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Night Songs is the latest record from awakened souls, the Los Angeles based husband and wife duo- James and Cynthia Bernard (marine eyes). In the Spring of 2021, they found a good night's rest was more important than ever to help them through pandemic days of schooling kids from home and balancing work and life. After going on an evening walk, James and Cynthia would write in their bedroom studio and test the evening's songs out for sleep. Even prior to being together, they both loved searching for just the right album to calm their minds at the end of the day. Night Songs is their combined version of a sleepy evening record, exploring slowly evolving loop-based ambient primarily using bass guitar and vocal textures. The tracks which ultimately made it on the album helped them relax enough to go to a place where thoughts fade.

Night Songs is the latest record from awakened souls, the Los Angeles based husband and wife duo- James and Cynthia Bernard (marine eyes). In the Spring of 2021, they found a good night's rest was more important than ever to help them through pandemic days of schooling kids from home and balancing work and life. After going on an evening walk, James and Cynthia would write in their bedroom studio and test the evening's songs out for sleep. Even prior to being together, they both loved searching for just the right album to calm their minds at the end of the day. Night Songs is their combined version of a sleepy evening record, exploring slowly evolving loop-based ambient primarily using bass guitar and vocal textures. The tracks which ultimately made it on the album helped them relax enough to go to a place where thoughts fade.

As pieces of musical curation go, Kenny Dope’s reimagining and reediting of the Wild Style breakbeats is outstanding. While the music from the ‘Wild Style’ OST is truly seminal, the story behind it is even more fascinating.

Underneath the voices of important rappers from hip-hop’s first wave – Cold Crush Brothers, Double Trouble, Rammellzee, Busy Bee and more – were a selection of backing beats that have underpinned and influenced a whole lot of hip-hop ever since.

It would be easy to mistake them for genuine breakbeats dug out of crates, but they’re not. Overseen by hip-hop impresario Freddie Braithwaite – better known as Fab 5 Freddy – in collaboration with Blondie’s Chris Stein – the songs from the Wild Style soundtrack are all unique creations intended as a homage to the early breakbeats.

Drummer Lenny Ferrari – who had played for Aretha Franklin before emerging on the punk scene – and bassist David Harper played many of the iconic grooves, two somewhat forgotten participants in shaping a legendary sound. They – and Chris Stein – weren’t even in the same studio at the same time.

Kenny Dope, a long-time fan of the music, later acquired the original reel-to-reel tapes from Charlie Ahearn, the film’s director. Using the Wild Style breakbeats – many just a minute or so long – he transformed them into longer edits that give them more room to breathe. ‘Down by Law’ and ‘Subway Beat’ are two of the most famous, breakdance classics that summon up visions of graffiti’d trains speeding through the South Bronx.

It hasn't been long since The Wedding Present released their latest LP Going, Going... but there's already another LP in the pipeline, albeit a collection of old sessions. The Marc Riley Sessions Volume 1 collection comes out on 2nd December via Hatch Records and contains tracks from three memorable studio sessions with DJ Marc Riley from 2007, 2008 and 2010. The sessions feature songs that span the entirety of the cult indie band's career and the consistency of David Gedge's songwriting.
Marc Riley himself commented on the release of the new album: The release of The Wedding Present sessions done for our 6
Music programme over the years is something of an honour. In the great tradition of the Peel/Selwood releases on the Strange Fruit label this record proves that even without John the BBC can still be a place where great bands can continue to grow and be creative... amongst friends.' Riley also commented on John Peel's love of the cult band: There were many other bands who benefitted from the 'Peel Effect'. T oo numerous to mention. But one of those was — as if you can't see this coming — The Wedding Present. The constant support. Plays. Sessions. Encouragement. Friendship. John's love of the George Best LP (which was a heroic support considering John's affiliation to Liverpool — Manchester United's most hated rival) was well known... and until John passed away he remained a firm fan of all things 'Gedge'.'

For over fifteen years, New England’s When The Deadbolt
Breaks have lurked in the dark corners of underground
metal. With a doom style both psychedelic and unsettling,
their music has been tagged as many different things; heavy,
daunting, overwhelming and unnerving, while the band
shows singer / guitarist Aaron Lewis’s gritty vision of life on
the subcultural fringes of New England society.
 Following five highly acclaimed studio records, a split and a
remix album to date, When The Deadbolt Breaks release
their brand new album, ‘As Hope Valley Burns’.
 The band have carved a niche for themselves within the
interplay of extreme genres. Having played the SXSW, New
England Stoner & Doom Fest to name just a few, they are as
well no less at home in doom and grind than they are in
pummelling sludge or ambient soundscaping, casting forth
triumphant riffs or proffering murder-dirge nods at a volume
level that can only be considered violent.
 When The Deadbolt Breaks have always struck a balance
between the ugly and beauty; long and heavy compositions
wade through detuned, discordant and murky sludge metal
before shifting into melodic ambient space rock territories,
and back again.
 “This album is a unique one for When The Deadbolt Breaks.
We have pushed our boundaries sonically,” band
mastermind Lewis reveals. “The heavy is heavier, and the
mellow, spacial parts are even more so. Akin to our first few
records, we have returned to more aggressive drumming,
and psychedelic spaces, yet this record has a certain depth
and maturity to it that was missing in the past.”
 For fans of Eyehategod, Soilent Green, Nine Inch Nails,
Crowbar, Acid Bath, Stabbing Westward, Skeletonwitch.
 LP pressed on grey vinyl.

Steve Vai has continually challenged notions of traditional guitar playing
and composition – and on more than one occasion even reimagined the
very instrument itself."I don't sit around and say, 'Okay, what can I do now
that pushes the boundaries?," Vai explains about his approach to the
guitar
"What I do say to myself is, 'Okay, Vai – what are you going to do now that's going
to interest you, that's going to fascinate you, and that's different than anything
you've done before?"The answer to that question comes in the form of Vai's
newest and 10th solo album, 'Inviolate', a nine-song opus that does indeed push
the boundaries of instrumental guitar music – this time out, Vai quite literally
invented not just a new guitar, but also a new guitar-playing technique. The Hydra,
the elaborate three- necked steampunk- inspired guitar that Steve holds on the
album cover, is actually played on the song 'Teeth of the Hydra'. On the other hand
(no pun intended), Steve recorded and played the song 'Knappsack' with just his
left hand, after his right arm was in a sling following shoulder surgery.
At the same time, 'Inviolate' presents his most focused, streamlined and perhaps
invigorating music in years. The album features a host of esteemed musicians,
including Billy Sheehan, Vinnie Colaiuta and Terry Bozzio.
Classic Rock - Album Review Classic Rock - Soundtrack To My Life feature
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page Interview Guitar Techniques - Album Review GT332 9th Feb Guitar
Techniques - Q&A 9th Feb GT332. Guitar Interactive - Front cover & substantial
feature Guitarist - Front cover/Guest Editor/8-10 page feature Guitarist - Album
Review HRH - Album Review HRH - interview Powerplay - Interview Prog - My Prog
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Following contributions to Manchester based label Chequered Wax and an emotionally elevated weapon on Groove Estate Records in June last year, Twenty Angels EP sees Eyerate continue to explore the outer limits of techno, trance and future-facing club; in an EP both clinical and entrancing.

