Beats News

Mathew Jonson's 'Decompression' was first released on Minus in 2004. To celebrate 13 years since it's release Mathew has commissioned 11 artists to remix this classic split over 4 releases. The first EP of the series features remixes from dBridge, Konrad Black and Nathan Jonson, each artists contribution provides a fresh approach to a package fuelled by the influence of Drum & Bass. dBridge steps up for two remixes, the first is warped and deconstructed, the second a high energy Drum & Bass belter. Konrad Black slows things down with a darker groove whilst Nathan Jonson's 'rewind to 96' utilises rave tropes and chopped vocal samples. The package is a magnificent addition to the legacy of 'Decompression' and coming next will be remixes from Seth Troxler, Deadbeat, Mike Shannon and Natalia Escobar. Mathew Jonson's 'Decompression' was first released on Minus in 2004. This is the first release on Mathew Jonson's new label entitled 'Freedom Engine' Mastered at Scape Mastering

lvin Toffler was overwhelmed. When in the morning of October 4th, 1988-it was his 60th birthday-he was starring with a still somewhat absent look into a bowl of cornflakes, he thought that in the surface structure of the yellowish shimmering milk which was making an emulsion with the maple syrup and slowly but irreversibly corroding the crunchy crystals on the flakes, he could see through a window into a timeless dimension. Toffler, who at that time had reached the peak of his fames as a future scientist, was sustainably disturbed from his peek into this extra temporary peephole. In none of his books-'Future Shock' had just been released with yet another edition featuring a proud printed note on the book cover stating 'more than 5 million copies in print'-did he ever mention this occurrence. Even after his death in June 2016, no note on this incident could ever be found in his estate. The 'flake dimension' as Toffler called it in notes which were later shredded remains a secret of opaque, hard-to-grasp radiant power.

Maybe it's too simple to describe 'Pneumatics' as a creation coming from this cornflake world Without doubt. Are there any more precise terms or instruments to determine the multifacetedness and beyond-timeliness of the 'Pneumatics' soundscape There are still unknown. 'Pneumatics' is, after releases at Innervisions, Die Orakel und his own label Sound Mirror, the debut album of Orson Wells (as long as you don't count in 'Jupiter' - Wells's first LP which was released in 2014 with 48 copies on cassette-have fun digging for rarities and bargains!).
Perhaps Wells, known in Frankfurt under his real name Lennard Poschmann and as an employee at the record store Tactile, is only a messenger. Or a psychic. The sound manifesto that he apparently transmits from Toffler's secret dimension tells of a city of upside down pyramids ('Tianon'), of passes into the land of the five elements ('Multipass') and dead straight four-to-the-floor lines which appear bended within the spherical dimension (''Geodesic'). These beats are right on the heels of the ones of Intersteller Fugitives; the strings sound like that at any moment a vocal sample edited by Moodyman could warp over through the Cornflake wormhole. Pneumatics is the science of all technological applications powered by condensed and often by quite heated air. It is a matter of mechanics, compression, jackhammer, ramblings, high pressure levels, valves for blowing of steam. On 'Pneumatics' it's all about this. And more. Orson Wells's album gets to the point of the post-retro futuristic state of the dancefloors of the house and techno clubs of this planet. It is like a peek into another dimension, right on the golden cut of spacetime geometry.

Présence Absente is Saåad's third release with Hands in the Dark, after Orbs & Channels back in 2013 and Deep/Float the following year.Based on the French duo's 2017 live setup and improvised sets, this new album is the quintessence of their music: raw, deep, murky, fascinating. The band's sound and experimental songwriting have matured over the course of their albums, and with this new offering we feel that they have truly blossomed both in form and in content.Their brand of experimental drone takes on a new, distinct shape and, in the space of 38 musical minutes, sends out a message in a bottle to our western world, a foreboding message of the communication breakdown and the effacement of our personal identities that we find ourselves living through as a generation. But it is also an ode to nature with tones of hope, a desire to share and to return to basics, before it's too late. It all makes for an arresting listening experience.Présence Absente is a delicate, personal album which marks a major turning point in the pair's substantial discography.

Sonny is a mysterious new Danish musician landing on a brand new Danish label Koldt Bord with a lavish, cosmically-tinged four piece EP that refuses to let you go. The wild narrative and dynamic momentum of "Agoraphobia", the soft lilted and mistiness of "Alone In Ginza", the strange tropic short, sweet skit of "CE" and the journey-like ride into the unknown of "Some Velvet Morning" comprise to create something of its own world. Sitting somewhere between Cinematic Orchestra and fellow Dane Kenneth Bager, this leave you wanting more..

Welcoming back the artist who kicked things off for Rarefied back in 2016. Soukah returns to the label in style delivering 3 tracks, including our first collaboration with label homeslices Primer & T.A.R, and serving it up for us on a slab of 180g heavyweight vinyl.

The 'Matière Obscure EP' is the first in a two-part series, whereby each composition was made using
only recordings from one specific material (metal, glass and wood). The process involved taking
everyday objects and making them resonate in every way possible, such as striking them with mallets
or using a violin bow, and building up a sample library. 'Weld (Metal_01)' kicks off the release with its
syncopated percussion and gritty groove before moving into the cavernous 'Molten (Glass_01)' that's
composed of rolling drums and sinister atmospherics. 'Carve (Wood_01)' is a lot bouncier by
comparison, with its fidgeting bassline and murky tones until the menacing 'Cast (Glass_02)'
concludes the package with machine inspired effects and a cacophony of stabs.

The Lone Star State terror Textasy joins the Craigie Knowes firm with 4 hardcore and electro heaters. For club use only! Extra inside sticker in every copy, bang.

Soulquencies is a perfect harmony of deconstructed soundsystem music, beautifully rebuilt with ambient textures, hints of grime, steppers while all the time melodious, musical and underpinned with bass weight. It perfectly transcends from clean and heavenly harmonies to bass weight and grit, icy to warm in a masterful way. This is the frst full length album on Scrub a Dub and we couldn't be prouder of this piece of music, which is equally at home on the soundsystem or the home Hi Fi. Aquarius - Soulquencies is the latest project from Chikuma Tsuboi who has fallen under various monikers over the years. A classically trained musician hailing from Tokyo, Chikuma moved to the party city of Glasgow in the early 2000's. There he was fully immersed and became instrumental in the music scene hosting some of the cities earliest dubstep nights bringing artists like Silkie and Goth Trad. He helped take small basement sessions to the larger clubs supporting the likes of Mala at the Art School. He played some of the earliest Outlook festival parties and was a tour engineer for Mungo's Hi Fi before returning to Tokyo to complete his Soulquencies project which has literally been years in the making.

Arandel 'Turbatrix' (Computer Club)

'Turbatrix', the eighth release on Sheffield's Computer Club imprint, is provided by mysterious French artist Arandel. No newcomer to the musical spectrum, Arandel has long been associated with the French label InFiné, alongside global names such as Carl Craig and Apparat.

'Locus I' surprises as analogue rasps and pings spar with lush synths and a driving 4/4 rhythmic code. Key track 'Locus II' is a siren to the ghosts of Sheffield's electronic musical heritage, with relentless bleeps and a concrete sub-bass.

'Locus III' is a midnight romp through a neon-tinged city where only the holograms know your name. The fourth and final track, a blissed-out ambient piece soaked in celestial sounds, is a meditative end to a thrilling journey of invention and musical mastery.

We have been waiting for Pele to crop up on a release from the footy mad Rothmans and what a time to play that hand card. Teaming up once more with his Aussie team mate Dawn Again and a first apperance from Leeds legends Clandestino. The first track from the EP 'Cobblejam' is nothing short of first class, a worthy italo, chuggy ,powerhouse that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. The b-side finds us with the slightly strangely named 'Woman For A Day' theres nothing strange about the track itself though . A deep and dark track that slowly drives forward into the abyss. Finishing off the record is an excellent remix from the lads over at Clandestino. Their Dessert Trance vibe brings the record together as sweetly as Pele brought together that 1970 World Cup Winning team.

From Riga via New York to Berlin on a one way ticket! There is no return now!

We are delighted to welcome Egyptology to the Hands in the Dark family. The Parisian duo, made up of Stéphane Laporte (Domotic) and Olivier Lamm have been active since the late 90's in the French post-electronica/avant-pop scene. Sur les autres mondes is inspired by a publication by French astronomer Lucien Rudaux (1937, Larousse) in which he imagined the landscapes of other planets in our solar system through scientific descriptions. Partly composed for a performance at the prestigious Louvre museum in Paris, the album is the band's first full length output since 2012, and we can assure you that it has been worth the wait. Their sharp ear for detail and the epic worlds evoked through the album make for an auditory voyage which is as graphic as the words inked by Rudaux.The duo is bringing the 70's kosmiche genre back to life in a very fresh, bold way, offering a strong shot of pure analogue sound and a fantastic, melodic approach to synth-based ambient music.

Gabber Eleganza was born as a curated blog archive in 2011, an open research about rave subcultures mainly focused on the gabber and post-rave aestethic. The central ambition of the web archive was to become a source of research material on different topics: contemporary folklore, suburban euphoria and post-rave phenomena, revaluing a denigrated subculture through a new cultural lens.Over the years, the magnitude of the project has reached individuals far beyond the hardcore scene. Alberto Guerrini, the Italy and Berlin based founder, has since taken his project offline by producing zines, radio podcasts and garments. He currently tours as a DJ act or with a live performance dubbed The Hakke Show - an old-skool rave/hardcore DJ set with gabber dancers performing onstage: fast, air cutting moves, powerful thanks to their primitive intensity.In the past year Guerrini has brought the Hakke show to festivals: Club to Club (Turin), Resonate (Belgrade), performed as a DJ alongside Lorenzo Senni (Warp Records) and toured cities including Oval Space in London, Niebo in Warsaw, Janus/Berghain in Berlin, Ex Dogana in Rome, Empty Gallery in Hong Kong, etc. Guerrini has hosted radio shows on three London stations: RinseFM, NTS and Radar Radio.

