quête:m james

he second Mandalaband album - The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies - took two full years to create. Recorded at Strawberry Studios with the help of Barclay James Harvest plus a plethora of musician friends and colleagues with whom David had worked with over the years including Eric Stewart (10cc), Maddy Prior (Steeleye Span), Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme & Kevin Godley (10cc) and Paul Young (Sad Cafe / Mike and the Mechanics).

The narrative is based on a Tolkienesque fantasy of a magical gemstone, set in prehistory, the music and lyrics telling the tale through different vocalists playing the roles of the leading characters in the story. The Mandalaband founder carefully created this classic symphonic rock album on a budget of just GBP 8,000.

As well as presenting the original album remastered, David gained access to the original 24-track analogue master tapes, having them restored and digitised at Abbey Road Studios before reinforcing the sound and instrumentation before remixing the entire album.

Listening to David's newly remixed version is a stunning sonic journey, with elements of prog, electronica, soft rock and instrumental soundscapes, the influence of these recordings on prog-music that followed is clear.

Format: 2LP 180g gatefold edition featuring the original album and David Rohl 2024 remix of entire album, newly remastered at AIR Mastering. Comes with the original 6-panel booklet telling the full Eye of Wendor story with beautiful illustration and newly written liner notes.

Christmas comes early, at least for Wu-Tang fans! Vinyl version of 2022s Killah Christmas! Wu-Tang Clan legend Ghostface Killah released his first-ever Christmas album digitally two Christmas' ago. The project features six exclusive tracks with guest appearances from longtime partner-in-rhyme Raekwon, as well as Reek Da Villain, Nizzle Man and Billy Ski-Mask.Ghostface Killah is critically acclaimed for his loud, fast-paced flowand his emotional stream-of-consciousness narratives containing cryptic slang and non-sequiturs. In 2006, MTV included him as an "honourable mention" on their list of the "Greatest MCs of All Time",while the editors of About com placed him on their list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987-2007)", calling him "one of the most imaginative storytellers of our time." Q magazine called him "rap's finest storyteller." Pitchfork Media has stated that "Ghostface has unparalleled storytelling instincts; he might be the best, most colorful storyteller rap has ever seen." NPR has called him "a compulsive storyteller", and asserts that "his fiction is painterly." "Ghostface Killah is spreading Christmas cheer to his fans with a new holiday-themed album that comes with some perks" _ Mark Elibert, Hip-hop DX

One of his best albums from the mid-Sixties, Yusef Lateef's 1984 is a truly experimental work. With bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Mike Nock, and drummer James Black, it goes from the eight-minute title track that opens the album to the two-minute, angular modal ballad "Try Love." Reviewer Thom Jurek gave it four out of five stars in AllMusic, stating that "1984 certainly seems to be shaping up into one weird record.

The title is an experimental, noodling improv with Lateef moaning as if in mourning. But then with 'Soul Sister,' featuring Lateef's deep, bluesy, tenor blowing around a gorgeous lyric figure, and Mike Nock's stunningly beautiful soloing on 'Love Waltz,' the entire album moves in another direction, even if it isn't terribly focused. In all, a complex yet emotionally and musically rewarding effort by a master.”

Jackie Ross had a storied career that began when the great Sam Cooke recruited her for his SAR label in 1962. After that, she went on to sing with Syl Johnston's band and sign with the notorious Chess label in 1964. It was there she dropped her biggest hit 'Selfish One', which reached number 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, before many more tunes came on the likes of Brunswick and others.

Her 1980 album A New Beginning For was produced by Chicago soul scene mainstay James Van Lear and now gets its first reissue courtesy of P-Vine. It shows the range and depth of emotion Jackie could tap into with a mix of slow motion stirrers and more funky and upbeat numbers.

After a brief hiatus, Late Night Burners re-enters the party with a fresh reissue in the Still Burning series, the first of a few that will drop throughout 2024. And again, the adventure was found close by.

Roland Klinkenberg operates under many clever aliases (Simsalabim!) but arguably his biggest moment as a producer was the progressive trance tune “Inner Laugh”, which was remixed by none other than Border Community founder James Holden. And when those kinds of tunes get cross-bred with uptempo house and menacing techno, you get “SIM 01 / Trance Textures 2”. Originally released as the first record on his own Sim label in 1995, these tunes were part of the beginning of Roland’s long and illustrious career. You’ll understand it when you hear it. No remixes this time, just the four OG cuts remastered from the DAT tapes with love, respect, and tenderness.