The Norwich based producer wastes no time with a thunderous opening on ‘Undone’ - a kick-drum enthralled in reverb and so heavy, it’s destined to blow the roof off any club system. Rave painted tabs and underlining atmospherics give the track an even greater sense of largeness; best heard in dark corners with high-ceilings. A masterclass in contrast ‘IDK You’ bulldozes through with its threatening, industrial tone; its peripheral vision absorbed in light, as lasers shoot straight ahead.

‘Twenty Angels’ aptly follows-suit with its knee-jerking grooves and pace setting enthusiasm. The track's beauty comes from how it muses between hypnotic states of consciousness and raw, untethered energy. The record's arc comes to an end in ‘Youth Eternal’ touching on everything from trippy 303s to emotionally charged trance and techno; in a club-facing track made for journeying.

Fiat Lux is the debut album by Tarta Relena, a Barcelona-based project featuring Marta Torrella and Helena Ros. The group approaches the oral traditions of the Mediterranean from a contemporary perspective using a unique combination of ancient vocal melodies and subtle electronic textures.

Tarta Relena’s inspiration for Fiat Lux comes from historical characters, such as the Virgin Mary and Hildegard of Bingen, and timeless verses that deal with the cyclic nature of the human experience: “E suïcidi i el cant” (1) is an adaptation of a traditional poem by Pashtun women in Afghanistan; “Esta montanya d’enfrente” (3) is a traditional Sephardic song; “Safo” (9) is based on the love poems by Sappho of Lesbos.
Singing in Catalan, Spanish, Greek, Latin, English, and even Sephardi, the language of Hispanic jews, Tarta Relena explore a complex array of Latin cultures through the simplicity of voice. They draw from vocal techniques that range from flamenco to jazz, introducing elements of electronic music to redefine the melodies.
In January 2019, Tarta Relena released their first EP, Ora Pro Nobis: eight a cappella songs with minimal electronics. In April 2020, they released their second EP, Intercede Pro Nobis: a five-song dialogue between voice and electronics.
Fiat Lux expands on past experimentations, moving away from organic harmonies to embrace digital textures and distortions. The musical production of Juan Luis Batalla and Òscar Garrobé is remnant of Holly Herndon or Eartheater.
Tarta Relena have perhaps been best described by Pitchfork in their review of Pack Pro Nobis: “Tarta Relena is a celebration of musical exchange. At a time of rising nationalisms across Europe, Tarta Relena’s songs are a testament both to the porousness of borders and the ideas that unite disparate cultures, running beneath the centuries like a pedal tone”.

2001’s »Anima« was the third album released by Sasu Ripatti under his Vladislav Delay moniker and marked a turning point in the stylistic development of the prolific producer. Clocking in at roughly 62 minutes, the single piece draws on dub aesthetics while working with Musique concrète-like methods through the liberal use of samples to create a dreamlike logic. Muffled voices, lush chords, subtle rhythms and indefinable sound events are not so much integrated into a composition with a predetermined outcome but rather engage with each other freely in a constant sonic flow, forming constellations in one moment before moving on to connect with other elements in the next one. »Anima« marked the first time Ripatti was using a DAW in his working process, creating a piece constantly in motion that subtly evolves over time. This vinyl reissue on the German Keplar label follows up on the 20th anniversary edition of 2000’s »Multila« and will be complemented by a ten-minute long version of the original piece, previously only available on the CD version released by the artist on his own Huume label in 2008.

After the release of his »Ele« and »Entain« albums in 1999 and 2000, respectively, Ripatti took the 1998 independent movie »Hurlyburly« as a conceptual starting point to experiment with different gear and production methods. »Until then I had worked with an old MSQ-700 MIDI sequencer and an Ensonic EPS16 sampler/sequencer that had one or two MB of sampling memory and mixed the music live on a Mackie, which was very limiting arrangement-wise,« says Ripatti. Loading a slightly shortened version of the film into his DAW however allowed him to play along to it with the DrumKAT MIDI controller, triggering and playing all the sounds that can be heard on »Anima« while also contributing synths, bass and other sounds during repeated playthroughs before mixing a total of six stereo tracks together. »This way, after I had edited out most of the few parts that had music in them, I was in the movie; almost like an extra character playing music,« explains Ripatti. »This was certainly the most organic way in which I have ever made music, and I have never again approached another record like this.«

While »Anima« sounded like an unusual Vladislav Delay record at the time of its release, it also prefigured many of the developments Ripatti would go through in the course of his long career. Combining visceral immediacy with a sense of abstraction, it is far more than a mere missing link in his discography but rather a conceptually and musically outstanding piece of work that remains as engaging as it was 21 years ago.

All tracks composed and recorded by Vladislav Delay.
Originally released on Mille Plateaux in 2001.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Art direction and design by Marc Hohmann.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.

First-wave American punk rock band DMZ was formed during the late Seventies when vocalist Jeff Conolly stole the lead position by out-performing the previous lead vocalist. Eventually, Conolly also brought keyboards and original songs into the mix. After signing with Sire Records, they recorded their debut album with Flo & Eddie. It was the only album they recorded in the original formation, because not long after releasing their debut album, the band split up.

Since 2014, Public Release has been enlisting the raw, trademark groove of Richard Sen on a variety of now- renowned remixes. Label boss Eug has cited him in numerous interviews as being one of his all-time favourite producers, so it was inevitable that a solo EP would eventually materialize. That time has finally come, and in the Spring of 2022, the UK legend drops his solo EP “My Definition of Funk” on Public Release.

These three raw, gritty, hard-hitting, peak-time tracks are quintessential Richard Sen, combining the energy and influences of post-punk, breaks, and house in one sturdy sonic package.

