Portuguese experimental musician António Feiteira returns to Perf with Amuleto Apotropaico’s sophomore album. Língua Espúria (Spurious Tongue) withdraws from the guitar-and-drums interplay that anchored the self-titled debut, moving toward fully electronic arrangements of concrète mechanics. What was once shaped through shared physical gesture now condenses into a singular current: a hermetic pulse carving its own labyrinth through the pandemonium.
The album draws inspiration from Milford Graves's visionary mapping of the body's secret rhythms into function generators. Amuleto Apotropaico has engineered a system that emulates Feiteira's own improvisational drumming language such that muscle memory becomes stochastic digital precision.
Língua Espúria opens with 'Abafador'. A track relishing in burnt afterimages as it patiently leads the listener into Amuleto Apotropaico’s new sound world. Its insistent double-tapped rhythm splinters into four cascading versions of itself, a pulse folding & refolding until it becomes its own perforated haze.
'Carpideira' follows as an algorithmic lamentation set in motion by shimmering temporal reversals: motion-captures of cyclic grief. The track persistently builds until only a few pure tones remainder.
The album's most pared-down moment is 'Espinha de Vidro'. It is the clearest statement of the system underlying Língua Espúria. Here, Feiteira's rhythmic concern is laid bare, every detail exposed in a distilled form, its melodic thread emerging with equal exactness.
'Apotropia III' begins as a subtle hinge in the catalogue, its brutalist‑liturgical atmosphere recast in a divined, techgnostic register. A narrative, gestural drift threads through the piece that connects it to Feiteira’s 'Killswitch Counterpoint', which appeared on his Eastern Nurseries release Performing the Heimlich on an Ouroboros. Shared samples cross-feed his parallel projects, letting them momentarily run on the same signal path. Stuttering percussion, flickers of glitched air & a brooding bass melodic line fill out the margins before the track finally shears off into harsh, serrated noise.
Of course everyone knows Kurt Hauenstein aka Supermax. He was one of the few Austrians to shape the sound of late-1970s disco, performing and selling records around the world. Not many know his daughters Judy and Nicola, however, and the fact that they in 1987 wrote a song that they recorded together with their father. Well, here it is: Cracy Coconuts, “Rubberdub Dance” – a true Hauenstein family affair. We are proud to re-release this super rare 7” that proves, once and for all, that Austrians can excel at digi-dub. Timelessly tropical and beautifully bouncy, its vibe is quite different from the iconic Supermax productions. Here, Judy and Nicola’s sweet yet confident vocals replace the moustache-driven sotto voce singing that we love Supermax for. The result is oh-so-catchy and bound to be a hit.
Injury Reserve was originally a trio, consisting of rappers Ritchie With a T and Stepa J. Groggs and producer Parker Corey. Their mixtapes Live From The Dentist (released in 2015) and Floss (2016) earned them underground buzz, and they capitalized on the attention with their debut album in 2019, the eponymous Injury Reserve.
The group's momentum was put on hold when in June of 2020 Groggs tragically passed away. By the Time I Get to Phoenix was largely completed ahead of Groggs' passing with his contributions, and will be the first Injury Reserve music to be released since their eponymous debut album. Ritchie and Corey took the past year to complete the record, and the title has meaning past simply referencing Injury Reserve's hometown. It's an homage to a song that has been covered countless times, which is in line with Injury Reserve's ethos and approach when it comes to creating music. The group pulls from several styles and eras of hip hop, but runs each one through the Injury Reserve lens, putting their own distinct and cohesive sound across their references. Nowhere is that dynamic more present than on By the Time I Get to Phoenix.
A new producer-led project from musician and composer Nitzan Dana, Islands on Tape arrives with Dust Conspiracy, a cinematic and deeply textured three-track EP balancing vintage exotica, library music, psychedelic groove and modern beat culture.
Previously known for his work with psychedelic post-rock outfit Meuban, Dana created Islands on Tape as a separate artistic identity, a space to explore instrumental composition and studio experimentation through a more personal lens. Across the EP, he draws on a wide palette of influences, from Sven Wunder and Maston to exotica pioneer Les Baxter, alongside the sample-driven worlds of Madlib and MF DOOM. The result is a record that feels loose and organic in spirit while remaining intricately arranged and carefully constructed throughout.
Recorded across just three sessions with a close circle of collaborators, Dust Conspiracy draws together live drums, flute, percussion, surf guitars, Farfisa organs and atmospheric textures into a sound equally indebted to 1960s soundtrack music, dusty hip-hop production and classic exotica records.
Opening track “Dust Conspiracy” began with a bassline inspired by late-night listening sessions and crate-dug hip-hop production. Initially built around sampled drums, the piece evolved into a fully live recording featuring drummer Lotan Yaish (El Khat, Şatellites) and percussionist Ron Avidan. Swirling organs, creeping rhythms and heavy cymbal work give the track the feel of a lost 1970s espionage soundtrack, smoky, hypnotic and cinematic.
Blending cinematic soul, psychedelic groove, exotica and rhythm-heavy instrumental production, Dust Conspiracy introduces Islands on Tape as a richly detailed new studio project, equally suited to late-night headphone listening, imagined film sequences and dusty, atmospheric dancefloors.
Afro-Latin electronic producer, global-sounds inspired DJ, and bassist for Little Simz, Marla Kether returns with her highly-anticipated second EP Luso, released on Strut Records.
The Future Bubblers compilation brings together artists from across the Academy cohort and wider applicant community, with sounds spanning jazz, soul, electronic, hip hop, folk, experimental and everything in between. It’s a snapshot of the boundary-pushing talent emerging through the Future Bubblers community. This rollout is designed to put the people who make independent music possible at the heart of the release: listeners who choose to support artists directly, record shops that nurture culture locally, and the community that has grown around Future Bubblers over the last decade.
Trumpeter, rapper and sonic wanderer Pan Amsterdam has carved out one of the most distinctive voices operating at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop today.
Pan Amsterdam is a musical enigma wrapped in an enduring riddle. His creator is a jazz musician from Houston who’s found fame working with Detroit punk rock God, Iggy Pop, and British indie royalty, Metronomy, and now makes shapeshifting, adventurous hip hop out of the music’s spiritual home, New York.
He’s an irreverent character born out of frustration and named after a misunderstanding, yet one who’s on the verge of releasing his fifth album of truth-slaying, genre-crossing rhymes and beats. The result is a catalogue that feels both deeply rooted in Black American musical tradition and completely untethered by convention.
Pan Amsterdam returns with ‘Panarama’, his fourth full length album and a bold reassertion of his hip hop identity, released via Def Pressé. Created by Houston-born, New York-based musician and composer Leron Thomas, the record finds Pan Amsterdam embracing the harder edges of his sound while continuing to blur the lines between jazz improvisation, abstract rap, punk attitude, and experimental production
Written as a response to contemporary life and the endless cycle of information, conflict and distraction that defines modern culture, ‘Panarama’ unfolds as a stream of consciousness journey through hyper-normalised realities. Across sixteen tracks, Thomas navigates social commentary, personal reflection, absurdist humour, and cultural critique, delivering his observations with the same spontaneity and freedom that have become central to the Pan Amsterdam project
Lead single ‘Szechuan Beef’, produced by acclaimed collaborator 1FS, serves as one of the album’s defining statements. Built around Thomas’ signature free-flowing delivery, the track explores the overwhelming nature of contemporary life, where domestic conflict, social division, entertainment scandals and political discourse become flattened into a constant stream of content.
In Thomas’ own words: “My stream of consciousness style comes quite naturally to me due to the conditioning of scroll down culture where everything, no matter how minor or extreme, is hyper normalised.”
Elsewhere, the track ‘Vanilla Ice’ was written in response to widely publicised ICE killings and the speed at which tragedy is absorbed and forgotten within online culture. Thomas channels the anxiety and emotional disorientation of endlessly consuming information, allowing his thoughts to unfold in real time as social commentary collides with everyday digital noise. The result is both deeply personal and sharply observational, reflecting the fragmented reality of modern life. Other album highlights include the cinematic, Interpol-esque opener - ‘Old Friend’ complete with shimmering guitar lines and an far-reaching introspective, no-filter vocal as Thomas teams up with Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Brad Truax (Interpol) across multiple tracks, often the production traverses left-field indie territory, but always maintaining Pan Amsterdam’s unique musical identity throughout. For the hip hop purists and beats lovers there are plenty of riches to discover from the clever nostalgic sample flips of ‘Cutlery’, the sleepy lofi of ‘Shuriken’ and the wonky LA beat scene / early Flying Lotus era beats of ‘Drunken Noodles’ - all boasting quick witted lyricism. ‘Deep Fried Shiney Things’ explores early electro and industrial sonics while album finisher is an upbeat new wave / indie band cut which sees Thomas take a break from rapping, but of course never letting up on the sharp observations nonetheless
While his previous record explored more alternative territory, ‘Panarama’ marks a deliberate return to rap, as Pan Amsterdam explains:
“I just wanted to do a rap album again.I enjoyed making my last album, but I felt like rapping again. I like to have the freedom to move in between musical worlds that suit the current state I’m in. Frequency accommodating frequency.”
This philosophy runs throughout the album. Tracks move effortlessly between jazz-inflected arrangements, experimental beats, punk energy and underground hip hop aesthetics, allowing ideas to evolve organically rather than conforming to traditional structures. Thomas describes himself as an improviser first and foremost: “I think like an improvisor. That’s how my albums pretty much move. It’s improvisation.”