Kicking off our new Toolroom Trax vinyl series which celebrates the best releases from Toolroom’s sister label is Italian super-duo Twolate with the incredible new single 'Baila'. A straight-up 4 to the floor club shaker, with powerful hard-hitting drums, deep punchy afro vocals with carnival whistles and percussion hits that will turn the dancefloor into a fiesta. Two dance heavyweights collide on our next offering; best-selling house artist CASSIMM and Chicago house royalty Gene Farris for their latest collaboration 'Party People'. With numerous #1 singles and remixes on Beatport and Traxsource, CASSIMM returns to Trax with his notorious sound of feel-good, high-energy house music, team that with Gene Farris as he effortlessly delivers another irresistible vocal hook. 'This is for my people, my party people'. James Haskell kicks things off on the b-side with 'Check It Out'. With numerous releases on D4 D4NCE, LoveJuice and of course Toolroom, James Haskell is fast gaining support from the scenes top tastemakers including Bob Sinclar, Leftwing : Kody, David Guetta, Tita Lau and Dombresky to name a few. Gracing club hotspots around the world, James Haskell is set to top the charts with his Tech House and Big Room sound. Closing out the Sampler is Toolroom Trax A&R and Music Curator Danny Rhys with his percussive tech house weapon 'Sibali'. Following on from his 2021 Traxsource number #1 single 'Damn Good', in collaboration with house vocalist legend Mr. V. With releases on respectable labels such as Farris Wheel Recordings, Flashmob, HouseU and There Was Jack, Danny Rhys boasts high, feel-good energy, bumpy basslines, rolling percussion and infectious vocals that has since gained respect from AAA talents such as Gorgon City, TCTS, Kryder and of course Mark Knight.

DJ Support from Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison, DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, KC Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche

Repress!

Our next Toolroom 4-track vinyl sampler offers some of our biggest recent releases including none other, than the boss man himself, Mark Knight who is joined by James Hurr & Cari Golden with their club focused record, 'You Are A God'. In demand Italian DJ & Producer Qubiko also returns to the label with 'Talking To Myself', whilst key members of the Toolroom family, Leftwing : Kody go back to their clubbier roots on 'Mallet'.

Last but not least fast-rising, star-in-the-making, ESSEL who is set to drop a slice of Summer with 'Try', a Piano House focused record in the classiest of fashions, akin to a classic Dusky sound. Four killer cuts that you will not want to miss this summer season!

Enigmatic Mancunian Act AnD brings a dynamic and raw take on modern techno in his dj sets. He maintains always strong analogue production ethics and showcase this in his heavy hitting live show. Alongside production work that takes in everything from techno to electronica to hip hop with the uncompromising AnD attitude towards sound design.Always expect the unexpected!!!” Embracing the shadowy outskirts of techno, AnD’s covert productions on his own selftitled white label series looks to push them even further into their own brand of sonic destruction. In doing so AnD follow in the footsteps of UK luminaries Surgeon, Regis, James Ruskin and The Black Dog by continuing to shape a genuine and unflinching vision of techno. – credits All music by AnD Mastering by Joe Farr

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the highly anticipated new film in The Hunger Games movie franchise and is based on the 2020 same-titled novel by Suzanne Collins. This 2023 movie is the fifth installment and serves as a prequel, as the story is set 64 years before the events of the first movie. Its plot follows the events that eventually lead a young Coriolanus Snow on the path to becoming the tyrannical leader of Panem.

The music from the previous films went viral, especially with “The Hanging Tree” sung by Jennifer Lawrence and composed by James Newton Howard. Howard makes his return to the franchise after scoring the original four films. Featured throughout the album's 40 tracks is global superstar pianist Yuja Wang.

The vinyl edition of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes contains 37 orchestral tracks by James Newton Howard and 3 piano solo tracks by Yuja Wang composed by Howard. It's limited to 1000 individually numbered copies on red coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve and includes a 4-page booklet with movie stills.