Mattiel, the Atlanta based group made up of Mattiel Brown and Jonah Swilley, announce
the release of their third album, ‘Georgia Gothic’, on Heavenly Recordings. ‘Georgia
Gothic’, a magic third in Mattiel’s run of full-length albums, was shaped in the quiet
seclusion of a woodland cabin in the north of the Atlanta duo’s mother-state; “Some
faraway place that just Jonah and I could go where there would be no distractions,
nothing else going on, and we could turn everything off and only focus on writing songs,”
reflects Brown.
 Where 2017’s self-titled debut and its 2019 follow-up Satis Factory were written with what
Swilley refers to as a “hands-off” approach - he arranging the music and Brown the lyrics
and vocals, the two working largely separately - the making of ‘Georgia Gothic’ was, for
the first time, a truly collaborative undertaking. “This was the first time we made a point to
just be together and work out ideas in the same room. That was the initial intention... it
was about learning what each other wanted to accomplish on a sonic level, and then just
trying different things out,” Swilley continues. “Everything happened backwards. Normally,
you’d have friends that make a band... with us, we started making music from the jump,
and then became homies.”
 Cultivated by time spent together on the road touring the first two albums, it is this
newfound sense of intimacy between Mattiel’s members that enabled the writing of
‘Georgia Gothic’ not as two separate musicians, but rather as one creative entity. The
album remained within the four walls of Brown and Swilley’s private world for much of its
evolution - with recording taking place in a simple studio set up by the pair in the
borrowed room of a dialysis centre, Swilley in the producer’s seat - until, nearing
completion, it was transferred into the trusted hands of the Grammy award-winning John
Congleton (whose extensive list of credits includes artists as diverse as Angel Olsen, Earl
Sweatshirt, Erykah Badu and Sleater Kinney) for mixing.
 Not only does the affinity between its creators translate into an electric synergy between
‘Georgia Gothic’s words and music - the brine-shock of Brown’s taut lyricism cut against
the bourbon-smoothness of Swilley’s instrumentation - but here too are the palpable
spoils of experimentation, each party trustful enough of the other to trial and error their
practices into new geometries. Swilley puts this wide palate, in part, down to the place
they call home. “I definitely feel like being from Georgia allows us to have a certain way of
approaching music.” Brown chimes in: “We haven’t really highlighted where we’re from in
the past two records, even though those were also written in Georgia. There’s so much
great art and great music that’s come from Georgia, from all different types of genres and
all over the state - but take R.E.M. and OutKast: there’s this weirdness that I can’t really
put my finger on.” Swilley concurs: “It’s the same with the B-52s, the Black Lips... it
doesn’t feel like L.A., it doesn’t feel like New York, it feels like another planet. We’re not
really in a ‘scene’ here in the same way. You have to make your own sound, create your
own identity.”
 And it is precisely the forging of Mattiel’s distinct musical identity that ‘Georgia Gothic’
signals; its members guiding each other ever-homewards not just in a geographical or
sonic sense, but spiritually, too.
 Initial LP pressing on Red Hot coloured 140g vinyl with digital download code. (Once this
format has sold out, a black 140g vinyl edition with digital download - HVNLP202 - will be
made available.)

Octahedron Each of the Mars Volta albums that preceded Octahedron had pushed the envelope further, their music growing larger, more intense, more complex.

Each had delivered an implied, unspoken challenge to its makers within milliseconds of its final notes: “top this”. And with each subsequent album, Omar and Cedric had turned their creative dials up one more notch, a further step past “eleven”.

With the addition of new drummer Thomas Pridgen, and their ranks swollen by extra guitarists, more percussion and a sax-player, the intensity of The Mars Volta’s sound had increased. Octahedron, however, would follow The Bedlam In Goliath’s brilliant excesses with a sideways step few were expecting, even though the group had telegraphed their intentions to take this new direction for years.

“This one didn’t have multi-layered sub-texts or any sinister spirits,” says Omar, referencing predecessor Goliath’s traumatic birth. “Octahedron was like an expression of will into reality. Like, ‘This one will be easy, this one will be fun’. Everything had a different process.” “Octahedron was a rebellion,” adds Cedric. “Us saying, ‘This isn’t like anything we’ve done before. This is our “pop” album.’ We’d always promised we’d do a ‘pop’ album.’ This was it.”

In an era where technology is increasingly shaping music, 'The Garden Of Eve explores the opposite: it's an organic album, made by real musicians recording simultaneously, giving it a live mood while at the same time having wonderfully brilliant sound. It has been a long time since a contemporary artist has made such a beautiful homage to the blues.

"Blues has always been dear to my heart: it's a cathartic experience, precious and profound, whether it's playing it or listen to it on the radio. When I first heard Billie Holiday sing 'Blue Moon', I could feel it with every cell of my body. She had such a powerful effect on me. Sentimental blues, originating from tragic situations, sometimes even reflecting my own experiences... No matter how bad family, friends, politics, lovers, governments or society might be, they can never destroy the forces for good in this world. And as time passes by, I more and more find the truth that is rooted in my soul. And I finally feel mature enough to understand this wonderful musical tradition - because blues means life."

And if blues means life, Malia is the energy that allows the blues to have a soul, a voice. Characterised by her unique timbre - that doesn't need any further explaining - Malia gives us a thrill throughout the 12 tracks of this album, that has everything to become a classic.

Pedals is the second studio album from post-hardcore band Rival Schools, released 10 years after their debut record United by Fate was first released. Pedals was recorded by the entire original cast, whom were seen as a tremendous influence within the post-hardcore movement.

Where United by Fate was an album often ready to burst at the seams with energy, Pedals shows a more matured and controlled feel, even somewhat experimental at moments with bass tones and frequent use of acoustic guitars and distortion effects.

Pedals is available on black vinyl and includes an insert.

In the late ‘70s Greg Sage formed his punk rock band Wipers. Even though most of his devoted fans consider it a trajesty that his name isn’t as known as the bands that were inspired by him (Nirvana a.o), the misunderstood and underrated musician was happy to remain in the underground. Throughout his lengthy and prolific career with a cult following, he has always been known to downplay any attention or recognition given to him, preferring to let the music speak for itself. His original idea of the band was to never go on tour or do interviews, to be mysterious and let listeners have their own ideas. However, he found out early that being involved in the music industry demanded many compromises.

In 1987 their fifth studio album came out, Follow Blind. It was released on Restless Records and went on to become a cult classic. The album is available on black vinyl.

