“Beautiful. Feels like every corner has been lovingly created. Highly recommended" Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2
“Incredible. One of my albums of the year” Dom Servini, Jazz FM
“What a beautiful message” China Moses, Jazz FM
“Completely envelopes you” Soweto Kinch, BBC Radio 3
“An uplifting, articulate soundtrack which instils hope and uncontaminated warmth” Backseat Mafia
“Scrimshire delivers a superior example of the style thanks to his musicality and inventive imagination” Jazzwise
“He has stepped up: a stronger musician, and a braver one, with nothing here that plays as filler” UK Vibe
DJ Support: Cerys Matthews, Gilles Peterson, Gideon Coe, Zakia, Jamie Cullum, Patrick Forge, Maflada, Dom Servini, Tony Minvielle, China Moses, Yolanda Brown
Drawing on influences from Charles Stepney to David Axelrod, into expansive folk-soul and jazz from the 60s, Bring Our Light To Every Corner is a deep and enchanting masterpiece from Scrimshire.
With captivating features by Dwight Trible, Idris Rahman, Faye Houston and Indian classical legend Mahesh Kale, the album holds together a suitably diverse set of ideas in a seamless journey full of heart.
Steve Stoll - Acida Evolucion - Sonic Groove
Two pillars of New York techno finally collide as Steve Stoll makes his debut on Sonic Groove.
Stepping out from a recent low-profile streak, the NYC veteran delivers a superacideferocious 6-track mini-LP. This is Stoll at his rawest: deep, hardware-heavy 303 minimalism designed to melt minds and dancefloors alike.
Ruman presents a selection of deep, hypnotic cuts rooted in dubby and minimal aesthetics, with textured atmospheres, rolling low-end pressure and subtle psychedelic detail.
For the 62nd release on Memoria Recordings, Romanian producer Plusculaar delivers a hypnotic collection of deep, groove-driven electronic cuts that move far beyond simple club conventions. Known for a sound shaped by minimal grooves, shuffled rhythms, and immersive atmospheres, Plusculaar builds sonic journeys that reward patient listening and intuitive mixing.
Across this EP, he bridges subtle breaks, micro-textural interplay, and low-end propulsion to craft tracks that are equally at home in intimate underground settings as they are in late-night room explorations. Each piece unfolds with surgical precision, unhurried, detailed, and rich in rhythmic nuance.
MEM062 is for selectors who appreciate depth and restraint, where every beat and silence matters. A refined toolset for DJs and listeners alike who chase emotion through movement and groove.
Luke Wyatt created Sladazj as a place for beat-driven cinematic downshift. These were darker doorways than Torn Hawk could step through. Beyond the arches were Sladazj’s favorite landscapes. We’re talking hovercrafts buzzing over dark marshes as Zartan the bad guy from GI Joe changes faces and plays cards with the guy who swings the cinder block on the axe handle. Cinders and ashes, axes and unbelievers. “Second Device” is the second real long-form proving ground for these moves, the second ash pit. Sladazj is the prince of the pit.
Durite, the label helmed by FaF, unveils the second installment of its Eclectic Journey series, featuring three tracks from French producers Abou Naïm (aka Nils) and Pagenty.
This split draws heavily on Brazilian influences, blending infectious rhythms with baile funk energy and break-driven sounds.
Limited to 300 vinyl copies, it is now available for pre-order.
DJ Sneak lands on Refuge Recordings with a 4 tracker for the ages. A signature feel to these joints that sends you straight to the dancefloor with a smile and undeniable groove. Sneak cuts feel timeless. Just the right amount of edge, grit and attitude. The Bounce EP is no different. He doesn’t miss.
It's time to celebrate five years of Paryìa! From the heart of the label, this compilation brings together our two favourite genres, bridging house and techno. Showcasing different cultures and backgrounds, this compilation represents the many different shades the electronic music scene has to offer. Finding that sweet spot through diverse moods and tempos, each track reflects the individual vision of the artist while taking its place within a collective journey that embodies everything the label stands for.
Featuring contributions from Cinthie, Fireground, Toobris, DJ Babatr, DJ Maria, Isabel Soto, Nesa Azadikhah, and Zombies in Miami.
MAUROMUSICA first appeared in 1999, when DJ Maurizio Schmitz introduced the name as an underground party brand shaped by long nights, afterhours and a deep passion for electronic music culture. For almost two decades, the project lived through intimate events and dancefloors before eventually going quiet for a number of years.