Featuring additional contributions from Spice Programmers, AnOtter and Mr. Shn, ‘Panarama’ presents a wide-ranging cast of collaborators while remaining firmly rooted in Thomas’ singular creative vision. The record embraces contradiction, humour and unpredictability, capturing fleeting thoughts and observations with the same freedom and spontaneity that define jazz improvisation itself.
A musical enigma wrapped in an enduring riddle, Pan Amsterdam has built a reputation as one of contemporary music’s true outsiders. The project emerged from frustration, experimentation and artistic freedom, with Thomas drawing equally from his background as a jazz musician and his collaborations with artists including Iggy Pop and Metronomy. Operating from New York while carrying the spirit of Houston’s musical heritage, Pan Amsterdam has developed a distinctive voice that sits comfortably between avant-garde jazz, underground hip hop and experimental music.
Reuniting with Def Pressé for ‘Panarama’, Thomas explores what he describes as the more hardcore side of his artistic identity:
“They let me do anything and everything I wanna do so long as it’s on audio, and I need that freedom. What may verbally be perceived as vulgar to one group of people may be very thoughtful and a poignant description of the times that we’re presently in, so I’m glad that I’m part of a label home that understands that.”
In a cultural landscape trending toward mindless diversion, Your Old Droog has defied the odds, building a thriving career through musical depth and captivating songwriting. In pursuit of hip-hop immortality, the Brooklyn artist engages listeners with inventive metaphors, genuine reflections, and sophisticated rhyme architecture. Now, Your Old Droog is back with his tenth full length album, Bread & Butter. Recalling his humble immigrant family stretching caviar across slices of bread shortly after arriving from Ukraine, YOD has crafted a testament to making the best of any situation. This philosophy runs throughout Bread & Butter, as Droog chronicles the turbulence of rap success, ruminates on youthful memories, and dismisses unworthy challengers with clever precision. The project’s rich sonic texture is shaped by beats from Flying Lotus, Conductor Williams, Ohbliv, and more, while hip-hop luminaries Evidence, Oddisee, and Masta Ace make memorable appearances, along with South African star A-Reece and acclaimed singer Georgia Anne Muldrow. Grounded in resilience, perspective, and self-determination, Bread & Butter is an inspired statement from a truly distinct talent. Transforming personal history into universal truth, the album reaffirms Your Old Droog's place among the most thoughtful and compelling voices in modern hip hop.
Left-field Brooklyn soulful lounge from Numero’s Private Mind Garden. Seven lo-fi gospel meditations that bridge the gap between Shuggie Otis and Otis G . Johnson. Get lost in Lynn Marshall’s wavering falsetto and producer Norman Marcelle’s Lowery-brand organ and primordial drum machines. 1980 never
sounded so heavy.
"Lofi Girl x Secret Lair: beats to cast to" brings two worlds together, matching the distinct rhythm of Magic: The Gathering and soothing lofi study music. Soft card shuffles, land taps, and double-sleeved ASMR blend naturally into warm, lofi beats engineered for deep focus. Smooth down the tension of a complex stack, keep your heart rate cool during a tough topdeck, and let every turn flow naturally.
Join Lofi Girl's dad as he shares his passion with his daughter, letting her peek into the art of deck building one card at a time.
Twenty years after forming in Tommy Brenneck’s Bushwick apartment, Menahan Street Band returns with Illusions, their fourth full-length album on Brenneck’s Diamond West Records. The band— Tommy Brenneck, Dave Guy, Nick Movshon, Leon Michels and Homer Steinweiss—have each pursued an array of projects in the years since. Brenneck has produced for Baby Rose, Rogê and Kirby, toured with The Budos Band and runs Diamond West Records and Studio. Guy plays trumpet with The Roots and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and has released his own solo album; Steinweiss has made his own solo record and, with Movshon, has worked across multiple platinum album projects; and Michels continues as El Michels Affair, runs Big Crown Records and has produced Grammy-winning and nominated albums for Clairo and Norah Jones.
Despite their many individual ventures, the group reunited with an energy Brenneck says felt like “the first time.” Recorded quickly and instinctively, Illusions blends Menahan’s signature guitar, horns and drums with arrangements by Brazilian legend Arthur Verocai, taking listeners on an instrumental travelogue that lets the mind wander. Artist Ariana Papademetropoulos contributes original artwork to the album’s otherworldly collection of music.
Skarra Mucci, the globally acclaimed Jamaican MC known as the "Dancehall President", partners with Manudigital, one of Europe's top producers, to bring us the full-length album Ragga Blasta.
Following the success of their self-titled EP, the duo doubles down by expanding the concept into a complete 10-track album, delivering a varied, multi-inspired showcase where hybrid beats meet core sound system culture. This project retains the essence of their initial release: the energy of title track Ragga Blasta blending reggae and boom-bap hip-hop, Angel’s ragga beat and intoxicating Likkle Devon sample, alongside the heavy basslines of Freedom Fighter. It also features the more introspective rub-a-dub vibe of Inna Mi Brain, the explosive ska collaboration with Queen Omega on Feel It, and the atmospheric dub of Natty, where Skarra delivers razor-sharp rap flows.
This long-form edition packs an even bigger punch with four brand-new tracks built to shake sound systems and dancefloors alike. Skarra Mucci showcases his technical mastery on Lyrics Machine, a hard-hitting, hip-hop-infused track, while delivering a powerful, anthemic dancehall tune with Nah Fraid No Police. The tracklist further elevates with a legendary feature from Johnny Osbourne on What A La La, before broadening its musical horizons through the festive, hybrid sounds of Rock This Cumbia.
Kay Slice’s music is more than meets the ear. He channels a movement. His sound moves beyond borders, blending highlife rhythms and poetic verses into a sonic force that connects the soul of Africa with its scattered children across the globe. Slice is rooted in legacy but speaks to the now. Bold, layered, and deeply aware.
This isn’t fusion. It’s ancestral alignment with a futuristic edge.
From the electrifying grooves of West Africa to the sharp truths of hip-hop, Kay’s music isn’t merely entertainment; it’s a cultural awakening. His performances are highlights: Ghanaian drums, balafon chants, and rhythmic prophecy shaking stages to their core. His storytelling is vivid, raw, and intentional. The immigrant experience reimagined through sound and soul. And as Kay says about this new single, “Moving with purpose, driven by the will to put in the work. The time is now to raise Mother Africa.”
Following his powerful debut From Back To Back (2022), Kay is stepping into full artistic clarity. In 2026, it all comes to a head with Kay’s next album, scheduled for autumn 2026, forged across borders, driven by the spirit of his Ghanaian ensemble and a love letter to highlife, elevated with modern energy.
No longer bound by survival, Kay is moving like a general of sound. Leading with grace, grounded in legacy, but always forward-moving. His shows? Think rituals. Think liberation. Think sweat, spirit, and rhythm. Kay Slice isn’t finding his voice. He is the voice of diasporic pride, ancestral rhythm, and future Africa.
The Great Escape is the debut collaborative album from San Francisco Legend, Larry June & prolific super producer, The Alchemist. Through a process that felt very organic, the two churned out an extra healthy amount of music that resulted in what may be their magnum opus. At 15 tracks, the album includes tasteful features from some of Hip-Hop's most celebrated figures; Action Bronson, Big Sean, Ty Dolla $ign, Slum Village, Boldy James, Evidence, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Worthy, Curren$y & Joey Bada$$. Like a fine wine, sit back, let it breathe, and enjoy the neat yet exquisitely rich complexities of two of Hip-Hop’s smoothest figures.
For the first time ever, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ is available on red & black marble vinyl, celebrating the world’s biggest-selling album and the first album to be certified triple Diamond by the RIAA. Released in 1982, Thriller changed pop music forever, featuring seven U.S. Top 10 hits including “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller,” and helped Michael win a record-setting eight Grammy Awards in one night.
A document of chill-out room dreamscapes transmitted from San Francisco circa 1993-1994.
Rooted in live improvisation and arriving at the sweet spot where nascent dance music collided with dub tradition, Selene Songs marked an early highpoint for Sunshine and Moonbeam Jones' enduring partnership as Dubtribe Sound System. This collection of dreamy, harmonious grooves and ambient excursions were recorded between November 1993 and January 1994, captured live in the chill-out room at the duo's legendary Come-Unity parties held at their home on Bryant Street in San Francisco.
Selene Songs was originally released on Chicago-based label Organico in 1995 as a CD and abridged 12" EP. Now it receives a full reissue that spreads the blissed-out majesty of the full seven-track album across a double vinyl pressing and CD digipak edition. Across all formats, Kristen Anderson's original artwork has been faithfully reproduced.
“… All the elements of classic ambient dub with the Tribe’s own sense of love wonderment. One from the heart." - Muzik Mag - 1995
“ We have faith that the universally accessible warmth oozing from these tracks will eventually entice a larger audience." - Billboard - 1995
Number 1 on the Eastern Bloc shop chart - Muzik Mag - 1995
A document of chill-out room dreamscapes transmitted from San Francisco circa 1993-1994.
Rooted in live improvisation and arriving at the sweet spot where nascent dance music collided with dub tradition, Selene Songs marked an early highpoint for Sunshine and Moonbeam Jones' enduring partnership as Dubtribe Sound System. This collection of dreamy, harmonious grooves and ambient excursions were recorded between November 1993 and January 1994, captured live in the chill-out room at the duo's legendary Come-Unity parties held at their home on Bryant Street in San Francisco.