“Out of Our Hands” brings together Alvin Lucier and Jordan Dykstra who, through the hands of Ordinary Affects, have created debut recordings of two new compositions.

These companion pieces have similar orbits as they were not only both composed in Middletown, CT (where Alvin and Jordan lived for a number of years), but are about Middletown, at least from a starting point. Alvin’s piece — a homage to the location of the house in which he recorded “I am sitting in a room” back in 1969 — continues his study into slow-moving glissandi and carefully crafted beating patters by interweaving three string players within a minor third (voiced by two vibraphonists). The result is entrancing, almost psychedelic, and opens space where one didn’t expect. Like much of his previous work, it is conceptual and process-based; once the wheels get turning they go on and on, giving the listener time to approach the piece, sit with it, and then move back inward.

On the other hand, Dykstra’s piece “32 Middle Tones” (a pun on his Middletown street address and the harmonic microtonality utilized in the composition) is a very textural work. His piece asks the cellist to sustain pitches for extended durations — at times quietly singing in close proximity to the stopped pitch coming from the cello — while the rest of the ensemble (violin, viola, and 2 percussion) voice a sequence of chords separated by notated silences. The cello voice is sometimes alone, but never for too long as it finds itself supported from both the top and bottom in a harmonic embrace. This supportive structure involves a percussion section which colors the seemingly simple chords (major 6th, inverted minor 7th, inverted minor 2nd, etc.) with a non-traditional toolkit of bowed singing bowls, stone sheets, harmonicas, and even leaves.

This is music that gently gives the listener a sense of predictability but always in an unexpected (and subtly indeterminate) shade. Speaking of shade, the album’s cover photo was taken in 2019 in Alvin’s backyard in Middletown. Alvin and Jordan sit with similar demeanors in front of his favorite tree — a crooked aspen which early on looked to be doomed — but which he would often saunter over to spend time with, giving it whispers of blessings and encouraging words.The world was blessed with Alvin’s presence and hopefully this album will whisper to you and yours.

Artist statement:
“With Alvin’s recent passing I was overwhelmed with messages and calls from friends, collaborators, and his former students. Everyone had a heavy heart, no doubt, but were grateful for the memories and their gift to be around Alvin during his lifetime of prolific dedication to the arts, his fascination with poetic storytelling through scientifically-inspired minimalism, and his calm and warmhearted spirit. In his last few years on earth, Alvin was busier than ever — brainstorming new ideas, creating new pieces, and planning big things. While he was here, he was alive, and may his music — and spirit — live on forever, spreading from his corner of Church and High (where he recorded his seminal piece I am sitting in a room) to every corner, concert hall, and loudspeaker in the world.”

Nate Scheible's "work of gentle genius" – Fairfax – is arriving on vinyl & all digital services in February 2022. Remastered by Lawrence English and featuring brand new artwork, this edition uncovers a completely new side of the "dreamy and dramatic, meditative and somber" album by the American artist. ~~~

"Few albums have stuck with me like Nate Scheible's Fairfax. In fact, I feel lucky to have had my copy of the original tape to drop into over several years, some heartbreaks, a few streaks of loneliness; when I've not felt terribly well, or couldn't face reflecting for fear of noticing personal decay.

With fresh treatment from mastering maestro, Lawrence English, this new version has brought out fresh new colours in Scheible's elegant composition. The moments of icy isolation are sharper, while the embrace of the album's finale is warmer and heartier than ever. Scheible's found polaroids on the front of the package also fit so aptly that they barely even feel new. The album's allure and message of craving is more powerful than ever.

To anybody who hears this album, she's a great heroine of literature, the voice of Fairfax. Her frank admissions of longing and weakness are infectious cries of hope. She's a powerful woman, unashamed, the innermost voice of reason, grasping the world together selflessly. I wanted to tell her about the times when things weren't so good. I want to tell her now too, just how well things can turn out.

Scheible's beds of oozing and luscious melodies, decaying on reels or tape, flinging out from plucked bass strings, or rising from a struck vibraphone, are a truly loving soundtrack to this mysterious voice found on a tape that came into the artist's possession. The audio letters reveal the woman's story of painful hope and self-gifted redemption, while the click of the saxophone and moan of Scheible's wobbly piano snippets, they sing her – no ~our~ – mood right back to us. Fairfax reminds us that, like the protagonist, we're all gonna do something, ~someday~."
– Tristan Bath

Repress in blue vinyl !


“Sketches of Spain since its release in 1960 has been one of the most widely
distributed and popular of all jazz records. Even people who don’t collect jazz
records tend to have a copy tucked away somewhere.” - Penguin Guide To Jazz
“Sketches of Spain remains, and rightly so, one of the jewels of Miles Davis’
discography.” - Jazz Magazine (France)
“This recording is one of the most important musical triumphs that this century
has yet produced. It brings together under the same aegis two realms that in
the past have often worked against one another - the world of the heart and
the world of the mind. To Davis and Evans goes not the distinction of five or 10
or a zillion stars in a review rating, but the burden of continuing to show us the
way.” - Bill Mathieu, DownBeat

Inner Vision also features four cuts, these courtesy of DJ Compufunk, aka Nao from Osaka. He's the founder of Compufunk Records (the longest-running record shop for House and Techno in Japan) and, as the four solidly crafted tracks show, an experienced producer in his own right. The vertigo-inducing title track struts aggressively with a high-velocity swing peppered by tinkling synth accents and acidy squelches, after which “Abyss” cools the pace for a sexier House style (a swishing drum machine detail even gives the cut a rather Kraftwerk-like tinge). On the flip, “Midnight Sky” grooves as boldly, this time with a smattering of Garage worked into its swing and chiming synths brightening the mix, while “Mind Power” changes things up with a swirling bottom end that's so dizzying it's positively gyroscopic. Dj Compufunk sn't averse to packing his productions with layers of dizzying detail, and as a result the stimulation level remains high throughout. Strictly limited 250 copies.

Athlete Whippet return to Toy Tonics with an EP showcasing emotionally layered dance tracks and their refusal to stick to genre conventions. The duo are synonymous with sublime cuts that are just as suited to late nights and early mornings on the dancefloor, as they are to home-listening, this perfectly exhibited on the "Noguiera" EP.

The four-tracker is named after a remote place in the mountains around Rio de Janeiro where it was made on a creatively fruitful getaway in 2021. It's sentimental, joyful, bouncy, and futuristic, and showcases the duo’s musicality combining bass guitar and piano, with hardware synths, loops and fragmented vocal samples.

