Pop & Rock Vinyl Neuheiten & Releases - News

Turin Brakes critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Optimist LP’ gets the re-issue treatment to celebrate its 20th Anniversary



The ground breaking long player, originally released in 2001 features classic tracks such as ‘Underdog (Save Me)’, ’The Door' and ‘Feeling Oblivion’.

’The Optimist LP’ will be re-released on Deluxe 2LP & 2CD on Two-Piers, a new Brighton label, now with a Bonus album of ‘Demos’ from the original sessions and New Artwork. The Album has been out of print on Vinyl for many years now.

Turner Cody first collaborated with Nicolas Michaux and the Soldiers of Love (Clément Nourry, Ted Clark, and Morgan Vigilante) on his album Friends in High Places (2021). This album marked a turning point for Turner Cody, in which he started to incorporate country influences to his songwriting. But that was only the beginning, and Out For Blood is without question a country album. This new album offers the perfect canvas for him to express his poetic lyricism, and to paint portraits inspired by American mythologies. The songs explore such themes as freedom, individualism, destiny, sin and redemption. Rooted in traditional narratives yet resonating with our times, these songs are to be seen as parables: imaginary characters faced with the dichotomy of good and evil. In the vein of Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, or John Prine, Out For Blood stands as a major contribution to the great repertoire of American song. ut For Blood bears witness to a transformation in Turner Cody"s life. While his songwriting already hinted at a certain Americana, it primarily reflected his twenty years spent in New York and the legacy of the anti-folk scene-closer to the Velvet Underground than to Hank Williams. Then came the move: Cody and his family left New York to settle in St. Louis, on the banks of the Mississippi. This change of scenery and perspective fueleda new way of writing. The challenge was clear: maintaining the subtlety and textural work characteristic of his previous works while integrating the country heritage of the new songs. The collaboration between Turner Cody and Nicolas Michaux signs the perfect communion between an artist who writes in the language of poetry and another who crafts sound and textures. The Soldiers of Love, far more than a backing band, have influences ranging from jazz to fusion, from pop to Congolese rhythms. Their subtle, atmospheric sound merges with Turner Cody"s "three chords and the truth" to create this unique magic!

“Weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal” – TWIN SERPENT’s sophomore album out in May via Svart Records Facilitating country influences and the energy of punk, Twin Serpent is a noisy but cute outsider band that manages to blur genre boundaries. Inspired by the likes of The Taxpayers and 16 Horsepower, this crust-country band applies lo-fi black metal aesthetics without having to bathe in blood. Songs about love, betrayal and defiance are delivered with acoustic to amp-wall dynamics, duelling vocal harmonies, shrieking solos and distorted banjos. The debut album Feels Like Heaven, North Of Hell (2022, Loyal Blood Records) was described by the press as genre-defying and compared to bands like GY!BE and Tom Waits. The sophomore TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACKGRASS turns the volume to twelve and the trainbeat races down the tracks at a derailing speed. Covering topics on windmill resistance, porn industry and post-Trump America accompanied by playful country punk with a twinkle in the eye, laced with cosmic and occult undertones. “We’re super happy to finally unbox our sophomore weirdo rocker! And we’re specially stoked to do so on the amazing Svart Records! This particularly hits home with Timo who was born in Finland.

There’s even a song in Finnish on the album, which came out great! The artwork is amazing and everything is there for a reason. We recorded it during the year of the serpent at Piir studio, just a 5-minute walk from our home in Svartlamon, Trondheim, NO. Vebjørn Svanberg Numme aka the wizard technician did an amazing job capturing the essence of the Twins during a hot summer week. 12 songs about love, betrayal and black holes with country licks, rock’n’roll kicks and heaps of punk attitude is the result and we’re super proud to present the first tease from it! We’ve kept things close to home as our resident artist Hanna and designer Tony did the cover art! It’s weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal", comments the band on the new album. With a slew of sold out shows in their hometown of Trondheim, the band is delighted to spread their cosmic gospel to the people! Twin Serpent goes hard with in-your-face attitude and fits in barn dances as well as punk festivals!

“Weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal” – TWIN SERPENT’s sophomore album out in May via Svart Records Facilitating country influences and the energy of punk, Twin Serpent is a noisy but cute outsider band that manages to blur genre boundaries. Inspired by the likes of The Taxpayers and 16 Horsepower, this crust-country band applies lo-fi black metal aesthetics without having to bathe in blood. Songs about love, betrayal and defiance are delivered with acoustic to amp-wall dynamics, duelling vocal harmonies, shrieking solos and distorted banjos. The debut album Feels Like Heaven, North Of Hell (2022, Loyal Blood Records) was described by the press as genre-defying and compared to bands like GY!BE and Tom Waits. The sophomore TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACKGRASS turns the volume to twelve and the trainbeat races down the tracks at a derailing speed. Covering topics on windmill resistance, porn industry and post-Trump America accompanied by playful country punk with a twinkle in the eye, laced with cosmic and occult undertones. “We’re super happy to finally unbox our sophomore weirdo rocker! And we’re specially stoked to do so on the amazing Svart Records! This particularly hits home with Timo who was born in Finland.

There’s even a song in Finnish on the album, which came out great! The artwork is amazing and everything is there for a reason. We recorded it during the year of the serpent at Piir studio, just a 5-minute walk from our home in Svartlamon, Trondheim, NO. Vebjørn Svanberg Numme aka the wizard technician did an amazing job capturing the essence of the Twins during a hot summer week. 12 songs about love, betrayal and black holes with country licks, rock’n’roll kicks and heaps of punk attitude is the result and we’re super proud to present the first tease from it! We’ve kept things close to home as our resident artist Hanna and designer Tony did the cover art! It’s weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal", comments the band on the new album. With a slew of sold out shows in their hometown of Trondheim, the band is delighted to spread their cosmic gospel to the people! Twin Serpent goes hard with in-your-face attitude and fits in barn dances as well as punk festivals!

New 9 song album on RCA from 27 year old US country/folk/bluegrass singer/songwriter. The newest voice of 'Outlaw & Progressive Country', Childers' music is described as a fusion of folk, bluegrass and country. Standard LP and CD formats. Produced by Grammy Award winner Sturgill Simpson. Tyler's last album sold over 160k copies in America. UK trip in late August, including live dates (End Of The Road/London) and promo activity. Specialist press ads, features and interviews. Excellent reviews across Mojo, Uncut, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, UK Country Music, NPR. Radio support across 6Music, R2 and ILR specialists. Online/social media activity. Poster campaign and database mailout.

"Rustin' in the Rain" ist das mit Spannung erwartete neue Album des Singer-Songwriters Tyler Childers. Es ist Childers' sechstes Studioalbum und der Nachfolger seines von der Kritik hochgelobten "Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?". "Rustin' in the Rain" wurde von Childers zusammen mit seiner langjährigen Band The Food Stamps produziert, und das Album enthält die gefühlvolle Single "In Your Love", die Tyler seinen Fans Anfang 2023 bei seinem Auftritt auf dem Bonnaroo Music Festival erstmals vorstellte.

Founding member of Band of Horses, Tyler Ramsey, returns with his fourth solo, full length studio record “New Lost Ages” - finding him facing the harsh realities of the world as we know it. Fans of Ramsey’s former projects, Father John Misty and Lord Huron will find “New Lost Ages” to be a relatable reprieve - one that feels both familiar and starkly new. Traversing genre-bending terrain, the new record from Ramsey is as indie and psych-rock as it is singer-songwriter, showcasing his talent and dedication to the craft.

