. Scintillating with spirituality, some can also vaporize energy and replace it with a pure emotion capable of touching hearts in the bareness of simple percussions.
This road is marked by sincerity, singularity and surprises, but always in a communion between the dj and the audience, who embark on it together, with mutual confidence in the promise of hours of sharing and discovering. "
2024 Repress
Transparent Blue Vinyl
Little Dragon - die bahnbrechende schwedische Band um die rätselhafte Sängerin Yukimi Nagano, den Multiinstrumentalisten Håkan Wirenstarnd und Fredrik Wallin an Keyboard und Bass und Erik Bodin an Schlagzeug und Perkussion - kehren mit ihrem sechsten Studioalbum „New Me, Same Us“ zurück.
Für eine Band, die stolz darauf ist, abseits gängiger Hörgewohnheiten zu stehen und die sich mit aller Entschlossenheit dafür einsetzt, die Dinge zu ihren eigenen Bedingungen zu verwirklichen, haben sie bislang nicht gerade wenig Anerkennung im Mainstream bekommen. Mit dem Grammy für ihr Album „Nabuma Rubberband“ im Jahr 2014 nominiert, gelten Little Dragon seit langem als eine der gefragtesten Gruppen für Kollaborationen. Im Laufe der Jahre ist eine beneidenswerte Liste an Künstlerinnen und Künstlern zusammengekommen, mit denen sie zusammengearbeitet haben, darunter bspw. BADBADNOTGOOD, Gorillaz, SBTRKT, Flying Lotus, Flume, Kaytranada, Big Boi, De La Soul, DJ Shadow, Tinashe, Mac Miller, Future, Raphael Saadiq oder Faith Evans. Ihre berühmt-berüchtigte Live-Performance hat eine mittlerweile zehnjährige Tourneekarriere nach sich gezogen, in dessen Verlauf sie kürzlich gemeinsam mit Flying Lotus als Co-Headliner eine Show im Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles gespielt haben, sowie auf einigen der weltweit angesehensten Festivals wie Coachella, Glastonbury, Bestival, Lollapalooza, Melt!, Dour, Sónar und dem Festival von Tyler, The Creator, „Camp Flog Gnaw“, aufgetreten sind.
Vollkommen alleine und ohne Unterstützung von außen im langjährigen und selbstgebauten Heim-Studio in Göteborg produziert und aufgenommen, repräsentiert „New Me, Same Us“ ein weiteres Kapitel in der kontinuierlichen Entwicklung von Little Dragon. Mit ihrem einzigartigen Stil finden sie eine neue Richtung von gemächlichem, unkonventionellem R'n'B, Pop und Elektronik und klingen damit so verjüngt und energiegeladen wie eh und je. Die Platte zeugt auch von einer reflektierenden Stimmung, mit Yukimis unverwechselbarer Stimme, die von Übergängen im Leben, Sehnsüchten und Abschieden sinniert.
Rose Noir’s first beat tape, originally released on Daddy Kev’s label Alpha Pup, made a strong impression.
Alpha Pup has a history of groundbreaking releases, featuring key artists like Flying Lotus and Ras G, who helped shape the LA beat scene. Now, Rose Noir is dropping a very limited 7” record featuring the best beats from Beat Tape 01.
These are in short supply, so grab one while you can.
Pressed in a limited edition of 220 copies by Beastqueeze Records.1
This band, and this album, function as critical missing links that takes one from The Fall to Yard Act, from Television and The Minutemen to Parquet Courts and Sleaford Mods, from punk as a sound to punk purely as an ethos. While any Van Pelt album is a stand alone album, the unique approach they take begs one to enter their world and dig deep in.
RELATED TO: The Lapse, Native Nod, St Vincent, Blonde Redhead, Enon, Jets to Brazil, Vague Angels, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, American Football, Texas is the Reason.
‘The lines between post-hardcore, indie rock, and emo blurred on the two mid-’90s full-lengths from the Van Pelt.’ Pitchfork
‘New York City’s The Van Pelt are an influential, but too often overlooked indie rock band -- cult favorites for many an emo-inclined crate digger.’ Consequence of Sound
‘...should be mentioned a lot more than they are when you talk about the history of emo.’
Washed Up Emo
Back in the day there was this thing called an A&R guy. They would hang out at small venues looking to throw money at the next big thing. In the early 90s, everyone was looking for the next Nirvana of course. NYC's The Van Pelt had just released an album of anthems called "Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves" that seemed to be just that. The only thing is, they didn't want to sign. Legend has it $2 million was turned down over pierogies and coffee one Monday morning because The Van Pelt didn't want to risk crashing and burning. Instead, they were gunning for a long and stable stride even if that meant they would largely remain out of the public's eye forever.
Lack of willingness to play the game didn't mean people weren't waiting with baited breath for their follow up album though. In 1997 The Van Pelt released "Sultans of Sentiment", an album nearly devoid of the anthems and licks people were expecting. In fact, it's a complete bummer of an album that subjects the listener to the point on life's curve where the hubris of youth gives way to a cresting crashing defeat no kid with heart could ever have seen coming. Seeing as humanity are sick fuckers who revel in the misery of both themselves and others, the popularity of Sultans grew and grew and continues to win new loyal fans even today. It's for this classic album The Van Pelt has never fallen off the radar.
That being said, their swan song "The Speeding Train" was recorded while they were working on their third album. In any other age, in any other way, this song would have been a hit. The Van Pelt broke up mid-recording, released Speeding Train as a single, and the rest of the songs from that session didn't see the light of day until they were released in 2014 as the "Imaginary Third" lp.
Why are we here talking about them today in 2023? Because in preparation for the release of "Imaginary Third" The Van Pelt started playing some reunion shows. Soundchecks revealed to them that this band has a voice that was prematurely muted by their inability to see clearly in the thick of it. Returning to explore just what that is 25 years later has led to this first collection of 9 songs, "Artisans & Merchants". This is not a reunion album. This is vindication for that decision made over pierogies and coffee decades ago. The Van Pelt is a band in it for the long haul, free from whatever trappings the mayflies of trends and markets may bring.
For lovers of The Van Pelt, listening to "Artisans & Merchants" is like hearing the voice of a dear friend you haven't seen in years, a friend you used to share countless beers with over banter that went nowhere other than delivering a solid night. Your friend is older, they've changed. In some ways you're worried for them, looks like they might be teetering on the brink of something. In other ways it's the same old them, a nugget of a soul too unique to ever be altered. It's for those unfamiliar with The Van Pelt though for whom we should be truly jealous. This is a stand alone album, incredible vital song writing in and of itself regardless of the long history this band has. The climax of the single "Image of Health" perhaps describes the beautiful desperation best: "And you never felt more alive / Than when the priest came to read you your rites!"
The last couple of years have seen a renaissance for West Coast singer-songwriters. LA-based youngsters such as Drugdealer and Sylvie have attracted considerable attention releasing warm and mellow records tonally reminiscent of the early 70s. Most fans of this new/old sound are unaware of Bart Davenport's early explorations in the same sonic territory. His now 20-year-old "Game Preserve"album should gain an appreciative new audience with its first ever vinyl release.
In the year 2000, Bay Area troubadour Bart Davenport and several other musicians were recruited by a major tech corporation in Seattle to work on an algorithm-based music matching/search engine. It was what looked like the beginning of a promising career. After a year, however, the project was shelved. Bart and his colleagues were laid off with a healthy severance package... on the 12th of September, 2001. Not only had the musician's life changed, so had the world. Rather than blow the money on a holiday or new car, Bart knew he had to make a record. A proper album that meant something.
Back in Oakland, he entered Wally Sound Studios with former Kinetics bandmate Jon Erickson at the controls, and a swathe of talented local musicians. "With Game Preserve," Bart explains, "Jon and I really wanted to knock it out of the park. I wanted to utilize people from my old bands like Loved Ones drummer John Kent. I also invited my newer indie-pop friends from Call & Response, and a young Nedelle Torrisi. Harmony singing by The Moore Brothers was an essential ingredient on Game Preserve as well."
Both Erickson and Davenport fondly recall growing up in households where the music of The Carpenters, Joni Mitchell and The Eagles soundtracked their young lives. By the early 00s they were ready to reconnect with what is often referred to as the "Laurel Canyon" sound. "I'd buy used tapes at garage sales and play them in the car. "Ladies Of The Canyon" by Joni and Jackson Browne's first album were both in heavy rotation. Jon Erickson was getting deeper into the Steely-Mac-Doobie yacht-rock sound in earnest. A certain amount of childhood nostalgia led a lot of us back to that part of the 70s. I'd flirted with classic soft-rock on my first album, but that record was pretty scattered esthetically. I wanted my next one to be more focused. Jon and I made some ground rules: no electric guitars (except on 'Bar-Code Trees'). No synths. Most importantly, all the songs have an air-tight, super dead, close mic'd drum sound. Putting these sorts of limitations on the sessions will give your record a specific quality. In the case of "Game Preserve"it's mostly about tight drums, acoustic instruments and analog production. We used a 24-track, two-inch tape machine for tracking, then ran the mixes through an analog board straight to a 1/4 inch master tape."
While the album's sonic palette may be firmly planted in 1970, Davenport's songwriting covers a sizable landscape of moods and reflections. From the quasi-flamenco intro of 'Sweetest Game' to the somber Wurlitzer of 'Nowhere Left To Go', to the 12-string shimmer of 'Intertwine', "Game Preserve" tells a story of young love, lost innocence and redemption, crossing borders and oceans along the way.
Released in 2003 on family-run Oakland label Antenna Farm, the ultra-analog sounding "Game Preserve" was only made available on digital formats, including CD. Copies were later pressed by labels in Germany and Spain; the latter being one country the album actually did well in, establishing Bart Davenport with a small but loyal fanbase he still enjoys today. Two European tours as support for Kings of Convenience also helped gain a foothold on the continent. Back in the US, however, Davenport and his sophomore album remained quite obscure.
Limited promotion meant it did little, but for the music lovers that heard it, the album undoubtedly remains a classic of the era, deserving far more. Twenty years on, it now finally receives its vinyl debut. "I personally think it holds up well," says Bart of the album two decades later. "The idea was to make something that could be an homage to late 60s/early 70s West Coast pop but hopefully timeless as well. Years on, I hear it as just that. It was a colorful and brief period of my life that felt at times like it could last forever. I discovered the joy of working in a proper studio with a perfect cast of characters. I'm still very close with all these people and still play music with many of them."
The mighty Lempuyang label returns with its annual compilation series, again this year split over two superb 12"s. Both of them feature a remastered track from the vaults and in the case of this EP that is the hotly in-demand 'Dubby Plug' by W Moon which is a potent, kicking dub techno cut freshly remastered for 2024. ElsewhereHydergine's 'Ultraviolet' is soulful Detroit-inspired machine music and Dubrovnik UK's 'Waves' fizzes with static electricity. Merv's 'Unity' is the vast, cavernous opener and might be the best of the lot
Original Sun Sound wurde erst 1964 veröffentlicht, sechs Jahre nach Johnny Cashs Wechsel von Sun zu Columbia Records im Jahr 1958, und enthält sowohl seine ersten als auch seine letzten Aufnahmen für das Label. Das frühe 'Wide Open Road' zeigt den Sänger noch unter dem Einfluss von Hank Williams (und ist auch deshalb eine Rarität, weil es die Steel-Gitarre von A.W. "Red" Kernodle enthält, der die Gruppe kurz darauf verließ), aber das sardonische, von Charlie Rich geschriebene 'Thanks a Lot' aus einer seiner letzten Sun-Sessions zeigt, dass Cash niemandem außer sich selbst verpflichtet ist. Auch Cashs eigener Gospelsong 'Belshazah' ist hier zu hören, eine ungewöhnliche Aufnahme, da sein Produzent Sam Phillips normalerweise nur das weltliche Material des Künstlers aufnahm.
- Remastered von den Originalbändern
- Neuauflage zum 60sten Jubiläum
- Enthält Hits wie 'Big River', 'Country Boy', 'Born To Lose' und mehr
- Ltd. Col. LP: (Violett-transparentes Vinyl)
- A1: Runway
- A2: Track Of The Time
- A3: Reaching Through
- A4: Holy Low
- A5: Just To Feel Alive
- B1: Seasons Change
- B2: Some Are Lucky
- B3: Ruby
- B4: Call The Days
- B5: Holy Loud
8/10 FULL-PAGE LEAD REVIEW IN UNCUT: “TALENTED ARTISTS SUCH AS ALDOUS HARDING , DELANEY DAVIDSON, IVY ROSSITER AND MARLON WILLIAMS REPRESENT A FRESH COUNTRY-FOLK/AMERICANA MOVEMENT IN AND AROUND CHRISTCHURCH AND DUNEDIN. NADIA REID'S IMPECCABLE DEBUT WILL MAYBE SET A WIDER ORBIT IN MOTION.”
4/5 LEAD REVIEW IN MOJO: “INSPIRED DEBUT BY A YOUNG NEW ZEALAND SINGER-SONGWRITER YOU'LL FEEL YOU'VE KNOWN FOREVER. A WONDERFUL ALBUM"
SUNDAY TIMES DEBUT OF THE WEEK: "SHE RANKS ALONGSIDE LOW AND THE COWBOY JUNKIES FOR DELIVERING SLOW-BURN EMOTION"
"It has all that well-smoked wisdom, that mingling of strength and yearning that seems to charge the work of all my favourite female artists – Laura Marling, The Weather Station, Sharon Van Etten and Tift Merritt, to name but four. Reid is just 23, and since I am loathe to run that “old beyond her years” line, let us simply say that when I hear a young artist making an album as soulful and rich and self-possessed as Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs, I feel so thrilled not only for the existence of that record but for all the music they will make over all the years to come.” THE GUARDIAN PLAYLIST
6MUSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
A richness of voice; a depth of emotion; and wise beyond her years; with Listen To Formation, Look For the Signs, 23-year-old New Zealand native Nadia Reid has claimed her place as one of the country’s most evocative and profound young songwriters. Her music traces the sharp mountain peaks, azure coastline, and mirrored images of the land and sky that pinpoint her home country’s vast open landscapes.
Whether nerding about with friends, stunning audiences into silence with her spellbinding live shows or unwinding in the tranquillity of her favourite hometown spot overlooking Port Chalmers’ harbour through her large-rimmed spectacles, Nadia Reid has achieved a gloriously fresh and eloquent new folk sound. “I’ve been in New Zealand my whole life and guess at times I take for granted the serene beauty that I live so closely with,” she says of her music’s majestic affiliation with nature. Mapping out tales of change and loss, whilst drawing inspiration from reading, writing, the human condition, falling in and out of love, death, and birth - it all lends to a superbly balanced album that moves surreptitiously between sparse and fragile melancholia to beautifully brutal lyricism with a philosophical maturity that bellies her years.
Born in Auckland, Nadia’s acoustic roots stem from an upbringing in a musical household where attending folk clubs and festivals were regular occurrences on the family calendar. “I was lucky to witness a lot of live music and theatre performances because my mum was an actress. I was encouraged to learn piano and guitar, and attended a Steiner school where we spent a lot of time in nature, singing songs.” Before long Nadia was listening to The Be Good Tanyas with friend and fellow recording artist Aldous Harding, which spurred her chosen career path. “There was something spiritual about the Tanyas’ records - I vividly remember the goose-bump feelings up my arms, a true connection to the lyrics and vocals,” she recalls. “Aldous was the first person who told me I had a good voice and I thank her for that. I admire her as an artist and writer, and we like to keep up with what each other is up to.”
Creating her own enchanting wonderworld, each of Nadia’s songs explores the elements; truly organic, her vocals ebb, flow and soar but are always ignited with fire from the gut. Her lyrics clearly reference lush landscapes but equally reflect alienation provided by the surrounding Pacific Ocean and mortality of living in such close proximity to Mother Nature’s wrath, as experienced whilst living in Christchurch at the time of 2011’s devastating earthquake. “It shook the city to its core,” Nadia recalls. “I’m sure living through it has shaped my personality and writing. My first EP was recorded just months afterwards, it was a strange time. We were all quite fragile, but I was braver somehow.”
Boldly infusing folk with full flavour, Listen To Formation, Look For The Signs was produced by Ben Edwards, owner of Lyttelton Records in his Sitting Room studios with Nadia’s band consisting bassist Richie Pickard, guitarist Sam Taylor and percussionist Joe McCallum. Whilst 'Reaching Through’s rich but unhurried nature evokes She Hangs Brightly -era Mazzy Star and intricate nuances of Beth Orton are recalled on lead single ‘Call The Days’ which talks of moving to a new town and was the first song penned after Nadia moved from Christchurch to Wellington; spurred on by a “panic attack” and being “worried about making the right choices in life”. Elsewhere ‘Runway’ and ‘Some Are Lucky’ immediately channel Nadia’s love of TBGT’s Jolie Holland and appreciation for New Zealand’s Maori music by Maisey Rika and Anika Moa, plus the inspirational narratives of Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire.
- Burying Luck
- Ice Monster
- Knights
- White Mystery
- Dr. L'ling
- Part 2
- Throwin' Shapes
- When We Escape
- Double Vision Quest
- Lotus
Following the success of Highly Refined Pirates' forward-thinking guitar gymnastics and Menos El Oso's groundbreaking glitch rock, Seattle's premier pop revisionists Minus The Bear dug into some of rock music's most ostentatious years for inspiration for their 2007 album, Planet of Ice. The title alone conjures images of Yes's Relayer album art, and the influence of the elder statesmen's symphonic scope can be felt throughout Planet of Ice's lush and intricate arrangements. You can also hear the band channel the ominous instrumental interplay of Lamb-era Genesis on "Dr. L'Ling", the deceptively savvy musicianship and pristine production of Steely Dan on "White Mystery", and the tightrope walk between ethereal space and pre-metal riffage of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" on "Lotus". Not that Minus The Bear completely abandoned their earlier style_elements of Menos El Oso's sample-driven technique can be heard on the lead single "Knights". But the heart of the song ultimately belongs to the haunting Fripp-esque guitar lines spliced between verses. After being out of print on record since 2010, Suicide Squeeze is proud to reintroduce Planet of Ice's creative marriage of classic motifs and modern musical wizardry with a vinyl remaster courtesy of Bernie Grundman.
Wo endet The Skull und wo beginnt Legions of Doom? Die Antwort könnte "genau hier" sein. Willkommen bei 'The Skull 3'. Der Tod des Sängers Eric Wagner (The Skull, Ex-Trouble, Blackfinger usw.) im Jahr 2021 überschattete das Debüt von Legions Of Doom, da The Skull-Gitarrist Lothar Keller und Bassist Ron Holzner (ebenfalls Ex-Trouble) Song-Material bearbeiteten, das auf dem dritten Album dieser Band zu finden gewesen wäre. Mit Wagners Beteiligung an der Komposition und dem Segen der Familie des Sängers bewegen sich Legions Of Doom weiter in Richtung Supergroup-Territorium, indem sie Drummer Henry Vasquez (Saint Vitus, Blood Of The Sun) und Sänger Karl Agell (u.a. Corrosion Of Conformity aus der 'Blind'-Ära) sowie Scott Reagers (ursprünglicher Frontmann von Saint Vitus) in die Gruppe aufnahmen. Wagners Geist ist Teil dieser Platte, ganz zu schweigen von seinem Gesang auf 'Heaven' - aber Legions of Doom sind mehr als eine Hommage. Am Ende wird die Platte ebenso sehr zu einem Debüt, wie sie es je als drittes Album für The Skull hätte sein können, und die Persönlichkeit von Legions Of Doom wird sofort durch die Gesangseinlagen von Reagers und Agell unterstrichen. Ja, es ist klassischer Doom von Veteranen, die diese Musikform mitgeprägt haben. Translucent Green Haze Vinyl-LP mit Foldout-Cover und bedrucktem Inner Sleeve; Jewel-Case-CD mit 12-seitigem Booklet.
This is one of Ray Pérez’s most highly sought-after albums, not only for its strong salsa dura anthems and funky boogaloo numbers but also for its brave, quirky eclecticism and youthful, rebellious spirit, all of which are reflections of “El Loco” Ray’s unique genius, making him a beloved figure in rare record collector circles everywhere.
The original is not that easy to find today and carries a hefty price. Thankfully, it has been remastered from the original tapes, fully licensed, with the original artwork, preserving and presenting the legacy of this great Venezuelan music for today’s generation.
DESCRIPTION
The late 1960s was a very busy time when Pérez was juggling several different studio bands: Los Dementes, Los Calvos and Los Kenya.
The daring experiment Pérez created with Los Calvos laid the basis for Los Kenya, an actual working band that released six albums between 1968 and 1972. Despite being titled “Los Kenya, Vol. 2” because it was the second released by Discomoda, the record actually represents Los Kenya’s third album, and is perhaps the most mature, well-rounded venture in the lot.
In February 1969, on Discomoda, came “Los Kenya, Vol. 2” focused on the upcoming carnival season and was calculated to compete with rival bands Federico Y Su Combo Latino and Sexteto Juventud for the plethora of gigs offered at that time of year.
The album, like all Ray Pérez releases of the time, is short and powerful, with five tracks per side, showcasing a variety of singers, genres, rhythms, influences and arrangements, making this one of his more eccentric and interesting efforts. 1960s California “sunshine pop” rock (often referred to as ‘surf’ on Los Kenya records), guajiras, boogaloos, descargas and even Mexican mariachi corridos are all added to the pot of salsa cooked up by “El Loco Ray” and his band.
The album has been rescued from obscurity and lovingly restored, remastered from the original tapes, fully licensed, with its original artwork intact, preserving and presenting the legacy of this great Venezuelan music for today’s generation of global salsa dura fans.
- A1: Fanfare - My Last Farewell / Zurück Zur Liebe - Back To Love 3:37
- A2: Maiden Song (Early One Morning) 1:50
- A3: Gipsy 3:21
- A4: You Are My Sea (Du Bist Das Meer) 4:07
- A5: The Leaving Of Liverpool 2:12
- A6: Sail Away 2:55
- B1: River Baion 3:43
- B2: Der Himmel Über Mir 3:44
- B3: Der Mann Von Nebenan 4:10
- B4: Die Schönen Zeiten 2:52
- B5: Roger Whittaker & Helmut Lotti - The Last Farewell 3:39
- C1: Endlich Bist Du Wieder Hier 3:23
- C2: Albany 4:30
- C3: Wir Sind Jung (Oh Maria) 3:34
- C4: Wenn Es Dich Noch Gibt 3:32
- C5: Ein Glückliches Zuhaus 3:14
- D1: Leben Mit Dir 3:41
- D2: Eloisa 3:28
- D3: Sieben Jahre, Sieben Meere 4:09
- D4: Abschied Ist Ein Scharfes Schwert 3:43
- D5: Du Bist Das Licht Tief In Mir 3:16
- E1: Roger Whittaker & Des O'connor - The Skye Boat Song 3:11
- E2: Oh Africa 2:55
- E3: My Land Is Kenya 3:50
- E4: The Gerenuk Song 2:59
- E5: The Last Farewell 3:38
- F1: Roger Whittaker & Anny Schilder - A Perfect Day 3:27
- F2: The Wind Beneath My Wings 4:01
- F3: Leaving On A Jet Plane 4:17
- F4: Your Voice 4:04
- F5: What A Wonderful World 2:37
We’re happy to cordially invite you to the REGRESSION SESSION, hosted by eternal Philadelphia scene flag bearers ZILLAS ON ACID!
And if you think this sounds awfully lot like a scam, you’re probably right: „Regression Session“ is just a front of their illegal black market operation, trading raw uncut gems on a large scale. Just listen to the opener and title track and you won’t exactly have a strong case for the Zillas selling out, but rough as it is, this thing is capable of destroying any dancefloor it touches.
Looking at their recent releases it’s fair to say the Z’s are on quite a run, putting out music on labels like Permanent Vacation, Throne Of Blood, Multi Culti or Ivan Smagghe’s Disques de la Mort. Tunes like the sneaky rough slow burners „Underling“ or „Start Digging“ sound like they could be lifted from the latter’s infamous DJ sets, while the deceptively titled „Cha Cha Cha“ or closer „Casual Observer“ justify the „Acid“ in the artist name. „Shining Snakes Across The Lake“ is what some years might have been called a mid-tempo house roller and probably counts as downtempo these days. Speaking of tempos, the penultimate „Sweet Days Of Discipline“ starts of masquerading as reaaally downtempo, but ends up throwing 155bpm kick drums at you, so better watch out, all you k-hole ravers! Let’s not forget to talk about „bquiet“, which is what you’d call mid-tempo house these days (125bpm) and uses the eternally banging combination of a jacking beat, a polyrhythmic bass line, some lead-synth stabs and talking vocal slices. You can practically smell the sweat.
So what’s left to say? What you see is what you get: They are Zillas, and they are on Acid. And they provide a collection of eight tunes that probably each don’t necessarily have a double-digit amount of tracks in their DAW projects, and that’s exactly what makes them so forceful. Join the regression session!
In 1972 Garybaldi released the legendary “Nuda”, an album in which the typical sounds of progressive rock was mixed with Fossati’s typical ‘guitarism’, giving birth to a unique and very important work in the Italian prog scene.
1973 sees the release of “Astrolabio”, a very particular record made up of two long pieces, one for each side, with a lot of space left for improvisation. Another unique work that closes the first phase of the band’s history, who would continue their music activities in alternate phases up to the present day.
Der in Bristol ansässige irische Produzent Seamus Malliagh kreiert unter dem Namen Iglooghost ungezwungen-detailreiche, elektronische Musik, indem er Juke, Footwork, Punk, Electronica, Hip-Hop und Pop in einen Mixer wirft und ins Unendliche geht. Inspiriert von den alten Frontmännern von Factory Records, Flying Lotus, ARCA und den Metalbands seiner Jugend, entstand sein neues Album in einer alten Werkstatt an der Küste von Kent neben einer Kläranlage, umgeben von alten Stämmen, Abgasen, bedecktem Wetter und rauer See. Sein Ziel war ein Sound, der mehrere Genres miteinander vermischt und aus einer Art Küstenradiosendung aus einer fiktiven Zeitlinie strömt.
- "In jede Ecke und jeden Winkel von Tidal Memory Exos 43-minütiger Laufzeit sind so viele verrückte Ideen, Texturen und Rhythmen gestopft, dass es bemerkenswert ist, dass die Platte ihre thematische Stoßrichtung mit solcher Überzeugung beibehält. Dies ist ein dichtes, langes Stück Science-Fiction der nahen Zukunft, das abstraktes Geschichtenerzählen in gefühlsbetonte, Gänsehaut verursachende Clubmusik kleidet." - Resident Advisor
- "Iglooghosts Tidal Memory Exo ist ein Meisterwerk des Weltenbaus – denken Sie an geomagnetische Stürme, prähistorische Kreaturen, erfundene Mikro-Genres wie 'Foamtek' und 'Sporestyle'." – Dazed
SOILWORK is a band that has been through a lot. We don’t have to try and tidy things up by using clichés like personal and/or musical differences. It has been hell. We have lost loved ones and significant others have fallen ill. We are not young anymore, and our reality these days is the hellhounds on our tails, the ghosts in our subconscious and the coldness of existence that starts eating at your soul the very day that you leave the womb. We can no longer escape the fact that we’re vulnerable to the shortcomings of life itself. Verkligheten is the Swedish word for reality, the entity that we’re all trying to escape from. Verkligheten is our attempt to try and go somewhere else, to express all those things that are born in between hypnagogic states and frenzies of hyperrealism. Verkligheten is the otherworldliness of Swedish suburban anxiety, accompanied by blastbeats and slide guitars.
The Dutch groove-driven heavy rock band Hell Valley High releases their highly anticipated debut-lp “Welcome To Hell Valley”. The album was recorded at Big Dog Recordings, just outside of Antwerp, Belgium. All music was recorded live to capture Hell Valley High’s true energy. The title is a nod to the legendary 1994 Kyuss album. At the same time - like the band’s name - the title is an ode to the band's favourite movie Back To The Future. “Welcome To Hell Valley” includes groovy & grungy songs and catchy fiery stoner rock tunes. The album also contains a cover of the song “Send Me A Postcard”, that was originally released in 1970 by Shocking Blue. Hell Valley High is composed of seasoned musicians who have played a lot of shows in The Netherlands and toured Europe extensively. The group features ex-members of Wildebeast, Filthy Felons, Note To Amy, Apehanger and Junkyard Safari. Black and orange coloured vinyl edition.
- K Street Walker
- Duck Eat Duck World
- Junk
- Widow
- I Threw Glass At My Friend's Eyes And Now I'm On Probat
- No Respect
- Goldilocks Spot
- Cattywampus
- Word Salad
DESTROY BOYS" catalog vinyl is back in stock!
2024 has been a big year for the band with the release of their new album, Funeral Soundtrack #4 (available on Hopeless Records) and Epitaph Records are harking back to these two seminal vinyl releases from the band"s early days, just in time for Black Friday!
"Sorry Mom" (2017) ( on vinyl for the first time!) and "Make Room" (2018)- both albums will be available on black vinyl. DESTROY BOYS formed in 2015, when founding members Violet Mayugba and Alexia Roditis were just 15 years old, and each release has marked a period of growth and change. "Looking back, our first three albums marked the deaths of things," says guitarist Violet Mayugba. "They were soundtracks to our funerals, whether they were for our ages, our mental states. We"ve gone through a lot of changes as a band and as people." "The first one (Sorry, Mom) was our high school album," Mayugba explains. "On the second record (Make Room), we went to college and were saying goodbye to our childhood. On the third one, we"d just gone through COVID and, speaking for myself, I lost my entire sense of self and gained a new one." Now, at 24, Mayugba and Roditis are standing firmly on solid ground with more resolute and confident than ever in their place as musicians.
SOILWORK is a band that has been through a lot. We don’t have to try and tidy things up by using clichés like personal and/or musical differences. It has been hell. We have lost loved ones and significant others have fallen ill. We are not young anymore, and our reality these days is the hellhounds on our tails, the ghosts in our subconscious and the coldness of existence that starts eating at your soul the very day that you leave the womb. We can no longer escape the fact that we’re vulnerable to the shortcomings of life itself. Verkligheten is the Swedish word for reality, the entity that we’re all trying to escape from. Verkligheten is our attempt to try and go somewhere else, to express all those things that are born in between hypnagogic states and frenzies of hyperrealism. Verkligheten is the otherworldliness of Swedish suburban anxiety, accompanied by blastbeats and slide guitars.