Selene Songs was originally released on Chicago-based label Organico in 1995 as a CD and abridged 12" EP. Now it receives a full reissue that spreads the blissed-out majesty of the full seven-track album across a double vinyl pressing and CD digipak edition. Across all formats, Kristen Anderson's original artwork has been faithfully reproduced.
“… All the elements of classic ambient dub with the Tribe’s own sense of love wonderment. One from the heart." - Muzik Mag - 1995
“ We have faith that the universally accessible warmth oozing from these tracks will eventually entice a larger audience." - Billboard - 1995
Number 1 on the Eastern Bloc shop chart - Muzik Mag - 1995
Bristol, UK-based Soul artist Scarlett Fagan presents her authentic and alluring sound through two fresh tracks produced by Tom Emerald aka Endemic. Scarlett takes cues from Soul / Jazz icons such as Etta James and Amy Winehouse, infusing her unique sultry flair. After touring Europe as the front-woman of the Hawkmen and featuring on several of their 12" Vinyl singles, she released her debut solo album in 2022 titled 'Conscious' - Scarlett Fagan is clearly poised to leave her imprint.
Side A’s “Awaken” reveals Scarlett’s vast range of vocal abilities floating over the deep horn and organ laced break-beat track, this portrays a soulful confession about moving away from chaos and moving towards purpose. The song represents the shift from insecurity to confidence. Side B’s “Arise” displays resilience. Although appearing vulnerable and honest the overall theme is perseverance, blending Scarlett’s sultry side with the melodic rhythm provided by Tom Emerald.
This November, Brownswood Recordings will release Mek Do & Mend, the debut album from self-taught producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and artist Wonky Logic. Although his name may not yet be familiar to everyone, Wonky Logic (AKA Dwayne Kilvington) has spent the past two decades quietly becoming one of the UK's most respected musical collaborators. His career has moved comfortably between London's jazz, electronic and contemporary music scenes, performing and recording with artists including Nala Sinephro, Yussef Dayes, Nightmares On Wax, Shabaka Hutchings and Emma-Jean Thackray. Alongside his work as a producer and composer, he's been musical director for projects with Eddie Chacon, John Carroll Kirby and I.G Culture's LCSM, scored the feature documentary Zandra With A Zed, contributed music to A24's The Smashing Machine, and continues to lead music workshops with young people, refugees and people experiencing incarceration.
Far more than a collection of compositions, Mek Do & Mend is a deeply personal reflection on the people, places and experiences that have shaped Kilvington throughout his life. It's the story of growing up on a Leeds council estate, where music became both a creative outlet and a way of understanding the world. Making music often meant working with whatever was available: a second-hand keyboard, a makeshift studio desk or ageing equipment that simply had to last a little longer. The title itself came from a conversation with his mother, capturing the resourcefulness that defined his upbringing and continued into the making of the album itself, which was written and produced to a tight deadline around touring, family life and Kilvington's work as a musician and educator.
Built from material spanning more than fifteen years, Mek Do & Mend brings together some of Wonky Logic's earliest compositions alongside brand new pieces written during the making of the record itself. Childhood ideas sit alongside music conceived only months before recording, creating an album that draws together a lifetime of writing rather than documenting a single moment. Running throughout are voice notes from family members, teachers, friends, mentors and collaborators—not simply as interludes, but as a reminder that no creative life is ever self-made. Rather than telling his own story outright, Kilvington invites listeners to discover him through the people who've shaped him: an aunt remembering him playing in church as a child, lifelong friends recalling early experiments making beats together, fellow musicians from different stages of his career and his mother describing him in her own words. Together they reveal the invisible network of relationships, philosophies, communities and experiences behind the music. "The album exists somewhere between being a biography and an autobiography," says Dwayne. "The biography is in the voice notes and how other people see me. The autobiography is in the music."
That same philosophy extends to the musicians who appear on the record. Every contributor has played a meaningful role in Wonky Logic's life beyond the studio. Long-time collaborator Luke Wynter, Steam Down drummer Benji Appiah, partner Vanessa Rani, Jonathan Enser, Joe Bristow, Brother Portrait and Nubiya Imani all feature not simply because of their musicianship, but because they form part of the album's story.
Across its fourteen tracks, Mek Do & Mend moves effortlessly between dynamic jazz arrangements, pulsating broken rhythms, delicate, twinkling piano passages, interstellar synth textures and elegant brass lines. Album opener and first single 'Strange Attractor' begins with a shimmering introduction before unfolding into an exhilarating surge of rhythm and momentum. Named after the mathematical concept of the same name, it serves as the conceptual point of origin for the album. Written when Kilvington was just seventeen, the composition reflects the idea that even the most unpredictable lives are guided by hidden patterns that often only become visible with time. Second single 'A Thousand Hands' features the unmistakable vocal tones of Brother Portrait, whose cerebral lyricism drifts over a low-slung, constantly shifting groove as woozy synth lines ebb and flow overhead. At its heart, the track celebrates the family, friends, mentors and collaborators whose often unseen influence shapes who we become, echoing the album's belief that every achievement is, in some way, a collective one. LP focus track 'BAME (Beyond All Marginalised Expectations)' is a lush, spiralling composition, brimming with both emotion and resolve. Reclaiming an acronym long imposed on racialised communities in the UK, the piece transforms it into a statement of possibility rather than limitation: a defiant rejection of stereotypes and a refusal to let identity be defined by other people's expectations.
The album itself only exists because other people believed in it. Isabel Gracefield made the RAK sessions possible, Rick David brought the record together with his characteristically thoughtful mix, and Gilles Peterson committed to releasing it on Brownswood before hearing any of the music. Away from the stage, Kilvington works with the charity Finding Rhythms, writing and producing original records with people experiencing incarceration, while also leading workshops with Arts Train and Dovetail Orchestra.
Recorded live in a single day in Studio One at RAK, Mek Do & Mend was mixed by Rick David through an analogue Cadac console before being mastered by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis. The aim wasn't nostalgia or audiophile perfection, but to create a record people could return to throughout their lives, discovering something new with each listen.
As Dwayne puts it: "I don't want this body of work to be reduced to a jazz record. It's more like a novel about life told through music."
LP,180g, 2027 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART
When Alan Parker recorded the killer library soul-funk LP The Voice of Soul with session vocalist Madeline Bell in 1976, some bright spark at Themes decided to also release all of the backing tracks as a separate, and equally innocuously title LP called The Sound of Soul. Thank goodness for bright sparks.
Released as a collection of unobtrusive musical backings in various rhythmic styles', the LP's original description dryly explains these tracks have been issued without melody and are therefore particularly suitable for use behind commentary. Female vocal versions of these tracks are issued on TIM 1021 The Voice Of Soul and it is possible to edit from vocal version to instrumental version or vica versa where commentary or scene changes occur'.Madeline Bell was backed by The Rhythm Section, who were for all intents and purposes the Themes International Music house band. So what we end up with here is entire album of instrumental work-outs by a band comprised of the formidable talents of Alan Hawkshaw on keyboards, Alan Parker on guitars, Barry Morgan on drums, Les Hurdle on bass guitar and Frank Ricotti on percussion.
Without Bell's vocals these backing tracks are given all the room they need to breathe. Each one more than stands up on its own.
The Sound of Soul is a real diggers' delight and, unsurprisingly, a must-have counterpart to The Voice of Soul.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for The Sound of Soul comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity.
Inspired by the ska and reggae sounds crossing the border from Belize, the Mexican band Ely Combo was among the first in the country to incorporate Jamaican rhythms into its repertoire in the early 1970s. This single brings together two funk classics—Isaac Hayes’ ‘Shaft’ and the dancefloor favorite ‘Express Yourself,’ originally recorded by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band—reimagined here as two explosive reggae tracks.
A remarkable anomaly within the Latin American music scene of the 1970s.
LP,180, 2018 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART
The two sides of 1973's Big Business / Wind of Change are mainly the work of thegreat Keith Mansfeld but there's a killer cameo each from Alan Hawkshaw and David Snell to help deliver a thematic suite, diverse in mood, applicable to dramatic and environmental situations'. A Be With favourite and truly one for the heads.
The Big Business of side A is all the work of Keith Mansfeld. It's heavy on the suspense and features the vital Hot Property', an insistent groove so good that Madlib sampled it to lace the ace Long Awaited' by Lootpack with Dilated Peoples.
Sleeping Giant 1' is a more feshed out version of the equally-dazzling Fatal Error', evoking the orchestral magic of David Axelrod. Indeed, it conjures images of Diamond D falling over himself in the early-to-mid 90s to loop its intoxicatingly
eerie soundscape. Complete with guitar flls that recall Paris, Texas-era Ry Cooder, you need this record for this piece alone.
The horn-and-fute-led "Tycoon" is a head-nodder and "Power Complex" has some fantastic percussion. Other highlights include the breezy glide of Whistle Stop Tour' and its sister groove Clean Air.'
Over on Side B is the more expansive Wind Of Change, which includes the David Snell and the Alan Hawkshaw contributions. But these ain't no fller. Snell's shufing International Flight' sounds like a smooth Dorothy Ashby track tossed from the heavens. Hawkshaw's Road And Rail' is about as luxurious and strung-
out as the great man gets and it might just be the highlight of this whole set.