WHO IS ULTAN O’BRIEN? Ultan O’Brien is a fiddle player and composer from the wilds of County Clare in the West of Ireland. Ultan is a performer as well as a regular at sessions all of Ireland and can be found by chance in any pub in Dublin, Cork or some remote village on the edge of nowhere, flying jigs and reels around the room. Ultan was reared in the rich tradition of Irish music which is so commonly found and heard in Co Clare, but he also delves deep into sound art and experimental music. He has often been heard in the back of a car after a few pints quoting lines from Alvin Lucier or speaking at length about improvisation and its place in modern Irish music. Ultan O’Brien is a fresh and vital player who has much to offer with his unique approach and technique to a tradition so old and ever ready for a subtle change every 100 years or so. Ultan has played and recorded with people and bands such as Skipper’s Alley, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, John Francis Flynn, Slow Moving Clouds, Cuar, Laura Jurd, Martin Green, Natalia Beylis, Paul Roe and Nic Gareiss. ‘in its Ultan’s fiddle playing sincerity of tone it reminds me somewhat of those great caoineadh which were played with such elusive grandeur by Denis Murphy and Pádraig O’Keefe’ Adrian Scahill ‘lets the heart brighten and the feet tap’ Richard Hollingum -KlofMag


ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL ALBUM: ‘This album, Dancing the Line, is my first solo album of music played on an alternatively-tune alto fiddle. I found that the resonance and growl of this lower tuned instrument sat me perfectly into the sound-world I wanted to be in, giving vibrancy to my own compositions and nestling into the traditional music I grew up with.’

UMAN’s Chaleur Humaine, the debut album from the French duo of musicians and siblings Danielle and Didier Jean, resurfaces for the first time since its original release in 1992. While history, both private and public, is scattered with creative relationships between siblings that simply “did not work,” UMAN’s story is uniquely different and defined by this bond, and a shared journey impressing footprints along an adventurous musical terrain.

First time reissue of mega rare 1972 psych-folk album from Venezuela.
180g LP.
One of the most obscure records ever released in Venezuela that was originally distributed in tiny quantities as a promo-only album.

A magic blend of protest songwriting, with a strong environmentalist statement, and folky pop with psych ingredients —such as the use of sitar sounds— recorded by the collective of artists “Una Luz”, and “El Zigui” who was once described as the local Bob Dylan.

The late ‘60s was a short period of time, long enough to turn the world upside down.

Music, paying attention to the ancient Greeks who said that changes in society are also reflected in it, also undergoes violent transformations in its structure. The turbulent joy of rock and roll and twist gives way to the meditative sounds of the waves of the sea contained in surf to finally welcome music of soft and delicate harmonies with songs full of references in their lyrics to the state of society and their relationships with the environment.

On the other hand, in Venezuela, although the expansive wave of May 68 had not reached it, a certain degree of dissatisfaction began to be perceived, especially through the music of a singer-songwriter from the countryside of Venezuela known as Ali Primera, El Cantor del Pueblo. Thanks to a scholarship from the German government, he studied for a few years in that country, and it was there that he recorded his first album, with songs whose lyrics reflect the essence of authors such as Bob Dylan and Atahualpa Yupanqui. And Ali Primera becomes one of the greatest influences of our artist: El Zigui.

Guillermo Sánchez Corao —known as El Zigui for some strange reason— was born in the Venezuelan city of Maracay, capital of the State of Aragua, on January 13, 1948. From a very young age he began to study guitar playing and, already in his teens, we can find him as part of the duo El Zigui & Franklin together with Franklin Laudelino Mejías, another young man with a great musical pedigree.

It is during his bohemian phase as a troubadour, in the surroundings of the Ateneo de Caracas, when his music caught the attention of producer Mario Tepedino, the most important youth music producer at the time. Mario takes him to his TV show “2001 Juvenil”. With the incorporation of other musicians such as Rubén "Micho" Correa —who would later become a great arranger and record producer— he created the group El Zigui y Una Luz, which would later be joined by musicians such as Carlos "Nene" Quintero and Alfredo Padilla, members of the amazing Grupo Pan. Later on, another outstanding singer would also join Una Luz: Guillermo Carrasco.