Now, MAUROMUSICA returns - not only as a party series once again, but finally as the music label Maurizio had envisioned from the very beginning. A long-held dream, brought back to life through a carefully curated first various artists compilation.
The first release brings together six artists from different corners of the electronic music world: Egyptian producer Raxon, German/French duo RE-ST, Italian artists JA:CK and Fedele, alongside Romanian producers Radu Dracul and Sublee.
Moving between warm-up atmospheres, emotional techno, afterhour moods and timeless club sounds, the compilation reflects the musical vision behind MAUROMUSICA - honest electronic music with character, depth and longevity.
Artwork comes from internationally acclaimed artist Tobias Rehberger, while the label typography was kindly provided by Buero New York.
Special thanks to Sven Väth for his continuous support and for championing Raxon's "Based In Space" in his sets for more than a year.
P.S. The handmade coloured vinyl edition of Raxon's "Based In Space" - limited to 100 copies - sold out within less than two hours. The track is now exclusively available as part of this compilation.
Hit the North is a DJs’ movement
Not a label. Not a revival. A discipline.
Over the years, the collective travelled across multiple states in the US and parts of the UK, digging deep into private collections, basements, garages, storage rooms and forgotten boxes.
They weren’t looking for classics.
They weren’t looking for hits.
They were looking for attempts.
Artists chasing something bigger than themselves.
Trying to sound like Motown.
Trying to sound like Detroit.
Trying to sound like the records that saved them.
Many of them dreamed — at best — of becoming a one hit wonder.
Most never got that far.
Some never crossed a state line.
Some never crossed the street at the end of their block.
Some never played outside their hometown.
Some never played at all.
What they left behind were fragments.
Raw versions.
Unfinished recordings.
Alternate takes.
Rejected mixes.
Test pressings.
Acetates passed quietly from hand to hand.
Sometimes with real credits.
Sometimes with fake ones.
Sometimes with handwritten labels leading nowhere.
Titles that didn’t match the music.
Stories that changed every time you asked.
Often, the trail simply disappeared.
What remained was intention.
Energy.
Urgency.
Hope pressed into sound.
So the collective worked on it.
They edited certain parts.
Extended others.
Cut what didn’t serve the floor.
Not to modernise.
Not to rewrite history.
But to unlock the power that was already there.
The result sounds like Northern Soul pushed to its breaking point.
Fast. Physical. Emotional.
Built for movement.
Some circulated privately.
Others were never pressed at all.
Recorded in personal studios, borrowed studios, friends’ rooms, temporary spaces.
Always outside the system.
This is not nostalgia.
This is unfinished business.
Hotshot producer D*v*d J*cks*n heroically revives the legendary Puss label, home to some of the most enticing, scandalous and straight out illegal dance music released across the
last 13 years, all supposedly masterminded by K*rn*l K*v*cs of St*d** B*rnh*s fame. Three reasons for this sudden revival: One trancetastic take on a deep cut from the queen of
Swedish pop, an instantly engaging UKG flip of an eternal dance hymn and, lastly, a rugged faux-Baltimorean nugget for all the Kittenz out there.
Fiscal man of mystery, Clive From Accounts is back!
Fresh off the heels of his well received debut album on Razor N Tape, “The Very Best of Clive From Accounts” comes his new concoction, “Income Trax Vol. 1”.
The 3 track EP kicks off with “I’ve Been Waiting“, a 90s piano laden up-tempo house track with a twist of soulful sampled flute and vocals.
“Every Time” is a filtered deep disco house roller built around lush string samples, live bass and soulful vocal cuts. It’s sleek, assured and festival-ready.
“Superfine” clocks in and turns the energy up. A snappy pop-disco number powered by punchy strings, big vocal hooks and catchy synths. Operating somewhere between the dancefloor and the stationery cupboard.
Eli Zem - Kiss My Music EP 12"
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Born from the idea of capturing a musical fragment from Eli Zem’s latest live set and transforming it into a four-track journey, Kiss My Music creates a fluid sonic passage designed to make people dance while immersing them in a unique experience.
Blending hypnotic grooves, raw energy, and refined textures, the EP reflects the distinctive spirit of the Disordine School movement and its vision of underground electronic music.
FANK & No Valentina join forces to create ‘Wavecycle’, a unique EP that blends their strong identities into one singular sound. Despite being on opposite sides of the world, their styles and the way they think about music lined up in a way neither of us expected. They ended up writing a bunch of tracks together, and these four felt like they told the right story.