Robin explains - "Spending time in Brazil in recent years was a blessing. The nature, culture and musical heritage over there is beautiful. Mostly in solitude, as I ended up spending most of my time in a remote place in the mountains around Rio, music became the only real emotional outlet for a while. So in a way this is a record of dance music created as far away as we’ve ever been from the dance floor!"

Both from a live performance background, Robin and Avi met studying at Goldsmiths London and found their way to the dance floor via playing in bands, Robin a guitarist, Avi classically trained in trumpet and later on picking up the keys. Absorbing the community of South London, they eventually set up artist collective and record label Squareglass - a proudly established home for new artists coming out of the area. They’ve remixed for the likes of Rhythm Section, collaborated with Olugbenga, and their releases have come with reworks from Ross from Friends, Cameo Blush, Baltra and Seb Wildblood. In 2021, their hybrid sound found a new home with tastemaker German label Toy Tonics who released their "Vesta" EP in May, followed by a run of European tour dates including Funkhaus Berlin, Phonox London and Amsterdam Dance Event.

Siavash Amini is a composer from Tehran, Iran. He Has worked with labels like Room40, Hallow Ground, Opal Tapes and Umor Rex for the better half of the past ten years. He has performed at festivals like CTM & MUTEK and many other well known international events. Apart from it Siavash is a co-founder of the “SET experimental art events” and “SETfest” in Tehran, Iran. His work ranges from fragile ambient pieces and brittle IDM (incorporating his distinctive style of atmospheric guitar playing) to noisy drones and bleak modern classical pieces. His compositions have been inspired by films such as Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror as well as novels by Dostoyesvky and poems by T.S. Eliot.

Saffronkeira is the Sardinian sound researcher Eugenio Caria being active in the electronic music scene since almost two decades. His most recent work - a cooperation with the Italian jazz trumpet legend Paolo Fresu - earned a lot of praise from the international music press for the pure timelessness of the album.

"Upon hearing a small snippet of sound an image is conjured, not a memory but not unfamiliar. A shell of a memory, thousand events superimposed on each other. While trying to extract points of a narrative to ease the discomfort of this recollection, I try to separate and unfold the image and with it the points of the spectrum which make up the sound, a shell of a narrative. Here is an album based upon an almost entirely imagined/ synthesized happening upon hearing a snippet of sound. It sounded like of a whole story that never happened but yet I felt myself amongst it’s participants, a sound triggering a false memory. Each sound in Eugenio’s collection of sounds and ideas guided me a to a point in the narrative and it’s construction. He had handed me a portals of some kind to a few scenes of the whole narrative. This is the soundtrack for that false memory from all the perspectives I can think of."

It was certainly unpredictable that a legendary jazz drummer would record one of spiritual disco's most revered songs twenty-three years into his career, but that's exactly what happened when Idris Muhammad laid down the epic "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" in 1977. Hailing from New Orleans, Muhammad always had more than a touch of funk to his rhythms, and by the late '70s his collaborations with master engineer Rudy Van Gelder on recordings for the CTI and Kudu labels had gelled perfectly with the reigning jazz-funk sound of the day. Arranger Dave Matthews (famously part of the James Brown stable) collaborated with lyricist and former Long Island record store clerk Tony Sarafino on writing the song, which on the original recording unfolds over a nearly 9-minute build. Appearing at the crest of the disco movement, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" was an immediate hit with David Mancuso and the attendees of his loft parties, quickly spreading to other venues and even making a small climb up the Billboard R&B charts. For this new issue on Most Excellent Unlimited, Danny Krivit, whose own career as a dancefloor orchestrator from the DJ booth has paralleled the timeframe of the song's existence, has replaced the original loose introduction with a mix-friendly steady groove that maintains the unstoppable pulse of the song while maintaining the cathartic mid-song break and giving the track potential for even more momentum.

Another percussionist is responsible for our flip side track, "Magic's in the Air." Vince Montana was not only an in-house arranger and producer for Philadelphia International and other Philly soul labels, but was an accomplished vibraphone player. His talents are on display and doubly emphasized by Mr. K in this overlooked cut from Ronnie Walker, a falsetto singer who draws a rather strong comparison to the best songs of fellow Philadelphians Blue Magic with this uptempo, subtly synthy 1975 track. Never having appeared on a 12-inch, and indeed never having appeared even on a full-length album, Krivit's edit is the first extended mix of "Magic's in the Air" to date. Alongside "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This," itself notoriously difficult to find in 12-inch form, this latest from MEU's long running series with Mr. K is a bonafide must-have for the discerning DJ.

From the deep depths of Noord Brabant (NL), high school friends and long term collaborators Klont and Whistle aka Wessel and Luuk join forces once again. Growing up a mere few towns away from each other and even appearing in the same punk band albeit at different times, the meeting of minds occurred over their shared persuasion for absurdist humour and a fairly unconventional music taste.

They knew they had something special in their pursuit of gnarly breaks, textures and all things on the curveball spectrum, as Klont the ultra music nerd approached with a desire to sculpt sound whilst the breaks disrupter and club-goer-outer Whistle brought his all-around disruptive energy to the table. Separated by the pandemic they practiced their musical efforts away from each other with lots of late night video call jam sessions fiddling with ableton to produce a certified booty shaking masterpiece for ANUS Records.

Robert Hampson, the indefatigable visionary behind inspirational sonic architects Loop, whose eagerly anticipated fourth LP Sonancy (Latin for “to create noise”) is the perfect document for these strange times. Dynamic, dystopian, righteously angry and unashamedly Loop-ian, it’s an album that marks a vital re-emergence for Hampson and co. Formed in South London in the mid-1980s, Loop blazed a trail with their potent mix of motorik beats and heavy guitar riffs, recording a trio of brilliant albums that set the indie charts alight before imploding in 1990 after the release of album number three, A Gilded Eternity. As critics enthused at the time, Loop were the sound of Suicide jamming with the Stooges aboard a spaceship built by Hawkwind and piloted by CAN. They were post-psychedelic, pre-shoegaze figureheads in a world of anodyne pop jangle and baggy rhythms, and even their closest contemporaries like Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine didn’t plough such a distinctive furrow as theirs. Today, Loop stand as innovators in a musical world that has embraced and followed their defiantly individual sound – there are hundreds of contemporary neo-psych artists out there who arguably would not exist without Loop’s pioneering music, music that continues to evolve and grow in the most startling of ways on Sonancy.