Three clean-cut anthems for the studio debut of Gabber Eleganza, the anticipated new form for the archival and performative project created by Alberto Guerrini in 2011. Now updating the contemporary folklore with his analog grit. Try not to get your attention diverted once again. And keep calm under pressure.First volume of the Never Sleep series. Limited edition vinyl. Includes DL card.

Joe is back! DJ support from Joy Orbison, Benji B, Floating Points & more..

* Brazilian producer L-Side releases his highly anticipated new album 'Carnal Mind' on the 6th April.

* Featuring American rapper Jeru The Damaja, British rapper DRS, dancehall/grime artist Lady Chann, and drum and bass vocalists MC Fats, MC Darrison and MC Conrad, the release is via the legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings.

* Taking his influence from Hip Hop artists such as Jazz Liberatorz, The Pharcyde and Tribe Called Quest, L-Side is making his mark in the world of raw dancefloor focused drum and bass. Originally producing hip-hop beats before branching into Drum and Bass, he is known for his meticulous mix of upfront and aggressive sounds merged with funk and soul styles, forging a flawlessly fresh take on drum and bass.

* Leonardo de Jesus Silva, aka L-Side, began his career as a DJ and Producer in 2008 and the Sao Paulo born producer has gone on to cement himself as one of the most formidable producers to hail from the flourishing and highly respected Brazilian drum and bass scene, which is home to some of the most inventive and funkiest contributors to drum & bass this century.

* As a nation bursting at the seams with prolific and highly talented producers, L-Side has managed to emerge as one of the most exceptional and 'Carnal Mind' proves the point.

* 'Holding On' ft. Lady Chann, is a dark, brooding, half time number, full of menacing atmosphere - infusing elements of dancehall and grime, complemented perfectly by Lady Chann's ferocious, trademark vocal delivery while tracks like 'High Times' unleash unrelenting breakbeat right from the gate. Pulsating synths add momentum, channelling subterranean depths as MC Fats patois-tinged vocals ride overhead. The dark storm clouds clear briefly, allowing celestial pads to momentarily reset the atmosphere before hurling the listener straight back into the thick of it.

* Having released music on such labels as Philly Blunt, Chronic, Celsius and Soul Deep, his music has been supported by DJs from around the world, including DJ Marky, Bryan Gee, LTJ Bukem, Bailey and Doc Scott, while new single 'Holding On' received it's first official play from Mista Jam on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

* In addition to his solo recordings, L-Side has collaborated with fellow V producers, Subsid, Andrezz and Critycal Dub among others.

* The legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings, was set up in 1993 by Jumpin' Jack Frost and Bryan Gee. Few record labels can claim to have changed the face of their respective scene. Celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2018, since its birth, the label has released over 100 cuts from the likes of Marky & XRS, Krust and Die, Adam F, Lemon D, Scorpio, Dillinja and Roni Size

Logistics, one of Hospital Records' most prolific artists, is back with his seventh studio album 'Hologram'. Inspired by his travels to Hong-Kong and New Zealand, this universally admired drum & bass figure presents a vibrant 16-track collection soaked in his signature groove, soul and liquid-funk stylings.

Opening track 'Lotus Flower' sets a warm springtime tone with fluttering harp-like arpeggios and atmospheric pads. 'Broken Light' follows on from the success that singer/songwriter Thomas Oliver brought on Logistics' collaborative LP with brother Nu:Tone. A sombre tone matched with melancholic lyrics bring a blissful beat to the album.

Keeping true to the craft, 'Chant' flips to Logistics' jungle style with molten-hot flair. A powerful punch of expertly sliced breaks and vocal stabs are the ingredients for this dancefloor weapon.

It's safe to say that this has been worth the wait. Although titled from the ever-growing illusion of the digital-age, 'Hologram' is an example of Logistics' very real talent and is a welcomed addition to his impressive repertoire of drum & bass classics. Quantity, quality and a fierce musical character is everything we have come to expect from this Hospital staple.

This circular item is the OAKS 04 by Prostitutes. Musica Techno Para Discoteca VOL.1 its title.
If you drop the needle on this side (A) Mighty Arms and A Glancing Kiss will play. If you flip it side (B) Albion Remains and Churns Up Into Stone will do the same. Eleven times three revolutions per minute.
Recommended for Dj use.

"Musica Techno Para Discoteca is the new series from OAKS. In it I'll showcase the Techno music that inspires me, the Techno music that I love to play, the Techno music that in my opinion should get a decent exposure due it's originality and honesty. Without paying attention to the market demand or industry standards."

Repress

Secret Operations enter the new year with 'Heavy traffic'. A heavy roller from Sweden's finest Seba teaming up with San Franciscos finest Method One. Heavy bassline, steppy beat, and chopping amen breaks is what this track is all about. The flipside 'Mr. downstairs' is more laidback, and draws the memories back to the Good Looking days, back in 96-98 era. Watch out for secops 016. This time Seba collaborates with Finnish Producer/DJ Physics. It's already got support from Storm on her Ministry of sound show

Perfect Records is a new label run by bass music producer TMSV. As you're able to hear from PRF001, the label's focus is well-crafted electronic music that embraces the beauty of imperfection.

"Modification" is a much anticipated 140 BPM soundsystem smasher with a heavy bassline, dissonant synth sounds and frantic percussion. It's been played in clubs around the world by DJs such as Kahn & Neek, Mala, Joe Nice and VIVEK.

"Doom Clone" is a perfect example of TMSV's current sound. Sitting at 160 BPM and driven by a relentless wobbly bassline, it's clearly inspired by dubstep and jungle and perhaps even a bit of old school hip-hop.

Finishing off the EP is "Junglis", a modern-sounding homage to hardcore and jungle and the foundation the genres provided in the early to mid 90s for the evolution of the sound that Perfect Records aims to champion.

PRF001 is a taste of things to come from Perfect Records: perfectly imperfect chest-rattling electronic music, at any tempo, firmly rooted in the past while embracing the future.

Darren Cunningham's eagerly~awaited new album is an adventurous, ultramodern, thoroughly British affair, rummaging about in the inner lives of house and techno, and brilliantly elaborating the accomplishments of his debut, Hazyville.
Determinedly off~the~map and resistant to pigeonholing, Cunningham is an enigmatic and playful figure, citing Francis Bacon and Monet as inspirations longside Theo Parrish, Anthony 'Shake' Shakir, Daft Punk, 'binary codes and numeral systems', and The Avengers. He's a hard man to pin down - somehow a key player in the post~dubstep diaspora and yet not there at all - but everything comes across in his shape~shifting, richly textured music.
The South Londoner's acclaimed debut lived up to its name: a series of dreamlike sketches and ideas. For Splazsh the fog has lifted, the sounds are less submerged than before, but still sticky and close - a signature combination of exuberance and introversion, luminescence and puzzlement. Unconstrained by the formal cliches of the dance music he loves, Actress' melodies and arrangements are enthralled by their own genies. Worlds of disturbance and melancholy revolve giddyingly inside the insidious funk of tracks like Get Ohn and Lost. A range of musical influences is redrawn, from speed garage (Always Human) to grime (Wrong Potion), with none crowned king. There is a reflectiveness - the ambient drift of Futureproofing, the radiophonic judder of
Supreme Cunnilingus - in amongst the industrial, synth~wave flavours of Casanova, and the stirring, stately Maze.
Actress has quickly and justly become one of the most respected names in the UK's new dance music underground. His own label, Werk Discs, has proven itself one of the most formidable and taste~making UK independents of recent times, bringing the world extraordinary albums from Zomby, Lukid, Lone and Actress himself. In love with the mysteries of groove and repetition, Splazsh is both a culmination and a new beginning for Actress, a substantial and eccentric work from a brave and coolly individual artist.
With international press interest gathering - photo features in Dazed And Confused, and Fader in the US, and a session with Wolfgang Tillmans for the cover of the German magazine Groove - the stage is set for Actress.

Black & Clear Mixed Vinyl

aniel Schwerdel aka Acid Lab has been a familiar face on Lossless Music and Dope Plates over the last few years. Turning heads with his tracks 'Ancestors' and 'Tundra', Dan has laid the ground work for a bigger project, a solo album. 'A Matter Of Time' is a stunning 10 track breakbeat odyssey which sees Dan draw on influences from the past as well as futuristic visions which combine to form a body of work that perfectly fits the Dope Plates ethos.

Pioneers of the electronic music scene, Music Producer and Finiflex Studio Owner, John Vick and DJ, Davie Miller are working together on a new project . . . . FINIFLEX

Bonus Freaks is the second single to be released from the much anticipated forthcoming album SUILVEN, slated for release in May 2018.

FINIFLEX have been playing the new material live since the end of 2016 with gigs in Edinburgh (Neu Reekie), Glasgow (Let's Go Way Back) Skye (Non Stop Easter Weekender) Barcelona (Kosmopolis), Dundee (Carnival 56) and the TA TA OO HA Single Launch Party (TRANSMISSION) in Glasgow.
The show itself is an immersive experience featuring lights, live projections and video graphics, basically a super slick production rammed with back to back bangers.