Īlker Soylu returns with third instalment of his Mastering Black alias, marking a decade of Zwart Goud with a special edition LP titled X - an introspective yet adventurous document that blurs the lines between genres, time, and place.
X is a carefully crafted passage through contrast and cohesion. From dusk-lit highways to underwater reveries, this third chapter from Mastering Black unfolds as both continuation and evolution - a cinematic odyssey of sound sculpted inward and outward for introverts and extroverts, for you and me - for us.
Techno House Connoisseurs are back with their 8th release by Bay Area producer Tranquil Elephantizer. This 3 track ep covers all the bases with equal parts tribal and acid culminating into that West coast sound you have come to love and miss. The A side starts off with the Silverwind Mix....deepish house music with flutes and mood for days teasing and drifting with tight percussion keeping the track grounded yet still dreamy. Long winded but in the best way. The 2nd track on side A is the Brother Lee Love mix which has a similar vibe but transitions into layers of crisp and subtle 303 acid lines all throughout. Wonderful end of night or middle of set escapism for side A. Side B has a lone track titled 5 Strobes mix that will get yours and the dance floor's attention. Panning and hypnotic with skipping percussion and spoken word....truly psychedelic west coast vibed out acid house.
Bella Boo lands on Aus Music with a mix of party-starting and heart-racing house jams
Swedish artist KURT. brings her characterful style to the title cut
Bella Boo has lit up the house world since breaking through in 2018. She has become a Studio Barnhus mainstay with a sound that is both emotional and energetic in the way it contrasts light and dark. It's built on solid grooves with fresh sound designs and has taken her to dj everywhere from Panorama Bar to Printworks. Her debut LP, as well as follow-up EPs, have seen her nominated for several Swedish Grammys and seen her profile grow around the world. KURT. is a rising star from Stockholm with an electric sound that blends club, r&b, pop and soul. It's high on attitude and laced with her own provocative vocals. She guests on opener 'Shake Down', which is a chunky, bass-first rhythm packed with character: hints of jungle breaks, heat-damaged synths and blasts of gloopy bass all bring the fun before KURT.'s vocal motifs - which are variously sultry, whispered and visceral - inject even more heat. The Regrette Rien Mix takes on a late-night feel with sustained chords and a silky smooth vocal from KURT. that turns you inwards. Bella Boo then goes solo for the super vibey 'Atlas', a deep, cruising house cut with catchy percussion and lush, layered bells. The golden chords and shimmering pads are immersive and expansive as the bass powered on. Lastly, '8Ball' quickens your step with bumpy kicks and increasingly detuned, wonky synths that bring a future feel to a punchy yet cuddly and feel-good groove.
Belgian label De:tuned once again dives into the innovative world of Luke Vibert, reviving his legendary Plug moniker with 'Variety Magic', the first new Plug album in nearly 15 years.
For this release, Vibert unearthed and hand-picked a collection of previously unreleased jungle and drum & bass gems, sourced straight from his original mid-90s DAT archive. The result is an 11-track ride through the raw energy and playful experimentation that made his early Plug work so distinctive, all infused with Vibert's unmistakable funk and mischievous flair.
Variety Magic is vibrant, bold, and delightfully off-kilter. A colourful homage to an iconic era, crafted for both deep listeners and the dancefloor. Stay tuned!
Visualised by the Variety Magi. Stencil Art by Pablo Fiasco and rewired by Openmind. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops.
Belgian label De:tuned once again dives into the innovative world of Luke Vibert, reviving his legendary Plug moniker with 'Variety Magic', the first new Plug album in nearly 15 years.
For this release, Vibert unearthed and hand-picked a collection of previously unreleased jungle and drum & bass gems, sourced straight from his original mid-90s DAT archive. The result is an 11-track ride through the raw energy and playful experimentation that made his early Plug work so distinctive, all infused with Vibert's unmistakable funk and mischievous flair.
Variety Magic is vibrant, bold, and delightfully off-kilter. A colourful homage to an iconic era, crafted for both deep listeners and the dancefloor. Stay tuned!
Visualised by the Variety Magi. Stencil Art by Pablo Fiasco and rewired by Openmind. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops.