Robert Hampson, the indefatigable visionary behind inspirational sonic architects Loop, whose eagerly anticipated fourth LP Sonancy (Latin for “to create noise”) is the perfect document for these strange times. Dynamic, dystopian, righteously angry and unashamedly Loop-ian, it’s an album that marks a vital re-emergence for Hampson and co. Formed in South London in the mid-1980s, Loop blazed a trail with their potent mix of motorik beats and heavy guitar riffs, recording a trio of brilliant albums that set the indie charts alight before imploding in 1990 after the release of album number three, A Gilded Eternity. As critics enthused at the time, Loop were the sound of Suicide jamming with the Stooges aboard a spaceship built by Hawkwind and piloted by CAN. They were post-psychedelic, pre-shoegaze figureheads in a world of anodyne pop jangle and baggy rhythms, and even their closest contemporaries like Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine didn’t plough such a distinctive furrow as theirs. Today, Loop stand as innovators in a musical world that has embraced and followed their defiantly individual sound – there are hundreds of contemporary neo-psych artists out there who arguably would not exist without Loop’s pioneering music, music that continues to evolve and grow in the most startling of ways on Sonancy.

In 2002 well-known for his albums by the progressive rock project Ayreon, Star One “Space Metal” is an exciting project from one of rock's great visionaries, Arjen Lucassen. With its stellar musicianship, visionary production and a simple yet far-reaching concept, Star One “Space Metal” shines bright as a giant sun in the galaxy of rock. “Space Metal” isn't a continuous story or a rock opera like the Ayreon albums. Yet it is still very much a concept album and a journey through Arjen's mind and memory. He takes the listener on a trip where they relive those great science fiction space films that made such an impact on him. Without a doubt Arjen Lucassen set a trend with his Ayreon albums. Especially after the highly successful release of “Into the Electric Castle” many musicians and producers have followed in his footsteps and new rock operas with multiple singers are surfacing all over the world. To ensure to keep the involved voices diverse he used very different sounding singers appearing in the same songs -- different singers for different moods. Dan Swano (ex-Edge of Sanity, Nightingale) sings the low parts, Russell Allen (Symphony X and more) sings the powerful rough parts, Damian Wilson (ex-Threshold, Headspace) sings the high clear parts, and to top it off, Floor Jansen (Nightwish) sings the really high choruses. Robert Soeterboek (Ayreon) sang the backing vocals with his huge smoky voice. Of course Ed Warby played the powerful drums, and Erik Norlander once again added his huge analog synth leads. Arjen also managed to get Jens Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen, Dio, Stratovarius) who played some incredibly fast synth leads as well. Arjen even succeeded in getting Hawkwind's Dave Brock to make a guest vocal appearance, something no one has ever managed to do before. “Space Metal (Re-issue 2022)” is available as: Ltd. 2CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP+2CD & LP-Booklet and Digital album (2CD).

After their debut full-length album, Puritan Masochism, took the entire doom and heavy metal scene by storm upon its release in 2020, critically acclaimed Danish blackened death doom outfit KONVENT returns with a sophomore offering that doubles down on the band’s songwriting talent and brutal, heavy sound! The sonic evolution of KONVENT over the course of just two years is immediately evident on Call Down The Sun, surprising with new elements at every turn. Undoubtedly inspired by recent dark times, the ongoing pandemic and cancellation of live performances, the new album sees the Copenhagen-based band more pissed off, fast-paced and pitch black throughout. Rikke Emilie List’s guttural, sublime growls and fierce screams perfectly integrate with a heavy as hell wall of blackened death and funeral doom metal riffs from guitarist Sara Helena Nørregaard, backed by a thick, profound rhythm section provided by bassist Heidi Withington Brink and drummer Julie Simonsen. Tracks such as “Grains” – a ground-shaking, stomping black doom metal epos that will be a must-hear on KONVENT’s upcoming live setlists – showcase the band’s deep black soul with a hint of post-metal and even progressive elements. Featuring a haunting violin and cello guest performance by Felix Havstad, the band creates dark, eerie yet epic atmosphere on “Harena”, revealing threatening yet beautiful facets of their sound. With songs such as “Pipe Dreams” and massive album opener “Into the Distance”, the four-piece unleashes hurricanes of blackened death doom metal. Recorded and mixed by Lasse Ballade at Ballade Studios, Sweden and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Studio, the new album’s thunderous apocalyptic sound is impossible to escape. Call Down The Sun a refreshing, vibrant record that is not only poised to top 2022 Album Of The Year lists, but reign as one of the best death and blackened doom metal records of modern times!

New Gospel Revisited is the new album from the fearless and formidable American composer and trumpeter Marquis Hill. A live recording that revisits and reinterprets his debut 2012 album New Gospel, this time round employing a band of super-heavyweight musicians including Walter Smith III, Joel Ross, James Francies, Kendrick Scott and Harish Raghavan. Marquis Hill’s rise over the last few years has been striking and there’s no letting up. Since winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Composition award he has demonstrated full command of his art and built a reputation for synthesizing what he describes as the essential elements of the Africa-American creative heritage including contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, house and neo-soul. Now, his sights are set even higher. New Gospel Revisited, is an extraordinary live recording that reimagines his debut as a leader with a new band, a new focus and a sharpened ear as a bandleader, composer and performer. The set is breathtakingly good with a band that sounds as inventive and creative as it reads on paper. “… New Gospel was my debut album and my first completed production. To revisit this music in a fresh way, with a new band has been uniquely invigorating —and hugely rewarding.” Marquis Hill

The Neptune Power Federation brings back the love song and rocks as furiously as ever on their fifth studio album, Le Demon De L’Amour! The Imperial Princess and her crew of Aussie rockers lord over eight love songs that prove few can push the boundaries of rock and metal like The Neptune Power Federation! Heading into the creation of their fifth studio album, Le Demon De L’Amour, Australian psychedelic rock and roll brigade The Neptune Power Federation couldn’t let go of the fact that love songs had been commandeered, in their words, by “soft rockers, bedwetters and the introvert crowd.” Whereas rock had its glory period during the 1970s and 80s, the art of the love song is now lost within heavier music. Few bands are now willing to venture into such territory — metal and rock have settled comfortably into typical, predictable lyrical tropes that fail to pull at the heartstrings the way they used to. On Le Demon De L’Amour, The Neptune Power Federation reclaims the art of the love song as their own. Off the heels of their acclaimed 2019 Memoirs of a Rat Queen studio album, the members of The Neptune Power Federation utilized the unexpected downtime afforded from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to craft an album that takes more chances than its predecessor. While the band’s trademark rock swagger and prog tendencies still come into play, Le Demon ups the voltage and energy. True, there is a multitude of genre-blurring taking place, but the album’s infectious choruses and leaden riffs easily re-imagine metal and rock’s glory eras without blatant thievery.