These new releases may by the first in 20 years but in reality it's not been such a long period of silence. The almost a secret FINIFLEX Studio Complex (FINIFLEX HQ) based in Leith, Edinburgh has continued to work away with some of the best in the genre including the likes of Justin Robertson, Lord Of The Isles, DJ Rolando, Andrew Weatherall, Sparks, Billy McKenzie, John Pleased Wimmin, Paul Oakenfold, Dave Ball (Soft Cell) to name a few.
It's a given that their past assures their pedigree within the electronic music arena but with this NEW release 'Bonus Freaks'. . . . . FINIFLEX brings it all rushing into the future. . . . . .

3 hard, loopy. rolling techno-ish club movers taken from Helix's Greatest Hits Vol 3. A-side "The Lyot Remix" comes with a show-stopping triplets rhythm and guitar riff over 7+ minutes of jack track. B-sides go grime-tech and funky Club respectively, all unmistakably Helix.

Ltd. edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinylGnashing, thrashing and teeming with enchanting microtones - Machine Guitars is the definitive recorded work of Remko Scha, although the late Dutch artist didn't play a single note himself. Rather, Scha arranged a motorized, rotating wire brush and saber saw in front of suspended electric guitars and let these metallic torrents flow.Scha was a linguist and generative artist, enamored of computers' capacity for algorithmic creativity. A leading researcher at the University of Amsterdam, he also cofounded the famed arts-space Het Apollohuis in a former cigar-factory in 1980. This haven for intellectuals and underground autodidacts served as the recording studio for most of Machine Guitars (as well as Ellen Fullman's brilliant The Long String Instrument), which originally appeared in 1982 on the small Dutch label Kremlin. Machine Guitars, as the critic Byron Coley has noted, ranks among the best of the era's minimalist-inspired, avant-garde guitar statements by Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham. The semiautonomous sound-making sculptures also evoke contemporaneous work by Christian Marclay. Scha's work falls somewhere between conceptual art and avant-garde music - a total revelation for minimalists and No Wave fans alike.First-time vinyl reissue. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinyl.

"Den Heliga Ån" (The Sacred River) is the debut album of ambient wizard and techno connoisseur Aos. The album is themed around the river Helge Å that runs through the town of Åhus in the southern parts of Sweden. The town in which Aos grew up. The music reflects both a deep love of the river and the nature that surrounds it and has a melancholic feel of a time passed by.On the course of this album Aos invites us to take the journey on the river with him: from the sweeping electronic gestures of timelessness in Tiden upphör vid Mölleholmen, via the melodic pings that can be heard throughout Graften, and the ritualistic electronics at play in Jag eldar vass vid Kavrö until the blissful mellowness of Vår i biflödena - where spring has arrived, and both the river and the music are filled with a calm melancholy, yet joyful in it's celebration of a winter that is ending. This debut album collects six tracks of soft techno, ambient atmospheres and field recordings with a close attention to details, harmonics and electronics. Composed and recorded in Stockholm by Aos. Field-recordings made on location in Åhus, Sweden. Mastered by Andreas Tilliander in Repeatle Studios.

Red Vinyl

Straight off the back of BCee's 'Northpoint' album, he's back with two fresh cuts for 2018. BCee teams up with Degs for title track 'Magic Words'. 'Wanderer' is a classic BCee track and just oozes soul. As a bonus, BCee has remixed Galactus Jack's '100'.

FDX Black 005 sees a welcome return for breakbeat butcher Dub One, his first full 12' for Foundation X gifts us with two dubbed out amen gems! Expertly combining tearout drumwork with spine tingling atmospherics on both cuts. These tunes are simultaneously deep and dirty, exactly what you would expect from FDX Black and Dub One.Brothers Unite - Starting off with melancholy chords and heavilyreverbed vocals, the inevitable barrage of amens soon hits hard and create an emotional journey down a path of twisted beats and beautiful soundscapes. What Goes Around - Dub one brings a more dubwise roots offering for the flipside, but it's no less brutal on the dancefloor as his expert level breakbeat programming and super weighty sub bass cause mayhem once again

Aymaran genre-bending producer Elysia Crampton returns with a much anticipated second album, Elysia Crampton. Exploring themes around the experience of pushing boundaries between cultures and identities, it draws

motifs from the ephemeral presences which create a sense of comfort and belonging in displaced peoples. Taking place against a backdrop inspired equally by science fiction and

discourses of radical queernees, the music on Elysia Crampton is a melting pot of fringe musical histories that tie together past and future. House music begets trap which begets musique concrete which begets New Age, which turns

into a DJ-tagged rap mixtape from 2006. Crampton's widely celebrated debut album from last year, Elysia Crampton Presents Demon City, was met with rave reviews and feature coverage from Pitchfork, SPIN, NPR, The Financial Times,

The Guardian, The 405, Crack Magazine, Tiny Mixtapes, and Vogue.

Label stalwart HumaNature's track Eleventh Hour gets a remix treatment by Zero T. We have an altogether different beast. Stripped back to that infectious groove which he is renowned for, Zero T delivers a funk laden remix. Eyes down business.

On the flip we have Polish wonderboy SATL on the remix duties! He gives his own unique spin to the track Untold Stories by HumaNature & Critical Event.

I cannot think of a better way to kick off our vinyl catalogue

For the first time Nicolas Repac's album Swing-Swing, originally out in 2004, is released on vinyl LP!

He has a reputation as a musician's musician, a talented Jack-of-all-Trades as much at ease playing the guitar alongside his old accomplice, French songwriter Arthur H, as he is when tinkering with all kinds of machines by instinct, and creating made-to-measure contexts for instrumentalists like Michel Portal. Everyone knew he had a secret garden, the song' world of a composer and performer who was difficult to categorize, a world not only lyrical but also dark and full of tender melancholy, not to mention easily surrealist (his first record of songs, La vile', which was released on the Indigo label in 1997, has a sequel in preparation in the form of a new opus, Lovni'.) But, once again,
Nicolas Repac had a surprise in store, because he has turned up where no one was expecting him: Swing Swing is a record as magnificent as it is difficult to place, with electro ramblings around jazz (its subjects and virtues, its spirit and memory), wanderings that are playful, light, fluid in gesture and crammed with ideas, discoveries and intuition, they are at once naive and instinctive (Repac is an erudite amateur, the Ferdinand Cheval of the already-established world of electronic music), and extremely elaborate in their crushed samples, hallucinatory, rhythmic whirls and sensual, dreamlike atmospheres.

Despite appearing on the label many times over the years, Paradox's new single will be his solo debut on Metalheadz. Teeming with funk, the two-track release carries huge influences from hip hop and b-boy culture and serves as a reminder why Paradox consistently stands out in the genre.

* Rockwell's 'User' EP is a perfect example of a genre striding artist in their prime.
'Easy' is a combination uppercut of two generational disruptors. Not the most obvious of partnerships, they connect to pop off some shots at anyone sleeping.
'09 Track' is another nod to the roots of our scene and offers a sample blessed banger.
Rockwell's no stranger to coaxing the best out of vocalists and 'Inventor' utilises an absolutely killer instrumental and Flowdan's heavyweight character on the track.
'User' is a ballad fit for 2018 and with extensive support from the likes of Zane Lowe, Rene La Vice, Mistajam, Annie Mac, UKF, Mixmag and many more, Rockwell continues with his take on modern day drum & bass.

2 Tone is a wonderful album of ambient experimentation by Japanese musicians Shuta Hasunuma & U-Zhaan which received a limited release in Japan only in 2017 on the Commmons label.

The album features incredible collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Devendra Banhart, and Arto Lindsay. Shuta Hasunuma (b. 1983) is a Japanese artist and composer who applies the methodology of his musical compositions to a range
of other media, producing videos, sound works, three- dimensional sculptures and installations. He has released solo records, in addition to producing a number of commissioned works and collaborations that straddle performing arts and cinema. Selected exhibitions include compositions at Beijing Culture and Art Center (2017), compositions rhythm at Spiral Garden, Tokyo (2016), and compositions time, space and architecture at Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (2015).

* Still Circles announce the release of their debut album, 27:36, available March 30th via Killtone Records.

* Currently at 7 in the chart on the Josh Hannen show Amazing Radio

* Session for Alan Raw BBC Introducing on Sat March 3rd 2018

* Comprised of Natalie Kolowiecki and Jack Donnison, the Bradford based duo bridge the worlds of trip-hop and ambient music: splicing slo-mo beats, grainy atmospherics, haunting melodies and soft-wax drones. Their first single, 'Only Noise' is testament to this - with its manipulated vocals, heavy bass line and lurching percussion, the track's stark surrealism evokes the thrum of their northern English town.

* Upon the surface, 27:36 has the indelible markings of the band's influences: Brian Eno, Poliça, Adrian Sherwood (to name a few) - but the duo never settle into pure pastiche. Instead, they contort the sounds of these artists into something all their own. 27:36 is an alien vision of what pop music could be.

Limited 140g 12" white vinyl, 45 RPM + download code

* "Enter Rogue Style, an EP series dedicated to b-boy culture, to share their own b-boy story through the language of drum & bass and footwork." Bandcamp daily, June 2017
For Rogue Style 2 EP we continue the mission for a global b-boy homage with artists from England (Digital), USA (6Blocc, Calculon, Shamanga), Finland (Fanu) and Iceland (Agzilla).

Digital: "Myself and my older brother have been into hip hop and b-boy culture from an early age. It showed me music wasn't just something you danced to, it demonstrated togetherness, passion and the amazing life you can have through music."