The Miserable Rich aus Brighton veröffentlichen mit OVERCOME ihr erstes neues Album seit 2011 auf dem eigenen Label Rags To Ruin. Geboren als Beweis tiefer Freundschaft und Liebe, entstand das Werk mit Produzent/Engineer Wolfgang Gottlieb (Lotte Lindenberg Studio) und Gastmusikern wie Alabaster de Plume, Jack Kendon (Love Supreme Jazz Festival) und Mike Siddell (The Leisure Society, Hope Of The States, Mumford & Sons). Die 12 Songs versprühen den Charme der mit Streichern versehenen, handwerklichen Musik der Band, ergänzt mit Klavier, Elektronik und Blechbläser. Ihren eleganten Sound zwischen Indie-Folk, Kammerpop und New Orleans-Soul beschreibt Sänger James de Malplaquet - vielleicht etwas flapig - als 'irgendwo zwischen Kruder & Dorfmeister und Supertramp, wo wir schon immer hingehören'.

Der in einem Kellerstudio am Zusammenfluss von Mississippi und Missouri arbeitende Pipeline-Mann Howard Neal und sein passend benanntes Shoestring-Label waren die Antwort von Alton, Illinois, auf eine Frage, die niemand stellte. Die Singles von The James Family, Jimmie Green, Pete & Cheez und Carletta Sue, die in winzigen Auflagen gepresst und kaum außerhalb der Postleitzahl 62002 vertrieben wurden, sind Paradebeispiele für kosmische Midwestern-Disco auf der Suche nach einem Durchbruch. Diese schwergewichtige 10-Song-LP im Klappcover enthält ein Essay und Bilder, die diesen reinen Ausdruck von Kleinstadt-Soul vervollständigen.

"Jimmie Green Color"-Vinyl. Der in einem Kellerstudio am Zusammenfluss von Mississippi und Missouri arbeitende Pipeline-Mann Howard Neal und sein passend benanntes Shoestring-Label waren die Antwort von Alton, Illinois, auf eine Frage, die niemand stellte. Die Singles von The James Family, Jimmie Green, Pete & Cheez und Carletta Sue, die in winzigen Auflagen gepresst und kaum außerhalb der Postleitzahl 62002 vertrieben wurden, sind Paradebeispiele für kosmische Midwestern-Disco auf der Suche nach einem Durchbruch. Diese schwergewichtige 10-Song-LP im Klappcover enthält ein Essay und Bilder, die diesen reinen Ausdruck von Kleinstadt-Soul vervollständigen.

Achtung, Babyboomers und Digital-Ureinwohners: Fettes Brot doktert sich mit der hausinternen Zeitmaschine retour in die hinteren Jahre des vorherigen Jahrtausends und buddelt die ersten vier eigenen 90s-Hip Hop-Meilensteine wieder aus. Anders ausgedrückt: Es gab ein Leben vor dem Internetz - und die Vorstadtkrokos von Fettes Brot planschten damals schon im Haifischbecken Musikindustrie. Doch, wer weiß das noch? Auf den FeBro-Konzerten der letzten 10 Jahre lief kaum mehr 'classic material' als "Jein", "Nordisch By Nature" und "Da Draussen", die Tonträger bis 2000 gab's seit fünf Sommern nur noch 2nd Hand zu kaufen und null davon je legal-digital. Nur: die Bevölkerung braucht das. Zum Glück hören die 3 Partypiepen manchmal sogar zu und schworen sogleich Besserung. Das Brot der frühen Jahre erscheint endlich wieder in vier frischen Portionen auf LP - neu gemastert in old school Stereo, erweitert um einen Batzen Bonüsse (B-Seiten, Remixe, Features, Demos und Live-Perlen), verziert mit luftigen Lebenslügen der 3, ergänzt um reichlich zwielichte Zeitzeugenberichte und zugeschüttet mit einem Füllhorn verschollener Fotos.

AUF EINEM AUGE BLÖD (1995):
- Der Deutschrap-Klassiker - das erste Fettes Brot Album gibt es nun endlich wieder auf Doppel Vinyl!
- Original-Album inklusive "Meh' Bier", "Nordisch by Nature" (9-minütige Originalversion!) und mit Gastauftritten von Fischmob, Eißfeldt (aka Jan Delay), Der Tobi & Das Bo, u.a.
- Weinrotes+hellblaues Doppelvinyl, Remastered, um Fotos und Essays erweitertes Artwork und mit MP3-Downloadcode des ganzen Albums plus 7 zusätzlichen digitalen Bonustracks!