- A1: Land Of Sunshine
- A2: Caffeine
- A3: Midlife Crisis
- A4: Rv
- A5: Everything's Ruined
- A6: Malpractice
- B1: Kindergarten
- B2: Be Aggressive
- B3: A Small Victory
- B4: Jizzlobber
- B5: Smaller And Smaller
- C1: Easy
- C2: Midnight Cowboy
- C3: Crack Hitler
- C4: Midlife Crisis (The Scream Mix)
- C5: The World Is Yours (Outtake)
- D1: As The Worm Turns (Mike Patton Vocal)
- D2: Das Schutzenfest
- D3: Let's Lynch The Landlord
- D4: Be Aggressive (Live 1992)
- D5: Kindergarten (Live 1992)
- D6: We Care A Lot (Live 1992)
Cosmic Breeze Records is happy to announce “The Long Way Up”, the second record from our label, featuring a split format showcasing the latest works of Toolate Groove and Bass Toast. As purveyors of soulful music, we pour love into every release, cohesively blending different genres such as House and Broken Beat creating music that speaks to our souls.”The Long Way Up” shows our belief and curiosity in blending both club-oriented and laid-back soulful music. We believe that through music, we can unite and express ourselves in the most true and transparent way, while revealing the depths of our souls.
“A lot of people run to see who’s fastest. I merely run to feel the breeze.”
Greetings from Brussels,
Alex & Seb
- A1: The Nazz - Open My Eyes
- A2: The Easybeats - Good Times
- A3: Sir Douglas Quintet - She’s About A Mover
- A4: Can - Outside Your Door
- A5: The Music Machine - People In Me
- A6: Wynder K. Frog - I’m A Man
- A7: Sharon Tandy - Hold On
- B1: The Hombres - Let It All Hang Out
- B2: The Left Banke - I’ve Got Something On My Mind
- B3: The Seeds - The Wind Blows Your Hair
- B4: The Apple - Buffalo Billycan
- B5: Dantalion’s Chariot - ‘Madman Rising Through The Fields’
- B6: The End - Shades Of Orange
- B7: Warm Sounds - Night Is A Comin’
- C1: The Velvet Underground - Foggy Notion
- C2: The Modern Lovers - She Cracked
- C3: Kim Fowley - Bubblegum
- C4: The Balloon Farm - A Question Of Temperature
- C5: Fleur De Lys - Circles **
- C6: The Starlets - You Don’t Love Me
- D1: The Turtles - Buzz Saw
- D2: Lothar And The Hand - People Machines
- D3: The Open Mind - Magic Potion
- D4: The Swinging Medallions - Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love
- D7: The Creation - How Does It Feel To Feel
- D8: The Third Eye - Pass Myself
- D5: Simon Dupree And The Big Sound - I See The Light
- D6: The Action - I’ll Keep On Holding On **
Two-Piers präsentiert die nächste Killer-Compilation: "Weird Scenes From The Hangout (Psychedelic & Freakbeat Dancefloor Anthems 1967-1982)", kuratiert von Richard Norris (The Grid, Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, The Time And Space Machine) und zentriert um seine Liverpooler Clubnacht "The Hangout" in den 1980ern. Dort brachten er und weitere DJs bewusstseinsverändernden Wahnsinn aus Psychedelia und Freakbeat auf die Tanzfläche. Herausragende Songs wie "The Left Banke - I've Got Something On My Mind", "The Turtles - Buzzsaw" oder "Can - Outside Your Door" wurden zu echten Hangout-Hymnen. Man widmete der eher trendy Ausbeute der Spät-Sechziger ebenso viel Zeit wie angesagten Acts, solange der Groove auf dem Dancefloor funktionierte. Das Hangout kam und ging im Nu, aber sein Erbe, psychedelische Fußstampfer auf die Fläche zu bringen, lebt weiter, gemeinsam mit der Liebe zu allem, was mit Beat und Freak zu tun hat.
** Exclusive tracks to Vinyl Format
- Meditation
- Going Home
- A-1 Funk
- Every Step Of The Way
- Black Magic Woman
- Gypsy Queen
- Oye Como Va
- Yours Is The Light
- Batukada
- Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba)
- Stone Flower (Introduction)
- Waiting
- Castillos De Arena, Pt. 1
- Free Angela
- Samba De Sausalito
- Mantra
- Kyoto
- Castillos De Arena, Pt. 2 (Sand Castle)
- Se A Cabo
- Samba Pa Ti
- Mr. Udo
- Toussaint L'overture
- Incident At Neshabur
Released in 1974, "Lotus" by Santana is a landmark live album showcasing the band's incredible fusion of rock, jazz, and Latin music. Recorded during their Japan tour, the album features Carlos Santana's signature guitar work and the band’s dynamic improvisations. "Lotus" captures performances from Tokyo, presenting a mix of Santana's classic hits and extended jams, including tracks like "Toussaint L'Overture" and "Oye Como Va." Known for its energetic solos and vibrant rhythms, the album highlights Santana’s ability to blend diverse musical influences into a cohesive, powerful sound. The 1974 release is praised for its high-quality sound and passionate performances, solidifying Santana’s reputation as a pioneering force in rock and Latin music. For fans and collectors, "Lotus" remains a quintessential representation of Santana’s live prowess and innovative spirit. Lotus is a limited edition of 1500 copies on translucent yellow coloured vinyl.
"Exhibit B: The Human Condition". It's really, really sick. It's really different from the last one and it's really different from the two before. But it's 100 percent EXODUS. Out of the last three, this one is faster, but it's also a little more melodic, and it's also a little bit more old school. Some of Rob's vocal patterns are just so old school; it's killer. The production is a little more, let's say, less sterile. Not less sterile, but less digital perfection, more organic. It's really, really lively. There is by far more melody on it as well. Thematically, it's a little different. The last one centered a lot on religion and this one is, as the title says, about the human condition; cruelty, ignorance, and inhumanity and brutality. Just the things that man has shown to be so adept at doing.” "Our goal in EXODUS is just basically to defy time, to defy age, to have every album just get more furious and more angry and more intense. A lot of people will ask me things like, 'EXODUS is achieving a lot of popularity again, do you think it's due to thrash metal coming back?`and I say, 'No. I think thrash metal's coming back because of EXODUS.'" The goal now, he says, is to remain "the most dangerous animal in the jungle." "We wanted to portray the violence of man at its finest, so we started with our own version of the Leonardo da Vinci sketch of Vitruvian Man, but done the ‘EXODUS’ way! I was pointed in the direction of Colin Larks of Rainsong Design for the cover and he killed it! To me, the artwork represents man and his affinity for bloodshed, ignorance, and all-around ability to be led like sheep to the slaughter. The image fits the songs on this record perfectly. The whole layout is going to be as sick as the record itself!" GARY HOLT, Exodus
"Exhibit B: The Human Condition". It's really, really sick. It's really different from the last one and it's really different from the two before. But it's 100 percent EXODUS. Out of the last three, this one is faster, but it's also a little more melodic, and it's also a little bit more old school. Some of Rob's vocal patterns are just so old school; it's killer. The production is a little more, let's say, less sterile. Not less sterile, but less digital perfection, more organic. It's really, really lively. There is by far more melody on it as well. Thematically, it's a little different. The last one centered a lot on religion and this one is, as the title says, about the human condition; cruelty, ignorance, and inhumanity and brutality. Just the things that man has shown to be so adept at doing.” "Our goal in EXODUS is just basically to defy time, to defy age, to have every album just get more furious and more angry and more intense. A lot of people will ask me things like, 'EXODUS is achieving a lot of popularity again, do you think it's due to thrash metal coming back?`and I say, 'No. I think thrash metal's coming back because of EXODUS.'" The goal now, he says, is to remain "the most dangerous animal in the jungle." "We wanted to portray the violence of man at its finest, so we started with our own version of the Leonardo da Vinci sketch of Vitruvian Man, but done the ‘EXODUS’ way! I was pointed in the direction of Colin Larks of Rainsong Design for the cover and he killed it! To me, the artwork represents man and his affinity for bloodshed, ignorance, and all-around ability to be led like sheep to the slaughter. The image fits the songs on this record perfectly. The whole layout is going to be as sick as the record itself!" GARY HOLT, Exodus
Is A Feeling ensures that their new 12" very much is with some classically inclined but not overly nostalgic deep house from Scott Featherstone. 'Plan B' is a bulky, wonky deep house cut for the pumping after party hours, then 'We Played House' taps into the early Chicago sound with Peach Boys style synths and dubbed-out vocals. 'Bad Mother Fucker's a raw, sleazy looper that DJ Sneak would love not least because of the rude-boy vocals and filtered synths, then 'Badass Breaks' spins out on just that. 'Journey' might be the best off the lot with its soulful xylophone melodies and smooth-cruising deep house beats. An eclectic and excellent EP.
Multi-talented artist Poppy Ajudha will be announcing her sophomore album, titled ‘Poppy’, which will be released 22nd November 2024. This follows Poppy’s triumphant return to releasing music this year with the release of 'My Future', following a two year hiatus. ‘Poppy’ was created alongside Mike Malchicoff (Kanye West/King Princess) with contributions from the likes of producers Maestro (Rihanna), Fred Ball (Alicia Keys/Raye/Mariah Carey), Grades, (Kali Uchis, Dua Lipa, Britney Spears), and Travis Sayles (Ariana Grande).
Poppy says: “I can’t believe I’m writing this, but my sophomore album is finally coming out! After numerous trips back and forth from London to LA, millions of revisions to perfect each song and a lot of moving the track listing around, I’ve made an album I’m so in love with, with people who I felt truly seen by, who I respected and found a natural synergy with. I really put everything into this album, it is a reflection of my growth over the last 2 years, an outward pouring of my raw vulnerability, the inner workings of my chaotic brain and the deep desire I have to challenge myself with everything I do. I’m really proud of what we made, and I hope that when you hear it, it means something to you too.
Thank so much to all the special people who contributed to the making of this project, the producers, engineers, musicians, visual creatives, the friends who listened to me while I processed my life in order to write it down, I wouldn’t have been able to manifest this dream without you.”
Alongside the announcement of her upcoming album, Poppy has also released new single ‘Lean On Me’, a bold pop banger about the importance of community and showing support for each other even during challenging moments. ‘Lean On Me’ was written by Poppy with production from Wesley Singerman (Kendrick Lamar/Anderson Paak).
On ‘Lean On Me’, Poppy says: “We realise true friendship in the moments we are most vulnerable with each other. When I wrote ‘Lean On Me’ I was going through a breakup and struggling to make sense of my world. My friend who was experiencing their own kind of grieving found the time to give me the advice I needed, and the next day I wrote this song about the power of friendship, community, unconditional love and showing up for each other through our hardest times.”
Black vinyl 180g made only in 100 numbered copies.
This record is different. It is different from what might be expected of Jan Emil Mlynarski by those who know him, from sold-out shows and platinum albums of his bands – Jazz Band Młynarski – Masecki and Warsaw Dance Combo, as an old-timer, curator and reenactor of pre-World War II Warsaw's plush dancehalls and backyards folklore. Quite likely they may not recognize him until the last song, when he removes his shaman mask and bows down: Yeah, that's really me, folks, your good ol' Jan Emil, the entertainer. They might not have even known that he ever played drums because in his flagship bands, clad in a white tux in the former or in a Peaky Blinder hat in the latter, he sings and plays mandolin banjo. In fact, Młynarski has been a drummer for a lot longer than a singer. He stands clear of the jazz mainstream but is active on the progressive scene. A record he contributed to, trumpeter Tomasz Dąbrowski's 2022 release The Individual Beings, was recognized by Downbeat magazine as "excellent" and awarded the highest rating of five stars.
However, this is the first instrumental record to bear his name. As an album by a drummer, it stands out from other records, especially as it features drums as the principal content rather than the performance by a band with a drummer as the leader. It's all about drums, there is neither an articulate melody – because the melodies that are there are only micro-linesencased in ostinato modules – nor is harmony as an intentional chord progression – because whatever harmony-wise there is, is rather a product of the counterpoint of overlapping voices. All sounds other than the drums make only a riverbed through which runs a raging stream of rhythms. And indeed, this record took off just with this stream. At first all the drums were recorded live onto an analog tape, all at once, without overdubs or editing. After that, synthesizer riffs were added, and the record was ultimately assembled on tape without the use of computers or complex postproduction, which sets it apart from most releases today.
Młynarski the drummer acknowledges that he follows the trail beaten by Art Blakey, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, and Billy Higgins, but he walks it in his own strides. He treats the jazz drumming with specific reversed engineering by decompiling the jazz drum kit originally compiled by the pioneer jazz drummers from an array of instruments that had made their way from a jungle to New Orleans, first to Congo Square and then to street brass bands.
This takes him back to the jungle, his drums don't sound like jazz drums, the snare is rare, and the hi-hat and ride aren't there at all. Instead, there are drums and bells from Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire. He doesn't sound like a jazz drummer either, but like a gang of drummers, each playing their own rhythm, and it's hard to believe that all this is the work of one man.
Not only his drumware comes from the jungle, but also the software – his approach to rhythm and time. Its essence is polyrhythm and ostinato. The polyrhythmic matters were unveiled to Młynarski and Piotr Zabrodzki, his creative partner in many projects and co-composer/producer of this album, by the legendary eccentric veteran-drummer Władysław Jagiełło, who introduced them, aged thirteen, to his concept and practice of "17 Latino rhythms at once". Ostinato, an obstinate repetition of a phrase or rhythm, "arrests" time, turning its linear course into cyclical in-place rotations. This is specific not only to African music but also to cultural music of other regions and differs from Western artistic music in that it does not "run" to fulfil an aesthetic intention but "stays" to provide the framework for recurrent routines of communal proceedings.
So, this record is different. And, if you are different too, this is the record for you.
Brown eco cover with hand stamped logo - limited edition of hand numbered 100 copies of black vinyl.
The album "LIVE" is a record of a concert from January 2024 promoting the band's latest album, "No Codes".
It is a departure from traditional forms and a certain correctness characteristic of studio situations. Instead, there is a lot of energy, improvisation and carefree fun flowing from contact with the audience, seasoned with rock claw and freedom of expression. It is a pass to the world of P.Unity as it is in its essence - a character that until now could only be captured during live performances.
Now you can experience it in any place and time of your choice.
- A1: Nat King Cole The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
- A2: Laufey Winter Wonderland
- A3: Jamie Cullum It's Christmas
- A4: Diana Krall Feat The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Jingle Bells
- A5: Tom Gaebel Last Christmas
- A6: Ella Fitzgerald Sleigh Ride
- A7: Kurt Elling Cool Yule
- B1: Gregory Porter Christmas Wish
- B2: The Puppini Sisters Here Comes Santa Claus
- B3: Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter Christmas In New Orleans
- B4: Robbie Williams, Jamie Callum Merry X-Mas Everybody
- B5: Silje Nergaard Feat Roger Cicero If I Could Wrap Up A Kiss
- B6: Nils Landgren, Johan Norberg, Jonas Knutsson Maybe This Christmas
- B7: Dean Martin Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- C1: Norah Jones Christmas Calling (Jollyjones)
- C2: Mel Thormé Comin' Home Baby
- C3: Tony Bennett Winter Wonderland
- C4: Perry Como, The Fontane Sisters, Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
- C5: Frank Sinatra Jingle Bells
- C6: Bill Evans Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
- C7: Peggy Lee The Christmas Waltz
- D1: Melody Gardot Ave Maria
- D2: Samara Joy Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
- D3: Kenny G Silent Night
- D4: Louis Armstrong, Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra White Christmas - Single Version
- D5: Andy Williams Happy Holiday / The Holiday Season
- D6: Ella Fitzgerald Frosty The Snowman
- D7: Seth Macfarlane & Liz Gillies We Wish You The Merriest
„aboutJAZZ – Christmas“: Dieses Album vereint die schönsten Jazz-Versionen beliebter Weihnachtsklassiker und liefert damit eine stilvolle Musikbegleitung für die schönste Zeit des Jahres. Ob stimmgewaltige Titel wie Nat King Coles „The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)”, sanfte Melodien wie in Norah Jones‘ „Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)“, verspielte Töne mit Jamie Cullums „It’s Christmas“ oder eine märchenhafte Atmosphäre wie in Peggy Lees „The Christmas Waltz“ – dieses Album vereint die beliebtesten Weihnachtstitel mit dem vielseitigen Genre der Jazzmusik. Echte Klassiker und neue Interpretationen von Künstlern wie Gregory Porter, Laufey, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett, Melody Gardot, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald und vielen weiteren sorgen für ein rundum stimmungsvolles Musikerlebnis. „aboutJAZZ Christmas“ ist ab dem 22. November als 2LP, 2CD und Download erhältlich.
- Private Eye
- Mr. Chainsaw
- Take Lots With Alcohol
- Stupid Kid
- Another Innocent Girl
- Steamer Trunk
- You're Dead
- Armageddon
- I'm Dying Tomorrow
- Bloodied Up
- Trucks And Trains
- Crawl
The making of a maiden album can be a capricious process. One moment of outright musical flow paired with another period of sustained creative struggle are feats experienced by seasoned producers the world over. So when Miraclis was forced to hole away in his makeshift studio - in the midst of a global pandemic - the stage was set for something magical. Now it will see the light of day for the very first time.
Having released two singles on Secret Teachings to critical acclaim already this year, Chilean talent Miraclis will accomplish a milestone achievement in July with the release of his debut album: Origin Of Truth.
Difficult experiences were fundamental to the creation of such work, as were Miraclis’ inherent musical interests. He explains: “Origin Of Truth had its birth during the pandemic. I created it as a way of communicating to myself the sensations and feelings that were spinning around my head at the time. I've always been inspired by Bristol trip hop, as well as classical rock, and these genres definitely contributed to the making of these melancholic tracks. In a way I wanted to fuse all the musical influences that were part of my childhood, up until this point now, so this album really means a lot to me. It was my way of communicating, when there was a lack of social contact and communication itself was hard to come by.”
It's this meditative quality that initially drew Damian Lazarus to the project. “It’s a record that has its roots in electronic music, but it’s a very alternative, very deep, melancholic album. I find it both soothing and stirring at the same time, and that’s a quite interesting juxtaposition in that it feels edgy but delicious at the same time,” says Lazarus. “The fact that this was written in this place surrounded by the most incredible desert landscapes makes this a very important piece of work to me. It doesn’t sit in any particular genre, which is why it feels right for a Secret Teachings release. It hints at so many genres that I as a DJ am quite into, and it feels like a first as it’s unique and unclassifiable. That mystical, esoteric, edgy feel makes this a perfect release for the label.”
Sonnet opens proceedings, with ghostly vocals residing next to raw instrumental elements throughout. Miraclis’ signature guitar riffs soon converge on saddened keys, paving the way for Scienter. It takes the form of an instrument-based, electronic-inspired cut, building slowly before reaching a crescendo midway through via an enrapturing acoustic solo.
Floating Child comes next, brimming with a darker intensity courtesy of broody synth pulses and rhythmic hi-hats, as Shiver arrives next. There’s a rock-leaning sensibility to the piece that gives way to earnest lyrical offerings, opening swiftly into the breakbeat-esque world of Perceptions. Hard-hitting drums act as the focal point, with electric chords adding depth and intrigue, whilst Bright continues in a similarly heartfelt vein.
Introspective pads leave us feeling pensive, ahead of Interstellar taking us on a celestial journey through warped bass tones. Acting as the LP’s penultimate number, it’s a four-and-a-half minute showcase of guitar-based musical goodness and one that perfectly sets the stage for Trapped, a closing saga of suitably emotive proportions.
Miraclis earned his stripes as a DJ under the name Max Clementi in his native Chile, as well as Spain after a stint at the Barcelona SAE Institute. Playing and writing music since his parents gave him his first guitar at age twelve, he found himself inspired by synth wave, electronic pop, trip hop, and psychedelic rock of the ‘80s and ‘90s, drenching himself in music by the likes of Massive Attack, Tricky, Depeche Mode, and Nine Inch Nails. However, it wasn’t until he had to move back to Pucón to take care of his father during the pandemic that he began working on what would become Origin Of Truth.
Serendipity seems to play a large part in Crosstown Rebels’ new label Secret Teachings. Just look at the story of how Damian met Miraclis in the first place. It involved a chance midnight encounter in Pucón, Chile at a woodland campfire after the DJ was locked out of his hotel room. This meeting of minds was the start of a remarkable friendship, where Miraclis invited Lazarus to stay at his house and break bread with his family. The two kept in touch, exchanging music and ideas as a result.
Peggy Gou’s Gudu Records is proud to present the label’s first ever album, from someone who’s been part of the family since the start: Brain de Palma.
Born in Ukraine, settling as a child in Turin and spending three years in Egypt before settling in his current home of Berlin, Alexei Versino has one hell of a story.
Musically, he’s been around for a decade now, releasing his previous music (solo as Panama Keys, and also as one half of the duo Stump Valley) on labels like Dekmantel, Soul Clap and Off Minor, before settling on Gudu with his Brain de Palma alias. But personally, his relationship to music goes much deeper: as a young child growing up in the former Soviet Union, a lot of European music was banned, so he relied on his well-travelled uncle to bring him back smuggled cassettes of Italo Disco, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Erasure and early DJ mixes – getting an illicit musical education behind closed doors as a child.
He still carries that underground mindset to this day: the press release for his last Gudu EP, Purple Brain, reads: “dedicated to all the ravers, DJs, aficionados who had to go through the lockdowns … a shout out to people who keep on fighting for the underground culture!”. The perfect candidate for Gudu’s first album, then.
Comprising eleven tracks made across the past year, Versino describes Rhythmption as “my redemption through rhythm”, and a tribute to “seeing people enjoying themselves on the dancefloor, that feeling of unity where people become one thing, regardless of their life path or social status.” Opening with the gorgeous ‘Thandolwami’ (featuring South African vocalist Sfiso Atomza), Rhythmption charts a path through sun-drenched Balearic house, stuttering drum work-outs, Italo-inspired synth romps, trancey house and even a touching tribute to his former home of Egypt, taking in every aspect of Versino’s journey to date. After all, it’s not all about the destination, it’s also the sights you see along the way.
qebrus (pronounced Ké-brusse) was a project by Thomas Denis, an enigmatic French musician and producer born in 1981 and based in Caen, France, before his untimely passing in February of 2018. His undefinable otherworldly compositions and internet glitch trickery turned many heads catching the attention and support of esteemed artists such as Aphex Twin, Four Tet and Venetian Snares. The appeal of his music to other forward-pushing producers was emblematic of the uniqueness of his productions and led to collaborations with the likes of Tom Middleton, Otto Von Schirach and Mr Bill. His only release on Love Love Records, 'ᐔ ᐌ ᐂ ᐍ ᐚ', proved to be one his furthest reaching, originally released on CD during a flurry of musical productivity during 2017. Those 6 tracks of intricate extraterrestrial electronics now get the vinyl treatment, having been lovingly remastered or this reissue and pressed on green coloured wax.
The qebrus guise was that of an alien stranded on Earth and this concept was consistent throughout. The project gained notoriety almost exclusively on the internet, with many people's first experiences of his persona coming from the use of chaotic ASCII syntax in track titles which at the time 'broke' many of the websites he used to host his music. This theme of incomprehensibility extended to the sonic qualities of his music, foregoing any shred of familiar sounds in favour of an entirely electronically synthesised sound palate resulting in jarring and frenetic works full of near-imperceptible micro-details.
qebrus rarely performed live with one of the few occurrences being at an after-party following the now legendary Day For Night Festival 2016 in Austin, Texas where Aphex Twin played some of Qebrus' music to a crowd of 20,000 as Thomas watched on in what was undoubtedly an otherworldly experience for him.
Despite his vision being entirely self-driven without a care for popularity or recognition, there were many people across the globe that connected with the sheer weirdness of it all. 7 years on 'ᐔ ᐌ ᐂ ᐍ ᐚ' still sounds wholly futuristic and will likely remain so for centuries to come. In a time where it seems everything has already been done before Thomas leaves behind a legacy of an artist who was truly 'doing their own thing'.
Thomas is survived by his two children who will be receiving his proceeds from sales of this release.
“really alien sounding music”
Aphex Twin —
“Did you know that guy, Qebrus? He was on his own shit, he was making some really out there music, his music was incredible”
Venetian Snares —
“Listening to intelligent dance music producer Qebrus feels a lot like entering another dimension, his music stumbling its way through electronic chaos, leaving the listener unsure over what just happened.”
Thomas Hobbs — Crack Magazine
Continuing our quest to get all of the classic early AMT albums released on vinyl, we turn to 2004’s 'Mantra Of Love’, and with the help of Makoto Kawabata’s studio wizardry, we’ve made it possible.
This latest instalment in the ‘Acid Mothers Temple Vinyl Archives - First Time On Vinyl’ series (as with the three previous SOLD OUT releases in the series) have all been meticulously put together with the help of Makoto Kawabata with the original CD artwork recreated for these vinyl editions from archive photos stored in the vaults at the Acid Mothers Temple in Osaka, Japan and the original audio remastered by James Plotkin.
Here’s what others had to say upon it’s original CD only release back in 2004 …
“Acid Mothers are strong folk. You'd think they'd tire quickly, all tucked away on their island, strewn about on tree roots while baking their lungs and throats to a knotty green tinge. But instead of waltzing through life like hippies, they manage to not only tour and put out records every year, but also to fill those albums with 30-minute jams and assorted freakouts. And while evil jam bands would fill that space with guitar work taken from the Classic Rock Manual of Clichés, Makoto Kawabata and company assault listeners with frighteningly dense walls of white noise, psychedelic swirl effects and, yes, even guitar solos-- albeit ones that are more Merzbow or Keiji Haino than Gary Rossington. Truly, AMT's endurance and threshold for cosmic lashings are both worthy of admiration.
But how much AMT can you take in one sitting? If there's anything this band has taught us-- via records such as 2002's Electric Heavyland and the ferocious Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O-- it's that they're not afraid to reach for the upper regions of consciousness. On Mantra of Love, they offer two titles over the course of one hour, never faltering along the way, and it's as if we listeners are just brief visitors passing through a never-ending, spontaneous group trip. For all I know, Kawabata has hundreds of hours of this stuff on his hard drive-- at any single moment, this record's sheer volume of sound is a clamor to behold. However, if you aren't dialed into that the particular space AMT inhabits (for me, it's the mystical fire-baptism standby), you might not hear their glorious noise for all the, well, glorious noise.
"La Le Lo" begins as a lengthy psychedelic ballad sung by Cotton Casino (who doubles on "beer & cigarettes"), who is accompanied by her own ghostly backing vocals. The band is playing a mantra as Casino waxes earth-mother stylings to the moon. The serenity is broken by a patented AMT rave led by Kawabata's electric sitar (!) solo. Ace rhythm section Tsuyama Atsushi ("monster bass") and Koizumi Hajime hold things together, as does the generally decent recording quality (not a given for these guys), but the real money is in effects-- lots and lots effects. Much like France's Richard Pinhas or AMT's countrymen in Les Rallizes Denudes and High Rise, the band understands the collaborative power of solo + overdriven Moog sirens and screams. And, also like those artists, Acid Mothers can go on all night if need be. About 25 minutes into this piece, any hell that hadn't already broken loose gets its due, and the band speeds to a fiery climax before winding down into glimmering astro-ambience.
The second track, "L'Ambition dans le Miroir", also begins as a minor ballad featuring Casino's haunting solo vocal. The Mothers set her up with a faux-blues drag and a thick buffer of synth-rays; when Casino actually enters, she fights for airtime with an array of falling stars and cosmic dust. However, this time there is no overwhelming solo to power the comedown. Casino intermittently coos in the background while droning horns keep the auxiliary pixie haze from evaporating. As they showed on In C and La Novia, AMT are more than adept at creating calmer storms-- listeners just have to catch them in the right light. Mantra of Love doesn't necessarily capture the most inspired moments in their canon but as usual with this band's records, it's rarely at a loss for moments of horror or grandeur.”
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. : Cotton Casino - Vocal, Beer & Cigarettes - Tsuyama Atsushi - Monster Bass, Vocal, Cosmic Joker - Higashi Hiroshi - Synthesizer, Dancin' King - Koizumi Hajime - Drums, Percussion, Sleeping Monk - Kawabata Makoto - Guitar, Bouzouki, Electric Sitar, Violin, Hammond Organ, Speed Guru
- A1: Frank Sinatra – White Christmas
- A2: Dean Martin – Winter Romance
- A3: Perry Como – Home For The Holidays
- A4: Dean Martin – Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- A5: Frank Sinatra – Jingle Bells
- A6: Dean Martin – Winter Wonderland
- A7: Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
- A8: Frank Sinatra – The Christmas Song
- B1: Frank Sinatra – I'll Be Home For Christmas
- B2: Dean Martin – Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
- B3: Perry Como – It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
- B4: Frank Sinatra – Silent Night
- B5: Sammy Davis Jr & Carmen Mcrae – Baby, It's Cold Outside
- B6: Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters – Twelve Days Of Christmas
- B7: Frank Sinatra – Mistletoe And Holly
- B8: Dean Martin – Out In The Cold Again
imited White Vinyl
Norwegian post punk duo Mayflower Madame return with their 3rd Studio album and we are delighted to welcome them to the Up In Her Room Family!
Norwegian band Mayflower Madame is set to release their highly anticipated third LP Insighton 1st November 2024. The lead singles, "A Foretold Ecstasy" and "Paint It All in Blue," have garnered widespread acclaim and extensive radio support, including airtime on BBC 6 Music. These tracks offer just a glimpse of what the album delivers—an expansive canvas of pulsating post-punk, shimmering shoegaze, and atmospheric psych-noir, masterfully blended with delicate sonic nuances.
Mixed and mastered by Maurizio Baggio (known for his work with The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher, and The Vacant Lots),Insightshowcases the band refining their sound into a sharper and more expansive sonic landscape than ever before. This album sees them exploring greater depths and heights, delivering a hypnotic journey through the shadows, filled with haunting melodies and dreamy melancholia. At the same time, it remains catchy and dynamic, with moments of vibrant brightness.