6Blocc: "I was lucky enough to be born in 1970, so around 1982 when the NYC club / DJ / MC movement made its way to Los Angeles I started my DJ career playing hip hop, electro funk and DJ battles. In the late 90's I produced hard jungle vinyl releases under the name B-Boy 3000 because to me jungle music was hip hop fast forwarded 1000 years ahead in a time when lyrics no longer exist and all is just sample sounds modified by computers."

Calculon: "As a teenager in San Diego I was exposed to underground hip hop Kool Keith and DJ Shadow, and it was scratching that inspired me to save up and get my first set of turntables. Going out to local 'cypher' events in the late 90s/early 2000s was inspiring as it was clear there was a community of DJs and MCs and dancers and artists that lived and breathed this music."

Shamanga: "B-boying has been a huge part of my life since I was nine years old. I began DJ'ing in 1988. One particular crew, 7A3 inspired me to take my abilities to a new level. I purchased an HR-16 drum machine and bought a bass guitar. A few years later, a couple of the gangsters in my neighborhood wanted to become rappers, so they bought an Ensoniq EPS16+. Once they realized they didn't want to learn how to program the machine, they gave it to me, with one stipulation: I was to produce beats for them to rap over. This was 1991. I have not stopped since."

Fanu: "No-one can deny that drum machines did play a big part in creation of hip hop. In my tune for Defrostatica, I wanted to employ my Machinedrum for the job. Those who know hip hop may spot a familiar sample or two there as well."

Agzilla: "The disciplines of hip hop, graffiti, turntablism, and breakdancing have been subtle undercurrents throughout my design and music. The era of discovering groundbreaking sounds, dancing, and style in the 80's left a deep imprint on me. And out of that wellspring grew my journey into the liberating universe of electronic music. The aura of b-boy culture has been with me ever since and remains both fascinating and deeply inspirational."

The new Alec Empire Album, now out on vinyl with Cargo ! An excellent product (sound is wide open large and strong) the new aspect of Alec Empire is his Lou reed/Iggy Popy & New Order way of singing. The result is a perfect fusion... Welcome to the Breakcore Croonerz !

The live set that kicks out ! A 3xLP collector edition (also avaible as DHR 20 2x12 LP...) Enjoy !

Records are Mint but sleeve has slight damaged on the trench.
is not Sealed

Breakcore founders... the legendary controversed band on the legendary controversed label. Atrai power is so mutch better !

Rough dancefloor Ragga jungle fever from the More Fire crew !!

A very intensive LP... Mixing the breakcore to the Ambient to the Hip Hop to the Noises....One of the hard to Find DHR's !

Shouting Heavy downtempo Breakcore to Speed Break Hardcore Indus... Legendary LP !

Members from the Atari Teenage Riot Hannin is a lady among the lady... Also appearing on some Kool Pop Productions and some Home Wreckerz Foundations... ENJOY the In Fames Tube !!!

- Astonishing solo debut by acclaimed cellist and composer Lucy - A daring, non-conformist and deviant approach to composition and instrumentation - One side of filigree, multi-layered autobiographical collage-work, the other of raw and phased cello glissandi - RIYL: Mark Leckey, Alvin Lucier, Beatrice Dillon, Nate Young, Valerio Tricoli, Popol Vuh

Lucy Railton is a prolific performer who has appeared on countless recordings and collaborations with many important figures in contemporary music over the last few years. Paradise 94 is, remarkably, her solo debut - featuring archival, location and studio recordings which serve as a time capsule of all the myriad disciplines and influences that have brought her to this point in time. It both plays up to and shatters expectations of her music, which harnesses a duality of energies - acoustic/electronic, real/imagined, iconic/iconoclastic, pissed-off/romantic; out of place and androgynous - resulting in a visceral emotional insight and rare narrative grasp. Variegated, asymmetric, and located somewhere between her usual fields of exploration, Paradise 94 gives free reign to aspects of her creativity that have previously been subsumed into collaborative processes and interpretations of other composers' work. Here, she's free to probe, sculpt and layer her sounds through a much broader range of techniques and strategies, placing particular focus on non-linear structural arrangements and exploring the way her cello becomes perceptibly synthetic through collaging, rather than FX. At every turn Paradise 94 is bewilderingly unique. The A-side unfolds an oneiric, inception-like sequence traversing temporalities, timbres and tones from what sounds like a spectral ensemble playing on a traffic island in Pinnevik, to bursts of rabbit-in-headlights trance arps emerging from meticulously dissected musique concre`te in The Critical Rush, and a collision of masked vocals, string eruptions and a deeply moving, light-headed Bach rendition in For J.R. On the other hand, Fortified Up on side B tests out a far rawer approach, sampling herself playing the same glissandi over and again, which she layers into a sort of perpetual, sickly motion, the Shepard Tone riffing on the listener's psychoacoustic perceptions before calving off into a cathartic dissonant folk coda in its final throes. In the most classic sense, you can only properly begin to f*ck with something from the inside once you truly know it. Railton's dedicated years of service have more than equipped her with the nous and skill to do just that, gifting us with what will no doubt be looked back on as a raw, exposed and important solo debut in years to come.

One of the very first breakcore records so far... Maeltin speed breaks to Scratch and Mc's... Intense Dancefloor !

Another excellent DHR Limited... Dancefloor matter !

Acid Hard Jungle attacks ! Hermann Taddeus can now be met on Lux Nigra or Morr Music...

The latest 2 track vinyl/digital release from TRY UNITY on Rave Radio Records - 'Time To Believe' & 'Energy Impact'. Both tunes are inspired by the early 90's hardcore/old skool/rave scene and continue on the vocal breakbeat tip with classic rave stab patterns, blistering breakbeats, booming sub bass lines and melodic arpeggio sythesis.

The A side track 'Time To Believe' rings through a vocal message from start to finish with intelligent changing sections throughout whilst the B side is a slightly slower dance floor banger with overlayed euphoric layers to the production.

The 12 inch vinyl release will be a stamped white label with the Rave Radio Records logo on one side and the TRY UNITY logo on the other.

B........... A........... BA !!!!!!!!!!! Break.......... Core........... Breakcore !!

Dark Rock'n'roll Breakcore remixes.... Featuring 2 remixes from C. de Babalone and Nic Endo. Space !

Born in the high north of Germany and now a Berlin resident, Ralf Schmidt aka Aera first appeared on the electronic music map when he established his own Aleph Music label back in 2010. With only a handful of releases, Aera was able to lay out his very own musically topography on the cutting edges between house, psychedelia and breakbeats.

This colourful mix culminated on his debut album 'Offseason Traveller' in 2013, resonating the past forty years of electronic music, which brought him the attention of a wider audience as well as fellow djs and producers. So it was a logical consequence that his talent also attracted other labels and lead to widely praised releases on Innervisions, Maeve or John Talabot's Hivern Discs. With these, Aera's sound bloomed further into bubbly acid and trancey territorries and his fine reputation as a singular producer, travelling dj and remixer flourished.

With - The Sound Path' Aera continues his musical travels and Permanent Vacation is gladly hitchhiking on that ride. His second album is the most coherent and definitely most personal work to date. Here, he has perfected his sound even further - adding nuances from the meadows of New Age, Kraut cliffs and high-flying kites of Ambient. Complete with the cinematic and nature-esque qualities of Ralf's music, it will draw you in deeply through a great variety of landscapes before your inner eye. However, you'll never lose track, because this path is beautifully illuminated.

The original cut of the Althea and Donna 'Gone to Negril' track. Released by Pressure Sounds in 2005 and then deleted. Back by popular demand. Presented now with original Talent 77 label in a hand stamped bag. Produced by Tommy Cowan and more on the roots tip than the playful Althea and Donna cut.

Four trax taken from Helix's Greatest Hits Vol 2 LP. Classic house, disco and ATL rap motifs reimagined as rough-and-ready nu skool Club trax.

LANDSIDE

Landside, is the first collaboration between the Italian producers Hunter/Game and the Icelandic band Kúra. The sound comes from a deep vibe and melanchonic ambients It evolves thanks to Kúras Electronic and Dub mood, to an intense rhythm flow. While keeping groove as its main element, coming from Techno and House Roots of Hunter/Game Background. Fanney Osk Vocals comes as a clear warm breath in a cold mountain breeze, creating vibrating weaves, introuducing synths and melodies leads that breaks spaces as an intense storm.

Landside Part 1

Is visionary journey into uncharted lands, ranges of uncrossed soundscapes, merging abstract atmosphere with boundless emotions.

Max Cooper Remix is an eclectic vision of a deep flow. Vocals are floating over a strong dark bassline, keeping and intense Energy.

Benjamid Damage Remix is a straiht techno tool, digging groove lines into ambient melodies and mellow vocals i

here's a bit of a story to Side A. In 1996, JD Twitch released a 12" by Manchester's Bryn Jones aka Muslimgauze on his then label Pi Recordings. He also, along with a friend, arranged Muslimgauze's first and only Scottish live performance (attended by 6 people). Around that time, Jones, sadly no longer with us and one of the most prolific musicians ever to exist sent Twitch multiple CD-Rs of unreleased material, including the track featured here. He said he had made this track in 1985, and there is no reason to doubt his word although also no way to prove this is true, but we are going to accept his word for it which means that it could be said Jones pre-empted UK Hardcore around 5 years before anyone else. This is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he never used samplers but rather worked extensively with tape loops. The track has been very slightly edited by Twitch to make it a little more club playable. Twitch called in German breakbeat expert and all round tip top producer Victor Shan to remix it and Gerd Janson then asked to join the party too. They turn in a modern twist on UK Hardcore / Rave (via Deutschland) with hoovers set to stun. They also did a more late night hoover free mix which is only available digitally.