Come get it! Dynamic Dallas soul singer Bobby Patterson cut some seriously sizzling sides in the mid '60s, including the James Brown rebuttal Mama's Got A New Bag Too " the pugnacious original "Knock Out Power Of Love " and the rambunctious funk of "T.C.B. Or T.Y.A."! Gems from the Jetstar label and originally unissued treasures collected on LP!

"My Thing Is Your Thing: Jetstar Strut From Bobby Patterson" by Bobby Patterson includes the following tracks: "I’m Leroy - I’ll Take Her", "Broadway Ain’t Funky No More", "I’m In Love With You", "The Knock Out Power Of Love" and more.

Double LP on recycled & random-coloured "Re-Vinyl" Return to the unwavering wild in Downpour, where you explore new, harsh lands and survive new predators. As time passed, the slugcat has evolved. With five variants of the species - take advantage of various skills that they possess and explore their own personal tales. Black Screen Records, Videocult and Akupara Games are excited to take you an aural journey into the strange land of "Rain World: Downpour". Two LPs pressed on recycled & random-coloured "Re-Vinyl". The soundtrack is housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve comes with UV spot varnish. The artwork was created by Kelocitta who has also reimagined the vinyl art for "Rain World". The "Rain World: Downpour" soundtrack is a collaborative work that was made possible by James Primate, Lydia Esrig, Intikus, Ongomato, Connor "12LBS" Skidmore and Progfox. A unique piece of music and very interesting mesh of different styles that truly bring the environment of Rain World to life. It's fully enjoyable without the game itself. The songs of "Rain World: Downpour" are a treat to experience, with some themes referencing the original soundtrack, such as "Threat - Waterfront Complex" or "Reflection of the Moon", and some being whole new, entirely original tracks, such as "Breathing Hyometer", "Fragile" and "Sheer Ice Torrent". Once you've experienced the "Rain World" soundtrack and gotten a feel for the style of the artists who worked on the music, "Rain World: Downpour" is an amazing continuation to experience next.

One year after his surprising debut, Agosta, the Catania musician-non-musician and Space Echo Records return to the point with “Reworks and Remixes”. Which from the very title disengages itself from the industrial 'album+remix album' chain and on listening reveals itself to be a record capable of moving, in total autonomy from its antecedent, on three different levels of reading. For, at its base, we would say, there is a much more stimulating idea than the simple compulsion from alternative versions, b-sides and so on.

Point 1, transfiguration. Because, contrary to the genre stereotype, the remix mode allows songs to express themselves in creative and experimental ways.

Point 2, the Rorschach Test. Because, on those songs, there is the personality, that is, the result of the cross-vision with experience, of the individual producers being measured against itself.

Point 3, the stage backdrop. That is, its ability to show a cross-section of the current electronic scene in Etna.
Agosta wanted some of the pillars of Catania's black-minded electronic scene with him and, together with them, reinterpreted songs from his first album. The result is a work that is as multifaceted, in terms of the specific weight of the artistic individualities involved, as it is homogeneous, in their idea of a sound that is as physical as it is mental and, above all, in terms of a totally Mediterranean underlying taste with which every single track is imbued.
Whether it is the pensive house of “Apple 65” or “Lady G” (Butterfly Agosta's Rework) as much as AN-AN's dub on “Varanni”, between Grace Jones and Adrian Sherwood, or Galathea's more psychedelic and twilight Trip-Hop on “Three Chestnuts”. The Shaft-esque swagger of Salvo Borrelli and Reverend James, the donwnbeat pop of “Cellars” by Go.Soul.Map. and the caress of “Hearing The Call” (Lady G In A Rainy Day Version) by The Invisible Session, in which spoken and what they once called nu jazz flirt.

Don’t Miss It!!!!

Lovely Is Today (Edit) by Eddie Harris b/w September 13 (Edit) by Deodato | Galaxy Sound Co. — GSC4540, test pressing | Hot off the presses via the always-on-point @galaxy_sound_company crew. This will mark number 40 in the GSC45 series. Every release has been stellar, elevating it to the rarified “buy-it-on-site” status. If you love hip-hop, broken beats & top-class edits, anything w/ their stamp on it — you know it’s going to be top notch. They’ve got a bottomless discography full of that good ish, & here comes another addition to the cannon in the form of a pair of glorious jazz-funk nuggets.