Amsterdam-based collective Mèraque presents Paradiso, a hypnotic blend of Balkan and Middle Eastern folk with psychedelic club music. Traditional instruments such as oud, clarinet, guitar, and darbuka are interwoven with experimental downtempo electronics and subtle drum & bass influences.
Rooted in Balkan and Roma traditions, the band translates centuries-old melodies into a contemporary electronic landscape. In their interpretation of the traditional song Ederlezi, the emotional core remains intact, while modern production and deep grooves bring it to the dancefloor. Tracks like Space Ohm, inspired by Turkish Çifte Telli rhythms, move between ritualistic folk energy and hypnotic club structures.
The album features remixes by Anatolian Sessions, unders, and Dan Bay, further translating the material into an international club context.
After a brief hiatus, Cosmocities returns in 2026 with Tech Rico EP, the final release from longtime collaborator, visionary artist, and producer Erik Rico. Completed shortly before his passing last year, the EP stands as both a creative evolution and a tribute to an artist whose influence crossed genres and generations.
Erik Rico first connected with Cosmocities founder Matt Soulie through Inkswel during the release of Cosmic Love Affair EP in 2022, leading to further collaborations including The Rare Groove Project. Following that release, Soulie encouraged Rico to explore a more techno driven sound, which became the foundation for Tech Rico EP.
The EP sees Rico stepping into new sonic territory while maintaining the rich musicality that defined his career. “Tokyo By Train” marks his first full dive into techno with driving rhythms and atmospheric textures, while “Afro Beatdown (Let’s Go)” blends Afro rhythms and broken beats inspired by the spirit of Fela Kuti. “Summer In Chi Town” pays tribute to Chicago house with warm synths and skippy drums, later reworked by Inkswel with additional vocals from Erin Buku and Marley Love into a soulful bruk infused remix. Closing track “Madrid or Manhattan” delivers a hypnotic house groove layered with trippy vocoder vocals.
A singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, producer, and DJ, Erik Rico spent more than two decades shaping a sound that bridged soul, house, hip hop, and Afrobeats. His career included collaborations with Tupac Shakur, Q Tip, Ladybug Mecca, and Jurassic 5, as well as scoring work for HBO, MTV, and PBS.
More than just a release, Tech Rico EP celebrates Erik Rico’s artistic spirit, fearless evolution, and the deep musical connections he built throughout his life. Cosmocities is honoured to share this final chapter with the world.
DJ support from Dan Tyler (Idjut Boys), Eric Duncan, Justin Strauss, Severino (Horse Meat Disco), and PBR Streetgang.
High-energy disco, Balearic, and synth-funk weapons backed by an elite DJ vanguard. This release delivers dancefloor-tested versatility, moving seamlessly from sun-drenched daytime grooves to late-night afterparty anthems. Motor Mouth Drum Ensemble present their Highballs At The Beach Club EP on Creative Use. Kicking things off on the A side is “Singapore Ray” A cheeky mid-tempo Asian disco-pop stepper, a neck dancer’s dream! Over on the flip “Night-Mine” a Dramatic low & slow balearo-funk to launch your ships to. Rounding off the EP “Fool You For Real” which is a Icy digital synth funk built to halt your after-party waffle.
Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep were already untouchable by the time Hell On Earth arrived, but this was the record where Havoc and Prodigy stopped sounding hungry and started sounding completely numb to everything around them. The production is brutally spare. Tiny piano fragments repeat for minutes at a time while drums hit with the force of metal doors slamming shut somewhere down the corridor. 'G.O.D. Pt. III' still feels poisonous nearly 30 years later, Prodigy rapping with such flat menace it barely even registers as performance anymore. 'Drop A Gem On 'Em' turns a diss track into psychological warfare, and then 'Nighttime Vultures', alongside Raekwon, moves through the album's nocturnal haze with exhausted precision. Even now, the whole thing feels airless in a way few rap records manage.
Erasmus Hall's 1980 album Your Love Is My Desire' is one of the most collectable and in fact desired modern soul albums of all time. Copies of the original pressing on Westbound have exchanged hands for over £400. Furthermore in-demand gems including Your Love Is My Desire' and Just Me And You' have never previously been on 7' vinyl, so as part of these Record Store Day release those two tracks are included on the format making this package irresistible. Eramus Hall are in fact a group taking their name from a building George Clinton saw and gave them while he was in Chicago. The group comprise lead vocalists Michael Gatheright and James Wilkerson with musicians Ronald Wright, Marvin Williams, Joe Anderson, Grady Smith, Charmie Currie and William Tillery.