On the AA side, we are delighted to welcome the debut release from yet more mysterious Italians; the male/female duo that is Underspreche. "Flowers From The Lake" is based around a sample taken (with permission) from field recordings of the Mukunguni tribe in Kenya and released by Honest Jon's Records. It weaves it into a deeply psychedelic techno track with an extended mind warping outro. Underspreche also give us "Naked" an exquisite hypno techno track that while clinical and precise manages to exude a feeling of warmth so often missing in modern techno.

Oscar Mulero presents: 'Perfect Peace'. Don't expect dancefloor burners here, this time the spanish techno master goes deep and low, exploring sonic textures, low BPM grooves and the intelligent side of electronic music. Melodies, pads, drones and grooves collide in this soulful collection, conceived to be listened as a soundtrack. Oscar is not new to this sounds, in his Grey Fades To Green or Muscle and Mind albums he showcased his abilities in this field as well as with his Av projects Biolive and Monochrome. A new step in Oscar Mulero's ever growing career, showing his studio skills and music taste, far beyond his role as a fundamental techno dj.

Limited edition of 300 copies. Comes with printed sleeve and black innersleeve.

Stepart presents "The Curve": a dark and intense EP which blends influences of UK Bass Music with the assertive sounds of Techno. The Parisian producer demonstrates his skill and versatility, as this EP takes a sharp turn away from his previous style of music production. Featuring his signature combination of lugubrious bass and unpredictable drums, Stepart reveals a late night sound palette which places his music at the heart of the club.

Raga Abhogi
1) Alap
2) Jod
3) Jhala

Raga Vardhani
4) Alap
5) Jod
6) Jhala

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar : rudra veena
Annie Penta : tanpura

Concert recorded at the home of Shantha and Niranjan B. Benegal, Seattle, Washington 9 March 1986.
Recorded by Niranjan Benegal. Files obtained from Jeff Lewis.
Mastered & Cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering 1117 & 0318.

Liner notes by Renaud Brizard, edited by Stephen O'Malley & Ian Christe.
Front and back cover photos by unknown.
Interior photography by Niranjan B. Benegal, Dan Neuman & unknown, Seattle 1978-1980. .

Around ten years ago, deep into a cozy and hazy night following a concert with my sound brothers Daniel O'Sullivan and Kristoffer Rygg in London (as Æthenor), they graciously introduced me to a recording of rudra veena (a kind of noble deeper bass relative to the sitar, in a way) as performed by dhrupad master Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.

Dhrupad, for those who do not know, is a branch of Hindustani classical music said to "show the raga in its clearest and purest form". It's pacing concentrates heavily on the slow, contemplative alap section and works with specific microtonal gestures and deep characteristics of resonance ... in short I was hooked on this new (to me) and ancient form of music from the first listen, and feel that a more or less continual listening & reviewing of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's recordings in the years that followed have influenced my own approach to music quite heavily (if, albeit, indirectly).

In early 2015 I was able to make contact with Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's son Bahauddin and some of his American students/disciples, primarily Jeff Lewis. Over time we developed a friendly and educational exchange, access a massive archive of recordings and developed these two paired titles for my label. It's been a long path to arrive at actually releasing them but also probably in many ways one of the most significant releases I've worked on. And I'm proud to be able to reveal these to date unreleased archival recordings of one of the masters of dhrupad, Z. M. Dagar, to the public for the first time.

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was the nineteenth generation in a family tradition known as Dagar gharana, a rich lineage which continued and performed the musical form of dhrupad (Bahauddin Dagar continues the lineage as a master rudra veena dhrupad player of note today). Initially, dhrupad was a rigorous, austere, devotional genre that was sung in Hindu temples. But between the 16th and the 18th centuries, it became the preeminent genre in royal courts in North and Central India, and the Dagar gharana developed and continued publicly following the eventual loss of court patronage for dhrupad in the 19th century. The French ethnomusicologist Renaud Brizard covers the story of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's life and teaching (a long story also in Seattle, my hometown!), the Dagar family and gharana, the rudra veena and more topics in an extensive set of liner notes in this release.

Ragas Abhogi & Vardhani were recorded in a private house concert in Seattle at the home of the Benegals in March 1986 (the week before the accompanying release SOMA029 Raga Yaman was recorded). The Benegals were friends (& Shantha Benegal was also a student) of Dagarsahib who sometimes hosted Hindustani music concerts in their home. It's a rare glimpse of a more intimate, personal and perhaps different kind of performance considering the form of dhrupad.

-Stephen O'Malley, March 2018, Paris, France

Stephen O'Malley would like to especially thank Bahauddin Dagar, Jeff Lewis & Jody Stecher for their enthusiasm, cooperation, patience, insight & advice toward developing these editions. Thank you also to Laurel Sercombe & John Vallier from the University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives, Shantha Benegal, Philippe Bruguière, Dan Neuman, Ira Landgarten, Renaud Brizard, Ian Christe, Peter Rehberg, Rashad Becker, Daniel O'Sullivan & Kristoffer Rygg, all for their direct or indirect cooperation, assistance & patience.

Raga Yaman
1) Alap
2) Jod
3) Jhala
4) Gat (Composition in Chautal)

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar : rudra veena
Manik Munde : pakhawaj
Gayathri Rajapur & Annie Penta : tanpuras

Recorded by unknown at the University of Washington, HUB Auditorium, Seattle, Washington 15 March 1986 , concert co-sponsored by the UW Ethnomusicology Division and Ragamala.
Original digitally processed audio recording made with Panasonic PV-9000 VCR, Sony PCM-F1, PZM mics. Mastered & Cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering 1117 & 0318.

Liner notes by Renaud Brizard, Stephen O'Malley & Ian Christe.
Front and back cover photos by Niranjan B. Benegal, Seattle Center Folklife Festival 1979. Elizabeth Reeke & Annie Penta on tanpuras.
Inner gatefold photography by Niranjan B. Benegal & Ira Landgarten.

Around ten years ago, deep into a cozy and hazy night following a concert with my sound brothers Daniel O'Sullivan and Kristoffer Rygg in London (as Æthenor), they graciously introduced me to a recording of rudra veena (a kind of noble deeper bass relative to the sitar, in a way) as performed by dhrupad master Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.

Dhrupad, for those who do not know, is a branch of Hindustani classical music said to "show the raga in its clearest and purest form". It's pacing concentrates heavily on the slow, contemplative alap section and works with specific microtonal gestures and deep characteristics of resonance ... in short I was hooked on this new (to me) and ancient form of music from the first listen, and feel that a more or less continual listening & reviewing of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's recordings in the years that followed have influenced my own approach to music quite heavily (if, albeit, indirectly).

In early 2015 I was able to make contact with Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's son Bahauddin and some of his American students/disciples, primarily Jeff Lewis. Over time we developed a friendly and educational exchange, access a massive archive of recordings and developed these two paired titles for my label. It's been a long path to arrive at actually releasing them but also probably in many ways one of the most significant releases I've worked on. And I'm proud to be able to reveal these to date unreleased archival recordings of one of the masters of dhrupad, Z. M. Dagar, to the public for the first time.

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was the nineteenth generation in a family tradition known as Dagar gharana, a rich lineage which continued and performed the musical form of dhrupad (Bahauddin Dagar continues the lineage as a master rudra veena dhrupad player of note today). Initially, dhrupad was a rigorous, austere, devotional genre that was sung in Hindu temples. But between the 16th and the 18th centuries, it became the preeminent genre in royal courts in North and Central India, and the Dagar gharana developed and continued publicly following the eventual loss of court patronage for dhrupad in the 19th century. The French ethnomusicologist Renaud Brizard covers the story of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's life and teaching (a long story also in Seattle, my hometown!), the Dagar family and gharana, the rudra veena and more topics in an extensive set of liner notes in this release.

Raga Yaman was recorded at a public concert in Seattle at the HUB Ballroom at the University of Washington in March 1986 (the week after the accompanying release SOMA028 Ragas Abhogi & Vardhani was recorded) at the end of his last tour of the United States. Yaman was a special raga for Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, one of his signature raags. For centuries, Yaman has been considered as one of the most fundamental ragas in Hindustani music and is one of the first ragas which is taught to students. A deep knowledge of Yaman gives a key for understanding many other ragas. It's filled with tranquility, contemplation, pathos and spiritual yearning. .

-Stephen O'Malley, March 2018, Paris, France

Sly & Robbie join forces with Norwegian jazz innovator Nils Petter Molvaer,with lvind Aarset adding guitars and Vladislav Delay electronics and additional percussion, rounding off a record steeped in reggae and chill Nordic jazz

After ZeroZero's excellent Syndrome EP doing the damage last Month, we present the next instalment in our special edition series.Bone is something of a Broken Audio regular, with a succession of tracks featuring on our Musical Currency compilation releases, we thought it time to offer him a debut solo outing. One of our favourite production talents, Marek never fails to impress with the range and quality of his Music, and in sending him away to conjure a club focused EP of note for this release, he came back to us with the sonic equivalent of a sledgehammer. The lead track Killa Sound pulls no punches whatsoever, the clue really is in the title... Looking for a gully Reece filled roller Check Hollow... How about some old school break influenced bangers Go for Adaptor or Second Chances... Want something a little more melodic... Emerald is the one.This release features a special edition crystal clear 12' vinyl limited to just 25 hand cut & individually numbered copies. A download card is also included with each EP purchase, providing free access to the full digital release in WAV format through the label website.