Not to be outdone, if Mansfeld's Balance Of Power' doesn't make you feel like king of the world then you must be playing it wrong. Oh, and did we mention World In Action'!
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Big Business / Wind of Change comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regularSimon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's
brand identity.
Marcos Valle is one of those artists you simply can't overlook if you have even a passing interest in Brazilian music. Whether your taste leans toward bossa jazz, samba, psychedelic folk, or modern soul, Valle has surely recorded a great album for you. By the late 1960s he had already released enough outstanding records to secure a place among the greatest Brazilian artists of all time, but fortunately his career didn't stop there. He has continued recording fabulous albums over the following decades, right up to the present day. Widely regarded as one of the finest recordings in Marcos Valle's catalog, Vento Sul (1972) represents a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution, revealing a composer unafraid to reinvent himself and push the boundaries of Brazilian popular music. From the hypnotic title track to highlights such as "Democústico," "Revolução Orgânica," "Paisagem de Mariana," and "Pista O2," the album remains a breathtaking achievement whose influence continues to resonate more than five decades later. This reissue shines a well-deserved spotlight on a landmark recording -- an essential chapter in Brazilian music and an indispensable addition to any collection of psychedelic, progressive, jazz, or MPB classics. Pressed on 180g vinyl.
With Panorama, Frank Maston pays homage to the classic era of library records and Italian soundtracks of the 70s. A blissed-out, grooving collection of filmic cues, it continues the unique brilliance of Tulips and Darkland. Elegant and easy, subtle and stylish, breezy and beautiful; this is his Maston-piece. Commissioned by legendary label KPM, Panorama cements Maston as a master of modern classics and the most mesmeric of contemporary composers.
In early 2020, Be With suggested to Frank that he should make a KPM record. He wasn't aware that they were still putting out new library records - but he was super keen: "It was completely surreal and it still hasn't fully sank in that I have a record in that catalog, sitting alongside those incredible albums that were so influential to me."
Frank was visiting family in his hometown of LA in March 2020 when the world ground to a halt so the KPM project arrived at a fortuitous moment. Having fantasised about committing to a record with no distractions, with a proper budget, access to his gear and space to work in - to really dig in and try to write and arrange the best work he could possibly make - it was a real "be careful what you wish for" moment. But, as Frank explained, "it completely saved my year and sanity to have something to focus on and get excited about. It was my lifeline." He spent seven months on it, working almost every day.
Maston had already been making library-influenced music so when KPM outlined the criteria for the tracks it was exactly what he had been doing all along. He thought the best approach would be to make a follow-up to Tulips that had a parallel life as a KPM record. Enjoying complete creative freedom, “gave me the drive to power through and dig in deep. I'm not sure if I could have kept myself on such a rigorous recording schedule under my own steam, and I think the momentum I had writing and recording it is part of the strength of this record."
Maston’s sleek retro-groove instrumentals emulate the classic KPM “Greensleeve” reel-to-reel recordings that provided mood-setting music for mid-century cinema, television, and radio programs. Apparently in close conversation with the John Cameron-Keith Mansfield KPM pastoral masterclass Voices In Harmony, Maston's Panorama could be heard as that record's funky follow-up. Yes, it's *that good*. Another reference point from the hallowed library would be Francis Coppieter's wonderful Piano Viberations.
Opener "First Class" is a blissed-out groove, featuring the soothing vocals of Molly Lewis and a glistening harp over drums, a two-note bass motif (from Eli Ghersinu of L'Eclair) and an assemblage of guitars, synths, French horn and glowing vibraphone. Acid Lounge, anyone? The irresistibly funky "Easy Money" is a gorgeous cut led by more of Molly's vocals, pastoral flute and Rhodes, underpinned by drums and percussion, grooving bass, chilled guitars and synth strings. Kicking the tempo up, the percussive "Storm" is a vibin' filmic-fusion jam where psychedelic guitars (courtesy of Pedrum of Allah Las/Paint) organ, jazzy flute, Rhodes and vibes all compete for a place in the sun, over drums and walking bassline.
The heavenly "You Shouldn't Have" is a delicate, melancholic wonder; a dreamy instrumental where the melody is shared by a whistle, harpsichord and celeste, over a cyclical piano chord sequence and bass, synths, guitars, organ and distant French horn. The tempo rises again with the passionate, sticky "Fling", a summery, nostalgic groove with skipping drums and percussion, warm bass and electric guitar, yearning flute and synth strings. The brilliantly titled "Fool Moon" has that Voices In Harmony sound down pat. A romantic slow-mo dreamscape of Rhodes and harpsichord, piano, light drums and softly strummed acoustic guitar.
Side B opens with "Medusa", a hopeful, mellowed-out track with shuffling drums, feel-good flute, muted horns, glowing Rhodes and synth strings. The soft and gentle "Morning Paper" is an elegant way to start the day; a beatless blend of flute, guitar, percussion, ambient synths and vibes. The upbeat head-nod jam "Scenic" has that widescreen car-chase feel, uptempo drums and percussion, grooving bass, piano, synths and ambient electric guitar. "Adieu" is a smooth summer vibe, relaxing with brushed drums, Rhodes, flutes and horns. Molly Lewis's gorgeous vocals steal the show, alongside vibes, jamming organ and synth strings.
"Hydra" is another laid-back 70s-sounding retro cinema cue with light drums and percussion, walking bass, spacey synths, clavinet, glowing vibraphone, vintage organ and electric guitar. Closer "Jet Lag" is a laconic bow out; bass-driven drum machine soul, featuring hand percussion, Rhodes, vibes, synths and organ.
Multi-instrumentalist Frank played a bit of everything across Panorama. Yet, humble as ever, he believes the time, energy, and enthusiasm of all of the musicians invited to the sessions helped him realise his vision: "There were two Italian flautists who really understood what I was going for. Two french horn players, cor anglais, a vibraphonist and a flügel horn player. I've never involved this many people in my projects before, and yet the result is the most "me" record I've ever made."
Musically, a strong Italian theme runs through the record. Frank is fascinated by ancient Rome and both his parents are Italian (Maston was originally Mastrantonio before anglicisation). So, it felt natural to fully embrace these strands and tie everything together with the striking artwork. The Romans were influenced by Greek culture, emulating their art and architecture, which, in turn, influenced Renaissance era artists. Frank acknowledged this tradition when reflecting on his place in the lineage of library and soundtrack composers. He then asked his friend Mattea Perrotta, a painter and sculptor, for some sketches. What he received was exactly what he had in mind: "Especially the theater mask, which really captures the range of moods on the album". Frank arranged them as per the cover and it soon felt right: "I wanted to make a cover that was reminiscent of the classic KPM albums without making it too pastiche - so it has its own identity and looks at home alongside other library records, while still fitting in nicely in the KPM catalogue." The last step was for us to introduce Frank to Be With-KPM’s Rich Robinson, who helped put together the back and centre labels and align it all within the KPM standard.
Panorama is a perfect title for the album. With no opportunity to travel for tours or recording projects, Frank arranged postcards from his collection on his desk with beautiful views of the mediterranean coast, the Roman Colosseum and Cinque Terre. These also served as visual prompts: "That was part of the sonic concept - imagining myself driving down the mediterranean coast with this music on, with the top down." Additionally, the range of moods and vibes - "I tried to make each song very different from the previous one in terms of tempo and arrangement and feeling" - speaks to the idea of a Panorama of music and sounds and emotions. The last track was originally called Panorama, but KPM already had that title in their catalogue so it was changed to "Jet Lag", which, as Frank notes, "is perhaps even more fitting, since the trip is over".
Released in 2024 via the usually way darker and oftentimes Hardcore / Breakcore oriented Flop Beat Disk label is this widely unrecognized 10" gem which harks back to the golden oldschool era of German HipHop vibewise.
The Munich-based duo of Misanthrop & Pay No Attention lays down a foundation of positive sample-laden grooves, pays respect to the classic BoomBap sound at times, adds a trippy, dreamy and well psychedelic vibe to their production effort and tops things off with conscious German flows and lyrics aimed at dedicated oldskool HipHop headz from all over the globe. No matter if one understands German or not - if you understand the true spirit of HipHop this is for you.
Never officially distributed before this is the first time ever this unrecognized gem is available to a wider audience, albeit in highly limited quantities.
Limited pressing of 100 copies on yellow transparent vinyl.
Despite the widespread popularity of reggae music in the UK, following its explosion onto the international music scene in the late 1960s, many of these in charge of Britain's mainstream media were reluctant to give the exciting new sound coverage, wither in print or over the airways.
In an attempt to counter this prejudice, Trojan Records took the bold step of embellishing recordings from Jamaica with sophisticated orchestration, with the resultant ‘commercial reggae’ sound immediately finding favour with the country’s reggae fans.
Consequently, the company not just maintained, but in fact extended the procedure, employing producers to record the country’s finest British-based reggae acts. The result was the release of an abundance of superbly crafted recordings, the production values of which rated with the best that British pop had to offer.