Alt Dub boss Federsen once again joins forces with cv313 and Echospace Detroit to deliver a second instalment in their ‘Altering Dimension’ series, once again merging hazy textural sonics with delicate dub leaning aesthetics.
Detroit’s dub techno lineage continues to evolve as cv313, Stephen Hitchell of Echospace, teams up with Federsen for Altering Dimensions Part Two, another collaborative EP set to land on Federsen’s Alt Dub imprint.
A defining figure in the genre, cv313 has long shaped its language through seminal works like Seconds to Forever and the Dimensional Space LP, fusing enveloping atmospheres with tactile rhythmic structures. Alongside him here,
Federsen whose music can also be found on Echospace Detroit as well as Grayscale, Synchrophone, Lempuyang and Avant Roots, has carved out a distinct voice rooted in precision and analogue-rich depth. Altering Dimensions Part Two again captures the intersection of these two perspectives, linking Detroit’s enduring sonic heritage with a refined, forward-facing approach to dub techno.
‘First Dimension’ opens the release, laying down heavy doses of sub bass, bubbling percussion and ever evolving, murky dub echoes amidst a crisp, stripped-down rhythm section.
‘Second Dimension’ follows and leans into vacillating atmospherics, a swaying bottom end groove and hypnotic, subtle evolution that’s synonymous with the cv313 sound.
‘Third Dimension’ kicks off the b-side next, further embracing this introspective and immersive style as textural elements shift and mutate atop intricately modulating percussive hits, bubbling synth tones and weighty low-end percussion.
‘Fourth Dimension’ then concludes the release, reducing things down to bare bones of hypntic dub, embracing a beatless construction the composition relies on spatial depth, nuanced delays and an underlying tension that decays
Welcome back to a time when Bulletin Board Systems were the social media, it was too dark for influencers, hardware predated plugins, and a home studio was a cumbersome necessity in the absence of ghost producers.
The vinyl-only Kilotoni series returns with another faceless batch of radioactive techno from the previously unreleased tape archives.
A1 The classic acid techno anthem formula is utilized in its purest form for prime time main floor use. Steady build-ups keep the tension going in what is otherwise a simplistic live recording style performance.
A2 Compressed-to-death hard techno and a detuned lead that could have come straight out of late-90s Sweden. A rare cheeky vocal snippet from an old Trax record and submarine sonar pulses provide some relief from the pressure.
B1 Melancholic but funky acid house for warming up the dance floor in your local club basement. A bouncing bassline and flanging chords meet for the sweetest treat.
B2 Cruiserweight ghetto techno meets dubby, modulating chords — perhaps unexpectedly. The last sweat of the morning hours.
New Jon Savage Compilation release alert! Jon Savage's SF Sike 1966-72 (Double Vinyl) Limited Edition. Heavyweight Luxury Gauge Sleeve-Stock & Inners.
The real sound of San Francisco 1966-72." It was the new gold rush, but with drugs, music and freedom the goal. " (Jon Savage -The Guardian August 2012)
A limited edition double vinyl 18 track album celebrating the great pop music and idealism of that time & featuring Moby Grape, Skip Spence, Ron Nagle, Country Joe & The Fish & much more
Full contextual & track-by-track sleeve notes by Jon Savage. Ephemera & archive material from the period.
Now, following great acclaim for Volume 1, CTR is proud to unveil another equally eclectic Post-Punk Era Selection Compiled by Jason Boardman ( Before I Die Records) Celebrated Manchester club-night curator & record Label Owner , DJ & digger - supreme.
A second compilation of late 1970s / early 1980s Post-Punk era bedroom & small studio innovations & DIY Inspirations - Featuring more rarely & never heard cuts from that period. Including tracks from the enigmatic Prana, Blank Students, Janet Armstrong & The Native Hipsters ..A rich vein .
Jason Writes Of Volume 2 :
"It was a delightful shock that No Ones Listening Anyway Volume One was so well received - thanks to everyone one who bought & enjoyed it. This led to John asking me to collate Volume Two, so here it is.
This time all the material was recorded & released in the UK between 1978 & 1984.
I was conscious that there was minimal female energy on Volume One so have tried to rectify that here on Volume Two. I have also tried to make it as varied as possible with none hit wonders, oddities, collectables, under the radar B-sides & a couple of previously unreleased on vinyl selections."