* In his first release for Milan's Haunter Record, Berlin-based producer Broshuda generates simple yet complex emotional vignettes. Evading all definitions, he makes use of an an array of tools and techniques akin to those of classic dub and contemporary sound design on obscure/ random equipment, drawing from a limited pool of sound sources while paying a lot of attention to detail in the construction of sound. His post-rave power ambient poems, coalescing with a pronounced melodic element, give the release a profoundly introspective and earthy character. Blurring and masquerading different layers of sound into new forms and shapes.

- New edition of John Duncan's 1984 album, completely re-recorded
- New artwork
- Mastered by Rashad Becker
- Edition of 400 individually numbered copies

Mercurial maverick of the maelstrom, John Duncan presents a definitive, new, 3rd vinyl edition of his Riot (1984) album: re-recorded, re-mixed at EMS and expanded with material that didn't make the initial pressings, all taken from original 8-track master tape - which required them to revive obsolete machinery - and all re-mastered by Rashad Becker for this release, which, according to the legendary avant-garde agitator himself, is finally packaged in artwork befitting of his vision.
Or take it straight from the horse's gob: If there is any one must-have releases that defines my work in sound, this is it.'
So, for anyone who made first contact with John Duncan's catalogue via his sublime, deathly Bitter Earth (iDEAL, 2016) LP songbook, this one may come as a shock. But considering that practically everything else in his catalogue is more akin to this record than Bitter Earth, you may have some catching up to do, and this is a perfect place to start.
Employing the chaos generated by his favoured shortwave radio, coupled with computer program transmissions, military morse code, atmospheric interferences, random sounds', Duncan makes a genuine, head-flossing racket on the A-side's Riot. Scrambled not stirred, the results still stand gnarled in the historical stream of noise records, strongly representative of a pursuit for total atonality and arrhythmia - pure randomness in a state of flux always anticipating, never resolving.
Contrarily the B-side throws words, both legibly spoken in english and chopped-up in Japanese, into stark negative relief. Firstly a droll description of viciousness at an event by Paul McCarthy at
a Los Angeles gallery, then a passage of fulminating noise chaos, followed by an extraction from a performance at the outdoor amphitheater in Hibiya Koen, Tokyo, 1983, and unpredictably shattered into an extreme inky blacknuss.

No messing, this is extreme music of the highest order.

Fünf Jahre nach seinem Debütalbum "Ilp" meldet sich Kwes. mit einer neuen 6-Track EP zurück. In der Zwischenzeit arbeitete er mit Künstlern wie Bobby Womack, Solange, NAO oder Loyle Carner zusammen und mischte Kelelas Meisterwerk "Take Me Apart" ab. Die "Songs For Midi" handeln von aufregenden Entdeckungen und Erfahrungen in der Kindheit, und entsprechend fragil und sinnlich klingen die Sounddesigns dieser 6 Tracks. 12" Vinyl mit Download-Code.

As one-third of Yellow Magic Orchestra and an Academy Award-winning composer for his work on the soundtrack for The Last Emperor, synth pop innovator Ryuichi Sakamoto is among the most groundbreaking artists to have emerged since the late 70s. A musician's musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto
has created intriguing musical unions with artists such as David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, Tony Williams, Bootsy Collins, Jacques Morelenbaum and many others.

What kind of sounds/music' do I want to listen to'

async is the answer to this question Ryuichi has asked himself for the past several years. This is the album he is the most proud of which synthesizes all of his musical and sound interests. This is a journey through analog synth, the sounds of things and of places, an imaginary soundtrack to an
Andrei Tarkovsky film and many others musical surprises.

Repress

"I've said it before, but dancehall and its influence on UK music has been a massive inspiration for me, going way back to hearing Chris Goldfinger on Radio 1 playing music that was like nothing else I'd heard before. I love that fundamental rhythmic pattern, and I love how within the same world you can have some tunes that are built around the sweetest melodies and harmonies, and others that are built around super-tuff minimal drums and crazy squeeks and bleeps.

When it came time to build another EP for Critical, I decided to link up with my good friend and long-time collaborator Rider Shafique, who has a much deeper knowledge of this music than me, and together create something that references both old and new dancehall, while still being playable in the kinds of sets I've become known for. There's no 'halftime' and no chopped-up jungle breaks here - we wanted to make something really focussed and even 'disciplined' - and hopefully we've succeeded.

Big shouts to the vocal collaborators - super hyped to work with Stush on a tune, Irah came through with the righteous fire, and Tiffanie Malvo absolutely bodied her beat - but ultimate biggups have to go to Rider. This wasn't a project where I made the beats and Rider voiced them - for pretty much every tune, we worked and reworked the riddims together. We're both stoked on the results, and it seems like people in the dance feel the same way."

- Sam Binga









S

For our 13th release, Subaltern is proud to present a selection of various artists compiled on one record - different styles of sound, blending together like a Kaleidoscope... For the avid vinyl junkies the first 300 copies have been pressed with locked grooves from each artist and come in a full colour sleeve.

* Alter: Opening the release is Japanese producer Helktram, who debuts on Subaltern with a relentless hypnotic roller. Distorted drums and percussive interludes complete this banger, which has proven to mash up the dance every time.

* Fibers: Being the only resident Subaltern artist on the release, D-Operation Drop doesn't fail to prove why they have returned to Subaltern yet again with this trippy masterpiece.

* Bomb: German producer ILL_K makes his first appearance on the imprint with this mighty stomper. "Bomb" is probably the most accurate title this powerful tune could have been given.

* Landfall: The only collaborative track of the EP, - Landfall' concludes the record in style - dark and eerie atmospheres mark the signature sound of German producer Shu and Belgian producer Zygos.

Latency's tenth release is a journey through Nonplace mastermind Burnt Friedman's elusive repertoire, recorded between 1993 and 2011. Brilliant and pioneering, this is percussive, dubbed-out, minimal, electro-acoustic music. With guest appearances by Hayden Chisholm and Takeshi Nishimoto.

Emotional Rescue delves deep in to the past with the release of the first ever recordings by UK post-industrial, ambient pioneers O Yuki Conjugate (OYC). Recorded in Nottingham in 1983, the EP's four tracks showcase OYC's early sound: a beat-driven, lo-fi that places them alongside the early British electronic pioneers.
OYC, celebrating their 35th anniversary this year, are known for their "dirty ambient" sound - but it wasn't always thus. In their earliest incarnation OYC explored a more industrial approach characterised by tortured analogue drum machines, one-finger synth lines, played bass, tape loops and even flute. This naive sound template lasted until their debut album 'Scene in Mirage' (1984) before being jettisoned in favour of more ambient explorations.The story behind these recordings is one of brotherly love between bands. OYC swapped time in their rehearsal space for a day's use of a four-track cassette portastudio owned by their associates, Metamorphosis. Three of the tracks included were recorded on May 1st 1983 at The End Room (literally a studio at the back of one of OYC's parents houses) with the remaining track (live favourite "The Clattering Song") being produced a couple of months later.
To date OYC have remained largely unknown in the UK due to their wilfully obscure approach. They have released a series of very well regarded studio albums and innumerable spin-off and side projects that has recently seen a revival of interest in their early years, including appearances on Cherry Red's compilation of formative UK electronic scene 'Close to the Noise Floor' and Optimo's compilation of Fourth World-style music 'Miracle Steps'.
Accepting their fate as musical outsiders, OYC continue to make music with little reference to the wider world. This EP makes a fine addition to that body of work.

Skeleton kick start 2018 with the first of a series of double artist releases

Jem-One started his journey into the Drum and Bass scene during 2007 with signings to many labels such as Mac 2, 36 Hertz and Vampire Records. After a break of a few years, Jem-One is back and firmly establishing himself within the deeper, darker, underground jungle scene and is definitely one to keep your eye on. Footsteps and Frequency takes his sound down the tech steppy, hard hitting path.

Vince Rollin has been producing since 1993 and started receiving attention in 2017 after remixing the jungle classic 'Screwface' by Brainkillers, which was released on Kemet Records.

2017 also saw Vince throwing down releases on 36 Hertz and Skeleton, with a host of remixes, collabs and solo productions, finding support from some veterans of the scene. Prometheus and Symbiosis have that trademark heavyweight sound of his that shake the walls of any dancehall.

Peter Darker makes his long overdue return to 7th Storey Projects with Nights R Darker EP. Featuring 4 more tracks of frenetic, darkside jungle!

Globex Corp return with the forth volume of the immensely popular series. Containing four ethereal, atmospheric cuts featuring contributions from Tim Reaper, Dwarde, Worldwide Epidemic and Gand.

Soft Armour is Christian Hougaard, a Danish producer. 'Multi Terrain' is his debut full length, after two ep's. The album is a mesmerizing marriage between ambient and IDM, loaded with soundscapes, field recordings, bass lines and dynamic electronic percussion. That being said, don't expect typical techno, drum & bass or dubstep beats. The ones on this album seem to breathe their own air, go their own way and drag you into an immersive audio adventure. Think Autechre, µ-Ziq or Squarepusher, that will get you closer to the sounds on this album.

After four years finally a new full length. Masterworks of minimalism and glacial beauty. With Birds of Passage, New Zealand based Alicia Merz presents us with an endearing invitation into her fragile world, a captivating journey through the landscapes of her emotional euphoria and agony, a further commitment to musical experimentation.

The cold minimalist-drones, distorted field recordings, and sparse instrumentation, illustrate an icy, desolate and dark world. With allusions to dark-pop and classic broken-folk, the reverb drenched instrumentation, metaphorical fairytale lyrics, and anti-climactic compositions remind us that Alicia Merz is a singer songwriter for people who don't like singer songwriters. After four years of silence, Merz returns with the fourth full length 'The Death of Our Invention'.