Im Jahr 2026 feiert Big Crown Records sein zehnjähriges Jubiläum. In zehn Jahren kann viel passieren, und das ist auch geschehen. Aus sehr bescheidenen Anfängen hat sich Big Crown zu einem der angesehensten Independent-Labels der Welt entwickelt - mit einem unglaublich talentierten internationalen Künstlerstamm und einem unvergleichlichen Katalog zeitloser Musik. Leon Michels und Danny Akalepse gründeten Big Crown im Jahr 2016 mit einem einfachen Leitgedanken: gute Musik zu veröffentlichen, an die sie glauben - unabhängig vom Genre. BCR10 - Ten Years of Big Crown ist eine Mischung aus Retrospektive und Aktualität: bewährte Perlen aus dem Backkatalog, gemischt mit grundsoliden Stücken aus den neuesten Alben. Eine Doppel-LP mit ausgewählten Titeln von Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, Lady Wray, Brainstory, Derya Yildirim & Grup ímcek, El Michels Affair, Thee Lakesiders, Dave Guy, Les Imprimés, Homer, Thee Marloes, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Bobby Oroza, Marco Benevento, The Shacks, Paul & The Tall Trees, Thee Heart Tones, Surprise Chef, 79.5, Liam Bailey und Holy Hive. Einen tieferen Einblick in die Geschichte von Big Crown vermittelt auf perfekte Weise der Begleittext des einzigartigen Journalisten und DJs Jeff Mao.
LP,180g, 2027 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART
Hot Wax is an assured KPM masterclass from a dream team line-up of Brian Bennett, Alan Hawkshaw and John Fiddy. Here we're treated to what happens when all three decide to explore the latest trends in production music'. The latest as of 1976, of course.John Fiddy's numbers are sumptuous, string-led and light. Floaty soft-psych underpinned by a solid groove, particularly on Taste For Living' and "Fresh Start". If you're into Koushik and those early Manitoba/Caribou records - and you should be - you'll appreciate these.
For us, the Bennett and Bennett/Hawkshaw stuf is on another level. Capitol City' oscillates between driving funk and downbeat sentiment. Name Of The Game' is tough, smokin' funk, famously sampled in 2007 by Madlib for Percee P's Who With Me'. Bop On The Rocks' knocks hard and Full Throttle' features a guitar solo with some of the nastiest, about-to-explode fuzz you're ever likely to hear.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Hot Wax comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity.
$uicideboy$’ Stop Staring at the Shadows continues to stand out as a defining project in the duo’s catalog, showcasing the dark, atmospheric production and raw, introspective lyricism that have helped establish them as one of the most influential acts in the underground rap space.
The project further cemented their ability to connect with a highly dedicated global fanbase while pushing their sound deeper into the mainstream.
The release has become a fan favourite, with tracks such as ...And to Those I Love, Thanks for Sticking Around continuing to generate strong streaming activity, social engagement, and renewed discovery years after its original release. Its heavy production, emotionally charged themes, and distinctive $uicideboy$ aesthetic have given the project lasting catalog value and a strong connection with their core audience.
Preceded by his reputation as a rap experimentalist, Bladee is a prolific and highly inventive entity with work spanning and intersecting the worlds of music, art and fashion.
He began his career as a teenager, trading art and lyrics with close friends. After releasing his first projects, international recognition came quickly and his network of Stockholm innovators soon arrived at the vanguard of a new era in music culture.
333 is Bladee's fourth solo album. Produced by Whitearmor, Gud, Mechatok, Lusi of Ripsquad and Joakim Benon of JJ, the album has no guest appearances.
The latest transmission from Shadow Pressings comes courtesy of an unknown artist, with identities, backstories and social media profiles left at the door without a calling card. Five cuts of shadowy, hardware-focussed house music - no lengthy bios, no distractions, just some killer club grooves to move to.
If the name The Midnight Hour isn't immediately familiar, the music almost certainly is. Ali Shaheed Muhammad is a founding member of A Tribe Called Quest, one of the most beloved groups in hip hop history. Adrian Younge is the Los Angeles-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who has shaped the sound of some of the most critically admired records of the past two decades. Together, they have been architects of the sound that serious listeners point to when they try to describe what great music feels like.
The music they had been making together had a life of its own. By 2018, it had become The Midnight Hour: their self-titled debut album, recorded to tape with a live rhythm section and a full orchestra, and released to widespread acclaim. In 2020, the duo were deep into sessions for a second album. But then the world shut down, the recordings were shelved. The album never came and remained unfinished and unheard. But now, via their Jazz Is Dead label, The Lost Tapes have been unearthed
If the name The Midnight Hour isn't immediately familiar, the music almost certainly is. Ali Shaheed Muhammad is a founding member of A Tribe Called Quest, one of the most beloved groups in hip hop history. Adrian Younge is the Los Angeles-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who has shaped the sound of some of the most critically admired records of the past two decades. Together, they have been architects of the sound that serious listeners point to when they try to describe what great music feels like.
The music they had been making together had a life of its own. By 2018, it had become The Midnight Hour: their self-titled debut album, recorded to tape with a live rhythm section and a full orchestra, and released to widespread acclaim. In 2020, the duo were deep into sessions for a second album. But then the world shut down, the recordings were shelved. The album never came and remained unfinished and unheard. But now, via their Jazz Is Dead label, The Lost Tapes have been unearthed
This special 3LP clear vinyl collates the “Back To Black” era in a definitive package. Featuring the original studio album, 4x unreleased demos, rare B-sides and demos, alongside the notable live performance from Paradiso, Amsterdam (February 8th 2007) from the Back To Black tour, never released in full and on vinyl.
This edition features brand new alternative cover artwork, including Amy’s handwritten lyrics, and never-before-seen photos by original album photographers Mischa Richter and Alex Lake, plus brand new, exclusive liner notes from Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi.
2026 celebrates the 20th anniversary of the 5x Grammy award winning album “Back To Black”, universally regarded as one of the greatest, most important and influential albums in pop history.
This special 3LP clear vinyl collates the “Back To Black” era in a definitive package. Featuring the original studio album, 4x unreleased demos, rare B-sides and demos, alongside the notable live performance from Paradiso, Amsterdam (February 8th 2007) from the Back To Black tour, never released in full and on vinyl.
This edition features brand new alternative cover artwork, including Amy’s handwritten lyrics, and never-before-seen photos by original album photographers Mischa Richter and Alex Lake, plus brand new, exclusive liner notes from Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi.
2026 celebrates the 20th anniversary of the 5x Grammy award winning album “Back To Black”, universally regarded as one of the greatest, most important and influential albums in pop history.
Among the most influential hip-hop artists to emerge in the rapid creative expansion of the early 1990s, Queens duo Organized Konfusion helped reshape rap's aesthetic horizons with the 1991 release of a groundbreaking self-titled album. A dizzying display of lyrical dexterity and forward-thinking production, Organized Konfusion helped lay the foundation for what would become underground hip-hop, with intricate wordplay and cerebral rhyme structures. Both Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po shine throughout the album, revealing
the immense talent that would later establish Monch as one of hip-hop's most revered voices and spark Po's collaborations with producers like Danger Mouse, Madlib, Large Professor, Oh No, and more. From playful nostalgia to sharp social commentary to surreal linguistic explorations, the duo navigates chaotic drum breaks with dense rhyme patterns, vivid imagery, and ever-shifting narratives. After decades of limited availability and unofficial bootlegs, this is the first official vinyl reissue of Organized Konfusion since its1991 release. Featuring three rare bonus tracks, this 35th anniversary edition is available on 2LP and CD, giving a long overdue spotlight to one of hip-hop's most important albums.
California’s beloved Brainstory returns with a new EP celebrating the end of an era. Shoebox Days is an homage to the time spent and the recordings made at their now defunct Long Beach studio, aptly named Shoebox. As the name suggests, the space was tiny and stuffed with gear. While charming, it was riddled with constraints. But, as has been proven time and time again, great art often comes from difficult circumstances, and this new 7 song EP is further proof. The first track, “The Watchers,” opens with an earworm horn melody that immediately pulls you in.
The crunchy drums and G Funk bass tones put a bop on it, lush orchestration weaves in and out and sets a mellow vibe. “Blend,” one of only two vocal tracks on the EP, is a California sunshine soaked love song walking the lines of psych rock ballad and B side soul. ”Twin Kitchen” leans you right back into your seat, with Eric Hagstrom’s in-the-pocket drumming carrying the tune. “Home Alone” is singer Kevin Martin’s ever so relatable tribute to time by himself, time by today’s standards as “disconnected,” but in reality, much more connected… The fellas let some of the jazz background take front stage on “Lone Traveler,” starting out with an air tight groove, and letting loose over it as the track progresses. “Gravity Hill” named after the famed California oddity begins the ending of the EP as Brainstory takes it deep and brings us with them. “Necessary Loss” serves as the closer to this gorgeous journey.
California’s beloved Brainstory returns with a new EP celebrating the end of an era. Shoebox Days is an homage to the time spent and the recordings made at their now defunct Long Beach studio, aptly named Shoebox. As the name suggests, the space was tiny and stuffed with gear. While charming, it was riddled with constraints. But, as has been proven time and time again, great art often comes from difficult circumstances, and this new 7 song EP is further proof. The first track, “The Watchers,” opens with an earworm horn melody that immediately pulls you in. The crunchy drums and G Funk bass tones put a bop on it, lush orchestration weaves in and out and sets a mellow vibe. “Blend,” one of only two vocal tracks on the EP, is a California sunshine soaked love song walking the lines of psych rock ballad and B side soul. ”Twin Kitchen” leans you right back into your seat, with Eric Hagstrom’s in-the-pocket drumming carrying the tune.