Side A is an edit of “Lovely Is Today” by Eddie Harris, which is taken from his brilliant 68 soul-jazz LP “Plug Me In”. Chicagoan Harris pioneered the usage of amplified electric Varitone saxophones. It features a stellar line-up: Ron Carter (bass), Haywood Henry (baritone sax), Jodie Christian (piano), Garnet Brown (trombone), James Bossy (trumpet), Grady Tate & Richard Smith on drums, &, of course, Harris on tenor sax. Here the edit trims off the intro noise & extends the breaks recalling hip-hop songs it sampled: “2 Deep” by Gang Starr, “Intro” by Mobb Deep, “It Ain’t Hard To Tell (The Stink Mix)” by Nas, “What’s My Name Yo?” by MC Lyte, among others.

Side B is an edit of “September 13” by Deodato, taken from his self-titled jazz-funk 73 LP. Deodato, aka Eumir Deodato De Almeida, is a Brazilian artist known for his range of production work for Kool & The Gang to Björk, as well as TV & film scores & collabs w/ Milton Nascimento, Ithamara Koorax & Marcos Valle. Heads will know this one as the source for heaters like “In The House” by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, “Park Joint” by Camp Lo, “Epoca” by Gotan Project, “Don’t U Know” by DJ Rels aka Madlib & “Track 13” on Beat CD #2 by J Dilla.

Who exactly is Sauce Walka? He is DAT BOY DEN. Often considered one of rap’s biggest enigmas for his larger than life personality yet equally sharp and grandiose pen game, the Houston based rapper aims to put a stamp on his name with his newest studio album, DAT BOY DEN. The 18 track album features appearances from popular artists such as Peezy, BIG30 & Freeway, as well as fellow Houston-based artist Money Man & The Sauce Factory labelmates Peso Peso, Sauce WoodWinnin, Sauce Gohan & 44 Mike Deezy. Previous notable collaborations include artists such as A$AP Rocky, Bun B, Chief Keef, Lil' Keke, Maxo Kream, Migos, Slim Thug, Travis Scott, Trinidad James, and XXXTentacion. pPressed on Red & White Split Vinyl, housed in a widespine jacket.

Key Marketing/Selling:
Sauce Walka is an incredibly versatile rapper and while his image may be more street leaning, he is an incredibly gifted lyricist with an unmatched pen game and can outrap some of the more lyrical rappers
Founder of the popular Houston based label, The Sauce Factory
Popularized the term “Drip”
Made headlines in 2015 for releasing a diss track aimed at Drake called, “Wack 2 Wack,” over appropriating Houston culture
Sauce Walka has over 1.3M monthly listeners on Spotify
Supporting Conway the Machine on the WON’T HE DO IT tour from September-October 2023 and recently collaborated on the standout single, “Dangerous Daringer”
Sauce Walka is an extremely viral personality and very active on social media, and willing to put in the work to support his products
Previous notable collaborations include artists such as A$AP Rocky, Bun B, Chief Keef, Lil' Keke, Maxo Kream, Migos, Slim Thug, Travis Scott, Trinidad James, and XXXTentacion