Insightis dedicated to frontman Trond Fagernes' stillborn daughter and is bookended by two songs—"Ocean of Bitterness" and "Insightfor the Mourning Hours"—that directly address this profound sorrow. Between these somber pieces, the album delves into a wide range of emotions, from nostalgic reflections on lost loves to feverish depictions of escapism and catharsis.
Over the past years, Mayflower Madame have gained a reputation far beyond their hometown of Oslo, Norway. They made their debut with the album ‘Observed in a Dream’ in 2016, which created a buzz in the indie music press and earned them tours across Europe and North America, while 2020s long-awaited sequel ‘Prepared for a Nightmare’ firmly established their position as one of the continent’s leading purveyors of cinematic shoegaze psychedelia swathed in 1980s post-punk and dark romanticism.
- A1: Nobuo Yagi - Mi Mi Africa
- A2: Nobuyuki Shimizu - Silver Spot
- A3: Piper - Samba Night
- B1: Haruko Kuwana - Akogareno Sundown
- B2: Aru Takamura - Koi Wa Saikou
- B3: Hitomi Tohyama - Love Is The Competition
- B4: Homma Express -What The Magic Is To Try
- C1: Colored Music - Colored Music
- C2: Shohjo-Tai & Red Bus St Project - Electric City
- C3: Yumi Murata - Krishna
- D1: Eri Ohno - Live Hard, ,Live Free
- D2: Minnie - Rocket 88
- D3: Shoody - Tokyo Melody
2024 Repress
at mule musiq, we've focused on shining light on the many aspects of what electronic music can be, putting out house, techno and ambient releases on our main label, while releasing alternative-leaning dance music through our endless flight imprint. but with the launch of our new label, studio mule, we are stepping away from electronic club music for a bit. the label will not be tied to a specific genre, as we will instead focus on releasing any kind of music that we feel is a little bit different and interesting, but somehow make sense in this day and age. for our first batch of releases, we will be focusing on japanese music.
to be honest, i have been watching the recent rise of global interest in japanese music with a skeptical eye, not sure of how to feel about all these labels overseas licensing great albums that were birthed in our country. but then, i was told by somebody i greatly respect that i should do something similar with mule, and put our own spin on it, which sounded like a good idea to me. after a period of procrastination, i finally got around to doing it. we are starting things off with a compilation of japanese disco, boogie and soul music that we selected from a modern dance music perspective — the kind of songs that we feel would intrigue music fans across the world.
at first, i started seeking authentic-sounding disco that sound like it could have been recorded in the states, but after struggling to get licensing rights for many of those tracks, i started to wonder if that was really the direction we should be going in. when we start new labels or projects, we often come up with the title or artwork first, before deciding on the actual music. we came up with the title midnight in tokyo first, which dictated that we needed to find music that would be a perfect soundtrack to listen to at night in tokyo. we ended up compiling a selection of tracks that you could both listen to at home, and play in clubs at certain time slots. the compilation also ended up sounding a lot more pop than we initially imagined...
during the selection process, we did not care whether the tracks have been reissued already or not, and how rare the original copies of the records were. our sole purpose was to gather a handful of songs from across labels, major or otherwise, that we felt could be listened to for many years to come — even after this whole japanese music trend dies down. although we put together this release mainly for listeners outside of japan, the compilation can also be a chance for japanese music lovers to rediscover the greatness of domestic music, as we did during the process.
the compilation starts off with the afro disco classic 'mi mi africa' by harmonica player nobuo yagi, which was also included in the compilation mastercuts.
'silver top' is a jazzy fusion disco taken from composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist nobuyuki shimizu's first album, which he released when he was 19. the track features singer epo, whom he worked with many times over the years as an arranger.
'samba night' is by vocalist keisuke yamamoto and his band piper, from their masterpiece second album summer breeze. a delightful city pop number that should appeal to tatsuro yamashita fans.
'akogareno sundown' is a japanese soul classic, sang by singer haruko kuwana (the sister of well-known musi-cian masahiro kuwana). recorded in hawaii and produced by mackey feary band, known for the soulful classic 'a million stars.'
'koiwa saiko (i'm in love)' is a mellow and groovy track by singer aru takamura, the great-grandchild of sculptor kouun takamura, whose son kotaro takamura is a famed poet and sculptor. can be thought of as japan's answer to cheryl lynn's 'got to be real.'
'what the magic is to try' is a cult electropop track by honma express, a project helmed by producer kanji honma. hailed as japan's trevor horn, he is also known as the producer of legendary techno pop band tpo.
'colored music' is a song by colored music, a duo of pianist ichiko hashimoto and her partner atsuo fujimoto, who have gone on tour with ymo. taken from colored music's sole album, the japanese rare groove treasure is a mesh of new wave, synth pop and jazz influences.
the dubby electronic new wave disco 'electric city' is a b side of pop idol group shohjo-tai's debut 12' single, but the girls aren't actually singing on it, making the instrumental one of japan's greatest '80s dance tracks.
'love is the competition' is a breezy disco jam by okinawa-born bilingual artist hitomi tohyama. featured on her album next door, the song's melody seems like an interpolation of the whispers' 'it's a love thing.'
taken from mariah project's diva yumi murata's first album, 'krishna' is a funky and soulful rockin' disco cut.reminiscent of chaka khan's 'i know you, i live you,' 'live hard, live free' is a song by jazz vocalist eri ohno who is known for her work with dj krush and singing on the soundtrack to anime rupin the third.
'rocket 88' is a melancholic disco number by singer minnie. though the track was released through sapporo's independent label paradise records, the superb production quality suggests otherwise.
closing out the 13-track compilation is japanese disco staple 'tokyo melody,' sang by half african and half swedish american singer shoody and backed by tetsuji hayashi's disco band the eastern gang.
- Meditation
- Going Home
- A-1 Funk
- Every Step Of The Way
- Black Magic Woman
- Gypsy Queen
- Oye Como Va
- Yours Is The Light
- Batukada Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba)
- Stone Flower (Introduction)
- Waiting
- Castillos De Arena, Part I
- (Sand Castle)
- Free Angela
- Samba De Sausalito
- Matra
- Kyoto
- Castillos De Arena, Part Ii
- (Sand Castle)
- Se A Cabo
- Samba Pa Ti
- Mr. Udo
- Toussaint L’overture
- Incident At Neshabur
One of the Most Exhilarating Live Albums Ever Released: Santana’s Lotus Documents 1973 Performances Distinguished by Passionate Soulfulness, Chemistry, and Inventiveness
Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM 3LP Set Features Reference Sound and Deluxe Trifold Packaging Faithful to That of the Original Japanese Import: Strictly Limited to 5,000 Numbered Copies, Includes Four Photo Inserts and Two Fold-Out Posters
The bizarre legacy of Lotus transcends its status as both the definitive onstage document of Santana’s career and one of the most spectacular live albums ever released. Originally issued in 1974, the triple LP contains exhilarating performances of the band recorded at two shows in early July 1973 at the 2400-seat Osaka Kosei Nenkin Kaikan concert hall. It bears witness to the eight-piece collective playing with a chemistry, inventiveness, cohesiveness, and soulfulness no other Santana lineup would ever surpass. Featuring seven previously unreleased tracks as well as remarkable renditions of material from Santana’s first four albums and the Carlos SantanaJohn McLaughlin collaboration Love Devotion Surrender, Lotus simultaneously suggests and inspires, dreams and delivers.
Transferred by original engineer Tomoo Suzuki, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, and housed in deluxe trifold packaging faithful to that of the original pressing, Lotus benefits from reference audiophile treatment on Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 3LP set. Featuring rich tones, smooth dynamics, excellent separation, deep soundstages, and involving presence, this reissue pays tribute to both the virtuosic lineup and the magnetic fusion of Latin- and Afro-Cuban-influenced jazz, rock, psychedelia, R&B, and blues. The complexity of the spiritual passages, demands of the crescendos, delicacy of the calm transitions, electricity of the solos: everything is rendered with superb balance and free of the harshness, compression, and fatiguing peaks that would otherwise distract from the presentations at hand. Black magic, indeed.
Lily Seabird is a perceptive songwriter who can channel moments when everything feels raw and overwhelming into something healing and galvanizing. With Alas, the Burlington, VT-based artist's sophomore album, she confronts grief with palpable clarity on tracks that careen from delicate folk to blistering indie rock. While it's her second LP, it serves as a proper introduction to an undeniable and idiosyncratic voice. "Alas, sounds way more like me," she says. "This is the album I wanted to make in the first place." Though Seabird is now known as a solo artist and collaborator in Burlington's vibrant music community as the bassist for Greg Freeman and other acts, her journey started in Pennsylvania when she picked up the saxophone as a kid. At 14, she learned guitar and started performing as Lily Seabird. After a brief stint in New York City playing in bands, she moved to Vermont, which has been her home since 2018. "When I came to Vermont, I was playing solo a lot but then I started a band with Greg Freeman," she says. "Since 2018, it's been me and Greg and a bunch of different casts of characters have been in the band since then it's an ever-evolving thing. It's just us playing my songs."The songs on Alas, came from a particularly unmoored period for Seabird. "I wrote this album in 2021 and 2022 on the road, trying to figure out who I am," she says. "A lot of them also deal with the time when my close friend passed away. The title Alas, meant a lot to her." Even if the songs don't always directly tackle this specific loss, there's a sense of mourning in how relationships change and dissolve. Take "Grace," a reflection on female friendship, which features the lines, "I hope she's happy now she should be 25 / She taught me something that I thought I'd always hide." Elsewhere, the knotty and unpredictable "Dirge" finds her singing, "I don't know if I believe in god / I don't know if I know how to go on." Seabird and Benny Yurco produced Alas, which was recorded at Burlington's Little Jamaica Studios with Freeman and drummer Zack James (Benny Yurco). It's a quietly expansive album full of subdued, organic textures and moods. Songs like "Cavity" are lush and inviting with silky guitar and Seabird's expressive saxophone playing. The 10 songs on Alas, stretch out and leave space for introspection and deep listening with some tracks taking nearly seven minutes to mesmerizingly unfold. It's a remarkably assured and vital statement from one of the most promising new songwriters alongside peers Merce Lemon, Squirrel Flower, and Allegra Krieger."The album is about loss, coming of age, and sadness but there are also all these moments where happiness takes over," says Seabird. "It can be two things at once: life isn't just pain and sadness, there's also joy. They can all exist at the same time. Alas, is an expression of grief but it's also for letting go."
- A1: Zwischen Planeten
- A2: Stimme Des Wegelagerers
- A3: Aus Dem Feuer, Aus Dem Licht
- A4: Immer Wieder Im Kreis
- A5: In Den Tiefen
- A6: Hinein, Hinaus, Hinüber
- A7: Fantasiegebilde
- A8: Der Verwunschene Hain
- A9: Blick Nach Drüben
- B1: Innerlich Außerhalb
- B2: Schimmernde Chimäre
- B3: Gemeinsam Hindurch
- B4: Mit Verbundenen Augen
- B5: Purpur-Trank
- B6: Im Sternstrom
- B7: Schlingerling
- B8: Endstation Sehnsucht
Turning their gaze to the buoyant culture of wyrd, modernist German folk music, Quindi welcome a spectacularly idiosyncratic offering from Johannes Schebler, aka Baldruin. Bewildering narrative twists, high drama and intricate delicacy make Mosaike der Imagination an engrossing listen from the outset, as baroque atmospheres and tumbledown drums intertwine with tactile string plucks and needlepoint synthesis in an authoritative bridging of ancient and hypermodern sonic sensibilities.
Schebler's catalogue as Baldruin is extensive, reaching back to the late 00s and covering a lot of ground through cassette albums on respected underground labels like SicSic, A Giant Fern and Lullabies For Insomniacs. Meanwhile, his work has been recognised as part of a broader movement of experimental electronic music in Germany taking inspiration from folk traditions, as documented on last year's essential Bureau B compilation, Gespensterland. Beyond his solo work, Schebler also works with Jani Hirvonen as Grykë Pyje (mappa), and both collaborate with Paul Wilson as Yayoba (Not Not Fun). Christian Schoppik of leading dark folk project Brannten Schnüre joins him as Freundliche Kreisel (STROOM). It's a tangled, fascinating and evocative sound world which Mosaike der Imagination offers a compelling window into.
No two tracks on the album follow the same pattern or palette, whether gliding through the Giallo synth undulations and post rock tonal arcs of 'Stimme des Wegelagerers' or spelling out miasmic incantations through flickering flames on 'Aus dem Feuer, aus dem Licht'. 'Hinein, hinaus, hinüber' revolves around meditative drum mantras and cascading melodic phrasing, densely layered and evolving with purpose. 'Gemeinsam hindurch' flicks between swooping strings and pizzicato plucks in a purely romantic expression of orchestration, 'Mit verbundenen Augen' is a bewildering choral voice study and 'Im Sternstrom' revels in ecstatic synth arpeggios. Nothing can be predicted except the vibrancy and clarity of Schebler's vision.
It's a vision which extends to the front cover artwork for Mosaike der Imagination — a glorious tapestry created by Finnish artist Jan Anderzén, with a responding design and layout from Schebler adorning the rear sleeve.
Stepping to the side of the cosy daydream reveries that inhabit much of the Quindi output, Mosaike der Imagination indulges the label's penchant for sophistication in a freakily fascinating new framework from the heart of an exciting movement in experimental folk music.
"Mind Of A Country Boy is the eight studio album from 5x Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan. Hailing from Georgia and now based in Tennessee, Bryan has sold over 75 million records, performed for more than 14 million fans on his sold-on headlining stadium tours and his own festival, Crash My Playa, as well as being a judge on American Idol. Mind Of A Country Boy marks his first new album in four years, with the singer remarking, ""I've been able to take my time and really compile songs for this album. If it's a song that I cut two or three years ago, and I still love it, and it still sounds fresh, then I feel like it'll stand the test of time.""
The 14-track album includes singles “Country On”, “But I Got a Beer in My Hand” and “Love You, Miss You, Mean It”, the latter of which Bryan says, “was special from the first time I heard it. I knew it would resonate. It’s about young love and that whole process of trying to make relationships work through the on-again and off-again cycles. My wife and I went through that journey during college, and I know a lot of people out there have too.”"
Indignation Meeting are punky rail fans from Leeds. 15-year-old Peter is the driver - he's the drummer and lead singer, writes most of the songs, and also plays bass and trumpet on the album. The rest of the crew is his dad Michael on guitar, Hugo on bass, and with Keith, Heather and Sally often along for the ride when they play out. Here at DGHQ we loved listening to their self-released debut album Trouble In The Shed so much we eventually released it on vinyl for the first time. They now have a second album! Vocalist/drummer Peter very kindly talks us through the (train) tracks_ * "The Trainspotting Song" - Now, as a train geek, I go out filming trains an awful lot, and one thing you can't help noticing whilst out in the wilds of Staffordshire or the moors of Lancashire are a whole load of unnecessary 'Private Land' signs. This song is my response_ * "The Talyllyn Railway" - The history of the Talyllyn Railway is a fascinating one that I've long since wanted to explore, due to its unique nature as the first railway to ever be taken over by volunteers. This is the result! * "The Middleton Railway" - As a volunteer at the Middleton Railway, I had felt that a song needed to be written for quite a while. However, our guitarist Michael, ended up beating me to it! * "A Model World" - It was late one night, and I was lying on my sofa, trying my hardest to gain an ounce of enjoyment from 'Hornby; A Model World.' It was proving quite hard, due to the alarming lack of substance in the programme, so instead I decided that its name was rather good, and could be the basis of a song explaining my 'model world.' And, well, here it is! * "The Fifth Black Five" - This song is dedicated to the railway preservationists of old, who spent countless hours in cold, damp, dreary sidings, all to make sure us future generations would be able to enjoy the smell of a steam train. Thanks guys! * "Case Study" - This song is a commentary on the sensationalisation of disasters, when there's a massive tragedy and people at home just sit in their comfy sofas, watching the news and drinking tea. We know what's going on, but we can just choose to turn off the TV and forget it ever happened and continue with our lives. It also relates to the dehumanisation of those disasters you experience in school, where you have to write essays on someone who's just become homeless. It seems quite heartless sometimes_ * "Loco Motives" - This song is a fictional story of a man's personal struggle with a railway company, and the drastic measures he took to fix them_ * "That Would Never Suit His Grace" - With model railways, you always seem to get a few people who can never be satisfied with a layout or a model - no matter how hard someone's tried, there's always something to improve on, and they're never nice about it either. This song is a reality check for them_ * "Small Black Shunter" - This is our second homage to Zounds - Electrification would never be truly complete without its B-side. And this B-side is the story of a little loco who wanted to see the world. * "Rhydyronen" - Slowly but surely, we're going to pick off all of the stations on the Talyllyn Railway. Starting where Abergynolwyn left off, this is the story of our second favourite station on the TR. * "Typically English Day" - This is an homage to Mark Astronaut, a true punk genius who was gone before his time. Although there were many songs we could've picked to cover, it only seemed right to punk up one of his most popular tracks, and one of the main ones that got me into the Astronauts in the first place - Typically English Day, a heart-wrenching tale of an elderly couple trapped in the middle of a nuclear war, following their last moments before their inevitable demise. * "Just For The Record" - There is too much misinformation in the media these days, and one case I found particularly egregious was the gross misrepresentation of the strikers, who aren't so evil as the media want you to believe_
180gr + ALUMINIUM PACKAGING[36,56 €]
BigʼN was, is and always shall be a legacy noise rock band from Chicago (est. 1990) comprised of vocalist William Akins, guitarist Todd Johnson, bassist Fred Popolo, and drummer Brian Wnukowski. After releasing a stellar debut album (1994), followed by their sophomore and signature effort Discipline Through Sound on Skingraft Records (1996) and a split single with Shellac, the band became inactive for some years. In 2018, BigʼN recorded and released a new EP, Knife of Sin, via Computer Students™. In 2022, they released DTS 25, an expansion of their pioneering second album. Both were recorded by the late, great Steve Albini. BigʼN is back once again with a ruthless new album, End Comes Too Soon — their first in 28 years — released via Computer Student. It's all still here as present and disciplined as ever — Brianʼs powerful, reliably precise drumming with melodic phrasing that shapes the songs, Fredʼs metallic superstructure of a bass that builds the defined framework of the music, Toddʼs clangorous guitar that has more harmonic content than a lot of his noisier peers, and William Akinsʼ yarling vocals, the most recognizably human thing about the band, that convey layers of tension and intent, all the emotional content of a hellbound therapy session. Tragically, on May 7, 2024, Steve Albini suddenly passed away of a heart attack. Naturally, BigʼN were shocked and devastated. End Comes Too Soonʼs title comes from a lyric, and is unrelated to Albini; still, the album became a roundabout love letter to the man, his studio, and his legacy. Like its predecessors, the album is structured by snippets of musical interludes or Transmissions — and there are six here, under the common code "XMSN."
180gr[31,51 €]
BigʼN was, is and always shall be a legacy noise rock band from Chicago (est. 1990) comprised of vocalist William Akins, guitarist Todd Johnson, bassist Fred Popolo, and drummer Brian Wnukowski. After releasing a stellar debut album (1994), followed by their sophomore and signature effort Discipline Through Sound on Skingraft Records (1996) and a split single with Shellac, the band became inactive for some years. In 2018, BigʼN recorded and released a new EP, Knife of Sin, via Computer Students™. In 2022, they released DTS 25, an expansion of their pioneering second album. Both were recorded by the late, great Steve Albini. BigʼN is back once again with a ruthless new album, End Comes Too Soon — their first in 28 years — released via Computer Student. It's all still here as present and disciplined as ever — Brianʼs powerful, reliably precise drumming with melodic phrasing that shapes the songs, Fredʼs metallic superstructure of a bass that builds the defined framework of the music, Toddʼs clangorous guitar that has more harmonic content than a lot of his noisier peers, and William Akinsʼ yarling vocals, the most recognizably human thing about the band, that convey layers of tension and intent, all the emotional content of a hellbound therapy session. Tragically, on May 7, 2024, Steve Albini suddenly passed away of a heart attack. Naturally, BigʼN were shocked and devastated. End Comes Too Soonʼs title comes from a lyric, and is unrelated to Albini; still, the album became a roundabout love letter to the man, his studio, and his legacy. Like its predecessors, the album is structured by snippets of musical interludes or Transmissions — and there are six here, under the common code "XMSN."
- Always
- Like Licorice
- My Baby Just Squeals (You Heel)
- The Devil's Wife
- Tipsy Woman
- My Baby Just Purrs (You Re Mine, Not Hers)
- My Baby Just Whistles (Here Come The Missiles)
- World Serious
- Early Shirley
- Yesteryear Is Near
- Birkenhead Girl
- Smoke Ring Angle
- Wooden Women
- (I Don T Want Your) Lyndon Johnson
- Lotta Money
- Pure Bubblegum
- Cathy Come Home
- Bygones
- Row Me Once
- Clown Around Town
The exact relationship between Henry (T-Bone Burnett) and Howard Coward (Elvis Costello) remains ambiguous. They often referred to themselves as “One and a Half Brothers,” which might hint at their height difference or imply they were not actually siblings but were involved in an elaborate ruse. Their musical partnership, known as The Coward Brothers, was initiated by Smiley “Doc” Snipson, who discovered Henry Coward in 1956 and signed him for a UK tour. The brothers' hit single, “My Baby Just Squeals (You Heel),” was followed by less successful records and a controversial Cold War-themed song. To preserve their fading fame, Snipson orchestrated their supposed death in a plane crash, but they were actually in hiding on a Caribbean island, secretly recording music and sending it back to Snipson. When their funds ran out, they returned to Miami and made sensational claims about writing famous songs, leading to a brief stint as songwriters for Bill Bogguss. They later resumed recording, but their partnership eventually fractured, leading to years of estrangement. Their music, from early rock and roll hits to later, more introspective songs, is compiled in the album, The Coward Brothers. After years of silence, their story was explored in a radio program, revealing the complexity of their relationship and their enduring bond. Despite their tumultuous history, their music remains a testament to their unyielding spirit. The Coward Brothers are Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett. The Audible Original radio play, The True Story Of The Coward Brothers, is directed by Christopher Guest, and stars Howard Coward, Henry Coward, Harry Shearer, Edward Hibbert, Rhea Seehorn, Stephen Root, and Kathreen Khavari.
"7"" single for the djs of the initial digital 45 of Peixeira Amolada e Quebra Queixo b/w Mariposa Tigre.
Peixeira Amolada e Quebra Queixo It represents two popular stereotypes common in the third world: the sharp cutting knife and the quebra-queixo, the coconut candy brought from Angola by enslaved blacks. But, playfully, it is also the expression of direct speech and a sharp blow, also as a duo of anti-heroes in search of justice, equality and fraternity. This song also features an element never used before in the band: the guitar. One of the most popular instruments in the world, it provides the basis for the song, which goes through a groove full of counter-melodies that bring that feeling of a cut (hence the name of the song), in non-obvious conventions, and a surprising ending in another time signature. As well as the musical reference for the name, this track represents the struggle that many Brazilians go through every day to have a decent life. You have to have a ""sharpened knife"" to open the way.
Quebra Queixo Represents the playful and magical beings of the forest. How can a moth be a tiger? This song carries a lot of the sound Nomade has built up over the course of their career. Strong funk influences, ethno groove, with unconventional brass themes and a very jazzy accent. Halfway through the song, another of the band's very strong references comes to the fore: reggae, more precisely ragga, which makes the song even more danceable. Finally, a convention from the whole band brings the song to a grand end, making you want to listen to it again."
Black Vinyl[28,53 €]
- 1: Pendelen Svinger
- 2: Octagon
- 3: Den Første Lysstråle
- 4: Clock Of The Long Now
- 5: Mycelium
- 6: Hvit Lotus
‘Dyp Tid’, the fifth album from Norwegian psych-rock group Electric Eye, is a contemplation of the unknown and the ineffable. Crafted in a landscape where time and space collapse, the record is Electric Eye's most ambitious and experimental project to date. Originally commissioned by Sildajazz – the Haugesund International Jazz Festival – and premiering there in 2022, ‘Dyp Tid’ (Norwegian for ‘Deep Time’) is both a meditative journey and an exploration of what it means to exist in a universe where time stretches far beyond humanity’s grasp. First performed live in Skåre Kirke, an octagonal wooden church in Haugesund, Norway that was built in 1858, these six atmospheric compositions centre church organs, synths and choral vocals over any traditional ‘rock’ instrumentation. Gradually winding through ambient minimalism, kosmische improvisations and experimental psych-jazz, ‘Dyp Tid’ isn’t just an album but a space; a mental landscape where sound and time intersect. Talking about the album, Electric Eye’s Øystein Braut says: “We have always been drawn to the cinematic, to the sense that something feels larger than life, and in Dyp Tid we wove these elements together into something both deeply personal and utterly elusive.” Setting up in Bergen´s Duper Studio, the recording space became a laboratory to further develop these new ideas and transform the ‘Dyp Tid’ piece into a fully-fledged studio album: “We delved into analogue technology, explored vintage machines, and experimented with what lay at the edge of our control. We sought the sound of time’s depths, something that felt infinite and uncontrollable. In an age where everything seems algorithmic and predictable, we aimed to create something that refused to be boxed in – something that lives and breathes by its own rules. The album intricately weaves together live recordings from the wooden church and studio sessions, often oscillating between the two in the course of a single track.”
This album took fuckin" forever, even longer than Decline. we started in December of "99 and finished in February "00. Of course we took the holidays off and we went on a three week tour in Jan. We recorded like 22 songs, but we scrapped 8 of them. We"ll finish them some other time. The title track "Pump Up The Valuum" got cut from the album. That"s wierd. we gave it to Epitaph for Punk O Rama 5. There"s another song called "San Francisco Fat" that is gonna go on the next fat comp. I guess a lot of the songs on this record are about drugs. I guess that"s because we like drugs and like singin" about them even more. well our drummer doesn"t like them so much. He did so much of em he had to quit seven years ago. But he"s not writing the lyrics. Am I rambling, I feel like I"m rambling, any way, I like this album. there"s no ska, no reggae, no jazz, just punk and punk and a little polka. I don"t feel the need to ever play a ska song again, but ya never know. Yes, I definitely think I am rambling.
Multi Culti World Records venture deeper into the new new age with the release of 'Ocean of Beauty - Meditations for Synthesizer and Bansuri Flute,' a collaboration between California-based artist/DJ Earthtones and Indian classical musician Sheela Bringi. Earthtones, fresh off his genre-defying debut album on Wonderwheel, here dives into the deep end of the ocean of ambient. With music that traverses cultures,he’s known for bridging influences from Cumbia to hip hop and house music. Here he presents his most consciousness-expanding work yet, no doubt influenced by his involvement in Ojai new age culture,years living in ashrams, practicing Shaktism,+ spending as much time curating sounds suitable foraural healing and meditation as for dance-floors. He’s found a perfect muse in Boulder-based Sheela Bringi, whose virtuosity in Indian classical music sets the tone of the record with her bansuri (Indianbamboo flute) & harp, blending traditional instrumentation with more contemporary influences. Bringi was a direct disciple of bansuri master GSSachdev, and represents a devotional musical lineage. She has released two solo albums, 'Shakti Sutra' and 'Incantations,' and her work has been featured on over 50 world and ambient records, plus publicly on outlets from NPR to NBC News, & more. 'Ocean of Beauty' is the English translation of an ancient Sanskrit text devoted to the divine mother, the Sri Saundarya Lahari, The song titles are taken from verses in that text, and the album is in fact a dedication to the goddess Lalita Devi. It creates a serene, meditative space which seamlessly blends traditions; synth-driven ragas with a spirit of tranquility that nurtures Multi Culti’s philosophical bent towards ‘music without borders.’
Eine weitverbreitete Utopie ist die Ewigkeit. Eine andere ist das Glück. Man spielt mit dem Leben - wie gehabt und wie immer ohne Gewähr!
Manche tragen ihre Hoffnungen an die Börse, andere zur Glücksspielannahmestelle. Die Berliner Band Milliarden befindet sich auf ihrer neuen Studioeinspielung 'Lotto' in der Transitzone zwischen Kommen und Gehen. Dort, wo der Puls rauscht und Dasein Ankunft und Abschied bedeutet. Milliarden sind Ben Hartmann und Johannes Aue aus Berlin.
- Ltd. Col. LP: (Clear Vinyl+ Poster)
Eine weitverbreitete Utopie ist die Ewigkeit. Eine andere ist das Glück. Man spielt mit dem Leben - wie gehabt und wie immer ohne Gewähr!
Manche tragen ihre Hoffnungen an die Börse, andere zur Glücksspielannahmestelle. Die Berliner Band Milliarden befindet sich auf ihrer neuen Studioeinspielung 'Lotto' in der Transitzone zwischen Kommen und Gehen. Dort, wo der Puls rauscht und Dasein Ankunft und Abschied bedeutet. Milliarden sind Ben Hartmann und Johannes Aue aus Berlin.
- Ltd. Col. LP: (Clear Vinyl+ Poster)
Free The Robots unveils the second instalment of his tribute project to his Filipino roots.
The veteran member of L.A.'s Low End Theory collective (alongside Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, Daedelus, Nosaj Thing) keeps his trademark punchy drum breaks and deep bass, but this time adds 100% samples from his archipelago (percussion, tribal voices, field recordings...).
Screen-printed sleeve
Joel Sarakula's new album "Soft Focus" is a mid-career album spanning his many influences and genres including Soft-Rock, Funk and Indie Pop, all brought under the umbrella of his gentle gaze and a 'soft' aesthetic. "Soft Focus" is also the name of a photographic technique born out of a spherical abberation of the lens where the image is a bit blurry and undefined: it's both flattering and forgiving on the subject. It's an apt title. As a lifetime wearer of (vintage) glasses, Sarakula knows a lot about spherical abberations. Perhaps he produced these songs with his glasses off as these are abstract and warm vignettes, never overstaying their welcome and for this reason Sarakula manages to feature twelve new tracks on "Soft Focus".