With this formation they made it into a recording studio in 1972 where they managed to record, in just 30 hours, a long-playing album of which only 60 copies were pressed and has therefore gained cult status among collectors. As expected, the strong content of the lyrics was not supported by the media, making the promotion of the album impossible to accomplish. However, it was with the help of Mario Tepedino that they made it to television, with appearances on “2001 Juvenil” and “Antesala Lunar”, a show that was especially produced for the broadcast of the arrival of man on the Moon.

That was probably one of the main reasons for El Zigui to move to Canada and then France until 1978 when he returns to Venezuela. He would then join bands like Xabañón, Fogón and De Vuelta al Futuro, a 12-member super group. The former members of Una Luz had become well known musicians in the country, especially Guillermo Carrasco who was one of the greatest ballad artists in the ‘80s and targeted by the biggest record companies at the time. El Zigui died in a traffic accident on June 22, 1999. If he had lived through these crazy times... where would he have gone?

“The rumors are true; Providence, Rhode Island is permeated with a mysterious energy”. So says Dave Litifreri, guitarist and vocalist of
Urdog. “Some of us focused this energy, learned to live with the ghosts and tell their story.” It’s a story chronicled on Long Shadows, the new Urdog retrospective on Rocket Recordings - the work of a mercurial band whose music may have been summoned from fog and ghosts, yet possesses considerable staying power beyond their brief time on the planet. “We were influenced by the horror of late-capitalism in general every day” says drummer and vocalist Erin Rosenthal, “This glued and glues us together, also love of bicycles, french fries and faerie folk. Big influences for me were Robert Wyatt, Incredible String Band, Dagmar Krause, but especially This Heat, Riot Grrrl and 90’s hardcore.” From such disparate inspiration came psychically heavy jams and wild improvisational voyages from this triumvirate which chart an instinctive and wild journey, drawing the interplanetary dots between early ‘70s freak-flag-waving transgressions and the folk-tinged frontiers of the early 21st century US underground. Mantric repetition, ceremonial ambience
and fuzz/wah tinged blowouts take equal prominence in this dreamlike realm. Drawing the interplanetary dots between the drone ’n’ klang of Amon Düül II and the cultish hallucinations of Sunburned Hand Of The Man, and replete with both an earthiness of approach and a powerful celestial intensity. “We used our intuitive connection to let three distinct voices be heard” reflects Dave. “There was no foundation; they supported each other. Once that is achieved, a vibe develops. Getting into the space of a song is something you can’t notate. We had the keys, but getting to the door was the trick. Some nights we got all the way through the roof to the stars.”

URFERD signifies the beginning of a new and additional musical chapter for its founder and sole member, Daniel Beckman (TWILIGHT FORCE, AGES), and brings a refreshing new perspective to the genre, challenging the boundaries of dark atmospheric folk music.

The first album "RESAN" is a musical odyssey in both a literal and figurative sense. The album takes the listener on a journey through dark and olden Nordic forests; where strife and hardships follows in our steps, yet where the beauty and vastness of the solemn Nordic landscape persists and permeates. From the album opening's depiction of a serene morning's dawn to the closing track's respite of a hearth at nightfall, RESAN traverses a multitude of captivating musical landscapes and themes throughout its eight songs.

Limited-Vinyl-Edition des neuen Urferd-Longplayers! Klingt wie Wardruna, Heilung, Forndom, Myrkur, Garmarna oder Loreena McKennitt.

Worldwide pressing of 300 copies.

Ursa Major Moving Group, the solo alias of singer and composer Ursula Russell, announces her self-titled debut album, due out June 9th via Faith & Industry Records.

Known for her mesmeric drumming for Snapped Ankles, Alabaster DePlume, Drop Out Venus and Blue House, the album showcases the London-based artist’s stylistic and instrumental virtuosity - she played all instruments herself - on an intense, dynamic and intimate musical journal that shifts between delicate folk, stirring indie rock, flamboyant chamber pop and angular post-punk styles.