Gruff Rhys is pleased to announce his new album "Sadness Sets Me Free" which will be released by Rough Trade Records on 26.01.2024. This incredibly will be the 25th album he has released in his 35 year career individually, collaboratively and as a member of various bands. "Sadness Sets Me Free" is also the follow up to 2021"s "Seeking new Gods", his first solo top ten record. The album will be available in a range of formats including a unique Dinked edition on "honeycomb neo-neapolitan" vinyl, an LP sleeve with "container doors" and a bonus 7" with exclusive audio for the first 1500 copies. A gatefold soft pack CD also includes a pull out poster. Lead-off single "Celestial Candyfloss" is a telling four minute glimpse of the forthcoming album, revealing the heady wonders and classic pop sounds within. Soaring strings carry the sweet melodies along, anchored by just enough necessary melancholy to add emotional ballast. The eye-popping video was created by long-time collaborator Mark James and compliments the scope and style of the song on a galactic scale. "Celestial Candyfloss" is, Gruff says, "an attempted pocket symphony about the cosmic lengths that people will travel in the pursuit of love and acceptance. Mark James has brought the Sadness Sets Me Free album cover to life & managed to place me watching TV interference in a shipping container that"s lost in space. For what is apparently the 25th album I"ve had a hand in writing I"ve reverted to a rich seam of inspiration relating to shedding some light on sadness and the general terror of cosmic loneliness." And so it was that Gruff and his band - Osian Gwynedd (piano), Huw V Williams (double bass) and former Flaming Lips drummer turned Super Furry Animals archivist Kliph Scurlock (drums) piled into a van driven by the late, legendary tour manager "Dr" Kiko Loiacono and raced from Dunkirk, where they had just played the final show of a tour of Spain and France, to the outskirts of Paris in the early hours of a March morning in 2022. There, in La Frette Studios, a recording facility installed in a 19th-century house, Gruff and his road-hardened group tracked "Sadness Sets Me Free" in just three days. Backing vocals were added along the way by Kate Stables from This Is The Kit along with additional strings and orchestration and it was mixed between Marseille and Cardiff. What finally emerged from these intense bouts of cross-continental activity was Gruff"s most accomplished and beautiful record to date. In a career that has taken him from the slate-mining towns of north-west Wales, down to the expat communities of Patagonia, up to the Mandan tribe of the Great Plains of North America and across to the Tuareg rock groups of the Saharan Desert, Gruff Rhys, one of Britain"s most beloved and successful singer-songwriters, has always been willing to follow an opportunity, wherever it may lead him. "At this point I quite like working with serendipity," he says. "Not in a cosmic way, but I try and leave things open to chance encounters and chance geography. As I"m around 25 albums in I"m always looking for ways to make a different-sounding record".

Gruff Rhys is pleased to announce his new album "Sadness Sets Me Free" which will be released by Rough Trade Records on 26.01.2024. This incredibly will be the 25th album he has released in his 35 year career individually, collaboratively and as a member of various bands. "Sadness Sets Me Free" is also the follow up to 2021"s "Seeking new Gods", his first solo top ten record. The album will be available in a range of formats including a unique Dinked edition on "honeycomb neo-neapolitan" vinyl, an LP sleeve with "container doors" and a bonus 7" with exclusive audio for the first 1500 copies. A gatefold soft pack CD also includes a pull out poster. Lead-off single "Celestial Candyfloss" is a telling four minute glimpse of the forthcoming album, revealing the heady wonders and classic pop sounds within. Soaring strings carry the sweet melodies along, anchored by just enough necessary melancholy to add emotional ballast. The eye-popping video was created by long-time collaborator Mark James and compliments the scope and style of the song on a galactic scale. "Celestial Candyfloss" is, Gruff says, "an attempted pocket symphony about the cosmic lengths that people will travel in the pursuit of love and acceptance. Mark James has brought the Sadness Sets Me Free album cover to life & managed to place me watching TV interference in a shipping container that"s lost in space. For what is apparently the 25th album I"ve had a hand in writing I"ve reverted to a rich seam of inspiration relating to shedding some light on sadness and the general terror of cosmic loneliness." And so it was that Gruff and his band - Osian Gwynedd (piano), Huw V Williams (double bass) and former Flaming Lips drummer turned Super Furry Animals archivist Kliph Scurlock (drums) piled into a van driven by the late, legendary tour manager "Dr" Kiko Loiacono and raced from Dunkirk, where they had just played the final show of a tour of Spain and France, to the outskirts of Paris in the early hours of a March morning in 2022. There, in La Frette Studios, a recording facility installed in a 19th-century house, Gruff and his road-hardened group tracked "Sadness Sets Me Free" in just three days. Backing vocals were added along the way by Kate Stables from This Is The Kit along with additional strings and orchestration and it was mixed between Marseille and Cardiff. What finally emerged from these intense bouts of cross-continental activity was Gruff"s most accomplished and beautiful record to date. In a career that has taken him from the slate-mining towns of north-west Wales, down to the expat communities of Patagonia, up to the Mandan tribe of the Great Plains of North America and across to the Tuareg rock groups of the Saharan Desert, Gruff Rhys, one of Britain"s most beloved and successful singer-songwriters, has always been willing to follow an opportunity, wherever it may lead him. "At this point I quite like working with serendipity," he says. "Not in a cosmic way, but I try and leave things open to chance encounters and chance geography. As I"m around 25 albums in I"m always looking for ways to make a different-sounding record".