"Birds of Passage is humble and heartbroken. Her warm words are crimson berries that bear fruit in the cold depths of winter, hanging over crooked, bare branches where nothing else survives. Her dove-like vocals soar, but her introverted lyrics blossom with the fondness of love." (Fluid Radio)

"Alicia presents us with an endearing invitation into her fragile world, a captivating journey through the landscapes of her emotional euphoria and agony, a further commitment to musical experimentation... The cold minimalist-drones, distorted field recordings, and sparse instrumentation, illustrate an icy, desolate and dark world. It's as if we are listening to the sound of winter itself, an audio exposure to the unforgiving elements of winter." (Headphone Commute)

Reissue of the second Birds Of Passage album from 2011. A masterwork of minimalism, "Winter Lady" - Alicia Merz's sophomore solo effort as BIRDS OF PASSAGE sees a return to the desolate and melancholic soundcscapes of her highly acclaimed debut, "Without The World". With "Winter Lady", Alicia presents us with an endearing invitation into her fragile world, a captivating through the landscapes of her emotional euphoria and agony, a further commitment to musical experimentation, a worthy addition to the oeuvre of BIRDS OF PASSAGE.

The cold minimalist-drones, distorted field recordings, and sparse instrumentation, illustrate an icy, desolate and dark. It's as if we are listening to the sound of winter itself, an audio exposure to the unforgiving elements of winter. With allusions to dark-pop and classic broken-folk, the reverb drenched instrumentation, metaphorical fairytale lyrics, and anti-climactic compositions remind us that Alicia Merz is a singer songwriter for people who don't like singer songwriters.

With "Winter Lady", Alicia re-establishes herself as a true musical maverick - who is able to capture the imaginations of audiences as diverse as those of Sigur Ros, Grouper or Zola Jesus. In short, Birds Of Passage's "Winter Lady" is an album of authentic experimentation, masterful minimalism, immense tragedy, and glacial beauty. It is not surprising that already after the first album Nils Frahm & Peter Broderick belonged to the fanbase of Birds Of Passage.

Mastered and mixed by Nils Frahm.

Reissue of the Birds Of Passage collaboration record with Leonardo Rosado from 2011. A minimalistic, cinematic, experimental dark pop trip.

After the highly respected debut full length Without the World' and her first european tour in 2011 BIRDS OF PASSAGE ( the new rising star of experimental minimalistic dark pop') from New Zealand has released her second act in fall 2011 - a cinematic concept album she has recorded together with LEONARDO ROSADO from Portugal.

DEAR AND UNFAMILIAR is a technicolor soundtrack that traces a vivid path through darkened desolate dunes. Stories of forgotten tragedies and unrequited love liberate the journeyman from reveries of misery and guide the wanderer through contrasting landscapes of dysphoria and ecstasy.'

Mastered by NILS FRAHM the album equally should please fans of Cocteau Twins, Portishead or Zola Jesus.

Dead Man's Chest aka Alex Eveson makes his debut appearance on Myor Massiv sublabel Diamond Life alongside head honcho Coco Bryce.

This iconic LP was originally released by Incus in 1974. Recorded at a private house in West London, the side-long title track is a masterwork: a twenty-two-minute, starkly personal, freely expressive, itchily searching re-casting of orders of rhythm and sound into a new, quicksilver kind of affective and musical polyphony. Never mind the guitarist's championing of 'non-idiomatic improvisation', the poet Peter Riley gets the ball rolling in his identification of the various hauntings of Bailey's playing at this time: 'mandolins & balalaikas strumming in the distance, George Forby's banjo, Leadbelly's steel 12-string, koto, lute, classical guitar... and others quite outside the field of the plucked string.'The five pieces on side two were recorded back home in Hackney around the same time — with the exception of Improvisation 104(b), from the year before (and issued by Incus in its TAPS series of mini reel-to-reel tapes) — opening with ventriloquised guitar feedback, and taking in some cod banter about colleagues like Mervyn Parker, Siegfried Brotzmann and Harry Bentink. Crucial.

Kagami is the duo of Jared Blum (Vision Heat, Gigante Sound) and Maxwell August Croy (En, Root Strata). Their eponymous debut, recorded between 2014 and 2017, finds the pair navigating a bracingly wide range of niches with aplomb and precision. Evoking summertime ambience, widescreen electronics, anthemic pop instrumentals and windswept romantic gestures, Kagami is a charming and dramatic record that at times recalls the soundtrack to some lost title from Nintendo's golden age or perhaps a spiritual successor to the miniatures of Yasuaki Shimizu's Music for Commercials.

Original cover art by Brenna Murphy, layout by Konrad Jandavs. Mastered by Helmut Erler, Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.

Kontext, Cyberworm, Diagram aka Abstract Elements, and Melotronics. With this release WOW Signal Records presents a modern view on bass/electronic music, from Future Garage and Dub Techno to Techstep and Leftfield Drum & Bass. These genres are united by uniform deep sound of the planet's breath in our heads. We even release it on vinyl, intent on spreading the music that make us vibe with other bass lovers the world over.

It's been a long time coming digging through the archives, legendary UK acid don Luke Vibert drops an exquisite solo record on the Belgian De:tuned label. On 'pHlacid' and 'Arcadia' Luke shows off his ability to produce funky yet quirky acid tracks that will put a smile on your face. Both 'Balath' and 'Worry Ledge' are intense uptempo electro workouts with enough 303 squelch to melt your brain, proper warehouse vibes!
The artwork for this release was designed by the wonderful gents at The Designers Republic. Mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy and pressed on 180 gr vinyl. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!

From the shrapnel of the unlikely collision point where Mancunian post-punk royalty collides with sci-fi cinema and art house animation, this obscure diamond in the rough shines a new light on the Northern DIY era providing disc detectives with a whole new punk funk perspective. Recorded in 1976 by Invisible Girls' Steve Hopkins and Martin Hannett for a truly bizarre stop-motion animation called All Sorts OF Heroes, this hard edged funk instrumental theme reveals another side to this versatile production team joining the hidden dots between Hannett's own discoid experiments with ESG, Gyro, A Certain Ratio and the mythical Afro Express recordings from the same year. Embodying as much in common with 1970's bass heavy European funk soundtracks by bands like Goblin and Placebo, as the expected parallels with John-Cooper Clarke's backing tracks or early Happy Mondays, this early 1976 session is the perfect example of Hannett and Hopkins' under-the-radar artistic commissions working to a storyboard brief in what has now become recognised as a fertile arena for lost filmic funk.

Drawing historic parallels with Leeds based Graeme Miller and Steve Shill's home recorded DIY soundtracks for The Moomins animation and accentuating the connection between Manchester based animation house Cosgrove Hall (Dangermouse/Chorlton And The Wheelies) and it's employees Bernard Sumner, John Squire and members of Gerry And The Holograms, this lost recording adds kudos to a quirky micro-niche and reveals another dimension to Northern anti- pop's snarky personality.

Pressed here by Finders Keepers for the first time on vinyl, in close accordance with the wishes of Steve Hopkins himself, this custom-composed track originally appeared on the short film by Rick Megginson and Steve Hughes which was shown at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in 1976 where it might have otherwise remained, preserved in an 8mm film box up until now. As relevant today as it was then, this closely recorded, cosmic cartoon, slappy funk theme provided the films backdrop for a workshop montage scene where an aardvarkian spaceman constructs a giant metal face robot which might well leave fans of Madlib and MF Doom fans pondering time travel! Like much of the lost and unreleased projects that stalled on the peripheries of early proto-Madchester, including the disco-pogo music of Spider King, Gerry And The Holograms, The 48 Chairs, Naffi and The Mothmen, this record has been frozen in time waiting for the wider marathon of independent pop to catch up!

Presented here faithful the 45 format of choice, this 7' might well be another missing link between your Rabid, Absurd and Factory records, backed with another lesser- known Invisible girls recording Scandinavian Wastes which has also been begging for its first vinyl outing since its recording in the early 1980's. Another historical bucket list release for Finders Keepers Records outernational discography, leaving zero stones unturned, even the ones under our own doorstep.

After last year's track Garrol on the Paerels compilation for island trips, Tammo Hesselink aka Melatonin Man is back with Cruise Control Love. The title track is a ravey disco jam, based around an acidic bass-line, that soundtracked many of our afterhours already. The B-side sees the release of 2 newer cuts - Breaky beats and trancy melodies of this young talent with much more to come.

Joe Powers is from Edinburgh, far outside the network of the Grime capital of London. His caffeinated productions as Proc Fiskal are faster than usual, with many clocking in at 160bpm. 'The Highland Mob', his 2017 debut EP, opened up his music to open-eared footwork and drum'n'bass fans as well as the grime crowd. After following that up with a jungle-inflected EP on Cosmic Bridge, 'Insula' switches the feel and intention towards a personal, and melodic music with one foot in Grime, infused with often comic, often wistful recorded moments from his environment. He says 'I wanted to be aware of where the music is coming from, referencing things I'm presently experiencing, like making Grime, my Radar radio show, phone addiction, alcohol, my surroundings, girls, depression, positivity, being unemployed, being employed and hating it, my friends etc. Trying to be true to myself instead of relying on other peoples' nostalgia, and focusing on now.'

The record is a huge leap in vision, with delicate, pointillist melodies and intricate edits reminiscent of Grime producers such as Terror Danjah. It also resonates with Japanese video game music like that recently explored on the 'Diggin' In The Carts' compilation.