Highlights include one of the two Shawn Lee produced tracks "I'll Get By Without You", the rockier, iberic beat of "King Of Spain", the soulful affirmation of "Back For Your Love" and the psychedelic-tinged "Bird Of Paradise" and "Microdosing". This is a lovingly crafted album, well polished and it feels like the culmination of Sarakula's adventures in soulful soft-rock and his defining statement in the genre. While comparisons will be made with contemporary projects like Shawn Lee's Young Gun Silver Fox, Drugdealer, Benny Sings and Prep, echoes of soft-rock icons Ned Doheny, Boz Scaggs, Todd Rundgren and Michael Franks also ripple gently through the album.
Imagine if Ray Manzarek was the frontman for the Bee Gees... It's a neat visual introduction to Joel Sarakula, a UK-based Australian artist who writes, produces and sings Soulful Pop, gazing out at a contemporary world through vintage glasses, vintage threads and long blond hair. His music is informed by a rich, 1970s-inspired palette, drawing on soft-rock, funk and disco influences: sunny, uptempo jams for darker times. Self-aware that he looks and occasionally sounds like the love child of Ray Manzarek and the Gibb brothers, his self-deprecating sense of humour is always there just below the fringe.
Born in Sydney, based in UK and international in outlook Sarakula is a songwriter who has travelled the world in search of his muse, experiencing everything from being a victim of Caribbean carjackings to performing in the remote fishing villages of Norway before finally establishing his career in the UK and Europe. Since then he has released albums such as "Island Time" (2023), "Companionship" (2020), "Love Club" (2018) and "The Imposter" (2015) that have racked up plays on rotation across national UK and European radio and got him noticed in The New York Times, The Independent (UK), The Irish Times, Rolling Stone Germany, El Pais (Spain) and Sydney Morning Herald. It's- been a long road finding his current cult status starting out at the piano from a young age in suburban Sydney, writing and singing songs by the time he was a teenager and onstage by fifteen years old playing jazz standards in his local golf club. "I came from humble beginnings, it's best not to mention" as he sings in his 70s boogie influenced song "I'm Still Winning". Joel Sarakula is a fixture on the festival and club circuit having previously performed at SXSW, Primavera Sound and Glastonbury festivals. Ever the internationalist, he tours with pickup bands sourced from each territory he plays in: a Barcelona band for Spain, a Berlin band for Germany and so forth. This cross-cultural exchange is another echo of the 1970s when world travelling soul and pop artists from the US did the same and guarantees that his live shows remain fresh, exciting and absolutely contemporary.
- Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow
- Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock
- Frank Sinatra - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
- Harry Belafonte - I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
- Ray Charles - The Snow Is Falling
- Louis Armstrong - Christmas In New Orleans
- Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers - Wade In The Water
- Bing Crosby - I Wish You A Merry Christmas
- Frank Sinatra - Jingle Bells
- Nat King Cole - All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)
- Mel Tormé - The Christmas Song
- Louis Prima - Shake Hands With Santa Claus
- Paul Anka - It's Christmas Everywhere
- Johnny Cash - The Little Drummer Boy
- Perry Como & The Fintane Sisters With Mitchell Ayres And His Orchestra - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
- Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
- A5: Where Have I Been All My Life
- A3: Maniac
- A1: Oo Cute
- A2: Heart Of Lead (Take It Off!!!)
- A4: Leo’s Song (The Social Media Guy)
- A6: Stay Wid De Money (Go Home!!!)
- B1: Footyliciou$
- B2: The Bomb (Is It The Tear Gas Or Babe Are You)
- B3: Sukc My Dikc
- B4: Vip Parties
- B5: An Old Country Ballad
- B6: Best Dj Ever (I’m The!!!)
In a world of division, BEÃTFÓØT’s delayed second album is as an invitation to unite at a utopian celebration of life. Originally scheduled for release in October 2023 but postponed due to the ongoing Israel/Palestine war, the intrinsically-political ‘TOO CUTE’ has taken on more prominence than the Tel Aviv duo of Udi Naor and Adi Bronicki could have imagined.
“It's more urgent than ever for us to share this now, even though the album has been ready for a while,” says producer Naor. “BEÃTFÓØT are against any war, and believe that people should talk and not use violence - never,” he adds vehemently. “We feel the pain of Palestinians and Israeli loss of life, and are devastated by it. We hope the war will be finished soon and that peace and prosperity will come soon for both sides.”
While both Naor and vocalist Bronicki have been active in protests, charity work and community efforts over the past year - explicitly against the current government in Israel - such values of peace, acceptance, coexistence, inclusiveness and anti-hate from all sides are further instilled in the songs that form ‘TOO CUTE’.
“We're really trying to highlight that there are people here working tirelessly for a brighter future for our ill kids and our neighbour’s kids,” adds Naor, who is also co-founder of techno duo Red Axes. Having had to flee the country with his family, it’s through music that Naor and Bronicki have found hope.
In light of such conflict, the multi-layered yet sonically-bonkers record also enables escapism, which is needed more now than ever. Following their self-titled 2021 debut (released on DJ Tennis’ label Life and Death), ‘TOO CUTE’ is a refreshingly-ridiculous dark-rave rollercoaster which careers between hard-dance, big-beat, post-punk, techno, hyperpop, country and everything in between.
Things blast off at breakneck speed with the chaotic title track’s hyperpop snares, instantly-catchy lyrics (which feel ominously striking considering the war) and a stadium-ready chorus that erupts into rolling breakbeats, punishing EDM and even a nod to The Bloodhound Gang’s ‘The Magic Touch’. Somehow, we’re just three minutes into the record.
The tongue-in-cheek ‘HEART OF LEAD (TAKE IT OFF)’ still bangs despite its silliness, like if Kero Kero Bonito got in the studio with will.i.am. Later, ‘LEO’S SONG (THE SOCIAL MEDIA GUY)’s wittily satirical one-liners - “I just wanna get high with AI” - come thick and fast amid a barrage of glitches and guitars. ‘SUKC MY DIKC !!!’, meanwhile, pairs flute with pulsing hardstyle beats.
While their first record’s experimental explosion captured the pure carnage and energy of the BEÃTFÓØT universe in a conceptual fashion (though remaining polished in its own way), album two is primed to connect with a bigger audience thanks to its pop melodies, structures and songwriting.
Much of ‘TOO CUTE’ was written while the duo toured Europe for the first time, with rough sketches of tracks created in the moment during their incendiary live shows, and then recorded in planes and cars.
If their first record was a case of testing the vibes, album two is more assured and confident within their sonic world. “In the first album, we stepped into the club, metaphorically, and started making eye contact with everyone to figure out the energy,” Bronicki says. “But, this time round, I already had an idea of the story that I wanted to tell to these random people.”
And what is that story? “Radical silliness, or radical fun – that’s the essence of BEÃTFÓØT,” Naor confirms. “What we really want to do is goof around and have fun, and that brings out something very profound and honest,” he explains. A sense of nostalgic freedom is also at the album’s core, thanks to the removal of adult predetermined social constructs that decide how people should behave or look. “There’s a very honest and positive energy in holding onto your childlike wonder and trying to explore that with others,” Bronicki suggests, adding that “the adult world can be so wrong and angering”.
She feels this relates to both the album’s lyrics and the artistic state of mind that the duo always work to: “the goal is to feed a really thought-out and profound idea, but through a playful spoon,” she says. With this in mind, the recurring theme of ‘TOO CUTE’ stems from the duo’s “radical and lived experience of existing in a place that holds a lot of guilt and fear – because death is so imminent and prevalent in a very confronting way”. This is clearly represented on ‘FOOTYLICIOU$’, on which Bronicki screams “someone’s gonna die tonight!” before emphatically shouting “NOT ME!”
The album title is BEÃTFÓØT’s response to that: “We want to be a celebration of life, and that applies to all lives, of all backgrounds, including animals… that’s our guiding light,” Bronicki says.
“We create in the context of living in a country where the current government’s anti-democratic measures are limiting who is included in the celebration of life. Because different people are always being pushed out and excluded: whether it’s queers, Palestinians or people from different religions.”
BEÃTFÓØT - who have found a home among the LGBTQIA+ community - are fighting back against oppression. “We want everybody to come to the party and celebrate life together,” says Naor, setting out his and Bronicki’s mission… “and our goal is to widen that party as wide as it can go.”
c MANIAC ft. Princess Rani
e WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL MY LIFE ft. Bugle Boy
c MANIAC ft. Princess Rani
[e] WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL MY LIFE [ft. Bugle Boy]
[c] MANIAC [ft. Princess Rani]
[e] WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL MY LIFE [ft. Bugle Boy]
"More lost recordings from Mark Sandmanʼs archives! Two lost shows from the Hypnosonics! The LP version is culled from a rare NYC show & legendary Boston gig, and unveils three new Mark Sandman songs that became eventual Morphine cuts served up by his “secret band.” The CD version boasts two complete shows split over two CDs featuring unheard Hypnosonics recordings, eventual Morphine songs, and three lost compositions. A rare NYC show & a legendary Boston gig, rival for space in your player!
There was so much sexuality oozing out of those songs but also humor... a lot of wry dry wit and downright silliness. super sophisticated silliness and all of it transportive, ecstatic, transcendent. There was nothing quite like seeing Hypnosonics and all of us in the audience knew it. We knew this was some pure sonic magic and we were totally hypnotized. – Margaret Garrett (Mr. Airplane Man)"
Vision of Disorder is the first album by American hardcore/metalcore band Vision of Disorder, released on October 22, 1996.
The album showcases a band with a solid sense of songwriting, good melodic riffs, and a lot of variety in tempos and textures. Likewise, the social consciousness of the lyrics is handled in a Rage Against the Machine-reminiscent fashion. Raw, naked anger about everything wrong with American society in the 1990s. Listeners looking for just those qualities will love this album. Elements” and “Excess” are some of the highlights on the album.
Vision of Disorder is now available on black vinyl and contains an insert.
Amandra, half head honcho behind Ahrpe Records, goes for subtly evolving and droning atmospheres. With releases spanning electronic genres and record labels: Nous klaer Audio, AD 93, Tikita or Semantica, just to name a few; the French producer ba with coherence his own vision of acid and tribal rhythms that can be presented with either bright and soft feelings or through a
Brera Som Som EP
As always with Amandra, there is a blend of poetic and soft hidden touch given to the music through carefully crafted personal Som is a 4 tracker EP, recorded back when he lived in Warsaw Poland, showcasing the artists ability to navigate through nich double 12 package cherry topped with four intelligent and eclectic remixes from artists with their own unique identity: Shieldin Brainwaltzera.
Amandra on disc 1
Brera Som Som
I want my music to breathe dirty so its alive to my ears, trying to stay away from surgical, clean, electronic music. The Prophet recorded by hand, with assumed offbeat imperfections, as always. I wanted to get a naive Asian mood out of it, just to try and c track. I tend to think a lot about my tracks and their meaning more in terms of feelings, art and techniques than in terms of dee
dance floors or whatever. Brera Som Som is a try at using the chiaroscuro technique depicted in classical paintings for instance interesting focus on some very specific elements.
Cyborg Pelikana
Recorded out of a jam on a Soma Pulsar 23 and some heavy distorted synths, it ended up sounding like no other recordings bit different as I wanted to have a more composed like approach here.
Fanfaron
Here is a try at going jungle... with a Moog DFAM and a 303 processed through a Sherman Filterbank.
Prorokini
This one belongs to a phase where I was exploring the sampling side of electronic music. Until that moment I was building 100 based on raw drum machines and some processing, then started feeling how it would feel to sample some raw external beats and process them my way. I didnt pursue that sampling lead much afterward because it felt like a boring approach to me that
stood out anyway, like this one, which Im very proud of. The synths are clearly programmed on the Prophet 08, it cant go any Instruments than that, if you like them, go grab that synth
Remixers on disc 2
Cyborg Pelikana Shielding Remix
I liked the dry and direct qualities of the original track and wanted to maintain that feeling while collaging it using my own proc Recorded in my old home studio in Stockholm.
Brera Som Som Brainwaltzera Remix
no comment.
Fanfaron Whylie Remix
The remix was made using resampling techniques, the rhythmic noises were transformed into driving percussive layers pushi character. A more emotional overlay was added to the track based on the sentimental and personal approach I built through.
Brera Som Som Martinou Remix
Interpreting Amandras work has been on my bucket list for a while. Theres something in it that is innately humanizing and raw capture in my remix. The melody line from the remix is just a snapshot of a small part of the full original track, but it stuck with my improvisation to what you see before you today. With this remix I wanted to make something that would swell slowly and ring o
All original tracks written and produced by Amandra.
Remixes written and produced by Brainwaltzera, Whylie, Martinou and Shielding.
Mastered by Amandra.
Artwork by Neurotypique.
Black Vinyl[27,69 €]
LP Ltd vinyl picture disc version w/ DL card, 500 pressed. Vanishing Twin furthers their exploration of decidedly experimental territories with Afternoon X. Crafted with a playful balance of humour and rigour, with each member embracing the role of the multi-instrumentalist and process, over outcome. Following a series of line-up changes, Vanishing Twin is now the tightly honed collective of singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer Valentina Magaletti (Holy Tongue, Tomaga, Moin) and bassist Susumu Mukai (Zongamin). Harnessing the diverse touchstones of its members; Lucas' left-field song-craft, Magaletti's singular approaches to experimental percussion, and Mukai's long history in the production of electronic music, the band has refined a hypnotic sound at the juncture of minimalism, kosmische, post-punk, and dream-laden, psychedelic pop. These eight fluttering abstractions, culled, collaged, and built upon from a vast constellation of instruments, samples, and unclaimed sources. Lucas employs her voice as an instrument and a generator of raw sound, weaving surreal imagery and uncanny juxtapositions amongst the dance and propellant drive. From infectious grooves of the album's title track and the constrained minimalism of "Subito", to the ambitious heights of pieces like 'The Down Below' and Lazy Garden, which unfurl a psychedelic avant-gardism on the scope and scale of David Axelrod and Scott Walker. Vanishing Twin embark upon a new multifaceted journey that collectively culminates as the bands most forward-thinking and groundbreaking release to date.
TexiCali, the new album from Grammy winner Dave Alvin and Grammy nominee Jimmie Dale Gilmore, continues to bridge the distance between the two troubadours’ respective home bases of California (Alvin) and Texas (Gilmore). The geographic theme reflects Alvin’s repeated journeys to record in Central Texas with Gilmore and the Austin-based backing band that has toured with the duo for the past few years. As Alvin puts it in the liner notes, those road trips informed the music they made on TexiCali. The 11 songs on this double LP also connect their shared fondness for a broad range of American music forms. Gilmore is primarily known for left-of-center country music, while Alvin’s compass points largely toward old-school blues. But there’s a lot of ground to cover beyond those foundations, and both artists also are well-known for transcending genre limitations. So it’s not surprising that they’ve spiked TexiCali with cosmic folk narratives, deep R&B grooves and even swinging reggae rhythms.
Forging his own path into the future... With roots in the U.K. club and hip-hop scenes, drummer Richard Spaven brings a fresh approach to the instrument that's at once modern and traditional. Combining machine-like accuracy with jazz-influenced improvisational sensibilities, Spaven's drumming has landed him gigs with vastly varied artists such as UK rapper Loyle Carner, Guru of hip-hop duo Gang Starr, producer Flying Lotus, vocalist José James and Brainfeeder artist Jameszoo. Spaven's brilliance is evident beyond his world-class performance abilities; he's equally impressive in production and compositional territories.
Sole Subject, a captivating crossover of electronica, hip hop, and jazz, explores the nuanced relationship between live drumming and electronic elements, a theme intricately woven throughout Spaven's sixth solo record. Originating from deep, rhythmic ideas, each track is a testament to intense experimentation and precision. At the core of the album are the drums, captured as full live takes which often blur the lines, appearing as if they were programmed or sampled. Dive into Sole Subject and experience a musical journey where innovation meets tradition, and where each beat tells a story of relentless creativity and dedication. The release of the record will be celebrated with a headline show at Jazz Café October 30th.
Kool Customer is a collaborative project from B. Bravo and Bay area singer Rojai that brings together the sounds of future funk, 80s boogie, and a little bit of strip club sleaze.
B.Bravo is a 2010 graduate of Red Bull Music Academy with releases on Brownswood, Frite Nite and Ernest Endeavors.
Support from the likes of Benji B (BBC Radio 1), Gilles Peterson, DaM Funk, Sweater Funk Collective .
B. Bravo's shared the stage with artists like Chromeo, Dam-Funk, Flying Lotus and serenaded crowds across the world with his bass heavy outer space boogie and dirty grinding synth grooves at festivals like SXSW, Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and Sonar in Barcelona.
Rojai (pronounced "ROW-JUH") is a San Francisco born singer emerging as a leading voice in the modern funk scene with a vocal range from a raspy, percussive island vibe, to silky r&b.
As a frontman for Kool Customer and Latin-funk outfit Bayonics, Rojai has proven himself adept at crooning on any groove in his soulful timbre.
Being legally blind hasn't slowed down Rojai's ability to write, record and perform. He has channeled his life experience into songwriting and singing, creating music with a spirit and soul that inspires.
Extensive sync history include Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, Netflix's Fatherhood, as well as 3 unique songs featured on Tyler Perry's Sistas and more
This rare Brit Funk 12” was originally released in 1984 and is now officially reissued for the first time. Licensed from producer Lindel Lewis, the 12” was heavily influenced by US Boogie and Disco and there’s a Dub influence at play as Lindel was also producing a lot of reggae around this time, most famously ‘Night Over Egypt’ by Mystic Harmony.
The 12” includes a previously unreleased Dub Version of ‘I Need You’ and was produced on two Analogue classics, Lindel says “I used a Linn Drum for the drums and played all synth parts using a Roland 106. I’m a classically trained musician and also a sound engineer, I worked at Mark Angelo Recording Studios for 18 years and have produced a great many artists. Steve Jones real name is Steve Myers, but I didn’t like the surname so changed it to Jones which felt more soulful. The name The Fat Boys came about because of the big bellies of myself the flute player Mike Appoh, my trainee engineer at the time. Ray Carlass played the sax solo, they have both now sadly passed”.
This long overdue reissue revives a standout moment in Brit Funk history, making it an essential addition for fans of classic Boogie and Disco. A 140 gram pressing in 3mm spine disco sleeve with labels and sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.
Just under a year after their acclaimed self-titled debut, dreampop duo deary release a brand new six-track EP – Aurelia – via Sonic Cathedral on November 1. It includes the singles ‘The Moth’, ‘Selene’ and ‘The Drift’ and features Slowdive drummer Simon Scott playing on three songs. It will be available on three different vinyl variants, a CD with three bonus tracks and digitally. It’s a stunning record, which displays a new-found maturity in terms of production as well as musically and lyrically. The band – singer Rebecca ‘Dottie’ Cockram and guitarist/producer Ben Easton – have had to grow up in public since the release of their debut single at the start of 2023, supporting legends such as Slowdive and Cranes and TikTok sensations like Wisp along the way. An aurelian is a rare old term for a lepidopterist – someone who studies and collects moths – derived from the Latin aurelia, meaning chrysalis. The perfect title for an EP which is based around the theme of metamorphosis and change. “It leans on the natural world, the human body, the earth and sky as well as human emotion,” says Ben of how the EP represents physical and metaphysical growth. “Change can be daunting but equally exciting, which is something we’ve come to learn.” “While writing the EP, I found a letter I had written to myself when I was 22,” adds Dottie. “I was fresh out of university and had moved back in with my parents as Covid was in full force. I was uninspired and lost and reaching out to my future self for some hope. It was a physical representation of what can happen in a few years; how much can change and how you never know what’s coming next. “I found it interesting that – at the age of 26 – here I was looking back to my younger self for hope or just some comfort in the fact that things will and do move on. It was important to me to bring both of these versions of myself into the new songs.” “Personally, I had noticed a change in myself; a new level of social anxiety, a strange disassociation to things that once brought me joy as well as negative repetitions in my daily life,” reveals Ben. “I began the year sober which allowed me to finish the writing process as a letter of care to my own mental health. There are motifs throughout the EP – for example the riffs in ‘The Moth’ and ‘The Drift’ being reminiscent of each other – which are like musical reflections of these repeated cycles.” It’s musically where the change deary have undergone is most obvious. ‘The Moth’ mixes howling guitars atop a strident breakbeat making it more Curve than Cocteaus; ‘Selene’ is a slow-building wall of noise; ‘The Drift’ combines a perfect pop melody with an incredible sense of urgency. These three singles are balanced by the brief but beautiful ‘Where You Are’ which leads into the Portishead-style trip-hop of ‘Dream Of Me’. The title track has been a staple of their live sets for about a year as ‘Can’t Sleep Tonight’, but its mix of The Cure circa Disintegration and Mezzanine Massive Attack has grown and evolved so much that they renamed it ‘Aurelia’ as the embodiment of the change they have been through. “We’ve allowed deary to naturally grow over the past year, we didn’t want to force it to take a certain shape or sound,” explains Dottie of the duo’s slow and steady approach. “A lot of the last EP was written by sending ideas back and forth over WhatsApp, but this time we were able to sit in the same room and I think that really shows. We know each other a lot better now as we have experienced this journey together and that benefits the writing process as we are more open with each other and can be vulnerable.” “Aurelia definitely feels a lot more collaborative, more personal and more fully realised than the first EP,” concludes Ben. “It feels like a real document of what has been a very important time in both of our lives. Ironically, the band has changed and matured even more since the recording, so we’re both excited to document the next stage
Camelot, the legendary seat of King Arthur's court in Early Middle Ages Britain, was probably not a real place. A corruption of the name of a real Romano-Briton city, the word "Camelot" accumulated symbolic, mythic resonances over centuries, until achieving its present usage as a near-synonym of "utopia." In the mid-20th century alone, Camelot inspired an explosion of representations and appropriations, among them the violent, affectless Arthurian court of Robert Bresson's 1974 film Lancelot du Lac and the absurdist iteration of Monty Python's 1975 Holy Grail, both of which feature armored knights erupting into fountains of blood; the mystical Welsh world of novelist John Cowper Powys's profoundly weird 1951 novel Porius, with its Roman cults, wizards and witches, and wanton giants; and the nationalist nostalgia of President John F. Kennedy's White House. Unsurprisingly there are fewer Camelots in more recent memory. Camelot, Canadian songwriter Jennifer Castle's extraordinary, moving 2024 chronicle of the artist in early middle age, charts a realer, more rooted, and more metaphorical place than the fabled Camelot of the Early Middle Ages (or its myriad depictions), but it too is a space more psychic than physical. In Castle's Camelot, the fantastic interpenetrates the mundane, and the Grail, if there is one, distills everyday experience into art and art into faith, subliming terrestrial concerns into sublime celestial prayers to Mother Nature, and to the unfolding process of perfecting imperfection in one's own nature. Co-produced by Jennifer and longtime collaborator Jeff McMurrich, her seventh record is at once her most monumental and unguarded to date, demonstrating a mastery of rendering her verse and melodies alike with crisply poignant economy. For all their pointedly plainspoken lyrical detail and exhilarating full-band musical flourishes, these songs sound inevitable, eternal as morning devotions. "Back in Camelot," she sings on the lilting, vulnerable title track, "I really learned a lot / circles in the crops and / sky-high geometry." The album opens with a candid admission of sleeping "in the unfinished basement," an embarrassing joke that comes true. But the dreamer is redeemed by dreaming, setting sail in her airborne bed above "sirens and desert deities." If she questions her own agency_whether she is "wishing stones were standing" or just "pissing in the wind"_it does not diminish the ineffable existential jolt of such signs and wonders. This abiding tension between belief and doubt, magic and pragmatism, self and other, sacred and profane, and even, arguably, paganism and monotheism, suffuses these ten songs, which limn an interior landscape shot through with sunstriped shadows of "multi-felt dimensions" both mystical and quotidian. The epic scale and transport of "Camelot," with its swooning strings, gives way dramatically to "Some Friends," an acoustic-guitar-and-vocals meditation in miniature on Janus-faced friends and the lunar and solar temperatures of their promises_"bright and beaming verses" versus hot curses_which recalls her minimalist last album, 2020's achingly intimate Monarch Season. (In a symmetrical sequencing gesture, the penultimate track, the incantatory "Earthsong," bookends the central six with a similarly spare solo performance and coiled chord progression, this time an ambiguous appeal to _ a wounded lover? a wounded saint? our wounded planet?) Those whom "Trust" accuses of treacherous oaths spit through "gilded and golden tooth"_cynics, critics, hypocrites, gurus, scientists, doctors, lovers, government, the so-called entertainment industry_sow uncertainty that can infect the artist, as in "Louis": "What's that dance / and can it be done? What's that song / and can it be sung?" Answering affirmatively are "Lucky #8," an irrepressible ode to dancing as a bulwark against the "tidal pools of pain" and the "theory of collapse," and "Full Moon in Leo," which finds the narrator dancing around the house with a broom, wearing nothing but her underwear and "big hair." But the central question remains: who can we trust, and at what cost faith, in art or angels or otherwise? Castle's confidence in her collaborators is the cornerstone of Camelot. Carl Didur (piano and keys), Evan Cartwright (drums and percussion), and steadfast sideman Mike Smith (bass) comprise a rhythm section of exquisite delicacy and depth. This fundamental trio anchors the airiness of regular backing vocalists Victoria Cheong and Isla Craig and frames the guitars of Castle, McMurrich, and Paul Mortimer (and on "Lucky #8," special guest Cass McCombs). Reprising his decennial role on Castle's beloved 2014 Pink City, Owen Pallett arranged the strings for Estonia's FAMES Skopje Studio Orchestra. On the ravishing country-soul ballad "Blowing Kisses"_Pallett's crowning achievement here, which can be heard in its entirety in the penultimate episode of the third season of FX's The Bear_Jennifer contemplates time and presence, love and prayer_and how songwriting and poetry both manifest and limit all four dimensions: "No words to fumble with / I'm not a beggar to language any longer." Such rare moments of speechlessness_"I'm so fucking honoured," she bluntly proclaims_suggest a state "only a god could come up with." (If Camelot affirms Castle as one of the great song-poets of her generation, she is not immune to the despairing linguistic beggary that plagues all writers.) Camelot evinces a thoroughgoing faith not only in the natural world_including human bodies, which can, miraculously, dance and swim and bleed and embrace and birth_but also in our interpretations of and interventions in it: the "charts and diagrams" of "Lucky #8," a daydreamt billboard on Fairfax Ave. in LA in "Full Moon in Leo," the bloody invocations of the organ-stained "Mary Miracle," and all manner of water worship, rivers in particular. (Notably, Jennifer has worked as a farmer and a doula.) The album ends with "Fractal Canyon"'s repeated, exalted insistence that she's "not alone here." But where is here? The word "utopia" itself constitutes a pun, indicating in its ambiguous first syllable both the Greek "eutopia," or "good-place"_the facet most remembered today_and "outopia," or "no-place," a negative, impossible geography of the mind. Utopia, like its metonym Camelot, is imaginary. Or as fellow Canadian songwriter Neil Young once sang, "Everyone knows this is nowhere." "Can you see how I'd be tempted," Castle asks out of nowhere, held in the mystery, "to pretend I'm not alone and let the memory bend?"
Robert Glasper’s holiday album In December was released last year as an Apple Music exclusive. We’re now able offer it widely available to physical retail and all DSPs!
Is there anything to be done with carols like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Joy to the World” that hasn’t been done in the past 300 years? If there is, Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and producer Robert Glasper is the kind of artist to do it. “I like covering songs that people know well,” Glasper tells Apple Music. “That’s what I’ve done throughout my whole career.” It’s true: As a jazz pianist, he’s obviously learned his way around making classics his own, whether they were written by Mongo Santamaría or Kurt Cobain. But, he says, “The biggest challenge in making a holiday album was trying to do it in a way that feels festive but at the same time feels real and not corny.”
He succeeds on both fronts on In December, his holiday album that mixes classic carols with a set of originals, and which was recorded in Spatial Audio. Part of what keeps it credible is the fact that Glasper’s hiphop/R&B/jazz fusion is done on a compositional level instead of just a cosmetic one (no collages of sampled sax solos and drum loops here). The covers reveal a lot about his musical worldview: Sung by Tony winner Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is turned into dark, airy neo-soul, while “Joy to the World”—sung by Alex Isley—feels like a Stevie Wonder ballad. But the originals reveal even more. “The intention for this album was less about Christmas songs and more about songs that feel good during the holidays,” Glasper says. “I stayed away from thinking too much about Christmas and its traditional lingo, and concentrated on real things people go through during the holiday season.”
Back in stock! As hip-hop’s online footprint began rapidly expanding in the early 2010s, acclaimed Los Angeles emcee Blu was a rising star who commanded attention. Just a few years removed from the breakthrough success of Below The Heavens and an appearance on the XXL Freshmen list, the talented wordsmith was navigating the major label system, dropping self-produced mixtapes, and working with artists like The Roots, Miguel, Flying Lotus, 9th Wonder, and more. In 2011, the mysterious album Jesus turned up on Bandcamp, uploaded by an artist calling himself “b.” Soon discovered to be the latest project from Blu, the unpolished but deeply soulful collection quickly made waves on blogs and social media. Just weeks later, Jesus improbably became one of Blu’s first official solo releases, and it remains a lo-fi masterpiece, with mesmerizing production by Alchemist, Madlib, Knxwledge, Hezekiah, and Blu himself. Now, this classic is receiving a long-overdue vinyl reissue, complete with the Jesus-era bonus track “Arrow & The Sparrow” featuring Jimetta Rose.