Norwegian producer A:G heads up the debut release on Tanzform’s Algobub label with his signature dynamite energy. Rippling shades of acid, making this a fine example of modern electro sounds doing the damage on the floor this summer. His essential sound continues to evolve in recent years, and sets the label up for some exciting years ahead.
Welcome to THE VAULT for 1985. A collection that digs deeper into the year’s musical landscape – uncovering singles that may not have always reached the highest chart positions but remain essential to the rich and diverse pop story of 1985. Some were overshadowed at the time, some were highlights from albums that had already sold huge amounts, some found greater success internationally – but all deserve their place in this continued celebration of 80s pop.
45 tracks across 3-LPs – pressed in gorgeous green vinyl – NOW Yearbook – The Vault: 1985.
LP1 opens with a trio of tracks from huge-selling albums:- Bruce Springsteen’s ‘My Hometown’, the sixth single in the UK from ‘Born in the U.S.A’ - one of the best-selling albums of the decade, followed by Bryan Ferry with the stunning ‘Windswept’ from ‘Boys And Girls’ and Sting’s ‘Love Is The Seventh Wave’, taken from his solo debut ‘The Dream Of The Blue Turtles’. Next up, Go West with a U.S single release ‘Eye To Eye’, Scritti Politti with ‘Perfect Way’ – their biggest hit in America, and ABC with ‘Be Near Me’. The first side closes with two established bands; Heaven 17 and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark… Flip the LP over for Adam Ant with ‘Vive Le Rock’, Midge Ure, Blancmange and the second collaboration between Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder with ‘Good-Bye Bad Times’. The Style Council’s ‘Welcome To Milton Keynes’ leads to LP1’s closer’s from Simply Red and Fine Young Cannibals who followed their debut ‘Johnny Come Home’ with ‘Blue’.
LP2 opens with Cocteau Twins and the dream-pop atmospherics of ‘Aikea-Guinea’, ahead of The Jesus And Mary Chain with ‘Just Like Honey’, and The Dream Academy with ‘The Love Parade’.
Brilliant with their cover of James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ and jazz-influenced pop from Matt Bianco are up next ahead of the sublime ‘Castles In The Air’ from The Colourfield and Elvis Costello & The Attractions, who released the 1979 track ‘Green Shirt’ to promote their ‘Best Of’ collection … and the side closes with The Clash’s ‘This Is England’ which would become their last originally released hit…whilst on the other side…celebrate the dancefloor, with a vibrant mix of Hi-NRG, soul, electro and club-influenced pop:- Opening with Sheryl Lee Ralph’s ‘In The Evening’ and Barbara Pennington’s equally superb ‘On A Crowded Street’, the hi-energy continues with Miquel Brown and Hazell Dean ahead of a US hit from Laura Branigan (‘Spanish Eddie’) and Divine’s cover of ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’. LP2 finishes with a massive U.S. dancefloor smash for Eddie Murphy with ‘Party All The Time’.
The final LP kicks off with a bunch of singles that achieved bigger hit status in the US than here and opens with Billy Joel’s ‘You’re Only Human (Second Wind)’, a track written exclusively for his ‘Greatest Hits – Volume I & II’ compilation, ahead of pop-rock from John Mellencamp plus an anthemic smash from Bon Jovi. Pat Benatar’s ‘Invincible’ features ahead of The Power Station’s third US Top 40 hit…whilst back in the UK Chris Rea enjoyed his biggest chart hit to date with ‘Stainsby Girls’ and the side is completed by Marillion with ‘Heart Of Lothian’ the third hit from their huge ‘Misplaced Childhood’ album… Flip to the final side for the stellar vocals on ‘Act Of War’, the huge collaboration between Elton John & Millie Jackson ahead of dancefloor smash ‘New Attitude’ from Patti Labelle and ‘Show Some Respect’ a U.S. single from Tina Turner. Sophisticated pop-R&B from Michael McDonald and Daryl Hall & John Oates come ahead of the collection’s closers- and two outstanding vocal performances: Chaka Khan’s ‘Through The Fire’ and the U.S. breakthrough hit from Whitney Houston with ‘You Give Good Love’ – signalling the arrival of one of the decade’s brightest new stars.
NOW Yearbook – The Vault: 1985 – A deeper dive into an unforgettable year in pop.