“Home Alone” is singer Kevin Martin’s ever so relatable tribute to time by himself, time by today’s standards as “disconnected,” but in reality, much more connected… The fellas let some of the jazz background take front stage on “Lone Traveler,” starting out with an air tight groove, and letting loose over it as the track progresses. “Gravity Hill” named after the famed California oddity begins the ending of the EP as Brainstory takes it deep and brings us with them. “Necessary Loss” serves as the closer to this gorgeous journey.
Initially released in 2016, The Divine Feminine marked one of the most stark turning points in a career punctuated by creative reinvention. After doubling down on his rap prowess on 2015's GO:OD AM, Mac Miller stunned fans with an audacious pivot to create a concept album that explored his views on the power of love and the sacred energy of women. Hailed by Pitchfork as being "easily his most intoxicating release yet," the embrace of his singing voice and genre-agnostic approach of the songwriting foreshadowed the evolution that would further materialize on his 2018 album Swimming. The 10th anniversary edition of The Divine Feminine features three previously-unreleased songs from the album's recording sessions and will be available on 3LP with printed inner sleeves in a single-pocket jacket upon its release on October 2nd.
Nine-time GRAMMY® winner Anderson .Paak and GRAMMY®-nominated rapper Cordae have been operating on the same wavelength for years. What started as pure chemical reaction on 2019’s “RNP” slowly turned into one of hip-hop’s most natural, low-ego partnerships, fueled by back-and-forth gems like “Two Tens” and “Summer Drop” and a series of dynamic TV performances that felt more like two best friends hanging out than a polished routine. On their debut collaborative album, Heavy Is The Crown, that organic bond gets the full-length treatment it’s always deserved.
At its core, the project is a tightrope walk between serious real-life stakes and uncompromising fun. The title isn't just bravado—it speaks directly to the shared weight both artists carry as the primary providers and anchors for their families. But instead of letting that pressure crush the vibe, .Paak and Cordae lean into each other. Meeting as total equals, .Paak’s elastic, soul-drenched musicality anchors Cordae’s razor-sharp lyricism, allowing both to unpack the heavy reality of success and family responsibility without ever losing their spark.
That balance is what makes the album tick. To drive the point home, the album art pays homage to the cult comedy Step Brothers—a nod to the silly, irreverent friendship that birthed the music in the first place. Heavy Is The Crown doesn't feel like a forced corporate crossover or a calculated career move. It’s a record about brotherhood, family, and what happens when two masters of their craft step into the studio simply because nobody makes them laugh, rap, or create quite like the other.
Surprise Chef’s album Frogs In A Pond is an examination into, and an expression of, a shared human experience. Based in Australia, the quintet found inspiration from European film composers working in the late 60s and early 70s. The music expresses musical themes with a cinematic landscape of moods and feelings that evoke emotion without the listener having watched the film for which the music was composed, pushing boundaries that dictate a unique perspective to their music.
Surprise Chef’s album Frogs In A Pond is an examination into, and an expression of, a shared human experience. Based in Australia, the quintet found inspiration from European film composers working in the late 60s and early 70s. The music expresses musical themes with a cinematic landscape of moods and feelings that evoke emotion without the listener having watched the film for which the music was composed, pushing boundaries that dictate a unique perspective to their music.
Nine-time GRAMMY® winner Anderson .Paak and GRAMMY®-nominated rapper Cordae have been operating on the same wavelength for years. What started as pure chemical reaction on 2019’s “RNP” slowly turned into one of hip-hop’s most natural, low-ego partnerships, fueled by back-and-forth gems like “Two Tens” and “Summer Drop” and a series of dynamic TV performances that felt more like two best friends hanging out than a polished routine. On their debut collaborative album, Heavy Is The Crown, that organic bond gets the full-length treatment it’s always deserved.
At its core, the project is a tightrope walk between serious real-life stakes and uncompromising fun. The title isn't just bravado—it speaks directly to the shared weight both artists carry as the primary providers and anchors for their families. But instead of letting that pressure crush the vibe, .Paak and Cordae lean into each other. Meeting as total equals, .Paak’s elastic, soul-drenched musicality anchors Cordae’s razor-sharp lyricism, allowing both to unpack the heavy reality of success and family responsibility without ever losing their spark.
That balance is what makes the album tick. To drive the point home, the album art pays homage to the cult comedy Step Brothers—a nod to the silly, irreverent friendship that birthed the music in the first place. Heavy Is The Crown doesn't feel like a forced corporate crossover or a calculated career move. It’s a record about brotherhood, family, and what happens when two masters of their craft step into the studio simply because nobody makes them laugh, rap, or create quite like the other.
,Yaphet" ist das neue Album des Rappers Curly Castro - auch bekannt als eine Hälfte des dynamischen Duos Shrapknel - das am 18. September 2026 bei Backwoodz Studioz erscheint. Auf ,Yaphet" lässt sich Castro vom Blaxploitation-Filmgenre der 1970er Jahre inspirieren; die schwarzen Helden und Antihelden jener Zeit dient ihm als Sprungbrett für seine filmische Lyrik. Die Flows wechseln so mühelos wie Kamerawinkel, die Strophen sind gespickt mit Anspielungen und Zweideutigkeiten - eine Rap-Meisterklasse, die man endlos wiederholen kann. Aber ,Yaphet" ist auch Castros erstes Soloalbum seit ,Little Robert Hutton" aus dem Jahr 2021, und hinter dem Feuerwerk spiegelt dieses Album die Tiefe seiner Erfahrungen in den dazwischenliegenden Jahren wider. ,Ich hatte nicht vor, so ehrlich über mein Leben zu sein, aber genau das ist dabei herausgekommen, und das Album ist dadurch besser geworden", erklärt Castro, ,vom Tod meiner kleinen Tochter über den Tod meines Vaters bis hin zur Konfrontation mit meiner eigenen bevorstehenden Sterblichkeit - das sind meine verwundbarsten Klingen, die meine tiefsten Wunden aufreißen." Genau wie Castro marschiert auch diese Platte im Takt ihrer eigenen Trommel, und täuscht euch nicht: Es gibt jede Menge Trommeln, mit denen sich der erfahrene MC messen kann, wie nur er es kann. Komplett produziert vom Milwaukeeer Beatmaker Locust, ist ,Yaphet" ein schwungvolles, vielseitiges Hörerlebnis, das seinen Einflüssen zunickt, ohne jemals zurückzuschauen. Castro wird von einem Wirbelwind der Besten des Genres begleitet: billy woods, PremRock, Fatboi Sharif, Brian Ennals, SKECH185, Blueprint, AJ Suede, shemar, ALASKA, Sunmundi, blackchai und Margel the Sophant.
a 1.1BLACK DON'T CRACK [FT. FATBOI SHARIF, BLUEPRINT, BRIAN ENNALS, SKECH185, ...]
[d] 1.4ENEMY-MINDED [FT. MARGEL THE SOPHANT]
[f] 1.6RAILROAD SPIKES [FT. MARGEL THE SOPHANT]
[g] 1.7BLOOD IN THE GARDEN [FT. PREMROCK]
Back in November 2015, after years of collaborations with such as Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Obie Trice, Sean Price, Kool G Rap, Eternia and countless others, Toronto-based producer MoSS released his debut producer album entitled "Marching To The Sound Of My Own Drum". Since the beginning of his career, the Canadian beatsmith, record digger and music connoisseur has been making a name for himself with his signature sound and on this record he gives an amazing display of what he's capable of doing being backed up by an all stars team that features AZ, Havoc, Slum Village, Onyx, Inspectah Deck, Ill Bill, Skyzoo, Guilty Simpson and 20+ other legendary MC's. A few years after its original release, we've decided to team up with MoSS to bring you this masterpiece on wax and, for the occasion, he's also added an unreleased bonus track called "We Here" that features Smif-N-Wessun that, together with "Emotional Redux", we've put on a 7" together with its instrumental. Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies, with the first 200 pressed on orange/black A-side B-side vinyl, and 300 on black vinyl.
BONUS 7”
A1. Emotional Redux (feat. Big Gov, Guilty Simpson, Jon Connor, Vstylez, Willie The Kid)
B1. We Here (feat. Smif-N-Wessun) UNRELEASED
B2. We Here (Instrumental)
Expanding on his signature cinematic canvas, the EP solidifies the immersive, spiritual space Common Saints occupies in the contemporary landscape, a distinct sound with trademark intricate studio arrangements.
Following the structural foundation laid by the project's breakout singles "Night Light" and the title track "Illusions", the full EP stands as a striking philosophical assessment of the modern human condition. Age Of Illusions serves as an artistic reflection of cultural anxieties surrounding hyper-technological advancement, guiding the listener through a deliberate sonic architecture of self- discovery, spiritual rebirth, and final enlightenment.
Australian based imprint Paper-Cuts returns to physical in 2025 for their 10th release on the label. Celebrating the debut feature-length album from ‘Radart’ aka Dylan Batelic (Paper-Cuts, Sunflower Aquarium). Featuring an 8-track collection of ambient, downtempo, breaks and more, taken from selected works between 2022-2024.