. For Fans Of: The Weather Station, Weyes Blood, Adrianne Lenker, Phoebe Bridgers, Joan Shelley, Lana Del Rey, Cass McCombs, Angel Olsen & Neil Young. Camelot, the legendary seat of King Arthur’s court in Early Middle Ages Britain, was probably not a real place. A corruption of the name of a real Romano-Briton city, the word “Camelot” accumulated symbolic, mythic resonances over centuries, until achieving its present usage as a near-synonym of “utopia.” In the mid-20th century alone, Camelot inspired an explosion of representations and appropriations, among them the violent, affectless Arthurian court of Robert Bresson’s 1974 film Lancelot du Lac and the absurdist iteration of Monty Python’s 1975 Holy Grail, both of which feature armoured knights erupting into fountains of blood; the mystical Welsh world of novelist John Cowper Powys’s profoundly weird 1951 novel Porius, with its Roman cults, wizards and witches, and wanton giants; and the nationalist nostalgia of President John F. Kennedy’s White House. Unsurprisingly there are fewer Camelots in more recent memory. Camelot, Canadian songwriter Jennifer Castle’s extraordinary, moving 2024 chronicle of the artist in early middle age, charts a realer, more rooted, and more metaphorical place than the fabled Camelot of the Early Middle Ages (or its myriad depictions), but it too is a space more psychic than physical. In Castle’s Camelot, the fantastic interpenetrates the mundane, and the Grail, if there is one, distills everyday experience into art and art into faith, subliming terrestrial concerns into sublime celestial prayers to Mother Nature, and to the unfolding process of perfecting imperfection in one’s own nature. Co-produced by Jennifer and longtime collaborator Jeff McMurrich, her seventh record is at once her most monumental and unguarded to date, demonstrating a mastery of rendering her verse and melodies alike with crisply poignant economy. For all their pointedly plainspoken lyrical detail and exhilarating full-band musical flourishes, these songs sound inevitable, eternal as morning devotions. “Back in Camelot,” she sings on the lilting, vulnerable title track, “I really learned a lot / circles in the crops and / sky-high geometry.” The album opens with a candid admission of sleeping “in the unfinished basement,” an embarrassing joke that comes true. But the dreamer is redeemed by dreaming, setting sail in her airborne bed above “sirens and desert deities.” If she questions her own agency whether she is “wishing stones were standing” or just “pissing in the wind” it does not diminish the ineffable existential jolt of such signs and wonders. This abiding tension between belief and doubt, magic and pragmatism, self and other, sacred and profane, and even, arguably, paganism and monotheism, suffuses these ten songs, which limn an interior landscape shot through with sunstriped shadows of “multi-felt dimensions” both mystical and quotidian. The epic scale and transport of “Camelot,” with its swooning strings, gives way dramatically to “Some Friends,” an acoustic-guitar-and-vocals meditation in miniature on Janus-faced friends and the lunar and solar temperatures of their promises—“bright and beaming verses” versus hot curses which recalls her minimalist last album, 2020’s achingly intimate Monarch Season. (In a symmetrical sequencing gesture, the penultimate track, the incantatory “Earthsong,” bookends the central six with a similarly spare solo performance and coiled chord progression, this time an ambiguous appeal to … a wounded lover? a wounded saint? our wounded planet?). Those whom “Trust” accuses of treacherous oaths spit through “gilded and golden tooth” cynics, critics, hypocrites, gurus, scientists, doctors, lovers, government, the so-called entertainment industry sow uncertainty that can infect the artist, as in “Louis”: “What’s that dance / and can it be done? What’s that song / and can it be sung?” Answering affirmatively are “Lucky #8,” an irrepressible ode to dancing as a bulwark against the “tidal pools of pain” and the “theory of collapse,” and “Full Moon in Leo,” which finds the narrator dancing around the house with a broom, wearing nothing but her underwear and “big hair.” But the central question remains: who can we trust, and at what cost faith, in art or angels or otherwise? Castle’s confidence in her collaborators is the cornerstone of Camelot. Carl Didur (piano and keys), Evan Cartwright (drums and percussion), and steadfast sideman Mike Smith (bass) comprise a rhythm section of exquisite delicacy and depth. This fundamental trio anchors the airiness of regular backing vocalists Victoria Cheong and Isla Craig and frames the guitars of Castle, McMurrich, and Paul Mortimer (and on “Lucky #8,” special guest Cass McCombs). Reprising his decennial role on Castle’s beloved 2014 Pink City, Owen Pallett arranged the strings for Estonia’s FAMES Skopje Studio Orchestra. On the ravishing country-soul ballad “Blowing Kisses” Pallett’s crowning achievement here, which can be heard in its entirety in the penultimate episode of the third season of FX’s The Bear Jennifer contemplates time and presence, love and prayer and how songwriting and poetry both manifest and limit all four dimensions: “No words to fumble with / I’m not a beggar to language any longer.” Such rare moments of speechlessness “I’m so fucking honoured,” she bluntly proclaims suggest a state “only a god could come up with.” (If Camelot affirms Castle as one of the great song-poets of her generation, she is not immune to the despairing linguistic beggary that plagues all writers.) Camelot evinces a thoroughgoing faith not only in the natural world including human bodies, which can, miraculously, dance and swim and bleed and embrace and birth but also in our interpretations of and interventions in it: the “charts and diagrams” of “Lucky #8,” a daydreamt billboard on Fairfax Ave. in LA in “Full Moon in Leo,” the bloody invocations of the organ-stained “Mary Miracle,” and all manner of water worship, rivers in particular. (Notably, Jennifer has worked as a farmer and a doula.) The album ends with “Fractal Canyon”s repeated, exalted insistence that she’s “not alone here.” But where is here? The word “utopia” itself constitutes a pun, indicating in its ambiguous first syllable both the Greek “eutopia,” or “good-place” the facet most remembered today and “outopia,” or “no-place,” a negative, impossible geography of the mind. Utopia, like its metonym Camelot, is imaginary
Quantum Baby is the second instalment of Tinashe’s BB/ANG3L trilogy following last fall’s first instalment, BB/ANG3L. The album includes the explosive single “Nasty” which is currently rising up the charts and has become the song of the summer amassing over 200M+ global streams. Billboard Hot 100 - #61, Top 5 Rhythm Radio, Spotify Viral US - #1, TikTok Billboard Top 50 - #2. The genre-blending album contains elements of R&B, Pop, Electronic and Hip-Hop. This album features production from Grammy Award Winning producer Ricky Reed, along with Nosaj Thing and more! Tickets are currently on sale for the North American leg of Tinashe’s Match My Freak World Tour, which kicks off October ‘24. The vinyl is housed in a gatefold jacket with printed sleeve and insert booklet. Available in standard black and a limited Indie Exclusive Edition pressed on Blue & Orange Swirl colored vinyl. Quantum Baby is the second instalment in Tinashe’s BB/ANG3L album trilogy. The first in the series, BB/ANG3L, was released Fall ‘23 and was followed by the BB/ANG3L tour and Tinashe’s first Tiny Desk performance. Tinashe began teasing the hit single “Nasty,” this past Spring, debuting the song at Coachella 2024. The song quickly went viral, to become the song of the summer. This led to everyone asking the most prevalent question of the summer: “Is somebody gonna match my freak?” “Quantum Baby is about getting to know me on a deeper level. It's about exploring who I am as a person and who I am as an artist. I’ve never been one to be put into a box, so the name Quantum Baby encompasses all the different parts that make up who I am as a creative,” says Tinashe, describing the album as “forward, hot and lots of bass
- Kitchen
- Skin On Skin
- Highfield
- Breaking In Reverse
- You Are The Morning
- Best Friend's House
- Guy Fawkes Tesco
- Dissociation
- Tall Girl
- New Shoes
- Roan
- Elephant
- Transition
- Woman
You Are The Morning was formed amid personal upheaval in 2021. "I came out as trans to my nearest and dearest," she says, "Some did not accept me, but some did." Jasmine got divorced, and a difficult home life meant she was writing while experiencing homelessness and precarious housing, sleeping on friend's couches and relying on community support. Despite the pain of some of its background, the record is an uplifting look at t4t love. Jasmine describes her first trans romance as the first time she experienced joy in a deep sense, because of her experience of living as a woman. First single `Skin on Skin' explores the new joy of physical touch. Usually a quick writer, it's a rare song that grew over time, during which a close connection with a friend began to form. "Sticking to the physical boundaries we wanted to have with each other became increasingly difficult. We were spending lots of time together, then falling in love. This song became a celebration of healing and physical catharsis found through unrepressed queer love." The first UK signee on Saddest Factory Records, the album was produced by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Jasmine and her band travelled to L.A. to record at Sound City Studios. It was made across 12 days in a highly collaborative and emotional process, and because Jasmine sees her songs as fluid and ever-changing, the recordings carry that free and spontaneous spirit. jasmine.4.t is supported by an all-trans band, Phoenix Rousiamanis contributes piano and strings, with Eden O'Brien on drums and Emily Abbott on bass. With Jasmine's voice and songwriting at the centre, the record incorporates a wider cast of voices. `Best Friend's House' features a chorus including her bandmates, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus ("the girls and the boys"), Saddest Factory Records label-mate Claud, Becca Mancari and E.R. Fightmaster. The song carries the communal spirit of the record's creation. On the closing track, `Woman', she is backed by the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, a cross-generational group of trans singers who, like Jasmine, use their voice as a source of communal power. The song blossoms from solo performance to wider group catharsis. All the while, Jasmine sings unwaveringly about the power of knowing yourself at a core level: "I am, in my soul, a woman". The writing of You Are The Morning pulled from dark moments to tell its story. Surrounded by friends, the recording process was full of light. Through her performances, activism and artistry, jasmine.4.t is ushering in a new dawn.
Plastic Estate is a contemporary synth-pop act from Wales, UK.
With an onus placed on atmosphere and refinement, the duo evoke a rich palette of romance and lustre with their polished marque of pop music.
They have garnered support from the likes of Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, KEXP and BBC Radio, and played sold-out shows with the likes of LA Priest, Home Counties, and Real Lies, as well as playing at large regional festivals like Ritual Union and Sŵn Festival.
Having previously released a 7” and LP with Avant! Records, they are now releasing their second album on 11th October with new tracks gaining critical acclaim being added to BBC Radio Wales’s ‘Welsh A-List’.
Their sophomore album hails a new era for the act; moving away from darker sonic roots, their sound has progressed to a brighter, more polished aesthetic with fresh influences from the ‘Hi-Fi luxury’ of West Coast Sound, and the gloss of 2010s Chillwave.
What’s more, ‘Code d’Amour’ makes you wonder: What is Pop today?
For many years it has been synonymous with melody, harmony and emotions. These days it seems to be still about emotions but not very good ones, probably because the world is as ugly as it’s ever been, have you noticed?
But what about the fundamental role of popular music which is to represent and at the same time to celebrate and enforce the ties of social living? What about the good times?
Yes, there is a lot to be changed and to fight for but good vibes are not just for recreational use, they can literally build a sense of community among people. If you are looking for that kind of sound right now, you should look no further.
FFO: Talk Talk, Blue Nile, Spandau Ballet, Ian Broudie’s Care, Small Black, Alan Palomo of Neon Indian, Wild Nothing.
2024 Reissue
Touching Bass continue to prise open a distinct, exciting lane for themselves as a label home for forward-thinking, soulful music with the incredible debut project from London's Demae (aka Bubblerap and ? of Hawk House) entitled "Life Works Out...Usually" - "Life Works Out...Usually" is a soothing antidote to these turbulent times; a soulful coming-of-age story celebrating black joy, self-empowerment and life learnings centred around an integral two year period of growth and featuring appearances from Fatima (Eglo Records), Joe Armon-Jones, Ego Ella May and Nala Sinephro - all part of our close-knit, London-based musical community. Sonically, it draws a unique line between the grit of inner-city London soul, interstellar Flying Lotus electronic rushes and new-age Dilla-isms mixed with flecks of London's exciting jazz-influenced sounds. Production comes from rising producers like Eun (Ego Ella May, Denzel Himself), Jake Milliner (Slum Village, Yazmin Lacey, Lord Apex), 104.ROG (Liv.e, THEESatisfaction) and Wu-Lu (Ego Ella May). For those not yet accustomed, Demae's work stretches beyond her solo project. She has been a fundamental part of Fatima's touring band as a backing vocalist since the release of her much loved second album And Yet It's All Love. Prior to that, she was one-third of hip-hop adventurists, Hawk House, whose introspective, eclectic style was reshuffling the rule book for UK-based rap, quickly making them one of the UK's most exciting emerging sounds and earning fans from Mac Miller and Ghostpoet to Wretch 32 and Jill Scott.
- A1: Eyes On Me
- A2: Take Me With You
- A3: Weird & Wonderful
- A4: Mid Spiral
- A5: Last Laugh 03 08
- B1: Your Soul & Mine
- B2: Playgroup
- B3: Juan's World
- B4: Taco Taco
- C1: Sétima Regra 05 31
- C2: Sunday Afternoon's Dream
- C3: Rewind Your Mind
- C4: First Love
- D1: Audacia
- D2: Celestial Hands 05 33
- D3: Ways Of Seeing
- D4: White Light
Das kanadische Trio, bestehend aus Al Sow, Chester Hansen und Leland Whitty sind im Februar wieder ins Studio gegangen, um etwas Neues zu erschaffen. Man lud einige der engsten Freunde und Mitarbeiter ein, wie Live-Band-Mitglied Felix Fox-Pappas (Keys) sowie verschiedene Kreative aus Torontos pulsierender Jazzszene, darunter Kaelin Murphy (Trompete), Juan Carlos Medrano Magallenes (Percussions) und den LA-Musiker Tyler Lott (Gitarre). Bei einer intensiven einwöchigen Aufnahme-Session in den Valentine Studios in Los Angeles im Februar 2024 entstand “Mid Spiral“.
“Mid Spiral“ nutzt instrumentalen Jazz als Zentrum und ermöglicht es BADBADNOTGOOD, die Grenzen der Integration einer unbegrenzten Bandbreite von Genres und Musikern in ihre Kompositionen weiter zu verschieben. So sorgten die Gäste der Valentine-Sessions dafür, dass weitere Stimmen der Instrumentierung zur eh immensen Sound-Palette des Trios hinzukamen, was zu einem äußerst kollaborativen und expansiven neuen Sound führte.
Katie Gavin's debut What A Relief taps into the unguarded self-possession and homespun pop sensibility of singers like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco, and uses their tenacity as a north star for Gavin's own trek towards self-discovery. "This record spans a lot of my life - it's about having a really deep desire for connection, but also encountering all the obstacles that stood in my way to be able to achieve that, patterns of isolation or even boredom with the real work of love" they say. Written over the course of seven years, What A Relief comprises a set of songs that Gavin always loved but which "had something in them" that she and her bandmates felt didn't quite fit within the universe they were trying to cultivate with MUNA. Many of them were written on acoustic guitar, and are rooted in "a style of music that's very much in my blood, and natural for me," as typified by the Women & Songs CDs that Gavin loves, which compiled music by artists like Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. That openness of spirit is the overwhelming character of What A Relief, an album that's refreshing in its willingness to accept people as they come, even as it remains in dogged pursuit of a life that's kinder, wiser and more loving. Gavin's explorations of desire and intimacy feel time-worn and necessary - songs that might teach a generation if not how to live, exactly, then at least how to look within oneself for guidance about how to move forward.
Katie Gavin's debut What A Relief taps into the unguarded self-possession and homespun pop sensibility of singers like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco, and uses their tenacity as a north star for Gavin's own trek towards self-discovery. "This record spans a lot of my life - it's about having a really deep desire for connection, but also encountering all the obstacles that stood in my way to be able to achieve that, patterns of isolation or even boredom with the real work of love" they say. Written over the course of seven years, What A Relief comprises a set of songs that Gavin always loved but which "had something in them" that she and her bandmates felt didn't quite fit within the universe they were trying to cultivate with MUNA. Many of them were written on acoustic guitar, and are rooted in "a style of music that's very much in my blood, and natural for me," as typified by the Women & Songs CDs that Gavin loves, which compiled music by artists like Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. That openness of spirit is the overwhelming character of What A Relief, an album that's refreshing in its willingness to accept people as they come, even as it remains in dogged pursuit of a life that's kinder, wiser and more loving. Gavin's explorations of desire and intimacy feel time-worn and necessary - songs that might teach a generation if not how to live, exactly, then at least how to look within oneself for guidance about how to move forward.
Der hebräische Surf-Grunger kehrt zurück! End of Teenage Charlie fängt Megiras Berliner Jahre mit den BetShe'an Valley Hillbillies ein, kurz vor seinem Tod. Eine Zeitreise, ein fünf Lieder langes Gitarren-Krimi-Album, das Dick Dale ebenso viel wie David Lynch verdankt. Diese erweiterte Ausgabe zum 10-jährigen Jubiläum enthält auch das 11-Song-Demo, auf dem Megiras vertraute Themen wie Drive-Inn Melancholie, Stranddecken-Bongos und dem Treiben in der Wüste in seinem Schlafzimmer erforscht werden. Lass ihn in dein Ohr flüstern.
Der hebräische Surf-Grunger kehrt zurück! End of Teenage Charlie fängt Megiras Berliner Jahre mit den BetShe'an Valley Hillbillies ein, kurz vor seinem Tod. Eine Zeitreise, ein fünf Lieder langes Gitarren-Krimi-Album, das Dick Dale ebenso viel wie David Lynch verdankt. Diese erweiterte Ausgabe zum 10-jährigen Jubiläum enthält auch das 11-Song-Demo, auf dem Megiras vertraute Themen wie Drive-Inn Melancholie, Stranddecken-Bongos und dem Treiben in der Wüste in seinem Schlafzimmer erforscht werden. Lass ihn in dein Ohr flüstern.
- A1: Be Patient Grow Daily
- A2: Mine & Yours (Feat. Earlly Mac)
- A3: Prada Bags/Sour Suite (Feat. Iamnobodi & Pher)
- A4: Masego's Interlude
- A5: Diamond Street
- B1: Lost Intro (Sango's Version)
- B2: The Lake (Feat. Xavier Omär)
- B3: Lax To Dtw (Feat. Jay Anthony)
- B4: Meanwhile (Feat. Dave B.)
- B5: Ice Storm (Feat. Smino)
- C1: Spaceship (Feat. Channel Tres)
- C2: Peace (Feat. Goldlink)
- C3: Tell You Anything (Feat. Peyton)
- C4: Drifted (Feat. Jayla Darden)
- D1: We Up (Feat. Ojerime)
- D2: Show (Feat. Rochelle Jordan)
- D3: No Chill (Feat. Jesse Boykins Iii & Lido)
- D4: Azurea
Inspiriert von Flying Lotus und Jake One, aber auch von weiteren Acts aus den Bereichen Hip-Hop, R&B und Electronic (Kaytranada, Mount Kimbie, James Blake, Timbaland, J Dilla, The Neptunes, Madlib), veröffentlicht Sango sein zweites Album: "North Vol.2" knüpft an das gleichnamige 2013er Debüt des Seattler Produzenten an und kommt mit zahlreichen hochkarätigen Features, darunter von Masego, IAMNOBODI, Xavier Omär, Smino, Channel Tres, GoldLink, Jayla Darden, Rochelle Jordan und Ojerime.
REISSUE of Sun And Sail Club sophomore album. The name might be the Sun and Sail club, but you'll find no yacht rock here. Instead of Michael McDonald, we have Bad Brains. Kenny Loggins? Hall and Oats? More like Matt Pike and Lemmy Fucking Kilmister. "The Great White Dope" is featuring members of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and the Adolescents, containing 10 riff-filled tracks of high energy, bullshit-free punk and sleaze. The song writing on 'The Great White Dope' steers away from the experimental direction of their previous release, and it's laser focused on one thing: unapologetically rocking your face off. The vocoder is gone and they've recruited singer Tony Adolescent, who delivers balls to the wall vocals with no added effects or frills. The production, like the music itself, is loud, heavy, and beautifully simple. "This record is a direct result of my wife telling me she was pregnant with our son. As a first time father, panic set in and I wrote the album in two hours. I wasn't sure if I'd have a lot of time once he was born so I crammed as many frantic riffs into one album as possible. Looking back it's funny to listen to now, but at the time I was on a mission. Everyone killed it on this record and we recruited Tony Adolescent on vocals which is unreal to me." - Bob Balch
REISSUE of Sun And Sail Club sophomore album. The name might be the Sun and Sail club, but you'll find no yacht rock here. Instead of Michael McDonald, we have Bad Brains. Kenny Loggins? Hall and Oats? More like Matt Pike and Lemmy Fucking Kilmister. "The Great White Dope" is featuring members of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and the Adolescents, containing 10 riff-filled tracks of high energy, bullshit-free punk and sleaze. The song writing on 'The Great White Dope' steers away from the experimental direction of their previous release, and it's laser focused on one thing: unapologetically rocking your face off. The vocoder is gone and they've recruited singer Tony Adolescent, who delivers balls to the wall vocals with no added effects or frills. The production, like the music itself, is loud, heavy, and beautifully simple. "This record is a direct result of my wife telling me she was pregnant with our son. As a first time father, panic set in and I wrote the album in two hours. I wasn't sure if I'd have a lot of time once he was born so I crammed as many frantic riffs into one album as possible. Looking back it's funny to listen to now, but at the time I was on a mission. Everyone killed it on this record and we recruited Tony Adolescent on vocals which is unreal to me." - Bob Balch
Something About Livingis an album of live recordings by experimental jazz composer/multi-instrumentalist Robert Stillman. The music was captured over the course of Stillman's time as the solo support act for The Smile (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Tom Skinner). The album weaves excerpts from various theater and arena shows along the tour's North American routing into a seamless whole, creating a 40-minute program that represents an expanded version of Stillman's ever-transforming live set.
Something About Livingis the product of a steady, on-stage evolution that happened over the course of the nearly 60 shows opening for the Smile across the EU, UK, US, Canada and Mexico. However, the creative origins of the set began in relative isolation during the pandemic, through Stillman's work on projects like his multi-media installationUnseen Forcesand his monthly broadcast for Margate Radio, both of which drew upon solo improvisation using saxophone, cassettes, Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, and effects.
"At the time The Smile asked whether I'd like to open for them on their first tour, I felt like I'd already been preparing without really knowing it," says Stillman. "I'd been doing this music constantly, but always for a hypothetical audience" During the pandemic, Stillman's solo set-up served as the research lab where he worked on all the concepts he was interested in: solo improvisation, creating and manipulating cassettes, FM synthesis, analogue delays chains, no-input mixing, and non-metric rhythmic pulses. So when he was offered the first Smile tour, the idea was to bring "the lab" onto the stage.
What Stillman could not have prepared for was the experience of playing in venues with capacities of up to ten thousand listeners. "The first tour was in summer 2022, so not that long after the worst of the pandemic, when I had pretty much made peace with the idea that I might never be able to perform for an audience again. Then all of a sudden I found myself in front of huge numbers of people, and felt the massive responsibility of being with an audience, of this thing I'd done alone for so longactually being witnessed, and it was completely overwhelming!" On the flip-side, Stillman also recalls, was a new appreciation of how powerful the live performance was as a social phenomenon. "It's a cliche, but also true: the moment of making and hearing music in a shared time and space has a very specific meaning and power; there was a sense that everyone in the venue was necessary to make it real, regardless of what they were doing, or how they felt about it. There was an inevitability about it that I'd never fully appreciated."
Over the course of the tours that followed, Stillman transformed this appreciation of the shared moment into an ethic of spontaneity that guided the development of his live set. "An important reference for this set has always been an Animal Collective show I saw when I first moved to New York, probably in 2001 or so, that has always set the high-water mark for what I wanted to do live- they were improvising a lot, and out of what would seem to be absolute chaos they'd find their way to something structured, and then back out again into the unknown. It was so thrilling to witness".
ThoughSomething About Livingcompiles recordings from different dates along the tour, Stillman has edited and mixed them into a work that seeks to reflect the ebb and flow between 'chaos and control' that characterizes his live set. Among the compositions featured are some from previous album releases ("Time of Waves", "What I Owe", "What Does it Mean to Be American") as well as some new compositions ("The Dream of Waking", "Renaissance 2.0," and the title track, "Something About Living").
The album/track title "Something About Living" is a reference to a line from Stillman's favorite film,My Dinner With André: "André Gregory is explaining the value of life experiences that, as he says, are'to do with living'.That really struck me, the way he articulated it. I strongly believe live music situations can ask these kinds of questions, for performers and audiences. I hope that's reflected in this music."
[a] 01: Time of Waves (Live in Miami FL) [Live]
[b] 02: What Does It Mean to Be American (Live in Forest Hills NY) [Live]
[c] 03: The Dream of Waking (Live in St Augustine FL) [Live]
[d] 04: Something About Living (Live in Richmond VA) [Live]
[e] 05: What I Owe (Live in Chesterfield MO) [Live]
[f] 06: Renaissance 2.0 (Live in Chesterfield MO) [Live]
Heated Garage is a sonic snapshot of what happened when boundless musical energy and middle American moxie combined to create a cultural phenomenon. The tracks are drawn from a vast archive of Kay Bank master tapes - some are ultra rarities you’d be hard pressed to snatch from the collectors’ market without mortgaging a kidney. Others are alternate versions and outtakes never before released in any form! “The joke was, some bands didn’t become garage bands because it was too damn cold...you can’t go outside when it’s 25 below zero. So, a lot of people are honing their craft in their basements.” High Spirits guitarist Owen Husney explains. Knowing more about them is not only unnecessary, it would mar their mystique. They exist forever in a moment of raw rock ‘n’ roll glory that transcends time, a space shared by their Heated Garage brethren. Looking back on The Pagans’ songs, for example, Kip Sullivan says, “They feel sacred to me.” Recollecting his High Spirits adventures, Owen Husney sighs, “I would go back to those heydays in a minute.” Now he can. And we can all come along.
Beehive Beach sees Euros’ melodic and lyrical flair undimmed on this, his 20th solo album.
The album features a stellar band: Stephen Black (aka Sweet Baboo) on bass & clarinet, Stuart Kidd on drums & vocals and Georgia Ruth on vocals & recorder. Recorded at Studiowz in Pembrokeshire by Owain Fleetwood Jenkins.
Euros’ previous four albums have been wholly solo affairs, but Beehive Beach sees Euros taking a different approach - playing and singing live in the studio with a band. “There's something special about capturing a song live in the studio,” says Euros, “it sets the song in a time and place, like capturing an image. It's also a lot of fun”.
Richly melodic, with an undercurrent of melancholia running throughout, Beehive Beach features ruminations on childhood - Black & White Dinner, Ursula's Crow - an ode to 1950s T.V & radio personality Isobell Barnett - Isobell – and celebrations of music and creativity - My Companion, Elspeth on the Shore - as well as self-reflection - A Different Kind of Blue, See-Saw.
The Wild Classical Music Ensemble is a Belgian experimental rock band formed in 2007 by artists with mental disability within the social-artistic non-profit organisation Wit.h in Kortrijk. Their unique sound is a blend of punk/rock riffs, fanatical rhythms and soaring flutes and fiery synths, over which gravitate multiple, multilingual voices that scratch harshly as much as they comfort. There's something very Belgian about this harshness and noisiness. We often think of compadre Arno, from the TC Matic era. During the Covid crisis, the disabled members of the Wild Classical Music Ensemble were undoubtedly subjected more than others to the harsh conditions of confinement, alone in their rooms. Damien Magnette was still able to visit them with sound equipment. This was one of their all-too-few windows onto the world. Forbidden to meet, let alone play together, the members of Wild were nevertheless able to compose songs in tandem with Damien. The tracks were then sent to musician friends - Fabrice Gilbert, Ava Carrère, Wim Opbrouck, Shht, Arthur Satàn, Nathan Roche and Julien ZLDR - who added their artistic touch. Jean Lamoot and Carl Roosens joined the adventure, one as mixer, the other as video director. It's a result of the conditions under which it was created, this is the band's most highly-produced album, and perhaps its most accessible: frankly rock, with a great deal of freedom in production, and sometimes with a certain pop allure. Jean Lamoot's contribution to the mix had a lot to do with it. In addition, the forced slowdown allowed us to devote much more time and attention to writing the lyrics. Leader Damien Magnette says: "For over a year, we were all confined. But what about when you're a mentally handicapped person? Well, it's very different from you and me... We have the right to choose, the luxury of deciding for ourselves what rules we want to follow or not. We have free will. They don't. This series of confined songs is dedicated to all the people who have gone through this crisis, deprived of their free will. We send them our thoughts, hugs and kisses full of true love! The songs respond to a deep desire to look out for each other in adversity (the so obvious "Comment ça va?" by Johan Geenens and Wim Opbrouck, or "Waarom ben je boos" by Sébastien Faidherbe with Wim Decoene, the latter full of empathy). A sense of loneliness is logically present on the album ("Dat is mijn verdriet" by Linh Pham, a very real, very concrete and particularly touching poem, or "Loneliness", whose text was improvised by Wim), if not an understandable rage ("Je ne veux pas" and "My Frustrations"). It worth noting that on "On reste heureux", Sébastien Faidherbe composed all the parts in one go, with an optimism that stands out from the anger expressed in his other songs. Let's make no mistake: none of this is really over. All these emotions, suffering, pain and hope, speak to us far beyond this grim story of covid.
On Still + Bright, her highly-anticipated follow up to, Wary + Strange, Amythyst Kiah shares a dozen songs that mark an evolution in her sound. Kiah says, “With this album, I’ve always been incredibly interested in stories and philosophy. Lots of the songs are inspired by the cosmos, space, meditation, and mindfulness. It’s a way to piece out what it means to be a human being in the modern world. It’s the general idea that we should all have the freedom to decide what path we want to choose.” Still + Bright is produced by Butch Walker (Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Weezer) and features special guests including SG Goodman, Avi Kaplan, and Billy Strings. All of the songs were brought to life by Kiah and co-writers, including Sean McConnell, Avi Kaplan, Sadler Vaden, and Tim Armstrong, among others. Still + Bright is set for release on October 25, 2024. “Years in the making, Still + Bright explores what it means to be a human being in the modern world. Songwriting is my way to marry big, overarching philosophical ideas and questions into a musical, more organized arrangement. Inspired by the cosmos, space, meditation, and mindfulness – this record directly challenges religious and political dogma, stating that we should all have the freedom to decide what path we want to choose.” Recently Kiah featured in Salon talking about her love of country and bluegrass music and was included in a New York Times T Magazine spotlight and documentary: The Next Generation of Black Folk Singers. Her episode of PBS’ The Express Way with Dulé Hill aired nationally on April 30, Kiah is featured in Episode 2: “Appalachia”. She recently appeared on a panel at the Television Critics Association Press Conference which was attended by over 200 television critics around the globe. This June she will be on the road opening for Iron & Wine.