Of course, all roads to The Neptune Power Federation run through lead vocalist Screamin’ Loz Sutch and her stage persona, “The Imperial Priestess.” Le Demon’s eight cuts find the indomitable frontwoman in top form, belting out tales of love from a female’s perspective, weaving in stories of cult worship, murder and hypnotism. The album’s artwork (created by guitarist Inverted CruciFox) also introduces her new nemesis — The Wizzard Princess. Recorded at bass player JayTanic Ritual’s The Ped Food Factory in Marrickville, Sydney, with mixing duties provided by Clem Bennett, Le Demon De L’Amour leads The Neptune Power Federation into their tenth anniversary next year. Their journey has taken them from the sweaty clubs of Sydney to a global audience. Now armed with eight love songs sure to melt and captivate the most hardened metal hearts, The Neptune Power Federation boldly goes where few bands dare to go.



"Maybe their best album so far!" - Deaf Forever (DE), 8.5/10, Soundcheck pos. 7 !!

"They can even top the phenomenal predecessor!" - Metal Hammer (DE), 5.5/7

"'Le Demon De'L'Amour' is definitely their most mature and complete album to date!"

"Finest party rock music of the most beautiful kind!" -(DE), 9/10

"An album full of thick, good riffs, solos, melodies and choruses that stick in mind - definitely recommended!" - Rockmuzine (NL), 85/100

"They are in impressive form!" - Saitenkult (DE), 8.5/10

"The Neptune Power Federation add a great piece of music to their list of achievements." - Heavy Music Blog (DE), 8/10

"The band rocks a bit straighter and more pleasing than before through their love song concept." - Rock Hard (DE), 8/10, Soundcheck pos. 6 / Dynamit !!

U. Srinivas is to Indian classical music what Yehudi Menuhin is to Western classical music. Like Menuhin, U. Srinivas was a child prodigy. He started to play the mandolin, a little-known instrument in India, when he was only six years old. At the time, the mandolin was an alien instrument in South Indian classical music, but Srinivas learned to play Carnatic ragas on the mandolin with so much ease and dexterity that his name was synonymous in India with the mandolin and he became popularly known as ‘Mandolin Srinivas’. Even Europeans are surprised that such magical music can originate from an instrument which is normally a rather inconspicuous member of a Western orchestra. Like fellow Indian musician Shiv Kumar with the santoor, Srinivas has revived and raised an unknown instrument and given it a respectable status in classical music. It was in August 1992, while on tour with WOMAD, that Srinivas recorded this album of traditional music during the second Real World Recording Week in a candlelit studio. U Srinivas passed away in September 2014.

In the 1990s, Malka Family landed from the planet Kif to convert France to their vibrant and crazy madness made of euphoric riffs and glittering suits. Direct heirs of George Clinton and his cosmic P-Funk, they quickly burned stages around the world with this communicative energy which only large ensembles have the secret to. France, Europe, Japan, Africa, Canada… They will be forced to stop in the early 2000s replaced by DJs and computers.

2021. June 5th. Three years after the reformation of the band, Ground Control received a message from "Major Thom" - the astronaut Thomas Pesquet himself. The post is clear! Le Retour du Kif produced in 2018 is played in space… @Thom_astro and all the crew members of the ISS are totally fans of the Malka Family’s Music!

A new era begins, the Jedi of Funk have swept away the machines and their logarithmic music, groove and heavyweight Funk reign in the galaxy once again. The Malka Family is releasing a new 14 track album, SuperLune, a crazy and heavenly funk combo!

This time, back to Malka Family’s old recipes. They spend hours, nights in the studio, writing songs, arranging horns, recording vocals, slapping the bass guitar… "SuperLune is a more introspective album, we did everything without any restrictions, and our funk is more accomplished than ever…" says Jo Mannix fresh out from mixing the album. French Radio Nova tells: "In their spaceship, the bass is definitely queen. From your head to your feet and (especially) through your buttocks, “Blue Funk” will awaken your senses. Without even realizing it, you've already been swept up in the crazy storm of the Malka Family. All the ingredients are there: the dance, the music and an atmosphere that only they have the secret to…" Last but not least, to accompany the interplanetary release of SuperLune, Malka re-embark in their spaceship for the next cosmic tour. Let’s go to the Moon! The SuperLune!

Causa returns to Infernal Sounds for his debut solo release, after his previous two outings in collaboration with Shu (IFS003) and as part of the VA Crimson LP (IFS025). This time he presents two standout tracks, and a strong message to go alongside. With the world requiring more sustainability and less waste, this record has been created with the most measures possible to create a greener record - The 12" are made in a completely climate-neutral way, the material having been recycled, all unavoidable Co2 emissions have been offset, the cardboard/centre labels are either FSG approved or via recycled means, and even the artwork has been made with all of this in mind, using minimal ink work and a restricted colour pallet to limit the amount of waste throughout.

Not only that, but the two tracks on the 12" absolutely slap, radiating that trademark Causa swampy-sound. 'Haiy' kicks off the proceedings with a reverberating lead before plunging you into a frenzy of mid-range madness, and bass-curdling pressure. 'Untitled R V3 C' has been a long sought after dubplate, having done the rounds for a few years. It's a proper groovy, swinger, providing you with pure invigoration.

On ‘Luminal rec.’ s next 12-incher Black Lotus starts the acid engines with the title track “Thrust”
- a raw old-schooled rave interpretation cut from a freestyle 303 jam.

“High-Octane” dives towards even faster worlds while developing a relentless grinding touch that reminds of good old days.

“Mechanic Galaxy” on Side B is their soft counterpart;
With its dreamy chords and dancing shakers it balances this four-tracker out - a constellation we are used to from previous EPs.

Also “Interplanetary” comes along with a puristic touch, while focusing on less elements
- never compromising on the speeds.

New stuff from recent times.
Play it loud!