,Yaphet" ist das neue Album des Rappers Curly Castro - auch bekannt als eine Hälfte des dynamischen Duos Shrapknel - das am 18. September 2026 bei Backwoodz Studioz erscheint. Auf ,Yaphet" lässt sich Castro vom Blaxploitation-Filmgenre der 1970er Jahre inspirieren; die schwarzen Helden und Antihelden jener Zeit dient ihm als Sprungbrett für seine filmische Lyrik. Die Flows wechseln so mühelos wie Kamerawinkel, die Strophen sind gespickt mit Anspielungen und Zweideutigkeiten - eine Rap-Meisterklasse, die man endlos wiederholen kann. Aber ,Yaphet" ist auch Castros erstes Soloalbum seit ,Little Robert Hutton" aus dem Jahr 2021, und hinter dem Feuerwerk spiegelt dieses Album die Tiefe seiner Erfahrungen in den dazwischenliegenden Jahren wider. ,Ich hatte nicht vor, so ehrlich über mein Leben zu sein, aber genau das ist dabei herausgekommen, und das Album ist dadurch besser geworden", erklärt Castro, ,vom Tod meiner kleinen Tochter über den Tod meines Vaters bis hin zur Konfrontation mit meiner eigenen bevorstehenden Sterblichkeit - das sind meine verwundbarsten Klingen, die meine tiefsten Wunden aufreißen." Genau wie Castro marschiert auch diese Platte im Takt ihrer eigenen Trommel, und täuscht euch nicht: Es gibt jede Menge Trommeln, mit denen sich der erfahrene MC messen kann, wie nur er es kann. Komplett produziert vom Milwaukeeer Beatmaker Locust, ist ,Yaphet" ein schwungvolles, vielseitiges Hörerlebnis, das seinen Einflüssen zunickt, ohne jemals zurückzuschauen. Castro wird von einem Wirbelwind der Besten des Genres begleitet: billy woods, PremRock, Fatboi Sharif, Brian Ennals, SKECH185, Blueprint, AJ Suede, shemar, ALASKA, Sunmundi, blackchai und Margel the Sophant.
a 1.1BLACK DON'T CRACK [FT. FATBOI SHARIF, BLUEPRINT, BRIAN ENNALS, SKECH185, ...]
[d] 1.4ENEMY-MINDED [FT. MARGEL THE SOPHANT]
[f] 1.6RAILROAD SPIKES [FT. MARGEL THE SOPHANT]
[g] 1.7BLOOD IN THE GARDEN [FT. PREMROCK]
“Stankface” finds Funkmaster Ozone deep in his natural habitat: a raw, playful P-Funk workout driven by a heavy bass groove, punchy drums, elastic synth lines and his unmistakable talkbox. Packed with swagger, humor and irresistible head-nodding energy, the track connects classic Parliament-Funkadelic and Zapp influences with polished modern-funk production.
“Bust A Move” takes Funkmaster Ozone straight back to the golden era of Electro-Funk, combining hard-hitting 808 drum-machine rhythms, funky synth bass, futuristic textures and infectious vocoder vocals. Robotic, playful and built for the dancefloor, the track channels classic old-school electro and boogie energy through Ozone’s unmistakable modern production style.
Released first as three EPs, 9PM, 12AM and 3AM, each explores a different moment of the night, from the anticipation of getting ready, to the unifying energy of the dancefloor, and finally the conversations and reflections that linger long after the music stops. Together, they culminate in The Night's Not Dead, a complete body of work that celebrates nightlife as far more than a party.
Carrying the torch of Freeez, Light of the World, Incognito & The Warriors, INTA-CITY is the clandestine jazz-funk operation from Daniel Maunick alongside Zaidi Kiggundu & Jamie McShane AKA Zaime.Limited edition remix 12” (500 Units) with dancefloor-ready cuts from Kon, Danielle Baldelli and G&D.
Formed between London and the outskirts of Glasgow, INTA-CITY is a new clandestine jazz-funk project from Daniel Maunick alongside Zaidi Kiggundu and Jamie McShane AKA Zaimie.
With the rebellious spirit of the British funk hustlers of the 1980s — Freeez, Light of the World, Incognito The Warriors, all of which counted Maunick's father Jean Paul 'Bluey' Maunick among their founding members — INTA-CITY adopt the DIY, solidaristic and dancefloor-first ethos of the original movement: no frontman, no band photos or fancy music videos. Just music to move to.
Ahead of their debut album release next year, the band have enlisted Boston edit master Kon, Italian cosmic royalty Daniele Baldelli & DJ Rocca, and Bolognese duo G&D for a limited edition remix 12” and digital release out 18th September 2026 via Far Out Recordings.
V Don and Da$h are not strangers to each other. Connecting in the past for memorable tracks like “Glad Bag”, “Redrum”, and “Now or Never”. They picked right up where they left off with a menacing five track EP back in July. “5 Deadly Venoms” put V Don’s expert production and the many flows of Da$h on front street. A duo that has always held themselves to high standards.
After the acclaimed Bar Mediterraneo, Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina return with People Of The Moon, expanding their sound into a space of creative freedom. The “People of the Moon” are not fictional, but a dimension within us all: a deeply personal yet universal force, an alternative mindset that emerges when freed from social constraints.
Under moonlight, the album explores anxieties and aspirations through groove and rhythm, expressed in Neapolitan, Arabic, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It moves fluidly from Afro-Cuban influences in “Celavì” to Anatolian textures in “Ma Tu Che Bbuò”, blending highlife guitars with Nu Genea’s signature mandolins-new rhythms filtered through an Italian lens.
The first single “Sciallà” (2025) introduced this direction: dance as catharsis, not escape. The title track reflects a quiet resilience-persistent rather than triumphant. “Onenon”, featuring Tom Misch, channels Mediterranean brit-funk, while “Acelera”, with María José Llergo, evokes a flamenco-tinged pursuit of the unattainable.
“Puleza” recalls Nuova Napoli with driving energy and vintage synths, while “Shway Shway”, sung by Celinatique, captures the album’s orbital flow-measured, rich, and rhythmically complex, echoing afrobeat explorations with Tony Allen.
Melody remains central, as in “Carè”. Across ten tracks, falling, flying, and dancing merge in a suspended groove. Gabriel Prado’s “Ondas Do Mar” embodies this pull: a cyclical motion, like the tides—irresistible, transformative, and alive within us.
Since forming in 2020, Dinner Party has continued to erase the lines between jazz, soul, and hip-hop, building a discography celebrated for its warmth, musicianship, and effortless chemistry. Following their Grammy-nominated 2020 self-titled debut, the Dinner Party: Dessert reimagining, and 2023's Enigmatic Society, Whatchu Bringing? finds the group as locked-in as ever — trading the same easy, in-the-room feel that has made them one of the most beloved collectives in modern music.
Whatchu Bringing? arrives on the heels of a pair of 2026 Grammy nominations for Dinner Party co-founder Terrace Martin. Martin's collaborative album with Kenyon Dixon, Come As You Are, was nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album, while its single "WeMaj" (feat. Rapsody) earned a nod for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. The nominations arrived in the middle of an especially prolific run for Martin, who spent early 2026 rolling out his ambitious four-part album series — Passion, Peace, Purpose, and Perspective — building toward the full-length Love Is Louder Than Algorithms. Whatchu Bringing? marks his next chapter, bringing that same restless creative energy back to Dinner Party.
With Whatchu Bringing?, Dinner Party continues a run defined by joy, community, and genre-defying collaboration — an invitation, as always, to pull up a chair.
For the first time ever, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ is available on red & black marble vinyl, celebrating the world’s biggest-selling album and the first album to be certified triple Diamond by the RIAA. Released in 1982, Thriller changed pop music forever, featuring seven U.S. Top 10 hits including “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller,” and helped Michael win a record-setting eight Grammy Awards in one night.
2026 Repress
Originally released in South Africa in 1983, In The Music......The Village Never Ends is one of those holy-grail African records that barely needs any introduction. Featuring the enormous 'Nomalizo', it's a record that aficionados around the world have been waiting many years for. Now, Be With Records proudly presents the hugely anticipated vinyl reissue of this bonafied classic.
This release is officially licensed and has been lovingly mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis (Claremont 56 mastering engineer) It has been pressed on audiophile 180gram vinyl for the first time and features the original, rarely seen artwork.
South African singer Letta Mbulu possesses one of the most beautiful voices the world has ever known. Her immaculate voice emits a sweetness that radiates from deep within, brimming with a joy of life and inspiring a spirit of hope and happiness. On this album, her voice soars over a strident musical force that veers between disco, soul and pop music of the most incredible kind. The gleaming guitars recall disco's finest hours while the thump of the beats anticipate 80s British soul.
News of this limited reissue has already been causing a significant stir amongst those in the know so do not sleep on this - you have been warned!
* 2026 REPRESS *
Ashanti Selah – Musician & Dub Producer hailing from the UK, is the eldest son of the world-renowned soundman, Aba Shanti-I. Ashanti's musical journey began at a tender young age, during his formative years of soundsystem exposure through his father's musical infrastructure he learned the art of the Dub. His education continued as he attended his father’s long-standing annual sessions at the Notting Hill Carnival and traveled the globe as a crew member and diligent student. Via his Steppas Records imprint, Alpha Steppa, son and nephew of pioneering dub-duo Alpha & Omega presents a unique collaboration between two second generation Dub / Reggae producers. 'Ashanti Selah Meets Alpha Steppa' is a testament to their teachers and the product of a life spent in dub. Steppas Records delivers four unique cuts of the long-time Aba Shanti-I exclusive 'Violin Step', featuring the uplifting and transcendental strings of Ras Divarius. New generation soundsystem music with a deep roots foundation.