Pia Isa is the solo project of bassist, guitarist and vocalist Pia Isaksen from Norwegian heavy psych/doom rock-band Superlynx. As much as she loves playing with Superlynx (already formed in 2013) and other people, Pia’s ideas for her solo-albums seemed more right to work through on her own mostly. Pia´s music is rooted in slow heavy drones, but also has a lighter, dreamy and hopeful side. She is inspired by massive soundscapes, heavy psych, meditative moods, desert vibes and Eastern scales as well as her Nordic coastal surroundings. Superlynx-listeners may recognize her slow, heavy and minimalistic riffs, and haunting sometimes chanting voice. Pia has an open mind to a lot of different music. Not caring about fitting to any genres but channeling honest and heartfelt music in her own way. The lyrics are deeply personal and stretches from the very inner self and throughout nature. On her new album Pia has worked more with layers of vocal harmonies and has given an old dark sounding nylon acoustic guitar more space in her massive distorted soundscape.
Morgan Blue Town are proud to reissue 'Good Morning Mr.Blues' from the Dave Peace Quartet. Originally released in 1969. A blend of up-tempo and slow blues with quite a lot of flowing organ, some good guitars, and hard-working drums. Nothing here for the faint-hearted who crave smooth and well-produced Blues. Featuring Dave Pegg (Jethro Tull & Fairport Convention).
First time vinyl reissue of Univers Zero's legendary Crawling Wind, originally released in 1981 on the Japanese 'Chaos International Series' label, with the original cover artwork has been beautifully redesigned by Thierry Moreau.
Toujours Plus à l'Est, as the title suggests, is heavily influenced by the traditional music of Eastern Europe, particularly Bulgaria., and paying tribute to the iconic catchphrase of Professor Calculus (Tournesol), the character from the Belgian comic series Tintin. Before The Heat, played live a few times, is an ambient composition by Andy Kirk, who is part of the EP's lineup alongside Daniel Denis, Guy Segers, Alan Ward, and Dirk Descheemaeker. Central Belgium in the Dark is a live improvisation from a period when Univers Zéro dedicated part of their concerts to complete improvisation. What makes this recording unique is that one of Andy Kirk's effects pedals picked up and emitted the sound of a mysterious radio signal, seemingly coming from "nowhere," especially noticeable at the end of the piece. The title of this improv is a nod to contemporary composer Charles Ives' work Central Park in the Dark. Central Belgium refers to the concert venue where the piece was recorded (Haine-St-Pierre).
Univers Zero represents one of the longest-living bands in Belgium. It was established in 1974. Drummer Daniel Denis had the brilliant idea to gather together a team of professionals sharing the same taste for music. The band has adopted an instrumental progressive style. Over the last couple of decades, the band has also implemented a series of influences from chamber music - most commonly, chamber music from the 20th century. Even if the line-up changes a lot over the years, the overall sound of UZ remained fairly consistent.
There’s a lot of buzz going on around The Strumbellas. Performances on Jimmy Kimmel, The Late Show
with Stephen Colbert and Late Night with Seth Myers. Won the 2017 Best New Rock/Alternative Rock
Artist Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and also got nominated for Best New Artist and
Alternative Rock Artist of the Year! Orange and Yellow Splatter vinyl.
“Friends, they are my ticket out of this place I am in… feels like nothing more than a dirt bike vacation stop between Phoenix and San Diego.” Dirt Bike Vacation—for Worried Songs Records—explores the sonic world of the late amateur guitar player, Charles ‘Poppy Bob’ Walker, through a captivating set of instrumental songs made in the mid-1980s. Recorded on a single-track, Marantz field recorder, the project is a transportive document of Walker’s days spent as a meatpacking employee in Yuma, Arizona and the dailiness of that existence: driving to work, sitting in his backyard, walking around drunkenly, unwinding on the couch with a friend. These sketches, showing an experimental tendency, are surprisingly ahead of their time; some exhibit ad hoc tape delay (“Granite Bluffs,” “Goodbye YMCA”), while others make use of primitive overdubbing (“Continuation to Moon Doctor”). Not dissimilar to works such as Bruce Langhorne’s The Hired Hand soundtrack, Walker’s guitar playing is melodic, texturally rich and beautifully sober. On a musical tour from Nashville to Los Angeles, musician-archivist, Cameron Knowler, uncovered these songs from a series of dusty cassette tapes housed at a branch of the Yuma County Library. Originally tipped off by cryptic metadata entries found through an online finding aid, Knowler requested a sound sample and was immediately drawn in by their eerie, yet hopeful nature: “I didn’t care what they sounded like at first, but once I heard just a few seconds, I had to find out everything I could about Charles, who he was, and if he was still alive.” As it turns out, the two had miraculously crossed paths over 20 years prior when Cameron was a young boy accompanying his mother, a gem trader, on a biyearly sojourn to Quartzsite, a town 80 miles north of Yuma: “Charles, sitting down and smoking in a recliner, withdrawn, held what I now understand to be a mid-1990s Martin D-28 guitar. Unlike other old-timers, his instrument was sharply tuned and had a nice sound, even to my young and uncalibrated ears. Though his left hand showed signs of highly developed arthritis, his musical ideas were animated by a palpably deep understanding of fretboard anatomy, arrangement and harmony.” Sorting through the index cards associated with these tapes, Knowler was able to gain a detailed sense of most recording’s provenance, whereabouts and time: Walker’s Datsun pickup truck chugging along boiling hot Interstate 80, the Marine Corps Air Station parking lot, the Eastern Wetlands on the banks of the Colorado River, a fishing trip to Martinez Lake. Trying to reduce the amount of his own subjectivities coloring the work, Cameron constructed titles and track sequences by borrowing information gleaned from Charles’ handwritten notes: “I tried to organize everything by time of day, giving the listener the sense of how a Yuma day might sound and feel like, and each song title—even the record itself—is borrowed from his own words.” This proved no small task, as many notecards had to be deciphered and then coupled with their native tapes which needed extensive restoration treatments. The result is a project very much out of the blue, and one that is intensely personal to Knowler, having grown up in the same town under similar circumstances. “It feels like a part of my own journey as a guitarist reckoning with the defining marks of a gothic border town,” he remarks. “At the time I would’ve met Walker, I didn’t have much outside influence, but he has been in there all the while.” In their current form, the tracks combine to create a sonic journey that boldly contributes to the traditions of acoustic guitar soli, archival digs and field recordings all the same; most importantly, it is a creative document which shows a day-in-the-life of a man grappling with the human experience under a ubiquitous Yuma sun.
‘I Got What You Need’ is the statement from a troubadour coming into town to inform and entertain the people. Bearing songs of soul searching, of spiritual uplift, of tunes to groove to. Equipped with a powerful voice and stinging guitar the troubadour lays down his marker and backs up the statement. Two Times UK Blues Award winner Mississippi MacDonald has it all to play that troubadour as he presents his third album on APM Records. The gravelly Gospel tones on If I Could Only Hear My Mother Pray Again, and the imploring emotion on Your Dreams have MacDonald stretching out vocally. The former song in turn also showcasing another tour de force from regular backing vocalist Lucy Randall. Two self-penned instrumentals pay tribute; 3.35AM, to one of MacDonald’s prime influences Freddie King, and Soul City One to the in-house studio sound of Stax / MacDonald continues to be an excellent interpreter of southern soul and two more songs from the stable of Memphis studio and publishing house Ecko in Hard Luck and Trouble and the title track prove this. So too the band’s take on the R&B classic We’re Gonna Make It which in MacDonald’s hands really swings. Sinking is an epic ballad in which to lose yourself completely. The album is rich in variety, vibe and soulful energy. It’s MacDonald’s Blues and a whole lot more. MacDonald is a guest artist with the ‘Take Me To The River All Stars’, performing on stage at Red Rooster, filmed in session with Eric Gales and Jools Holland, and is filmed again at Royal Studios in Memphis on October 1st. MacDonald and band will perform at the UK Blues Challenge on October 8th, MacDonald is special guest of Visit Mississippi in Liverpool on October 18th when they unveil the first ever Blues Trail marker outside The Cavern. MacDonald will perform with Clarksdale veteran Super Chikan. International PR agent Blind Raccoon has been engaged to promote the new album. Last album ‘Heavy State Loving Blues’ was no. 1 on Roots Music Radio Contemporary Blues, no.1 on the IBBA chart for albums of the year 2023, and top 50 on the US Apple iTunes Blues chart, plus plays and a session on BBC Radio 2 Blues Show (Cerys Mathews). Live shows running up to end of March 2025. A singer/ songwriter from London who speaks quietly but makes music with real gravitas. A rising star since winning Traditional Blues Artist Of The Year and Acoustic Act of the Year at the 2024 UK Blues Awards. MacDonald has released two previous albums on APM Records. ‘Heavy State Loving Blues’ in 2023, and ‘Do Right Say Right’ in 2021- selected as a top 10 Blues album of the year in MOJO.
Vanishing Twin furthers their exploration of decidedly experimental territories with Afternoon X. Crafted with a playful balance of humour and rigour, with each member embracing the role of the multi-instrumentalist and process, over outcome. Following a series of line-up changes, Vanishing Twin is now the tightly honed collective of singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer Valentina Magaletti (Holy Tongue, Tomaga, Moin) and bassist Susumu Mukai (Zongamin). Harnessing the diverse touchstones of its members; Lucas’ left-field song-craft, Magaletti’s singular approaches to experimental percussion, and Mukai’s long history in the production of electronic music, the band has refined a hypnotic sound at the juncture of minimalism, kosmische, post-punk, and dream-laden, psychedelic pop. These eight fluttering abstractions, culled, collaged, and built upon from a vast constellation of instruments, samples, and unclaimed sources. Lucas employs her voice as an instrument and a generator of raw sound, weaving surreal imagery and uncanny juxtapositions amongst the dance and propellant drive. From infectious grooves of the album’s title track and the constrained minimalism of “Subito”, to the ambitious heights of pieces like ‘The Down Below’ and Lazy Garden, which unfurl a psychedelic avant-gardism on the scope and scale of David Axelrod and Scott Walker. Vanishing Twin embark upon a new multifaceted journey that collectively culminates as the bands most forward-thinking and groundbreaking release to date
Opaque Mango Colored Vinyl. RIYL: Black Milk, Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington, Mos Def, Blood Orange, Milo, Pharcyde, Blackalicious, Anderson Paak. Richmond, Virginia-based artist McKinley Dixon has always used his music as a tool for healing, exploring, and unpacking the Black experience in order to create stories for others like him. For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her, Dixon's debut album on Spacebomb, is the culmination of a journey where heartbreak and introspection challenged him to adapt new ways of communicating physically and mentally, as well as across time and space. The language accessibility aspect of this project draws right back to communication and connecting," Dixon explains. "I think about the messaging, and how this can be a way for another Black person, someone who looks like me, to listen to this and process the past. Everything I've learned about communication for this album culminates with this bigger question about time. Is time linear when you're still healing and processing? Westerners look at time travel as something to conquer or control - it's a colonizer mindset. That's ignoring how time travel can be done through stories and non-verbal communication, and doesn't acknowledge how close indigenous people are to the land and the connections groups have because they've existed somewhere for so long. Storytelling is time travel, it's taking the listener to that place. Quick time travel. Magic." Never relying solely on beats, Dixon taps into a hybrid of jazz and rap, pulling in an array of piercing strings, soulful horns, percussion, and angelic vocalists throughout the album-plus features by Micah James, Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, Pink Siifu, and more. Jazz instrumentals add a level of uncertainty, with the sounds and shifts evoking a lot of emotion and vulnerability. It's an energy he describes as "Pre-Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly," the era when rap adopted more live instrumentation. The best way to sum up this album is: I was sad, I was mad, and now I'm alive," Dixon explains. "These things I talk about on the record have had harmful and brilliant effects on my timeline, and have forced me to be cognizant of the fact that living is complex. Rap has allowed me the language to communicate, and be someone who can communicate with people from all over. Knowing how far I've come, I think people will find trust in the message I'm sending."
Having established a legacy as one of the most highly regarded contemporary UK Jazz musicians of the past decade, Newham-based pianist Alfa Mist’s discography boasts such stone cold classics as ‘Antiphon’ ‘Bring Backs’ and ‘Nocturne’. Alfa is yet to be boxed into a specific genre as his music spans everything from hip-hop beat-making to producing for artists such as rapper Loyle Carner, composing neo-classical works for the London Contemporary Orchestra, and reworking tracks from composer Ólafur Arnalds and pioneering jazz label Blue Note, not to mention his collaborations with the likes of Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch and drummer Richard Spaven, producer Lester Duval and singer Emmavie.
Now unveiling his next offering, Alfa revisits his stellar 2024 performance with Manchester’s extraordinary string outfit Amika Quartet at heralded venue Kings Place (London), capturing the magic of the evening within this awe-inspiring live album. Featuring a handful of brand new, never-before-heard tracks (alongside a number of expansions of previous releases), ‘Recurring’ sees Alfa drawing inspiration from classic live Jazz recordings, capturing a unique moment in time that can never be replicated or replayed. Creating an authentic, unpolished and electric feel, feeding his long-running mission of real-time musical expressions that evolve with each performance. On the genesis of the record, Alfa says: ‘Some of my favourite albums are captured live performances. I came home from a long year of touring and decided to work on some music for Amika Quartet who I've been working with for years on a few different shows and projects. A lot of the music I release is recorded in whole takes, I think there's something nice about doing the best you can with the moments you have. I wanted to take that one step further by recording it as a live show and seeing what happens.'’
Due for release via Alfa’s own Sekito Records imprint, a potent, raw and spontaneous energy permeates the release. Marking his first project with a full string arrangement, the iconic Kings Place venue’s reputation for spectacular acoustics, as well as intimate setting made an ideal location for the live recording. The decision to record in a live venue rather than a studio was driven by Alfa’s desire to push beyond his comfort zone and explore new creative territories. On first single ‘Checkpoint’, Alfa also takes to the microphone, breaking away from his usual introspective lyrical style to make comments on the current state of the world. He explains: “ 'I've written lyrics before but this is the first time I've ever tried to write a poem and it ended up being about the double standards of violence we see in this world everyday”. This offering is a testament to Alfa’s continuous evolution as an artist, blending his introspective lyric with broader societal observations, all while maintaining the improvisational spirit of jazz.
“A huge thing for this record was to make it feel as close to our live show as possible,” says Tom Sharkett of W.H. Lung’s latest album. “We didn’t want it to sound live but we wanted to capture the excitement of the live performances.”
This is something that has become paramount to the group in recent years as they have undeniably blossomed into one of the most joyous and arresting live bands in the country. “The reason I’m in a band is to play live music,” says singer Joe Evans. “For me, music is live music. That’s what it’s for, to be played with people.”
The five-piece band, also featuring Chris Mulligan, Hannah Peace, and Alex Mercer-Main, decided to try something new on their third album after two incredibly successful collaborations with previous producer Matt Peel. In order to capture the energy, spirit and dynamism of their live shows, they relocated to Sheffield to work with Ross Orton (MIA, Arctic Monkeys, Working Men’s Club) who was able to harness this side of the band to remarkable effect. “Ross is the Sheffield Steve Albini,” says Evans. “He’s the king of not overthinking it and trusting the process of the art of recording songs. He was always there to stop us fucking around with cerebral stuff and get it down.” Sharkett echoes this too: “He was the exact producer we needed without us even realising. His productions and mixes are bombastic, lively and in your face and that’s exactly what we wanted.”
However, while this album is rooted in a sense of capturing a moment and a sparky liveness, that’s not to say it’s a raw or ragged record. It is still a meticulously composed, delicately layered and pristinely produced piece of work that, in true W.H. Lung style, runs the gauntlet from dance to pop to indie while still capturing that distinctly unique quality that is unquestionably their own. “It was a really big thing for me to realise what made us sound like us on this record,” says Sharkett. “I think the album sounds a lot more confident and self assured because of it. Some songs sound just so much like Lung and I’m really proud of that. I’m not sure we’ve done that as consistently across the other records.”
While the band have drilled deeper into finding their own singular identity, it’s not a record resting on its laurels. It’s a significant leap forward, expanding on their solid foundations while also breaking new ground. “The big difference with this record is its directness in every sense,” says Sharkett. “The songwriting is more upfront. Previously we’d focused a lot on vibe and production as opposed to just writing songs. The overall mission here was to revert to a classic songwriting structure and for the production to come afterwards.” And so what you have on this record are deeply considered and well-crafted songs, then recorded with blistering intensity in the moment, and then given a touch of experimentation afterwards. Then throw in Orton’s contributions to the band and it’s proven to be a real winning formula. “He brought a real dose of magic to the songs we’d written,” says Sharkett. “And brought an extra bit of wonk and quirkiness each time.”
The band’s ability to write more traditional and conventional songs is clearly a skill they’ve taken to with ease, at times there’s an almost Springsteen-like quality – but if he'd ever had an ecstasy period – to tracks such as ‘Thinner Wine’ and ‘Bloom and Fade’. While ‘How to Walk’ was constructed with one thing only in mind: that it would absolutely slay on stage. “I can’t wait to play this live,” says Evans. “We wanted a song to represent our live set, a new big one, and this is it.” Once again it leans towards the anthemic, with its driving, propulsive charge complete with incandescent synths and vocal melodies so irresistible you can already hear them being sung in unison by a crowd.
It’s an incredibly difficult feat to pull off a record that is more rooted in traditional songcraft while also capturing the power of a live performance, as well as pushing sonics into experimental new directions while working with a brand new collaborator. But here the band has managed to do just that. And the album’s closing song ‘I Will Set Fire To The House’ is a perfect example of such a thing. It’s a song that feels immaculately constructed but also very much alive and of the moment as its radiating synths engulf from the off, and Evans’ vocal is silky but powerful and in perfect symbiosis with Peace’s. It’s a song that captures the endless joys of music playing long into the night. “It may be a bit of a bloody bombastic way to end an album saying ‘and we’ll dance into the sunrise’,” says Evans. “But fuck it.”
MORE PRESS ON ‘VANITIES’ (MELO131)
"Vanities artily refines an exhilarating brand of up-front electro-dance" MOJO ⅘
'Idiosyncratic yet euphoric electronic pop on triumphant second LP' 9/10 Uncut
''One of the most effective alternative pop albums of the year'' 4/5 Record Collector
'Dance music for the modern age' - The Times (4*)
Time to welcome another newcomer to Freerange with a brilliant debut that has already been gaining a lot of interest from early spins. Stefano Ritteri should be a familiar name to many, having dropped several well- received releases on key labels such as Pets, Rockets & Ponies and Get Physical as well as his own monthly Rinse France radio show. A producer in the old school sense, he has the ability and desire to flip from deep, emotive and down tempo jams to the most impactful, high energy floor fillers, all with a deft touch and unique and experimental spin. The Italian producer, now relocated to London, has a studio chock full of vintage synths and hardware outboard which keep him inspired and ensure his output sounds fresher and fatter than most, as can be heard on this excellent two-tracker entitled A Different Happiness EP The title track is a spaced out, percussion-heavy jam which takes a minimal approach but wins hearts and minds with an ear-worm of a melody that gets gets you hooked in from the start. Snippets of spoken word add to the intense atmosphere making this one of those sure-fire, perennial tracks which can work in a variety of sets and still guaranteed to make an impact and stand out in the crowd. Flip over for Pocket Melody, another simple yet effective and inventive track which sees Stefano letting loose on his synths and coming up with some warped Zawinul-inspired vibes in the process. The playful melody snakes around in an improvised way whilst the dubby drums and classic analogue machine beats ensure everyone stays locked into it's hypnotic groove. Definitely a producer to watch for us and we're sure Stefano is on track to continue making some amazing music. We hope you love this as much as we do!
It's been nearly a decade since Montreal's PYPY (pronounced like 'π π'...with a long 'i' rather than long 'e', thank you very much) landed with their debut Pagan Day (Slovenly), but the same lunatics behind CPC Gangbangs, Red Mass and Duchess Says are back with Sacred Times on Goner Records. One might recall the thunderous pop of their banger "She's Gone" carving out a place for itself in the high-end fashion world, becoming the soundtrack to Yves Saint Laurent's 2016 show. If that album bounced, punched and clawed like Delta 5 covered in dirt and trying to get somewhere in a booted vehicle while dodging lightning rod guitar licks the whole way, Sacred Times takes things to somewhere far beyond the proverbial "next level."
Co-vocalist/founder/multi-instrumentalist Annie-Claude Deschênes' (Duchess Says) signature howl and vocal acrobatics are present but so is a tendency towards beautiful melodies. Bassist Philippe Clement's (Duchess Says) brings a nastier bottom end that locks onto Simon Besré's drumming with a death grip for the entire affair. And guitarist/co-vocalist Roy Vucino (Red Mass, CPC Gangbangs, Black Leather Rose, Les Sexareenos, a gazillion others) goes bonkers with wildass blown-out guitar that's like hornets caught in yr hair.
"Lonely Striped Sock" grooves along like "Earthbeat"-era Slits/ESG until the chorus transforms PYPY into something else entirely. Something huge. Something with monster riffs and wah wah that pins you to the back wall. So there is clearly a brilliance with dynamics here, and it proves to be a not-so-secret-weapon that repays the "ear-vestment" in dividends throughout. "Ear-vestment"? Yikes. Then it's time for "She's Back," a sort of part 2/continuation (maybe a trilogy is in the works?) of Pagan Day's best-known gem (the aforementioned "She's Gone"). This one packs a hook that'll make your brain take out a restraining order. Looking for lost keys? Jury duty? Underwater welding? Negotiating a hostage situation? It doesn't matter...nothing will stop it from invading your thoughts. They say the only way to get a song unstuck from the noodle is to listen to it from start to finish, but you'll be doing that anyway. A lot. "Erase" is a (synth) noise-punk nugget; revealing a need for Brainiac-meets-Blondie we didn't know we had...deceptively kicking off with a no-fi drum machine that is immediately lost in the massive pop din that seemingly includes everything within reach. "Poodle Escape" is two minutes of perfect (and perfectly distorted) synth-punk and "I Am A Simulation" – with lead vox from Vucino – is yet another hit that deviates from the noise a bit and pays homage to both Devo and classic late-70's (big) power-pop (ex: the first Cars LP), but with a manic nature that is 150% circa right now. "15 Sec" (actually 3:38 in duration, thankfully) serves up a stanky-brown bass line, Deschênes' gorgeous vocals, wonderfully combative white hot, pin-the-meters Oh Sees/early Comets on Fire guitar rips, and a stunning coda that seems to utilize everything great about this band over its final minute. The album's title track is a love letter to Hawkwind in the musical language already established here. "Vanishing Blinds" is like being chased through the rain-soaked streets in an unknown dystopian nightmare from 40+ years ago. The album closes with the brooding if not playful menace of "Poodle Escape,” which, like its predecessors, is completely unlike every track before it.
Phoebe Rings is a dream-pop band offering a unique blend of introspective yearning with celestial danceable grooves. Their self-titled debut EP, a hopeful collection of musings, out on Carpark Records, is a testament to the distinctive musical style of Auckland jazz-school-trained pianist and songwriter Crystal Choi. Across six tracks, the EP is a love letter to some of the band’s influences: Studio Ghibli films, Zelda and Stardew soundtracks, Bossa Nova, Stereolab, and 90’s Korean ballads.
In 2020, the band played their first gig in a ‘funny side room’ during a festival at Auckland Town Hall. Choi’s songwriting was brought to life with Alex Freer on drums, Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent on guitar and synths, and Benjamin Locke on bass. Choi says she knew the tracks had to be recorded after the band played the songs better than she could ever imagine. And so, remotely through the COVID-19 lockdowns, the band started recording the EP.
“Daisy” is the vibrant leading single, with the shimmery refrain “Ooh-wee-a-waa” and the uplifting mantra: “When you’re next to me, the world’s full of daisies.” The swirling synths fizz on the skin like warm sun, promising growth and new starts. “Cheshire” is an Alice in Wonderland-inspired trip through the rabbit hole, pacing in anticipation. “Like a Cheshire cat, it grins and disappears in moments when you accept yourself,” explains Choi. Locke and Choi finished the lyrics one evening, huddled in the corner of a local underground music venue, with references to Murakami’s book Dance Dance Dance.
Choi grew up in Seoul, developing a palette for K-pop and retro sounds. The city-pop influence of “January Blues” shines through, with Choi crediting one of her favourite songs from the ’80s: “연극이 끝난 후 After Play”. The track explores her disconnect with the summer break. “In the Northern Hemisphere, January is winter,” says Choi. “I missed that a lot, and I don’t vibe with the beach.”
“Spissky,” chimes in with Choi’s lilting vocals reminiscent of childhood lullabies, inspired by a lonely-looking castle she saw on tour with Princess Chelsea in Slovakia. While “Ocean” leans into its mumble-core roots, taking a leaf from the Cocteau Twins. There’s an external shift in the EP, with “Lazy Universe” being the most energetic track, evolving with the band’s chaotic sci-fi experimentation. Asking, “Are you still waiting for a kiss?” Choi is self-critical and urgently speaks up from being passive.
The members of Phoebe Rings are cemented in the musical ecosystem, balancing other projects and full-time work. Yet Sundays will always be carved out for Phoebe Rings to dream up imaginative, world-building tunes — often with a Nintendo game soundtrack in the background as inspiration.
- Destroy In Order To Grow
- Monkey Man
- The Raju Special
- Baba Shakti
- Mother
- Maushi
- Hit Me!
- Memory
- Tiger
- The Mirror
- Tuk Tuk
- On The Ground
- Dreams
- Hell
- Naam Mera
- Into The Fire
- The Tree
- Cut Open
- Training
- The Kid
- The Candidate
- Snake And A Monkey
- Attacks
- Diwali Madness
- Restaurant
- Get Up
- Rana
- My Son
- Hanuman
- Home
- Saffron Takeover
- The Wallet Song
In collaboration with Back Lot Music and Monkeypaw Productions, Waxwork Records is proud to present MONKEY MAN Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Jed Kurzel. Monkey Man is a 2024 action-thriller film directed, co-written, and produced by Dev Patel in his directorial debut.
The film follows "Kid", an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a monkey mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city's sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Jed Kurzel is an award winning Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist and film composer. His scoring credits include The Babadook, Alien: Covenant, Overlord, Assassin's Creed, and others.
Waxwork Records proudly presents MONKEY MAN Original Motion Picture Soundtrack as a deluxe double LP featuring Blood Red, Black, and Metallic Gold A-Side B-Side colored vinyl, new artwork by Sajan Rai, exclusive director and composer liner notes, heavyweight gatefold packaging, and an 11"x11 insert.
- A1: Gonna Get You
- A2: Working Woman
- A3: Coffee High
- A4: Everything Holds Blame
- A5: Snake Charmer
- A6: Free Vibes (Instrumental)
- B1: Love Alarm
- B2: Out Of Fashion
- B3: Nothing For Nothing
- B4: Magic Time Machine
- B5: The Time Is Right For Love
- B6: Hold Fast
- C1: Working Woman (Kenny Dope Mix)
- C2: The Time Is Right For Love (Swing-O Aka 45 Remix)
- C3: Coffee High (Bellevilloise)
- C4: Snake Charmer (Instrumental)
- C5: Free Vibes Part 2 (Vocal Version)
- D1: Burn This Disco Out
- D2: Magic Time Machine (Maida Vale)
- D3: June (Printemps De Bourges)
- D4: Hold Fast (Jr Blender Remix)
- D5: The Time Is Right For Love (Flute Version)
- D6: Working Part 2 (Instrumental)
15 years onwards from the original release in October 2009, "This Is …" by Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos remains a classic in its genre. Upfront, raw and melodic, this super sister funk album has not aged at all. Now, in 2024, it is time for a proper re-release with unreleased bonus tracks, rare remixes and a limited edition double vinyl album. Welcome to the deluxe version of "This Is …" by Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos.
Read here what the original release sheet said about the album:
"Strong album – packs a serious punch" Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show, BBC 6 Music
"A breath of fresh air" Keb Darge
"Really amazing stuff, full of killers" Nick / Record Kicks
"Definitely recommended" Peter Wermelinger, Funky & Groovy Music Records Lexicon
"What a fantastic album – this is proper funk" Tobias Kirmayer, Tramp Records
Ever since their first collaboration on the "Mocambo Funk Forty Fives" compilation, things have gained momentum for Gizelle Smith, the "Golden Girl of Funk", and the much respected Hamburg-based label and live band The Mighty Mocambos. Their first single "Working Woman" became an overnight smash and a prime-time club favourite of funk & soul DJs from all over the world. Initially released on the Finnish private press label Old Capital, producer legend and Grammy nominee Kenny Dope (Masters at Work, Bucketheads) picked up and remixed the song for his own label Kay Dee Records. Gizelle Smith & Mocambo now step up with a full-length album of bonafide sister funk. In the days of digital recording and Pro Tools editing, they show true exception to modern techniques and create their highly regarded, unique and raw soul sound, by making use of simple dynamic microphones and reel-to-reel tape machines. In a genre which is often littered with overused clichés of the past, the charismatic Gizelle Smith adds a lot of her own flavour rather than slavishly copying icons of bygone decades. The result is a refreshing alternative to post-millenium plastic pop without being a mere retro rip-off. From the heavy and determined "Gonna Get You" to vulnerable, gospel-tinged laments such as "Coffee High", "This Is Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos" is just as deeply rooted in the music from the golden era of soul as it is a modern masterpiece in its own right. Blazing horns, soulful guitars, driving drums and basslines combined with Gizelle's gripping and powerful voice all weave together to create a long player that is varied and coherent at the same time.
- Heart Of Tin
- Aberfan
- Movement
- Richard E Grant
- Salvation Xl
- Taking Stones To Joe’s House
- Double Island
- At The Lake Ft. The Golden Dregs
- Flight
- Bluff
In Cornish slang it is said that things get done ‘dreckly’; that is, not now, not necessarily tomorrow, but, at some indefinite point...in the future...soon...