Tape

Limited to 100 CASSETTES Fairground of Tears’ ‘Execution’ is a 10 track EP of heavy, noisy techno, containing 5 original tracks and 5 remixes from Melania., Phin, Pre Silent, Antechamber and Tomohiko Sagae. Conceptually, the release explores the multi-perspectival facets of the serial killer phenomenon, both the victim and the killer, but also the role of the voyeur, which in this instance, the listener becomes. Fairground Of Tears is a London based producer, resident DJ at Noise Orchestra and the founder and curator of the London event series, Exiled. credits Mastered by Joe Farr Artwork by Hila Angelica Mazzocco

Piano, handmade electronics, tenor sax, couple strings.

I was after something tangible. Sounds you could roll around in your palm and consider different, complex, and flawed textures. Feel the weight, maybe even smell them.

This desire is probably a reaction to the dissociative nausea from the constant simulacra of these early 2020s. Like deliberately going barefoot to feel yourself grounded in a real place, as I read Andrea Needham did when facing charges for disarming a warplane.

Anyway, my methods to achieve these sound "objects" was to use a healthy amount of acoustic instrumentation with all its familiar sonic unevenness, to free sounds from rhythmic or thematic structure, and to give plenty of blank space around each note so the ear can reach in and pluck it out. A berry from a bush, an eyelash from a friend's cheek.

Really though, a lot of the time now I just want to listen to the birds. There are plenty on here. Mourning dove, titmouse, helicopter.

"Hunter on the Wing" is a reference to De'Andre Hunter, the Atlanta Hawks small forward.

KF, Dec. 2021

The Equations Collective is an experimental sound project formed by a multi-disciplinary group of artists, active in the fields of music, photography, sound design & software development.

In 2018, the collective set up a temporary outdoor recording studio, 1130 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Helicon in Greece, with the ambition of recording their work in a natural environment. A 'mobile and modular' construction, fully powered by solar panels, the design of the studio showcases the possibilities of a progressive, environmentally sustainable future through renewable energy.

Embodying ecological incentives, and representing an immersive engagement with the landscape, the 'Helicon Sessions' document this extraordinary residency, capturing a profound dialogue with the eponymous mountain region.

Situated in Boeotia, Central Greece, Mount Helicon has a prominent archaic significance. A historic location where stories of sacred springs and the epic origins of the Muses and Narcissus converge. Steeped in the heritage of ancient narratives, Helicon is seen as a principal symbol of poetic inspiration.

On the 'Helicon Sessions' the collective draw upon the inspiring topography and fabled mythological resonances of the area, unfurling an expansive, hypnotic suite of abstract electronics. Liberated by an open-ended, improvisational dynamic, the collective move through a mysterious, elemental cycle that mirrors the imposing scale and dramatic atmospheres of the setting.

Across an entrancing, fluid sequence of five designated 'cuts', the collective traverse the borderlands of drone, techno, dub, and acid, amplifying the acoustic traces of Helicon by integrating field recordings collected at the site into this arresting body of work. With these recordings, the collective delineate an odyssey of subverted 303s, sputtering drum machines and formidable, oscillating low end that drifts and coalesces like an amorphous mirage; a spellbinding sound world of clarity and shadow.

The 'Helicon Sessions' signify a symbiosis (between the terrestrial and the engineered, between wildlife and futurism, between the intrinsic and the synthetic, between the innate and the manmade) And with their conception of a portable, eco-friendly studio The Equations Collective focalize valuable ideas centred on ingenuity and evolution. The outcome of this project illustrates a unique collaborative exchange which acknowledges the deep nuances of environment and the enduring echoes of history.

The Equations Collective is a collaboration between Artefakt, Aroma Pitch, Aphelion and Sphera De Noumenon across Berlin, Amsterdam, Cologne and Hamburg. Together they have established an all night long live event in Berlin, starting at Sameheads and Acud Macht Neu, which eventually lead to their residency at OHM (Tresor).

For this format they have collaborated with the following artists: Alex The Fairy, Anna Z, D-IX, Eliad Wagner, Jón Friđgeir Sigurđsson, Orson Wells, Phillip Jondo, Philipp Matalla, PRSMC, Rabih Beaini, Sabrina Gricourt, Sébastien Robert, and Vida Vojić.

The respective members of The Equations Collective have released a range of output on the likes of Field Records, Delsin, Semantica Records, De Stijl, & Soul People Music.

Since 2018 their visual identity has been shaped by Elias Hanzer.

The 'Helicon Sessions' is their debut release.

Lex Ludlow debuts on Atomnation with the Midnight EP, a four-tracker filled with woozy, seductive house grooves.

Sri Lanka-born but Sweden-raised, Lex Ludlow has spent years working in the dance music industry on events, in nightclubs, singing and co-producing with various projects, but only now is she stepping out with her own sounds. Each track is as free-flowing as the ocean that gives her such inspiration: as well as DJing and producing, Ludlow freelances as a sailmaker. With Midnight, she showcases her love of supple grooves, manipulated vocals and liquid synths.

With the Midnight EP, Lex Ludlow has immediately found her own beautifully unique sound.

**LTD BLACK AND RED MARBLE**

As humans, we are aware of our inner beast and should therefore be able to control it. We understand our hard-wired primal urges and why they exist in an evolutional sense. We understand the relationship between mind and body. Highly evolved and intelligent, we should be able to recognize these genetic hangovers and control them as a means to act positively and move forward as a compassion-ate species. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Recent global events have proven this. The human race is consuming itself.

World Eater, the new album by Benjamin John Power's Blanck Mass project, is a reaction to this. There is an underlying violence and anger throughout the record, even though some of these tracks are the closest Power has ever come to writing, in his words, actual love songs.'

Maybe subconsciously this was some kind of countermeasure to restore some personal balance,' Power explains.

On World Eater, Power further perfects the propulsive, engrossing electronic music he has created throughout his impressive decade-plus career, both under the Blanck Mass moniker and as one-half of Fuck Buttons, as he elaborates upon the sound of 2015's brilliant double album Dumb Flesh. As massive as the sonic world of the new record often feels, its greatest achievement is in its maximization of a limited set of tools, a restriction intentionally set by Power himself.

As an exercise in better understanding myself musically, I found myself using an increasingly restricted palette during the World Eater creative process. Evoking these intense emotions using minimal components really put me outside of my comfort zone and was unlike the process I am used to. Feeling exposed shone a new light on this particular snapshot. I feel enriched for doing so.'

(A) 1. John Doe's Carnival of Error
(B) 2. Rhesus Negative
(C) 3. Please
(D) 4. The Rat
(E) 5. Silent Treatment
(F) 6. Minnesota / Eas Fors / Naked
(G) 7. Hive Mind