Its complex themes reflect a multihued blend of musical styles that recall artists as diverse as The Pixies, Talking Heads, Joni Mitchell, Arthur Russell and Julia Holter. Having built a reputation for her brilliance of musicianship as a band member, Ursa Major Moving Group sees Ursula establishing herself as a solo artist of brilliant, open-hearted originality.

Amongst the album’s many highlights is the driving, emotive opening track, Reverse Invisible, which dives into memories of childhood alienation .The winsome Goodbye George, which finds Ursula’s delicate vocals and acoustic guitars melding with Alabaster DePlume’s Ethio-jazz saxophones, delves back into her childhood.

Ursa Major Moving Group play End of the Road Festival 2023.

Valerie June kündigt ihr erstes neues Album seit vier Jahren an – The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers erscheint am 12. März 2021 bei Fantasy Records. Produziert von Jack Splash (Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, John Legend) und Valerie June, ist das neue Album mitreißend und ambitioniert, mit einer erdigen R&B-Produktion und einem Hauch von Psychedelik inmitten der astralen Folk-Pop Orchestrierung – Die beiden haben einen Sound geschaffen, der elegant und immer wieder überraschend ist. Im Mittelpunkt steht Junes fesselnder Gesang und ihr ansteckender Sinn fürs Staunen, mit dem die aus Brooklyn – via Memphis – stammende Künstlerin von ihrer oft prekären, doch freudvollen Reise voller Möglichkeiten erzählt. Die erste offizielle Single des Albums, Call Me A Fool, ist ein wunderbarer Vorgeschmack auf die kommende LP: ein köstliches Stück Memphis-Soul – inkl. Stax-Legende Carla Thomas in den Background Vocals. The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers, der Nachfolger zu ihrem Durchbruch von 2013 mit Pushin’ Against A Stone und das weithin gelobte The Order of Time – ein Werk aus dem Jahr 2017, das die Bewunderung von Bob Dylan erntete und auf den Bestenlisten des Jahres landete – ist ein anregendes, tief berührendes Werk. Ein mächtiger Katalysator für alle, die töricht genug sind zu träumen.

Gatefold-LP (weißes Vinyl) inkl. gefütterter Innenhülle und Schutzhülle (500 Stück erhältlich)

Gatefold-LP (dunkelgrünes Vinyl) inkl. gefütterter Innenhülle und Schutzhülle (500 Stück erhältlich)

The latest volume in Legacy's Van Morrison catalogue reissue project. "The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition)" is a three disc and single LP collection, chronicling the sessions, collaborations and live performances surrounding Van's mid career masterpiece, originally released in March 1997. The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition) is produced by Van Morrison for Exile Productions. Disc 1 is the original album, plus 5 bonus songs. Disc 2 is a 15 song collection of session tracks and collaborations. Disc 3 is a 14 song live recording from Montreux in July 1997. This album marked a turning point for Van Morrison as he entered his fourth decade as a professional musician. Following a period of crafting romantic ballads that found mainstream success—including “Someone Like You,” “Have I Told You Lately” and “Days Like This” Van felt compelled to revisit the jazz/rhythm and blues inspired music that infused his earliest works with Them and as a solo artist in the late 1960s. Marketing activity across all media outlets.

Eighteen tracks of prime Van Morrison from 1971, recorded live in front of an intimate studio audience in excellent quality. A nine-piece band perform a selection of Morrison classics, everything from Friday’s Child (Them) to songs from the yet-to-be released Tupelo Honey LP. Morrison himself is in relaxed good humour on covers such as Hound Dog and Just Like A Woman. Comes with full credits and extensive sleeve notes. “It’s Too Great To Stop Now!” Recorded live at Pacific High Recorders, Marin, California, September 5th 1971, soundboard quality.