Fitting then that when Bristol’s Langkamer decamped to their de facto home-from-home in the picturesque south-west seaside town of Falmouth to record their third album in as many years (with an EP thrown in there too) - there was no particular need to rush things: “The process was much slower and more considered for Langzamer.”, drummer/vocalist Josh Jarman explains: “The first two albums felt pretty urgent, and each was finished in about 6 months, but this one feels a lot more deliberate. It’s taken us two years to get this done.”
Equally fitting too that Langzamer kicks off proceedings with ‘Heart of Tin’: the first bars are languidly lugubrious, so deliciously plucked-out and scuzzed-up that they linger in the air like passing smoke, magically, slowing time down to their own assured and steady will. And in so much time, that also feels like no time at all, comes an opening line of such stark, disarming confessionalism as might be found in the David Berman/Silver Jews songbook: “Do you want the good news or the bad news first? // They’re both bad news, but the bad is worse” It’s Langkamer in a nutshell: embattled, heart-on-sleeve Slacker Rock slaked with twinges of fret-sliding Americana, yet deeply embedded in the folk mythologies, colloquialisms and experiences of the band’s West Country roots.
Throughout Langzamer, confronting the listener again and again is this conflict between the band’s breezy, melodic charm, and the threat of something more sinister lurking in the undergrowth. While those more familiar with Langkamer’s oeuvre to date will have already come to know and love their often self-deprecating yet witty lyricism, the songs on Langzamer take this trademark ebullient gloominess to more challenging plains: “Principally this is an album about grief, and everything that entails...” explains Jarman. “in a sense death brought these songs to life.”
This thread is felt no more so than on ‘Salvation XL’. Inspired by a “particularly bad batch of food poisoning I had in Morocco”, Jarman explains, and beginning with the memorable opening line, “Jesus came to me a Burger King in Marrakech”, the band wind their way through the ‘big topics’: death and God.
“This trip was shortly after a few of my friends had passed away, and I think a lot of my thoughts and actions at that time were being influenced by my grief without me realising it.”, he explains, “Whenever I dwell on grief, and how death has given my life a new context, I come back to that. The ongoing battle between agnosticism and atheism. I wasn’t raised in a very strict religious home, but I come from a long line of methodists, and it’s interesting to think about the way theism and religion have shaped my life without me knowing it. I think that’s being channelled on this album a lot. The uncertainty that comes with disbelief.”
Our collective mortal frailties are also felt on lead single ‘Richard E Grant’. With a trademark bittersweetness, a track that begins as an appreciation of the actor’s humorous social media presence unfolds as a study on “finding healthy coping strategies to deal with loss.”. Elsewhere, ‘At The Lake’ - to the tune of mournful, folk-like balladry - explores binge-drinking culture and the troubled association between unhealthy behaviour and creativity. The listener is left in no mind as to the meaning behind the references to James Joyce and Janis Jopin as “souvenirs stolen from the dark”.
With themes as weighty as these strewn across the album’s 10 tracks, It seemed like a particularly astute move then for the band to personally approach Ben Woods, founder of the Golden Dregs, to assist on production duties. Not only would the delicate intimacies of Woods’ main project - see 2023’s On Grace & Dignity for reference - add an appropriate moodiness, but Woods was also born and raised in Cornwall, where the album was recorded; amidst “eating pasties” and breaks by the sea, Woods and the band transformed the vaults underneath iconic Falmouth venue The Cornish Bank into a makeshift studio for a weeks’ worth of recording. Occasionally friends would drop by to lighten the load; Zander Sharp tracking violin on ’Double Island’ and ‘Flight’; Josh Law and Ben Sadler of Breakfast Records labelmates Getdown Services, both of whom contribute to the soul-stirring ‘mountain’ chorus on ‘Aberfan’.
When compared to the brightness of 2023’s The Noon and Midnight Manual, Woods’ influence on the record seems indisputable. On the aforementioned ‘At The Lake’, for instance, which features backing vocals from Woods. Or, most acutely, on the piano strains of harrowing closer ‘Bluff’, a track with such chilling, spectral severity as to effect the band’s most heartbreaking effort to date. While it’s particularly sombre note on which end proceedings, it's also an appropriate one: Langzamer bravely stands tall as their most restrained, matured, and sincere collection to date. And almost by virtue of its impeccable honesty, those moments of sunshine-joy that creep through the cracks feel that much more golden.
Coke Bottle CLear Vinyl. The breakout success of 2016's Puberty 2 saw Mitski hailed as the new vanguard of indie rock, the one to save the genre from the white dudes who've historically dominated it. But the often overlooked aspect of being a rising star is the sheer amount of work that goes into it. "I had been on the road for a long time, which is so isolating, and had to run my own business at the same time," Mitski explains, "a lot of this record was me not having any feelings, being completely spent, but then trying to rally myself and wake up and get back to Mitski. I was feeling really nihilistic and trying to make pop songs."We want our artists to be strong but we also expect them to be vulnerable. Rather than avoiding this dilemma, she addresses directly the power that comes from appearing impenetrable and loneliness that follows. "With a lot of the romantic infatuations I've had," she says, "when I look back, I wonder, Did I want them or did I want to be them? Did I love them or did I want to absorb whatever power they had? I decided I could just be my own cowboy figure that I so desire." In Be The Cowboy, delves into the loneliness of being a symbol and the loneliness of being someone, and how it can feel so much like being no one.
we would like to share this beautiful mini LP with you at the end of the summer. we were very surprised when we received this demo and knew immediately that we would like to release it on vinyl. The artist is from near the Karparten, we don't know much about him, but he's a nice guy and we like the tracks a lot.
You will certainly hear a lot more from him.. Vinyl Tastes Better...
Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water, the self-titled debut from the duo of trumpeter Will Evans and guitarist, synthesist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Theo Trump, arrives like a vault revelation. It feels like a decades-old yet newly unearthed masterwork of gorgeous ambient improvisation, the sort of thing scholars live to research and shepherd into deluxe reissue.
The patient, crystalline chords that swell and resonate like a series of confessions; the textured brass murmurs that suggest a ’60s or ’70s Fire Music master at their most poignant. Provocative found-sound experiments threading arcane religious recordings through dystopian soundscapes. Ear-shattering free-noise tumult. Where and when did this music come from? Who are these voices?
As it turns out, Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water springs from an engrossing human story, though it isn’t necessarily the one you’d expect. This work of stunning maturity is in fact an entrance by two little-known explorers in their early 20s, who grew up together in Virginia, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It documents one of those perfect, sparkling moments in post-adolescence when big decisions and responsibilities are right around the corner, but for a spell, two young artists are able to create among the comforts and nostalgia of their shared past.
It also represents a reunion of sorts, as Evans and Trump connected as toddlers, became inseparable as boys, then pursued independent lives and creative paths as young adults. “Theo is my oldest friend,” Evans says, “and I feel like that’s what this band is — us meeting right in the middle of our interests.”
Now, having conjured this magic, they’ve detached once again: Evans, whose other works include the indie/avant-jazz unit Angelica X, is currently based in New York City. Trump recently moved to England, where he’d participated in his family’s theatre company, to go to school and further his solo ambient project. “This album didn’t start out as something super ambitious,” Evans explains. “It was more just an excuse to spend time together again and make music.”
***
In conversation, Evans and Trump are a delight, especially for cynics who might think that Gen-Z is only capable of doomscrolling. They come across as kindly young intellectuals who grew up using the internet as it was intended, for exposure to ideas and art across genres and generations. Trump points to indie-folk and the oracular post-rock of late Talk Talk, Bark Psychosis and Gastr del Sol. Pressed for his guitar heroes, he cites Bill Orcutt, Mary Halvorson and Marc Ribot, and mentions his devotion to alt-country. Heyday electro-industrial stuff like Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails also meant a lot to him.
Evans is equally intrepid, though his background has a greater jazz focus. Ambrose Akinmusire, among today’s most thoughtfully commanding trumpeters, is a favorite. As for the soulful murmur he offers throughout Forgetting You, Pharoah Sanders’ wistful and lyrical contributions to Floating Points’ work is a touchstone.
The two grew up down the street from each other in the northern Piedmont town of Batesville, Virginia. Their families were friends, holidays were celebrated together and they became the most loyal of pals. As children they had a pretend band.
Then life unfolded, they attended different schools and their paths diverged. Evans discovered John Coltrane and became a jazz obsessive, as Trump found punk and hardcore and later began making ambient music. As a dedicated jazz trumpeter, Evans studied formally and widely; Trump was an autodidact, teaching himself guitar and absorbing synthesis and production techniques. The late teens and very early 20s brought moves away from home and back to home, as well as plenty of listening and learning. The Covid pandemic meant an opportunity to reconnect on long walks. Through it all, together and apart, they remained reverent of each other.
By early 2023, they found themselves living again among the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the evening, after giving trumpet lessons in Charlottesville, Evans would make the eerily beautiful trek “over the mountain” to Trump’s home in Staunton, Virginia. They’d talk and eat and begin to improvise, deep into the night. Evans played trumpet and sometimes drums. (Given the wee-hours recording schedule, the neighbors didn’t appreciate the latter.) Trump plugged a rickety, junk-store Telecaster-style guitar into a cheap solid-state amp and explored open tunings; he also layered on lap steel, electric bass, synths and electronics.
They locked in and relished each other’s gifts. In Trump, those include patience and intentionality and sonic decision-making; for Evans, a distinctive trumpet sound that both musicians think of as a singer’s voice. “Will’s playing is so thoughtful and well placed,” Trump says. “My goal from a producer’s mindset is that the trumpet will occupy the space that vocals would take.”
Often, they got lost in the best way. “The thing I look for most when I’m playing is that feeling of disappearing into what you’re doing,” Evans says. “Usually when that happens, the music is good.”
By the same token, they didn’t pursue free improvisation as an ethic, or as a pure process. Their goal was something closer to spontaneous composition. “We were trying to make good songs,” Evans says simply. Later, Trump did brilliant post-production work, expanding a modest setup into an enthralling soundworld. Under his judicious editorship, music that was wholly improvised sounds at times like a carefully composed new-music commission.
The results speak for themselves. “A Happy Death” summons up a swath of American desolation through the viewfinder of Wim Wenders. “Flesh of Lost Summers” and “Partings” are highlights from an essential ECM LP that never was. “A Collapse of Horses” infuses those seminal post-rock influences with the plod of doom metal or slowcore. The album’s final track, “The Mountains Are a Dream That Calls to Me,” was in fact the first thing the duo recorded, as an evocation of those twilit drives across the Blue Ridge Mountains. “Looking back at what we chose to name the songs,” Evans says, “and some of the sounds and how they make me feel, there is an air of impermanence and loss to this album.”
“I’m excited for everything that’s to come,” he adds, “but I recently thought, ‘Damn — that’s not going to happen again.’ It was a privilege for us to have that time together.”
Austin, TX legends, The Sword, welcome in the Twelfth vinyl release in the Live at LEVITATION series. On June 27, 2024, the band announced they would reunite for a one-off concert on November 3 at the 2024 edition of LEVITATION in Austin. In celebration of this reunion, we pulled from the archive and this limited live release showcases the bands appearance at the festival with their 2015 and 2021 performances. These recordings are now immortalized on beautiful limited colored vinyl. "With the band originating in the great city of Austin, a city that's proven to be a nucleus for a wide range of distinct and eclectic musical acts, it only felt natural to be included on the Levitation roster in 2015 and again in 2021, adding our own flavor to its diverse landscape. What an honor it has been to be included at such a cool festival. We've had two memorable sets so far, playing alongside some truly amazing bands. When we began entertaining the thought of returning to the stage after a two year hiatus, playing a reunion set at Levitation became the only appropriate solution, to play in front of the fans in Austin Texas, where it all began. We're very excited! Being asked to be part of the "Live at Levitation" LP series is also a great honor. The tracks we selected from each performance, at Carson Creek Ranch and Empire Garage, captured a special energy and enthusiasm that only Levitation could provide. It truly means a lot to share these memories with everyone and be included in this series!" - The Sword LEVITATION and the LIVE AT LEVITATION Vinyl Series The first Austin Psych Fest was held in March 2008, and expanded to a 3 day event the following year. The event quickly developed into an international destination for psychedelic rock fans, with lineups spanning the fringes of indie rock, from up-and-comers to vintage legends, and capped off with headline performances from co-founders The Black Angels, along with Tame Impala, The Flaming Lips, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Thee Oh Sees (in various forms) and many more. LEVITATION helped spark a movement, inspiring the creation of similar events across the globe and a burgeoning psych scene that would soon ignite. The series captures key moments in psychedelic rock history, and live music in Austin, Texas, pressed on beautiful limited edition colorful vinyl pressings - each an eye popping visual representation of the music contained within. The artists and sets showcased on Live at LEVITATION have been chosen from over a decade of recordings at the world-renowned event, and document key artists in the scene performing for a crowd of their peers and fans who gather at LEVITATION annually from all over the world.
Hardwarez, the third LP by Master Boot Record (aka MBR) on Metal Blade, sees multi-instrumentalist mastermind Vittorio D'Amore (aka Victor Love) aurally exploring the duality of technology and humanity in 9 intense and incandescent tracks. The LP, which follows 2022’s Personal Computer and 2020’s Floppy Disk Overdrive, comes from the expansive mind of Love, an Italian producer who emerged from the underground as an anonymous project in 2016 to create the soundtrack for the cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game VirtuaVerse. The project seamlessly evolved into a standalone entity, releasing over 14 albums in just a few years.
To create Hardwarez, the technologist worked by live streaming his desktop on YouTube while composing new music. Everything is programmed via MIDI. “The very first song I wrote is actually also the first single, “CPU,” he says. “Even though the other songs on the album have a quite different style, the type of riffing and the different melodic section of this track worked as a base to upgrade the sound before moving forward.” “CPU” is also where Love decided to test the real guitar overdubs and was inspired by the results.
“With every album I’ve upgraded bits of the sounds, adding new layers,” he says. “In Hardwarez the core sounds for synth guitars, leads and pads are still those that constitute the trademark MBR sound, but what makes this album very different is the addition of guitar overdubs that play along synth guitars for both the rhythmic and solo sections.”
Intensive touring augmented with live musicians helped Love to make the decision to include real guitars to achieve a massive sound and boost the enhanced frequency spectrum of the instrument. “On this record there are a lot of heavy riffs with palm muting and my lead guitarist Shreddy recorded most of those leads and solos as well playing in unison with synth leads and adding extra energy to them.”
Weißes Vinyl, limitiert auf 300 Exemplare. Unwiederbringlich dem Credo ,born too late" verfallen, loten Traum in ihrer Musik die technischen Grenzen des Zeitreisens neu aus und kreieren dabei einen naiven Gegenentwurf zum Hier und Jetzt in oszillierendem Technicolor. Der Sound des Trios entfacht Reminiszenzen an die Ursprünge von Psychedelia, Acid Rock und Glam, getragen von einem eskapistischen Tunnelblick auf längst vergangene Dekaden des bewusstseinserweiternden Hedonismus. Die ersten Aufnahmen der Band weckten prompt das Interesse des kalifornischen, in Los Angeles ansässigen Psychedelic-Connaisseur-Labels Hypnotic Bridge, welches Anfang 2024 zwei Traum-Songs auf 7" Vinyl veröffentlichte und dazu schrieb: ,Traum präsentieren eine Ode an den mystischen Rausch eines Technicolor-Traums. Aufgeladen durch Vintage-Tape Echos und Ausbrüche von Fuzz-Gitarren, sind ihre Songs dazu gemacht, sich tief in die Doppelhelix-Matrix von mehrfach gespiegelten Gedankenströmen zu winden." Das renomierte englische Musikmagazin ,Shindig!" schrieb dazu: ,Das Debütalbum der drei deutschen Musiker von Traum lässt keinen Zweifel daran, wo ihr Herz schlägt. (...) Der Gesang ist verträumt und distanziert, die Gitarren schlängelnd und kurvenreich." und zog zahlreiche Vergleiche zu obskuren Vertretern des Psychedelic-Pop der späten 1960er Jahre in Großbritannien wie Fire, Tintern Abbey, The Smoke, u.ä. Im Frühjahr 2024 begab sich die Band erneut ins eigene Studio um vier weitere Stücke aufzunehmen, die von Frontmann Helen Lichter komplett analog abgemischt wurden und mit ihrem puristisch verträumten Sound nahtlos an die Erstveröffentlichung anschließen.
Hardwarez, the third LP by Master Boot Record (aka MBR) on Metal Blade, sees multi-instrumentalist mastermind Vittorio D'Amore (aka Victor Love) aurally exploring the duality of technology and humanity in 9 intense and incandescent tracks. The LP, which follows 2022’s Personal Computer and 2020’s Floppy Disk Overdrive, comes from the expansive mind of Love, an Italian producer who emerged from the underground as an anonymous project in 2016 to create the soundtrack for the cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game VirtuaVerse. The project seamlessly evolved into a standalone entity, releasing over 14 albums in just a few years.
To create Hardwarez, the technologist worked by live streaming his desktop on YouTube while composing new music. Everything is programmed via MIDI. “The very first song I wrote is actually also the first single, “CPU,” he says. “Even though the other songs on the album have a quite different style, the type of riffing and the different melodic section of this track worked as a base to upgrade the sound before moving forward.” “CPU” is also where Love decided to test the real guitar overdubs and was inspired by the results.
“With every album I’ve upgraded bits of the sounds, adding new layers,” he says. “In Hardwarez the core sounds for synth guitars, leads and pads are still those that constitute the trademark MBR sound, but what makes this album very different is the addition of guitar overdubs that play along synth guitars for both the rhythmic and solo sections.”
Intensive touring augmented with live musicians helped Love to make the decision to include real guitars to achieve a massive sound and boost the enhanced frequency spectrum of the instrument. “On this record there are a lot of heavy riffs with palm muting and my lead guitarist Shreddy recorded most of those leads and solos as well playing in unison with synth leads and adding extra energy to them.”
2024 Repress
Michael Gray’s ‘The Weekend’ has become more than just a seminal clubbing anthem. ‘The Weekend’ has become a soundtrack for many a night out, an evergreen, life anthem for a whole generation, a record that has stayed popular since the naughties through its sheer brilliance and been brought back to the attention to a new generation through social media like TikTok.
Now the worldwide dance hit has had new life breathed into it new live strings/dance version from Michael himself.
As Michael goes on to say in his own words:
“I have been working with live strings and horn sections a lot recently and it occurred to me to try ‘The Weekend’ as a totally different concept while keeping the integrity of the original…and it worked!
I got chills when I first heard Stephen Hussey’s (Soul to Soul) arrangement. I think it makes Shena’s lead vocal (and Xavier’s backing vocals ) sound so good!
When I made the record back in 2004 I didn’t realize how much this record would endure and appeal to younger and younger generations in its original form alone. I still get a buzz, particularly when I see DJ’s such as Claptone and Low Steppa playing it to huge crowds. Radio play has been amazing over the years too.
It makes me smile that there are thousands of TikTok videos to it as well!
"Tre" is the new long-awaited 12-track album by The Dining Rooms out for Schema after two lps on the research label Milano2000, "Subterranean Modern" and "NumeroDeux" and a lot of appearances on the most important atmospheric-downtempo compilations. 12 tracks and 2 videos to be precise (Maria Arena is the brillant filmaker working with TDR). 12 elements redefining the borders of TDR music, drawing inspiration from Jazz, Africanism, Hip-Hop, House, Soul with true eclectism. "Tre" is a turning point in the history of TDR and represent a sort of change of perspectives.
»Chromacolor« is one of those records that immediately feels like home even though it is hard to locate stylistically. Written and recorded by Hanno Leichtmann in Berlin and Madeira between 2020 and 2022, it draws on rhythmic minimalism as a guiding principle and might call to mind organic, instrument-based ambient music, but also incorporates jazzy moments as well as Annie Garlids multi-layered vocals that permeate through these nine pieces.
The foundation for Leichtmann’s Chromacolor project was laid when the prolific Berlin-based producer, musician, and drummer borrowed a vibraphone and a Fender Rhodes from two friends. Combining their unique sonic affordances with those of a Guitaret, an electric lamellophone, he further expanded his sound palette by inviting other musicians—Anthea Caddy, Sabine Vogel, Tobias Delius, Els Vandeweyer, Sabine Ercklentz, Mike Majkowski, Andrei Ladeishchikov, Oona Farchy, Gonçalo Caboz as well as Rafael and Hugo Andrade—to play small but vital parts in the production of the album.
The opener »Kisses and Wine« masterfully sets the tone for an album that is as inviting as it is challenging. Working with relaxed repetitive rhythms, Garlid’s anthemic vocals and a sprinkle of saxophone and flute tones courtesy of Delius and Vogel, respectively, as well as tender piano notes played by Leichtmann, it evokes a lot with only few means: a certain melancholy, but also an elevated atmosphere that feels both exuberant and restrained.
Leichtmann’s elegant study of the power of repetition, minute rhythmic shifts and subtle use of melodic and harmonic elements creates ambiguities and polyvalences like these throughout the entire record, up until its understated finale, aptly titled »A Beautiful Day«—a drone-jazz piece, if you will, both longing and joyful.
As an album, »Chromacolor« is hard to pigeonhole, but rich and rewarding. All it takes is immersing yourself in it.
Mighty Vertebrate is the International Anthem debut from Anna Butterss. The Adelaide born bassist / composer has been a first call for LA tour and studio work since relocating there in 2014 – racking up credits with notables across the experimental, jazz, and pop worlds alike – but their most notable contributions to the burgeoning LA scene have been as a member of both Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet and rising proto-trance supergroup SML, who Pitchfork says “represents the thrilling next phase of a vibrant L.A. community.”
“I had just gotten off of a bunch of touring at the end of 2022 and just wanted to write music,” says Butterss. “The best way for me to do that, I’ve found, is to set myself a discreet and focused task."
I’m going to make a song where the bass doesn’t function in the role of a bass.
I’m going to work on this for an hour and then I’m going to stop.
I’m going to make a song that uses groups of three-bar phrasing.
I want to sample something and make it into a song.
I’m going to start with a drum machine.
The music itself reflects that structure beautifully, with the material being tightly
composed and melodically realized by Butterss well in advance of production concerns. Here they reconvene a group of trusted longtime collaborators to bring their compositions to fruition: Ben Lumsdaine (drums, guitar, production), Josh Johnson (sax), and Gregory Uhlmann (guitar), plus a smoking guest appearance from Jeff Parker. The breadth and scope of the results might have been difficult to achieve otherwise. From the Robbie-Shakespeare-in-groove-mode intro to the album opener “Bishop” to the spacious cinematic doom of “Seeing You”, there is a lot to wrangle into one cohesive concept. On Mighty Vertebrate, Butterss and crew do just that.
RAT BOY have recorded in Los Angeles with T im Armstrong of Rancid, played festivals as far afield as Japan and China, and toured North America with The Interrupters. Yet for all those globe-trotting adventures, there"s no place you know quite as well as home. That"s the central topic that R AT BOY explore on their upcoming third album "SUBURBIA CALLING", which will be released on October 4th via Hellcat. "SUBURBIA CALLING" sees RAT BOY exploring stories from their roots in Essex. It"s the land of wheeler -dealers and dodgy geezers, and home to nosey neighbours, rowdy clubs and Joey Essex. For readers outside of the UK, it"s the land of Blur, Depeche Mode and The Prodigy: a place not so far outside of east London, but in other ways it"s a world away. And it"s not only an immense font of inspiration for RAT BOY, but the place where ever ything happens for them.. Just outside of Chelmsford sits a converted barn where the band can jump in and be creative whenever the mood takes them - a HQ that is a recording studio, a rehearsal space, an art studio, a storage space and a hangout spot all-in-one. Frontman Jordan Cardy says, "I wanted to sing about Essex. Essex is where we live and when you"ve grown up somewhere you notice things about it. There"s so much to draw on. Essex is really close to London but it"s different in a lot of ways. We"ve got a lot of freedom here, we built a place where we can record and rehearse and hang out, somewhere you wouldn"t be able to have in London." RAT BOY - completed by Liam Haygarth (bass), Harr y Todd (guitar) and Noah Booth (dr ums) - approached the making of the al - bum in unorthodox fashion. They recorded a home demo and a live performance of each song, which were then sent to producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) to edit together like a tapestry puzzle.
RAT BOY have recorded in Los Angeles with T im Armstrong of Rancid, played festivals as far afield as Japan and China, and toured North America with The Interrupters. Yet for all those globe-trotting adventures, there"s no place you know quite as well as home. That"s the central topic that R AT BOY explore on their upcoming third album "SUBURBIA CALLING", which will be released on October 4th via Hellcat. "SUBURBIA CALLING" sees RAT BOY exploring stories from their roots in Essex. It"s the land of wheeler -dealers and dodgy geezers, and home to nosey neighbours, rowdy clubs and Joey Essex. For readers outside of the UK, it"s the land of Blur, Depeche Mode and The Prodigy: a place not so far outside of east London, but in other ways it"s a world away. And it"s not only an immense font of inspiration for RAT BOY, but the place where ever ything happens for them.. Just outside of Chelmsford sits a converted barn where the band can jump in and be creative whenever the mood takes them - a HQ that is a recording studio, a rehearsal space, an art studio, a storage space and a hangout spot all-in-one. Frontman Jordan Cardy says, "I wanted to sing about Essex. Essex is where we live and when you"ve grown up somewhere you notice things about it. There"s so much to draw on. Essex is really close to London but it"s different in a lot of ways. We"ve got a lot of freedom here, we built a place where we can record and rehearse and hang out, somewhere you wouldn"t be able to have in London." RAT BOY - completed by Liam Haygarth (bass), Harr y Todd (guitar) and Noah Booth (dr ums) - approached the making of the al - bum in unorthodox fashion. They recorded a home demo and a live performance of each song, which were then sent to producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) to edit together like a tapestry puzzle.
Amputechture Beneath the technical flash, the fury, the fearless creative brinkmanship of the first two Mars Volta albums lay a potent seam of the blues, an existential vexation that powered every twist and turn of Omar and Cedric’s imaginations. That mournful vibe would come to the surface of the group’s third full-length Amputechture, a simmering/blistering set that was unquestionably the group’s darkest yet. There was no overarching theme here, no interlinking concept binding the songs together, though Cedric concedes that, lyrically, the album was influenced “by a lot of stuff I was going through, a really bad break-up and a lot of other crazy stuff, and trying to put that feeling into the record.” But Amputechture – its name another of the late Jeremy Michael Ward’s invented words – was no downbeat bummer. Opener Vicarious Atonement might’ve been a deliciously gloomy, slow-burning thing, capturing Cedric in delirious duet with Omar’s swooning guitar lines, accompanied by squalling saxophone by Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales and dream-frequency fuckery by the group’s new sonic manipulator, former At The Drive- In member Paul Hinojos. But second track Tetragrammaton swiftly set pulses racing, an epic-in-miniature and containing more ideas within its 16 minutes than most bands manage over an entire career, its proggy, complex guitar figures tessellating in infinite configurations and converging as if conforming to mathematical formulae from another reality. The raw material Amputechture was hewn from started life on the road. Omar now travelled with his own mobile recording studio – a little Neve ten-channel tape recorder and an array of microphones – and was able to work on new ideas on tourbuses, in hotel rooms and during soundcheck (and, occasionally, after the show was done). After touring for Frances The Mute was complete, Omar relocated to Amsterdam, staying with his photographer friend Danielle Van Ark and her partner, Nils Post. It’s here that he demoed Amputechture, flying in engineer Jon DeBaun, drummer Jon Theodore and his brother, Chino, to work on these raw sketches. He later returned to Los Angeles, where the album was finally recorded. Omar ceded guitar duties to his dear friend and kindred spirit John Frusciante, instead assuming the role of musical director. “I wanted to hear the sound of the band,” he says. “I thought, I’ll be able to sit at the console, feel the air of the speakers moving, the unified sound of everything, and not feel distant from it. It was fun, but it was also challenging.” Part of Omar’s new method was to teach the musicians their parts only moments before the tapes rolled. “To keep things fresh, and to keep everyone on edge,” he says, before chuckling. “No, not on edge – on their toes. Amputechture would prove The Mars Volta’s most diverse set yet, drawing into the group’s tornado of influences moments of fiery jazz spirituality and esoteric folk introspection, finding space for passages of devastating subtlety and also their most fierce and full-on moments to date. The aforementioned Vicarious Atonement found its meditative mood echoed by Asilos Magdalena, an intimate, acoustic piece that invoked traditional Latin folk music, as Cedric sang in Spanish a sorrowful tale of a lost soul’s quest for sanctuary within a Magdalen Asylum, a refuge set up by the Catholic church for “fallen women”. The shadowy, sinister closer El Ciervo Vulnerado, meanwhile, tapped into the darker side of spiritual jazz to further explore the album’s themes of redemption and religious myth and magick. Elsewhere, the interplay between guitar and clarinet on Viscera Eyes created complex, unsettling counter-melodies, while the coiling, ornate Meccamputechture – Cedric’s wild fusion of sacred texts, occultism and dystopian science fiction – proved a great showcase for Ikey Owens’ swarming, infernal organ runs, in concert with Frusciante’s arcane guitar-play. But it was Day Of The Baphomets that would prove Amputechture’s most ambitious and most defining epic. Cedric’s lyrics tore into the hypocrisy of religious cant and myths of sin and punishment. “I wanted to make a song that was like the movie The Believers, where this cabal stole kids and did some occult shit with them,” he explains. “But I wanted it to be like, ‘What if the people you hire to do jobs you don’t wanna do rise up one day and then pull some shit like that?’ Like it was the guerrilla warfare, them taking over – wouldn’t that be some fucked up shit? And the music just lent itself to that – the big intro, the bass solo, and all of the ruckus that occurs.” That ruckus was some of the most thrilling Mars Volta music yet, as Omar directed his musicians to rumble through fiery modes of wild tribal groove, ransack-the-palaces riot- rock and supreme progressive experimentalism. Amputechture, then, is the sound of The Mars Volta in imperial mode: fearless, insatiable, unstoppable.