Originally released by Time Capsule in 2021 and long out of print, Stories From Another Time 1982-1988 returns in an upgraded edition following years of demand and rising collector prices on the secondhand market. Widely regarded as a modern cult classic, Mário Rui Silva’s visionary recordings blend acoustic folk, cinematic soul, spiritual jazz and saudade-filled Lusophone rhythm into a deeply timeless and universal work that transcends genre and geography.
This new edition features half-speed mastering cut at Metropolis alongside an expanded 4-page insert with a tribute essay and unseen photographs following Silva’s passing in 2024.
The roots of Angolan popular music explored in the meticulous guitar studies of Mário Rui Silva. For fans of Naná Vasconcelos, John Hassell’s Fourth World ambient, Eduardo Mateo’s psychedelic folk and Cameroonian electronic music visionary Francis Bebey.
Whether on mesmerising acoustic ballads or hypnotic groove-led tracks, the music of Angolan guitarist, researcher and intellectual Mário Rui Silva has a beguiling, melancholy quality, woven into the dynamics of his deft guitar playing.Rhythmically complex yet supremely effortless, the music collected here stems from three albums Mário released in Luanda in the 1980s that reflect his diverse range of influences, from traditional Angolan and West African rhythms to European jazz and classical instrumentation. It is united by a sense of low-key beauty, whether on the chugging opener ‘Kazum-zum-zum’, the jazz-funk keys of ‘Lembrança Dum Velho’, or the twinkling, late-night poly-rhythms of ‘Kizomba Kya Kisanji’.
Born in Luanda, Angola in 1953, Mário dedicated his life to Angolan popular music. His fifty-year career has seen him live between Angola and Europe, rub shoulders with Cameroonian musicians Francis Bebey and Ewanjé, record the seminal album Angola ’72 with fellow Angolan musician Bonga, and draw influence from Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell.
It was the teaching of Angolan legend and Ngola Ritmos co-founder Liceu Vieira Dias that Mário gained a technical, political and spiritual understanding of Angolan musical culture. In the hands of Liceu, the traditional Angolan semba and kazukuta rhythms of the 1940s and ‘50s helped create an emancipatory sense of national pride and collective agency that awakened its listeners to the racism and tyranny of colonial rule, underpinning the country’s push for independence in the process.
What might sound like the intonations of Brazilian influence are what Mário attributes to the “African rhythms taken by the slaves which gave rise to other musical cultures” around the globe. Instead, this music emerged from a collective instinct to assert a cosmopolitan Angolan identity free from the patronising falsehoods of Lusotropicalism.
“There was a need within me to contribute in doing new things,” Mário describes. “In the sense of solidifying the music of Angola that was the result of the meeting of two cultures, and wanting to value the Angolan part whenever possible.”A selection from Mário’s three 1980s albums, Sung’Ali (1982), Tunapenda Afrika (1985) and Koizas dum Outru Tempu (1988) have been compiled here as a 2xLP release by Time Capsule’s Sam Jacob and Kay Suzuki. Together, they provide a snapshot of one man’s journey to the core of his nation’s music, charged with the search for a culture uprooted by colonialism
Música para Plátanos takes its name — and much of its inspiration — from the group’s recording studio, situated in the heart of a banana plantation on the humid north shore of Tenerife, Canary Islands. The ever-present sight of the green, sun-drenched fields surrounding their weekly sessions seeped directly into the music: improvised jams that are playful, layered, and deeply connected to place.
This release gathers a distilled selection from those sessions — a kind of “greatest rotten hits” distinct from their ongoing Imaginary Island Music volumes.
The album functions as a living archive bringing together a distilled selection of recordings spanning more than five years: from dusty, long-forgotten sessions to evolving tunes that have become staples of the band's live sets but have never before been committed to record. These long-form sessions served as a petri dish for the Lagoss sound, allowing their experiments to putrefy into their chaotic signature strain of cyber-exotica, unstable kosmische or heavily-corroded dub.
The title obvs nods to Brian Eno’s Music for Airports, but the logic is inverted. Instead of clean, ambient drift, the record inhabits a dense and fertile environment: polyrhythmic structures, Latin-infused electronics, and shifting counter-tempos that feel weighted by the local humidity.
Ultimately, Música para Plátanos is as much about the process as it is the place. Like the plantation outside, the music is subject to the elements; the tracks change shape depending on the heat of the day, what we drank, what we ate. It’s an unstable, honest harvest of sound—shaped by the weather and the state(s) of mind alike.