Music from Tokyo / New York serves as the 2024 sequel to his previous release, Music for Joshua Tree. This conceptual album is divided into Side A (Tokyo) and Side B (New York), utilizing field recordings captured in each location. The ceramic images featured on LP jacket is the work of Namiko Ishikawa (NamipotNYC).
On this record, he incorporates Ambient, Downtempo, Trip-hop, and Dub—bringing to life the specific sounds currently resonating in his mind and his original roots.
Since the pandemic, he has been traveling and capturing "environmental sounds" through field recordings, which served as the primary inspiration for this record. Side A features tracks inspired by the atmosphere of Tokyo, including recordings from streets, parks near his home in Japan. Side B explores New York, incorporating the sounds of Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as the chirping of insects recorded in the New York mountains.
While the album remains centered on analog synthesizers and vinyl samples, he has introduced analog drum machines and glitch noise to craft the groove. Unlike his previous work, this release brings prominent bass lines and added more Dub elements to the forefront. His primary focus for this project was expressing a sense of "space" and "air" through the meticulous use of reverb and delay.
Throughout the album, he invites the listener to imagine the unique "local atmosphere" he experienced during his travels.
What Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, ultimately arrived at was a tight, cool, and ultimate groove.
As Inagaki himself has stated that he “played black funk” on this album, the explosive jazz-rock foundation he had cultivated up to that point is fused with the stickiness, elasticity, and physicality of black music—elevating his musical vision to an entirely new dimension. Combined with the masterful arrangements of Hiromasa Suzuki, the groove is polished to a high sheen, growing richer, more fluid, and subtly seductive.
Every track stands out: the vibrant, driving energy of “Painted Paradise”; the coexistence of funkiness and mellowness on “Breeze”; and the low-slung, razor-sharp cover of Kool & The Gang’s “Funky Stuff”.
Now regarded as a definitive classic, this album remains in constant demand from listeners around the world.
A raw, groove-driven selection of previously overlooked 1990s recordings by legendary Turkish jazz impresario Okay Temiz, compiled here for the first time.
As the story goes, throughout the 1990s, Okay Temiz roamed the nights of İstanbul in search of rhythm — moving through its far corners, from the seedy underbelly to gypsy neighborhoods, from the outskirts of the city to smoke-filled taverns where cigarette haze turns into a living cloud atlas — capturing a largely unknown and maverick period of his work.
Compiled by long-time producers Haluk Damar and Erinç Güzel, the album brings together Turkish folk textures, İstanbul tavern sound, spiritual jazz, raw street groove, and flashes of Turkish psychedelia — with moments shaped by Temiz’s own distinctive vocals. The result is a deep, percussive, and highly playable set.
Positioned between global jazz, rare groove, and dancefloor material, İstanbul Groove is a strong crossover release with appeal across both listening and DJ set contexts.
Details marks SCHiLLiNG's return after years of research, above all on himself. It brings together the practices that have become essential to him: composition, sampling, sonic patchworks, and a palette that mirrors the full spectrum of his musical identity, from Rock'n'Roll to Trip-Hop and Ambient. Details is rich in small edits, hidden layers, fragile textures, and fragments that reveal themselves slowly. Yet the word carries a deeper meaning: what truly matters is often the smallest element, what doesn't appear clearly at first glance or on first listen, yet quietly holds the core of everything. The detail as the very pulse of one's inner world. Across 14 tracks, the album unfolds as a diverse journey, carefully shaped yet open enough to allow unexpected elements and subtle imperfections to remain part of its flow. The structure is not binding, you can begin from any track and embark on your own path through it. Each piece contributes to a wider arc without overpowering the others. The album includes collaborations with several artists who lent their talent to the project; their names appear in the credits of the physical release. In many ways, they embody the very idea behind the title: individual presences, each bringing their own nuance, forming a whole together. After all, fragments, in their union, shape the larger totality. Details doesn't ask to be consumed in a specific way, fast or slow, close or distant. It simply is what it is
Crying Outcast returns with its third release, landing close to home with legendary dub innovator The Rootsman. Bradford’s own and a true pioneering force in experimental dub since the 90s, The Rootsman’s influence runs quietly but deeply through the underground. Roots Return gathers three essential works from his catalogue, including collaborations with Celtarabia and Russ (The Disciples) as Pachakuti, alongside a light-headed reinterpretation from label head Miles J Paralysis. Spiritual and subtly psychedelic, yet deeply rooted in dub tradition throughout, drawing on influences from Pakistani devotional hymns and Celtic folk traditions. An essential modern day EP, displaying a meeting point between the heritage and the future sound of dub music.
In the spring of 1971, somewhere between Brussels, Paris and a collective pop fever dream, Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki landed on vinyl. It sounded like nothing else then and it still does not today. More than half a century later, Sdban Records proudly presents a reissue of this singular cult album, available from April 3, 2026 on vinyl.
The album was produced by Jean Kluger and written both by Jean and Daniel Vangarde (aka Bangalter, later the father of Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk), who were alreadywell ahead of their time, long before electronic music rewrote the rules of pop culture.
Released under the name Yamasuki, also referred to as The Yamasuki Singers, or The Yamasuki's, the project was never intended as a conventional band. It was a studio-born fantasy, a concept album disguised as a pop record. What began as a standalone single quickly expanded into a full-blown pan-cultural pop opera that ignored genres and common sense with joyful abandon.
Musically, the album sits at a delirious crossroads. Psychedelic pop collides with funk rhythms, samba and bubblegum melodies, full of chants and choruses in a phonetic pseudo-Japanese, written with the help of a dictionary. Kluger and Vangarde famously recruited a children's choir to perform the vocals, and for added spectacle, they brought in a Japanese judo grandmaster, whose ritualistic shouts and battle cries erupt throughout the record.
Several singles were released. One of them, Yamasuki, with accompanying dance move, appeared in the United Kingdom and France on John Peel's Dandelion label, a fitting home for a record that thrived on the margins of pop culture. Its B-side, Aieaoa, proved even more potent. In 1975, the song was reborn as A.I.E. (A Mwana) by Black Blood, an African group recording in Belgium, this time sung in Swahili. That melody would travel even further. Aie a Mwana became the debut single of English pop group Bananarama, and in 2010 it resurfaced once more as Helele, an official song of the FIFA World Cup, recorded by South African singer Velile Mchunu with Danish percussion duo Safri Duo. That version became the most widely known incarnation of the song. With Jean Kluger directly involved, it was less a cover than a continuation of the original idea.
The album's afterlife did not stop there. Over the years, Yamasuki has been quietly sampled, covered, and featured across media far beyond the realm of novelty pop. Kono Samourai was sampled in The Healer by Erykah Badu (2007), produced by Madlib, while Yama Yama has found its way into recent pop culture as well: appearing in the television series Fargo, on Angus Stone's project Dope Lemon, and on the 2008 Late Night Tales compilation curated by Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders. Proof, if any were needed, that this strange little record carries a deeper musical DNA than its playful exterior might suggest.
This new reissue of Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki proves the renewed interest and respect for this cult album, faithful to the original spirit while finally giving it back the physical presence it deserves. In an era obsessed with genres and algorithmic neatness, Yamasuki still laughs, dances and karate-kicks its way past definitions. It reminds us that pop music can be playful without being disposable, strange without being cynical and joyfulwithout explanation. The world of Yamasuki was always fabulous, we are just lucky it found its way back to us!
Due to high demand, MEU has revisited two of Mr. K’s classics, previously only available as 12-inch extended mixes, and asked the master editor to pare them down to 7-inch size.
A true top-five peak record at the Garage, Thelma Houston’s “I’m Here Again” was “a highlight whenever Larry played it,” Danny Krivit recalls, “and he played it a lot!” Danny’s edit is a homage to Larry and Frankie Knuckles – in particular a similar private edit that Frankie did back in the day and shared with Krivit. “It was on reel to reel and I didn’t copy it correctly and lost it,” Danny remembers. “Reels were problematic! When I tried to get it again from him, unfortunately he had lost it too.” The song (likely an attempt by Motown to capitalize on the previous year’s monster hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way”) is, in its original form, a virtual retake of Thelma Houston’s breakout single, from the subdued, schmaltzy intro to the “oooh BABY!” leading to the chorus. What sets “I’m Here Again” apart though, is the incredible second half of the song. Naturally, it is here that Mr. K’s edit focuses. Over a vicious groove reminiscent of the Originals’ “Down To Love Town” breakdown (Michael Sutton wrote and produced both “Love Town” and “I’m Here Again”) Houston delivers soul-stirring ad libs as the band crackles with electricity behind her, the piano chasing a descending string riff so eagerly. Pure dancefloor peak energy! And the very first time having all these parts on a 7"!
For our flip, Danny has reached deep into the earliest foundations of his voluminous collection, and come out with a psychedelic pop classic rearranged for today’s sound systems and setlists. Recorded in the Beatles’ Abbey Road studio at the height of the Summer Of Love, the Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” is firmly linked in pop culture to the late ‘60s and the Vietnam era, breaking big in the summer of 1969. Krivit’s edit highlights the parade of lush sonic textures that ornament the hip composition, from the iconic, exquisitely echoed bass-clap-exhale riff that opens the song to the cascading Hammond organ solos of Rod Argent. “It’s a song from my childhood that really struck a chord,” Danny says. “Over the years I often played a rough edit which always seemed to go over great. The song seemed to get better and better, and age like fine wine.” We agree!
These two songs have both appeared on previous (separate) MEU 12-inches, but are presented here in custom new edits for the 7-inch format.