'I think I probably make tunes to get out emotions I don't express in day-to-day life. I used clips of my friends talking, drunk folk, and general Scottish life to preserve and represent what my experience is like right now, like a time capsule. Social media notification sounds are designed to release serotonin, which is what I'd like my music to do, to make me, and other people happy, and in using these manipulative noises in a positive way, I like to think I'm taking back the power of the manipulation.'

Proc Fiskal is adventurous and thoughtful as a producer, and at the young age of 21, his debut album is very advanced in its ideas and execution.

Two of the most renowned and unrelenting actors of the early Copenhagen punk scene and, later on, the experimental scene—have joined forces on Danish electronic record label Infinite Waves.

Despite not being an autobiographical record, Rex Kyed is at the very least themed around periods of the artists' own lives, of desolation, exiting and entering bubbles of comfort, being apart from family, and on a constant transit from A to B and back again. A broadly minimalistic record filled with aesthetic synth lines and a melancholic piano key here and there.

From Rebirth and a four track recorder in the year 1999 to broken tape machines, untuned guitars/synths and extreme signal processing an eternity later, Terminal Sound System has remained the primary musical outlet for musician/producer Skye Klein.

It is about stories. There is a narrative, albeit disjointed. Tends to come in threes, like dramatic characters, introduction, exploration, disintegration. It's about stories, creating a world with sound and words and exploring that until it (inevitably) folds back on itself and starts to self-reference, decay, but also sprout appendages, potentialities.

Roughly a dozen releases have tracked the evolution of Terminal Sound System from post-techno dub experiment to post-everything world-building/destroying. The Endless Sea is the third part of a trinity that began with 2013's 'A Sun Spinning Backwards'. Worlds fell, necessary actions were taken. What happens after exodus, when all is left behind and you get a blank slate Do we replay the past Recreate or reimagine

2015's 'Dust Songs' and 'The Endless Sea' bleed into one another, drawing to conclusion this particular arc. The wave curls back on itself, corrosion amplified. There are more questions here than answers, far more uncertainties than truths. Post-industrial folk stories from a barren earth. Scorched and infinite.

Snapshots of an abandoned city. Fragments of song drifting out of basements and across alleyways, muffled conversations. Scrutinized, the "music" disappears - maybe paracusia Brass Orchids, Anne Guthrie's second full-length album for Students of Decay, is an entrancing collage of new and old sounds drawn from a variety of beguiling sources. Posthumous contributions from the artist's grandfather, a jazz pianist, obsolete media palimpsests (some vanity, some necessity), tap dancing on a peeling floor... An unsettling and strangely beautiful album - akin to something on the tip of your tongue, which, before you can name it, slips away into forgetting.

Anne Guthrie is a French horn player, field recording and audio installation artist born in 1983 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She studied composition with Amelia Kaplan, David Karl Gompper, Lawrence Fritts and Michael Young. She is currently the Managing Director of the S.E.M. Ensemble in Brooklyn.

In summer of 2015 Seattle's doom fixtures Bell Witch released Four Phantoms' on Profound Lore Records, the highly anticipated doomed follow up to the band's now classic debut full-length Longing' (2012). But Longing' was not the band's first effort. Bell Witch first appeared in 2011 with a well-received demo that was simply titled Demo 2011.' At 37 minutes this recording was a massive statement of purpose which far-eclipsed the "demo" status implied by the name. It was recorded by Brandon Fitzsimons (Wormwood), the same engineer that worked on the band's debut Longing.' Demo 2011 showcased Bell Witch's minimalist depressing sound that has proven to be timeless, relevant, and undeniably sad. The band is heavy. The Flenser is proud to unleash this new pressing of a classic moment in contemporary US doom history. Artwork by the band's own Adrian Guerra (RIP) presented with an updated layout and in a more sustainable package than the initial pressing.

In summer of 2015 Seattle's doom fixtures Bell Witch released Four Phantoms' on Profound Lore Records, the highly anticipated doomed follow up to the band's now classic debut full-length Longing' (2012). But Longing' was not the band's first effort. Bell Witch first appeared in 2011 with a well-received demo that was simply titled Demo 2011.' At 37 minutes this recording was a massive statement of purpose which far-eclipsed the "demo" status implied by the name. It was recorded by Brandon Fitzsimons (Wormwood), the same engineer that worked on the band's debut Longing.' Demo 2011 showcased Bell Witch's minimalist depressing sound that has proven to be timeless, relevant, and undeniably sad. The band is heavy. The Flenser is proud to unleash this new pressing of a classic moment in contemporary US doom history. Artwork by the band's own Adrian Guerra (RIP) presented with an updated layout and in a more sustainable package than the initial pressing.

Ltd. to 120 numbered copies inside recycled stock cardboard box, incl. mp3

Byron Westbrook is an artist and musician based in Brooklyn, NY. His work focuses on dynamics of perception using sound, lighting and video to interact with architecture and landscape, often pursuing routes that involve social engagement. Confluence Patterns is an eclectic collection of recordings, containing both the sharpest and most pastoral material Westbrook has released. The pieces range from the textured drones of "Vanishing Action" to the Tony-Conrad-plays-Black-Sabbath riffing of "Perception Depth" to the Maggie Payne-influenced "Fractal Shift II'. Westbrook is interested in how sharp contrast can shape the perception of a sound. Working with texture and frequency in relation to listening duration, he considers sonic analogies as to how an afterimage affects the experience of sight. For example, the pillowy "Drifting Well" has a particular softness after experiencing the fatiguing frequencies and activity of "A Continuous Slip", and the density and detail of "Glorious Mess" plays in a particular way after the static textures of "Vanishing Action". Westbrook considers these sequential contrasts as integral elements of the work and has performed this sequence as a live set numerous times in recent years. Confluence Patterns is his third music release - after previous works for Root Strata and Hands In The Dark - and his first one for Umor Rex.

Recorded and mixed 2014-2017 in Brooklyn, NY + Los Angeles, CA, by Byron Westbrook (electronics, tape and software manipulation). Mastered by Felix-Florian Tödtloff at Ætherweight in Berlin. Design & photo by Daniel Castrejón.

Ltd. to 500 , incl. 20-page color insert, incl. mp3
Recital presents the first vinyl LP by composer/event-maker Charlie Morrow. Toot! Too culls performance recordings from 1970 to 2014. It focuses on his Wave Music series, which are compositions based around swarms of like-instruments, i.e. sixty clarinets, conch choruses, and army of drums and bugle horns, etc. A personal favorite is the 1978 piece, 100 Musicians With Lights,' which was performed at dusk in Central Park. One hundred players (brass, reeds, percussion) congregate and march in spiral formations, playing their instrument with penlights attached to them. The piece dissipates and ends as each player marches through the park to their respective homes. The sound is fascinating, a tape recording made by an audience member swirling and dancing through the performance.Charlie is an organizer: one of instruments, with the pieces that landed on this LP and dozens more, one of events, through decades of public Solstice celebrations across the world, one of publications, including New Wilderness Audiographics and EAR Magazine, and, one of friendships as Charlie has kindly introduced me to many fascinating players in this quirky game of ours. He views networking as an art form, always connecting friends with other friends, building a larger web for us to dance throughout.

In working on this LP over the past years, Charlie Morrow and I have become close. It has been a joy to have him in my life. At the age of 73, he is determined and creative and as positive as ever. Each time we speak, new projects arise - like a mysterious soup boiling up fresh aromas. One of my favorite memories with Charlie was us staying up 'til the wee small hours of the morning drinking a bottle of sweet potato shochu, me listening to him tell funny and poignant remembrances. I am happy to share these lovely recordings, just a pinky toe in his artistic footprint, but wow, such a gorgeous toe! (First Edition of 500 LPs on black wax including a 20-page color insert with program notes, artwork, & scores.)

Born in Burlington, Vermont, and conservatory-trained in the US, the cellist Tristan Honsinger moved from Montreal to Amsterdam in 1974, quickly linking with Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg, and opening a long and fruitful musical relationship with Derek Bailey. Recorded in 1976, Duo displays a performative musical approach already characterised by the lack of inhibition which would later endear him to The Pop Group: he is knockabout, exclamatory, explosively rhythmic; burping Bach and folk melodies with spasmodic lyricism, in amongst the garrulous textures and accents of his scraping, bowing and plucking, and gibbering like a monkey; throwing out his arms and stamping the floor, grappling with his instrument like an expert clown, always on the lookout for new ways to trip himself up. You can hear Bailey revelling in the company, as he ranges between scrabbling solidarity and an askance skewering of his partner's antics, on prepared (nineteen-string) and standard electric guitars — and a Waisvisz Crackle-box, for the garbled, quizzical, cross-species natter which closes The Shadow. Throughout, the spirited interplay between laconic, analytic wit and guttural, sometimes slapstick physicality is consistently droll, often laugh-out-loud funny; vigorously alert, alive and gripping.

15 dead, 15 funerals, 16 funeral processions, 1 procession with no dead, 5 churches, 1 cemetery, 1 wake. 15 hours of recorded sounds are condensed into a vivid sound portrait depicting the way funerals and burials are lived in the Caribbean island of Haiti.

Recorded in Port au Prince by sound artist Félix Blume in early December 2016, Death in Haiti plunges the listener into a world of pain, loss and solemn celebration as each funeral comprises of its own live jazz band as well as a plethora of characters like the joker (le blaguer) who cracks jokes and tales about the recently deceased.

A beautiful document of a thriving tradition, a counterpart or updated version of those famous Dirge Jazz records such as the New Orleans' Eureka Brass Band on Folkways.