"A group of tried-and-true musicians got together and found the sort of camaraderie and kinship you typically only find once in a lifetime. They didn’t overthink it. They didn’t waste a second. They simply left their blood, sweat, and tears on tape—like they’ve always done. For as much as Better Lovers represents the union of former Every Time I Die members Jordan Buckley guitar,Steve Micciche [bass], and Clayton “Goose” Holyoak [drums] with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Killer Be Killed frontman Greg Puciato [vocals],and musician (Fit For An Autopsy/END) and GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, Will Putney [guitar], it really cements the bond of five friends around a shared vision. That vision is as uncompromising, unapologetic, and undeniable as anything they’ve individually done, yet it’s refined by experience and a commitment to a future together. They’re in it for the long haul... “To me, this band is refreshing,” exclaims Jordan. “Looking back, I’m so happy everything got me to where I am. The pandemic and the last few years made me hungrier and more grateful. This isn’t a hobby. This isn’t temporary. This is the next evolution for each of us. Greg and Will rejuvenated me and made me even more confident.
Now, everybody needs to know we’re a wild animal that just broke out of the zoo—there’s no trying to put it back in the cage.” “Better Lovers definitely feels like its own thing,” states Greg. “I’m in so many lanes right now, so it was important that one lane didn’t step on another. However, nothing I’m doing is this vicious. This is full-on scathing. It’s been really fun. I forgot how much I liked that.” As the story goes, Jordan ended up back in Buffalo, NY, jamming in a basement rehearsal spot with Steve and Goose during the winter of 2022. After working with Will on the last two Every Time I Die records, they shared a handful of early demos with him to produce. As the year progressed, Jordan caught Greg on the road with Jerry Cantrell in Las Vegas, mentioning the new music. Once ideas solidified, he shared them with the vocalist who replied at 3am one night in December. “The text said, ‘Let’s give these motherfuckers what they want’,”chuckles Jordan. “I went to bed smiling and laughing. There is no one like Greg on stage, off stage, or over text. Once I told Will, he was like, ‘Can I play?’ We said, ‘Of course!’ That’s how it was born.” “Once I pick up the scent, I’ll go for the kill,” smiles Greg. “We’ve all hung out, gotten to know each other, and it’s all fire now. Everyone has already been through shit. You know yourself better. Your ego isn’t as big as it used to be. You can share your opinions. It’s a cool dynamic.” Fittingly, they introduce this era with the single “30 Under 13.” A seasick guitar groove bleeds into an incisive riff punctuated by Greg’s vitriolic and venomous screams, “Hold onto me, try to let go of me, let go of what you’ll never be. ”This barrage unpredictably subsides on a haunting clean vocal, only to ramp back up into a pit-splitting thrash crescendo and rapid-fire solo played at warp speed. “We always try to up our game,” notes Jordan. “This is the next step for all of us. There’s just constant forward motion, and we don’t want to compromise that. We want to keep going. We’re doing a lot of shit we haven’t done before in Better Lovers. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but get ready.” “For some reason, this song got me,” recalls Greg. “Once that happens, you have the toe of the dinosaur skeleton in the dirt. You start brushing it away, and soon you have a fucking T-Rex.” The name might give you a hint of what’s coming—or it might not. So, what does the future hold for Better Lovers? Well, it’s entirely in their control. Expect a lot of touring. Expect more music. Expect these five guys to leave a trail of destruction in their wake—really would you want anything less? “We feel like we’re going to explode if we sit around any longer,” Jordan leaves off. “This is my life’s work. I learned all of my lessons, passed all of the tests, and took all of the right turns and the wrong turns. It turns out what I thought were wrong turns got me here, and that’s all that matters. I have no regrets. I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” “I just want you to view this on its own merits,” Greg concludes. “I hope it reaches some new people. For me, the enjoyment is making the music and putting it out. The second it’s released, I don’t look back. You drop the bomb and keep flying the plane. You don’t circle back to see how much destruction you cause. You keep moving, which is what we’re going to do.” "
Tamil Rogeon, the Melbourne based multifaceted jazz, classical and electronic violin & viola player firmly cemented his reputation with the critical success of his 2021 album Son Of Nyx which was released on Soul Bank Music, Impressive Collective head honcho Greg Boraman's previous label. Lauded as a modal and spiritual jazz fusion opus, Son Of Nyx found favour with Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, Rebecca Vasmant, BBC6 Music's' Cerys Matthews and Deb Grant, was a Jazz FM’ Album of the Week. Building upon that highly original sound concept, Wave Theory draws from the jazz fusion movements of the 70s and 80s and conjures up textured soundscapes rich with cosmic synths, soaring vocals and deep jazz funk, and sees Tamil once again joining forces with Son of Nyx contributors Rita Satch and Daniel Mougerman, plus new collaborators and special guests including Lance Ferguson and celebrated trumpeter, friend Audrey Powne. Listeners can expect the same modal experiments, driving percussion and cosmic synths of Son of Nyx as well as new and exhilarating experiments in electric string instrumentation. Across all 6 tracks the highlights are numerous, but of particular note are the album opener "Ascend it!"; a fusion masterpiece that seamlessly blends psychedelic elements, funk grooves, intricate melodies, and improvisation. When "Doom Date" takes flight we are transported to Mahavishnu Orchestra-like territory, before finishing with an angular melody that is pure jazz-fusion inventiveness. The irresistibly funky 'Gift Of The Gab” is built upon a hypnotic bass line over drum and percussion. Laden with synth and retro keyboards reminiscent of the deep funk of Herbie Hancock’s late 70s period. "Mountain Bug' alternates between minor and major keys, a hallucinatory violin solo is followed by a dazzling trumpet improvisation. A restatement of the melody accompanied by the gunfire of the drum set and percussion. Tamil says of Wave Theory “Sometimes themes reveal themselves through creative encounters and through life experience. I wrote and recorded the album in six months. A lot happened to me and my friends during that time so, for me, ‘Wave Theory’ is like a musical snapshot of life’s relentless ebbs and flows. It’s about the sadness and thrills of endless transformation and the power of creative connection".
Clive From Accounts is finally back on Dirt Crew Recordings! After some excellent contributions and remixes for the highly acclaimed New York based “Razor-N-Tape” imprint, he graced us again with three new gems that show the great diversity in his productions. Since his first “Cooking the Books EP” in 2021 and the follow up “Pearls EP” in 2022 he has continued to build a strong following of fans, so we know for sure a lot of you have been waiting on new tracks by him.
With the debut album "Mechanical Spin Phenomena", MNEMIC introduced themselves to the metal world impressively: Their music, made of heavy Thrash riffs, Progressive elements, modern synthesizers and electronic samples created both a hard and spacy atmosphere – therefore the band decided to describe their sound as Fusion Future Metal. Crushing songs like 'Ghost' and 'Liquid' got stuck in your head so easily and the comparisons to bands like FEAR FACTORY, MESHUGGAH or STRAPPING YOUNG LAD were drawn soon. But MNEMIC are not a simple copy of those acts – they are a band with their own ideas and self-contained style. "The Audio Injected Soul" shows MNEMIC grown and more mature. Less complex than "Mechanical Spin Phenomena", the band worked a lot with melodies and set a high value on creating catchy refrains. The result is amazing songs like 'Dreamstate Emergency', 'Door 2.12' or 'Deathbox' groove like hell and unify brutality with melody. Finalized by a dynamic cover version of DURAN DURAN's 'Wild Boys', "The Audio Injected Soul" is all in all a perfect package of ten punishing Modern Metal songs that will catapult MNEMIC to the major league of the genre! Tue Madsen, who again took care of the producing in his Antfarm Studios in Aarhus/Denmark, additionally provided the album with a clear and explosive sound that displays the effect of each track fully.
Austria band Lehnen embarks on something of a new beginning here as they unveil a new four-track work, Negative Space: Gradients, which comes on cassette via Past Inside The Present. This project was initially thought of as a four-song experiment and one that continues where the last album left off. That is to say with lots of lush synth layers and ambient textures of its parent album but all turned up a notch. It will still be familiar to fans but while the last album Negative Space funnelled post hardcore and post rock energy, this one joins things together and the result is a work full of healing compositions full of hope.
Sasu Ripatti presents the fourth volume in his "Dancefloor Classics" series with five 10" releases coming throughout 2023. Music for imaginary dancefloors, released on Ripatti's own label "Rajaton".
”Look up, into the light” she said, while the camera shutter clicked. ”Like this? Does it look holy?” His neck felt stiff. Her reply: ”Yes, just like that. What do you mean holy? Like religious? ”No, more like trying to look very far, somewhere beyond what we can see.” ”Okay, stand still, I’m going to come close to you now. The light hits your face great.” click, click, click.
He noticed her fingernails. They were not polished. Natural. Even somewhat rugged, as if something wore out the fingers slightly. What had these hands held besides the camera? What made the edges of her fingernails drift off?
He thought it’s weird to look straight into the camera. The photographer had closed her left eye, the one not looking into the lens. Then it opened, she looked up, perusing the surroundings, then she closed her eye again, then looked up, closed, looking up, very quickly. It all seemed very professional. Maybe she calculated the light, making sure it’s close to perfect. ”What will these photos look like?” – the thought popped into his head briefly. It was liberating to think it wouldn’t matter.
”What’s that song playing?” he asked. ”Wait a sec, Ol’ Dirty Bastard?” she replied. ”Oh yeah, right. But the sample?” ”Hey, could you look up again, like that. No, lower.”
New directions: ”Look out from the window, turn left.” ”My left or yours?” ”Yours, I always try to think from the direction of my model.” How professional! This is a good shoot, so natural. Should I worry about how the photos look like? No, I don’t want to. His thoughts bounced around. What would the story be like? It’s a big newspaper, everyone will read it. Maybe someone drinks coffee and eats a stroopwafel while they do it. Will they place the waffle on top of the mug for a brief while, so that it gets hot and the syrup melts a little? Then it feels wet, and you can bend the cookie.
She broke his train of thought off midway through: ”Now turn right, but look left, and slightly up, but don’t turn your face right.” ”Umm, like this? Sounds like a set of pilates instructions.” she laughed ”You do pilates?” ”Yeah, it’s hard sometimes. Have you tried?” ”No”, she said. ”I’m not good for sports that are done in groups.” ”Yeah, but in pilates you can just be inside your mind, drowning in your private thoughts.”
”What are you thinking in pilates?” she asked, taking more photos. ”Well, mostly just which way is right. And which left.” click, click.
Q&A with Sasu Ripatti:
1) Tell us something about the EP series ”Dancefloor Classics”, what’s the idea and what can we expect?
I’ve been slowly writing these sort of dance music pieces and finally curated them together for a conceptual release. I like to create music for a dancefloor that exists only in my imagination and doesn’t try to suck up to the standardized reality.
2) Your vinyl format is 10” which is quite special (as opposed to LP / 12”). Why did you choose it?
It’s my favourite format, absolutely. The size is perfect, and you can make it sound really good @ 45 rpm. And you still can make great artwork.
3) You seem interested in sampling/repurposing, what does it mean to you as an artist to approach something already existing from a new angle? How does the source material inform you about the approach to take?
I guess i could flip it around and just say I’ve outgrown synths or electronic sounds to a great extend, and having gotten rid off all my synths already good while ago I’ve used samples as my main source material a lot. It’s obvious on this series that i’ve sampled existing music, but I also sample instruments and things in the studio and resample my own library that I have built over the years, it’s quite large. To me the end result matters, not so much how I get there. Once I have something on my keyboard and play around, it’s all an instrument, though with sampling other music it becomes a really interesting and complex one as you’re possibly playing rhythm, but also harmonic content and maybe hooks or whatever, all at once.
I never sample premeditadedly, like listening to records and looking for that mindblowing 3 sec part. I just throw the cards in the air and see what lands where, just full intuition and hopefully zero mind involved, playing tons of stuff, trying things, just recording hours of stuff. Then comes the interesting part to listen to hours of mostly crazy stuff and finding that mindblowing 3 sec part.
4) What is your relationship with the dancefloor (conceptually and/or in experiences / as a performer)?
Very complicated. I have never really felt comfortable on a dancefloor but have always wanted to. There’s something in club music, in theory, that really speaks to me. It has never really materialized for me – speaking mainly from a performer’s point of view who goes to check on a dancefloor for a moment after a concert. I never have DJ’d or felt much interest towards it. But again, I love the idea and concept of DJing. As well as producing music for imaginary DJs. Lately, as in the past 10+ years, I haven’t even performed in any sort of club spaces. So my relationship to the dancefloor is quite removed and reduced, but there’s quite a bit of passion and interest left.
All tracks composed and produced by Sasu Ripatti.
Artwork & photography by Marc Hohmann.
Mastering by Stephan Mathieu for Schwebung Mastering.
Vinyl cut by SST Brueggemann.
Publishing by WARP Music Ltd.
“I am OBSESSED with the 80s. I love the loud neon colours and fashion and the kinetic energy of the music. It’s uplifting and bittersweet with a ton of keyboards, what’s not to like?” reasons Morgane when asked what it is she likes about the decade. This exuberance is brightly reflected in the mirror ball synthpop of her third album released at the end of September. It is her second long player to appear on vinyl after the release of Between The Funk And The Fear debut on the Polytechnic Youth label.
Morgane was the keyboard player in Stereolab between 1995 and 2001 during which time they released Emperor Tomato Ketchup (her favourite) and Dots And Loops. As a teenager though she first played the drums, then guitar and bass. She only learnt the keyboards one month before joining the group. “They gave me 40 songs to learn, it was a baptism of fire”.
After leaving Stereolab, Morgane first moved to New York for nine years; she’d always planned to move to America having spent a lot of time there with her parents and of course those space-pop pioneers. The warmer weather of LA enticed her though and you can hear its pulse in Day-Glo Chaos. The album’s thumping heart is pumped by the city’s night sky and when asked she cites three particular albums as her favourites: the oddball analogue electro of Jacno’s 1979 debut; John Carpenter’s ‘Escape From New York’ and The B-52’s ‘Cosmic Thing’. There’s also a strong nod to the playful computerised harmonies of Yellow Magic Orchestra whilst she’s somewhat partial to the synth prog of Yes and Soft Machine. “I actually created a synth on Ableton Live named after Rick Wakeman’. I should create one after Mike Ratledge next!”
Throughout her work (but especially on this record) you can hear the influence of computer games. “I’m an avid gamer and have been one since I was a teenager and fell in love with my Commodore 64”. Though not a fan of Hotline Miami or the GTA series (“too violent”) she liked Hang On and loved Outrun which she used to play a lot on her Sega Master System. “I just got the soundtrack reissue from Data Disc and it is beautiful” she enthuses.
You’ll see and hear such influences on the lead single from the album ‘Midnite Rogue’ the video to which pays (im)perfect juddering homage to such arcade culture. Car tyres glued to sticky tarmac, French pop music lost in the air. The title was inspired by a Fighting Fantasy book which she adored as a kid. “I love the idea of this entity causing mischief during night time”, she beams. It’s not hard to see why.
Original[10,80 €]
The late composer, arranger, musician and record producer Nonato Buzar is a lesser known great (outside of Brazil). His legacy leaves behind a rich body of recordings, working with some of the cream of the Brazilian 60s and 70s music scene, such as Evinha, Elis Regina, Wilson Das Neves to name a few as well as Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. The awesome organ driven dancer of ‘Cafuá’ is taken from Nonato & Seu Conjunto’s 'O Som E O Balanço De Nonato’ album from 1975 on Som records.
Mr Bongo re-issued José Roberto’s (aka Ze Roberto) ultra rare 'Lotus 72 D' 7” earlier in 2019. 'Crioula Multicolorida’ though not as scarce as ‘Lotus' is still a hard record to find and is equally as great. This anthemic ‘samba rock’ gem, with its amazing breakdown, originally appeared as the B-side of a 7” in 1974 on RCA Victor. It has since been a favourite amongst Brazilian DJs and collectors, featuring on the influential ‘Via Brazil’ compilation series and 'Brazilian Beats Brooklyn' collection on Mr Bongo.
Das Duo aus Jerusalem und Lothringen, bestehend aus Ruth Rosenthal und Xavier Klaine, entwickelt seit etwa fünfzehn Jahren ein einzigartiges Universum, in dem sich synthetische Punkklänge und dröhnende Gebete einer Gesellschaft am Rande des Abgrunds zusammenfinden. Genährt von Doom/Drone, Barockmusik, multidisziplinärem Theater und afroamerikanischer Kultur, verfolgen sie weiterhin einen einzigartigen Weg, indem sie einen radikalen Diskurs verteidigen, der sich seiner Widersprüche bewusst ist. Sie spielen auf der ganzen Welt in Clubs, Galerien und Kirchen. Ihre Musik ist minimalistisch, dunkel, politisch und rau, zwischen Magie, Chaos und Melancholie. Winter Family machen auch dokumentarische Theateraufführungen, die von großen europäischen Theatern produziert werden. Manchmal spielt ihre Tochter Saralei mit ihnen. "On Beautiful Days" ist das vierte Album von Winter Family und es erzählt in Wort und Klang viele Geschichten: die der Musiker selbst und ihrer Lieben, die ihres Umfeldes, ihres Lebens in Jerusalem, Paris oder Lothringen; die von Frauen, 'Hexen', Verschwörungsmythen; die des kapitalistischen und kolonialistischen Europas; die der Blindheit und Gewalt der israelischen Gesellschaft und der Indoktrination ihrer Bevölkerung; die der Besetzung Palästinas; die des ewigen Eingesperrt seins, die einer Laborratte; und vielleicht auch Deine Geschichte. Wir hören Pumpenorgeln und Harmoniums, ein altes Klavier, Verzerrungen und himmlisches weißes Rauschen, Sirenen, marschierenden Stiefel, Atmen im Schlaf, Betäubungsgranaten am Checkpoint 56 in Hebron, die Flötenklänge von Saralei, Beats von einem iPhone und Ruths (sprechende, erzählende, kommentierende) Stimme. Wir tauchen ein in all diese zeitgenössischen Geschichten, die von der Geschichte heimgesucht werden, in das Gefühl eines Sprungs ins Leere, in einen Zustand der Dissoziation oder in ein Gefühl der Befreiung. Eine komplexe und doch zugängliche, nachvollziebare Klangwelt erschaffen Winter Family. Vinyl klassisch schwarz, CD mit Bonustrack!
- A1: Kirk And The Jerks, To Be A Hero
- A2: Sub Society, Hokus Montage
- A3: Kirk And The Jerks, One Way To Do It
- A4: Wonderful Broken Thing, Roam Around
- A5: The Cry, Alone
- A6: Voluntários Da Pátria, O Homem Que Eu Amo
- A7: Wonderful Broken Thing, Birds Fly So High
- A8: Kirk And The Jerks, Hang On To The Dream
- A9: Figure Ground, Intro
- B1: Kirk And The Jerks, Gun And A Tear
- B2: The Cry, Twist Of Faith
- B3: Sub Society, A Whole Lot Less
- B4: Wonderful Broken Thing, We Don’t Touch
- B5: Wonderful Broken Thing, Trains
- B6: D J. Dex/Mt, Am Rap
- B7: Potential Threat, Self Inflicted Pain
- B8: Johnny Monster, Witch Doctor
- B9: Wonderful Broken Thing, Is This What You Wanted
In the early 1990s, before the era of social media dominance, skateboarding culture found its voice through magazines and VHS video releases, notably from brands like Santa Cruz and Powell Peralta. These videos not only shaped the skateboarding world but also influenced creativity across various industries worldwide.
In 1988 and 1989, two groundbreaking videos, "Shackle Me Not" and "Hokus Pokus," emerged from the fledgling skateboard company: H-Street, unleashed a seismic shift in street skateboarding. These videos are revered as iconic masterpieces, celebrated for their innovative skateboarding sequences and unforgettable soundtracks.
“What’s particularly interesting about Hokus Pokus was its soundtrack, largely comprised of demo cassettes, unsigned artists, and bands with loose ties to the brand. Some of the songs were goofy, others almost anthemic, and few sounded of their time. Perhaps it was the repetition or the fact that Matt Hensley could have skated to the sounds of a broken oven and it would have been iconic, but the songs in Hokus Pokus became a secret handshake for the hardcore—people who really gave a shit about skateboarding’s culture not just the act”.
Artless / Anthony Pappalardo
“When we were filming for Shackle Me Not we were still a brand new company and hardly anybody knew who we were and it was so brand new. I was so busy skating and I noticed there was like a movement in skateboarding, you could feel there was a change in the way, in the tide, not just white H-Street but with every company. I think that video, the H-Street video was saw raw, with the crazy music, and you know, just the wackiness of all of it, I think that feeling went out into the world, and kids everywhere understood you don’t need to live 20mn away from Del Mar to actually be part of what’s happening. I think that just opened up the world of skateboarding to more people”
Matt Hensley – Pro skater and Floggin Molly band member.
Fast forward 35 years, and H-Street, in collaboration with Paris (France) based label Stereo Ronin Records, embarks on a momentous project to release special edition vinyl soundtracks from these seminal videos. This exclusive release features meticulously remastered tracks, including new versions and previously unreleased gems on vinyl, making it a treasure trove for any skateboarding enthusiast.
Curated from bands like Kirk & The Jerks, Sub Society, Wonderful Broken Thing, Voluntários da Pátria and The Cry, representing the golden era of skateboarding music, this album promises an unparalleled experience for fans of Punk Rock, Indy Rock, and of course, skateboarding.
Working alongside RTM Studio in Paris, Stereo Ronin Records has undertaken a remastering journey, ensuring that this vinyl edition delivers a truly unique sonic experience, capturing the essence of a bygone era while resonating with contemporary audiences.
From the perspective of people who categorize music by genres and types, Evan Shornstein, better-known under his production moniker Photay, has created lots of different kinds of sounds over the past decade. There’s the Hudson Valley-raised, Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist composer’s quasi-IDM and electronic almost-pop tracks with the occasional vocal; the improvised organic and and experimental music sessions he participates in alongside new age giants, Laraaji and Carlos Niño; the diaspora electronic folk-jazz he makes with veteran musicians from all over the globe; and the disco and house adjacent records he tag-team DJs with Brooklyn producer Cesar Toribio and engineer Phil Moffa (who also masters all of Photay’s records — and those of dance-music dons around the world). But if you’ve listened closely to Shornstein’s prodigious output, you know that separating and classifying the work is actually contrary to the energy of Photay music. That what on-the-surface may lazily appear as differences, is actually brought together by a shared sonic warmth, a hardware pastoralism at play. Whatever category he engages, Photay makes outdoor music under the spell of the elements, for the purpose of different human movements — some physical, some spiritual, some emotional, some philosophica.
- A1: Rock N Roll Train
- A2: Hell Aint A Bad Place To Be
- A3: Back In Black
- A4: Big Jack
- A5: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
- B1: Shot Down In Flames
- B2: Thunderstruck
- B3: Black Ice
- B4: The Jack
- C1: Hells Bells
- C2: Shoot To Thrill
- C3: War Machine
- C4: Dog Eat Dog
- D1: You Shook Me All Night
- D2: Tnt
- D3: Whole Lotta Rosie
- E1: Let There Be Rock
- F1: Highway To Hell
- F2: For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
Within the quiet, cascading corners of Pittsburgh lies a community - essentially one large family - that spans neighborhoods and generations. Upon this foundation, Merce Lemon built her latest album: Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild. These are earnest songs, of belonging and longing, in which romantic and familial love rip into and out of themselves in a flurry of reckoning. There is a fierceness, a persistence in this vulnerability, that is matched by the wildness of her band. Merce took a step back from music in 2020, after releasing her debut album Moonth, to reassess. "Music was just something I'd always done, and I didn't want to lose the magic of that - but I was just having less fun." In this time of restless confusion, she got back to her roots. "I got dirty and slept outside most of the summer. I learned a lot about plants and farming, just writing for myself, and in that time I slowly accumulated songs." A creative hunger, supported by her community, had been newly fertilized. From this rediscovery, imbued with the vitality of earth's green magic, Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild sprouted forth.
Deluxe Anniversary Edition. Jade Green Swirl Vinyl. LP+7". - Deluxe Anniversary Edition of LP celebratiing 10 years since it's initial release - Enclosed in hardcover photobook with 96 pages of photos from the era with liner notes from each member of Modern Baseball - Includes exclusive 7" with. It's been ten whole years of us listening to Modern Baseballl's iconic record You're Gonna Miss It All, and to celebrate Run For Cover has teamed with the band to deliver a deluxe anniversary edition worthy of it's legacy. This version of the band's second album is a collector's delight - two discs enclosed in a heavyweight, hardcover 12" x 12" book with 96 pages of photos from longtime collaborator Jess Flynn. Each member of Modern Baseball also contributed notes to provide context to the countless photos taken while touring, recording, skateboarding, napping, swimming and a whole lot more. This deluxe edition also includes two never-before released demos of "Rock Bottom" and "Pothole" pressed on an exclusive 7". These early, intimate versions show how the ideas behind these two favorite tracks progressed into the final takes that made it onto You're Gonna Miss It All. Modern Baseball was formed in 2011 by friends and guitarists Jacob Ewald and Brendan Lukens, who were soon joined by Ian Farmer on bass and Sean Huber on drums.The band self-released their first EP The Nameless Ranger in 2011 while still in high school. Shortly after the members relocated to Philadelphia to attend college and quickly gained a strong following in the Philadelphia music community, teaming up with locals Marietta to release the Couples Therapy split in the spring of 2012. Modern Baseball released their debut full-length Sports later that year on Lame-O Records, which they self-recorded and produced. After spending the summer of 2013 touring heavily across the US, the band headed into Studio A in Philadelphia to self-record You're Going to Miss It All. Mixed by Jonathan Low at Minor Street Recordings and mastered by Will Yip, You're Going to Miss It All features 12 tracks that showcase the band's signature witty indie-pop.
Limited Bubblegum Pink Vinyl. Within the quiet, cascading corners of Pittsburgh lies a community - essentially one large family - that spans neighborhoods and generations. Upon this foundation, Merce Lemon built her latest album: Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild. These are earnest songs, of belonging and longing, in which romantic and familial love rip into and out of themselves in a flurry of reckoning. There is a fierceness, a persistence in this vulnerability, that is matched by the wildness of her band. Merce took a step back from music in 2020, after releasing her debut album Moonth, to reassess. "Music was just something I'd always done, and I didn't want to lose the magic of that - but I was just having less fun." In this time of restless confusion, she got back to her roots. "I got dirty and slept outside most of the summer. I learned a lot about plants and farming, just writing for myself, and in that time I slowly accumulated songs." A creative hunger, supported by her community, had been newly fertilized. From this rediscovery, imbued with the vitality of earth's green magic, Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild sprouted forth.
The Man With The Horn is the 1981 album by Miles Davis, which he recorded after persuasion by his nephew Vince Wilburn, a drummer in a Chicago group that played music that combined funk, soul, and fusion jazz. Miles also met the saxophonist Bill Evans, the bass guitarist Marcus Miller and called the drummer Al Foster. The studio result was a hybrid record, divided between the Chicago group’s pieces that he himself referred to as “bubble gum music” and a very free jazz-rock. However, it's less somber and dense than the damp jungles he wandered through without direction during the 1970s. The hit “The Man With The Horn” and its sugary-sweet refrain received a lot of airplay on FM stations. Jazz lovers, rejoicing in Miles’ return, delighted in the rest of the repertory. But it was Mike Stern’s incandescent solo on “Fat Time” that everyone relished. The Man With The Horn is available as limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on gold and black marbled vinyl.
Genre: synth garage punk The Cherry Pies are a bittersweet band from Turin composed of Veronica Zucca, Stefano Isaia (Movie Star Junkies, LAME), Nicola Lotta (Love Trap, GGR) and Riccardo Salvini (Indianizer, Love Trap). Their sound draws heavily from garage punk and American folk, from Reigning Sound to Jonathan Richman, via country ballads à la Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.
Limited pressing of 300 LPs ! 180gm VINYL LPS w/ INSERT & DOWNLOAD FILE UNDER : GARAGE ROCK / PUB ROCK "I wanted to make a very NOW album, our past was fantastic at the time but it was exactly that.the past. We've learned a lot since then and with the combination of influences and personal tastes we've concocted a combination of Raw Power guitar grunt, a touch of The Cars' pop sensibilities and Bad Seeds brood." Dave Butterworth Veteran rockers The Double Agents return with their third album New Motion a powerful new recording evoking directness and immediacy and marking their first release of new material in nearly two decades. The Double Agents' initial incarnation circa 2000 saw the fiercely independent quintet rise from humble stages to becoming one of Melbourne's most revered pub rock bands. They twice toured Europe and eventually shared the stage with iconic luminaries Dead Moon, Mudhoney, The Dirtbombs, Celibate Rifles, The White Stripes and The Black Keys before an amicable hiatus in 2008. New Motion is a modern Australian rock record and marks a departure from their garage rock roots, as best exemplified in their self released 2023 anthology compilation Best Bits. So Far spanning their first three releases. The familiar twin vocals remain, Kim and Dave summoning that deep Dead Moon energy, as does Ryan Tandy's singular lead guitar playing and the rock solid backbeat of Myles Gallagher, but the band's scope seems to have widened on this record, with the inclusion of longtime cohort Mick Stylianou (Saint Jude) adding style and harmonic punch on bass guitar and backing vocals. ..The New Motion sessions were tracked to analog tape by Finn Keane at Head Gap and Julian McKenzie at Newmarket with vocal post production by Dave Larkin (Dallas Crane), mixing by Callum Barter (Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile), mastering by Mikey Young. Dave Butterworth also produced the album.
Transparent blue vinyl, limited to 1000 copies. Swedish Grammy Award winning rock duo Johnossi are back. John, Ossi and their long time partner keyboardist Mattias Franzén went back to basics and spent a lot of time together in the rehearsal room to write their eighth album "Forevers" (release September 27th). "When we were younger, that's where we did everything," the band explains. "Our instruments and our interplay were all the inspiration we needed and now we simply wanted to return to that feeling of tireless belief in ourselves". The result is an album described by the band themselves as "a distinct, big and fearless album". The album is produced by Måns Lundberg (Håkan Hellström, Deportees, Hurula etc.) and was recorded in Stockholm during spring.


































































































































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