Vandoliers are a uniquely Texas band, distilling the Lone Star State’s vast and diverse musical identity into a raucous, breakneck vibe that’s all their own. After spending much of the last three years furiously writing and recording music, this Dallas-Fort Worth six-piece is back with The Vandoliers, a new album that proves these rowdy, rollicking country punks are tighter, more cohesive and more sonically compelling than ever.

A sleeve with the most iconic photography of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, « Guerillo Heroico » in La Havana, Cuba in 5th March 1960 by Alberto Diaz Guttierez, known as “Korda”.

A selection of engaged songs with a track listing which includes traditional tracks such as Hasta Siempre and Bandiera Rossa… As well as tribute songs to revolutionary Icones with Que Viva Fidel and Che Comandante.

High lonesome sounds from Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa, 1948-1959: Gorgeous fingerpicked guitar ballads, yodeling, slide guitar, and haunting travel-weary songs by troubadours with a penchant for the fabled American cowboy lifestyle. A stunning fusion of neo-traditional African melodies and early American country-western music. 14 lost classics by George Sibanda, Josaya Hadebe, Sabelo Mathe, Sammy Ngaku, and more, all reissued for the first time from original 78 rpm discs. Co-released with Olvido Records. Includes liner notes with lyrics and old school tip-on covers.

Celebrating the photography of Robert Doisneau, 25 years after his death. Discover the new Esprit Robert Doisneau Collection, associating songs with his famous images of Paris.

Famous all over the world, the photographer’s work accurately represents the soul of Paris. This collection of ten LPs are all pressed on 180g coloured vinyl.

1950s country music from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Kenya - American influenced but distinctly African - like nothing else out there!!

Strut continues its essential compilation series of Indian Ocean sounds with ‘Alefa Madagascar’, the first compilation to document the unique culture of salegy, soukous and soul on the island during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Originating as far back as the 15th Century through folkloric ceremonial music and an a cappella chanting style called antsa, salegy emerged as a fast-tempoed local dance style based on 6/8 and 12/8 rhythms. By the ‘60s, radio was bringing in new sounds from the Congo, Mozambique, South Africa and Kenya and Jean Francois de Comarmond’s Discomad label championed a new generation of artists breaking the mould with their own new fusions of styles as electric instruments replaced the traditional. The strong call-and-response dialogues, rich vocal choruses and rolling triplet feel in the rhythm sections all boasted a unique Malagasy sensibility and singles started selling tens of thousands of copies, rivalling any foreign music at the time. Local pop was sometimes referred to as tapany maintso (half-green) a reference to the stickers on singles from the other key label in Madagascar, Kaïamba, many of them produced by Charles Maurin Poty whose work was crucial in shaping the emerging genre.

‘Alefa Madagascar’ showcases the rich variety of sounds during this heyday of Malagasy music: Roger Georges’ ‘Mama’ and Jean Kely et Basth’s ‘Andosy Mora’ bring the raw energy of salegy, influential band Los Matadores drop military drums and Hammond soul in the classic ‘Andeha Hanarato’; Mahaleo’s ‘Izahay Mpamita’ showcases the band’s powerful folk sound, a crucial voice emerging from the Rotaka farmer and student protests of 1972, while Terak’Anosy Group work around a stomping Congolese guitar groove. The era paved the way for many of the household names of Malagasy music today including Jaojoby, D’Gary and Lego. Mastered by The Carvery and featuring cover artwork by top illustrator Lewis Heriz, ‘Alefa Madagascar’ is released on 16th August 2019 and is compiled by Réunionese DJs La Basse Tropicale and Percy Yip Tong (Mauritius). Physical formats feature sleeve notes by influential producer Charles Maurin Poty and Banning Eyre of Afropop Worldwide.First ever compilation documenting the heyday of Malagasy music during the 1970s and 1980s.
All tracks officially licensed in conjunction with the Discomad and Kaïamba labels.
Includes sleeve notes by legendary producer Charles Maurin Poty and writer Banning Eyre.
Latest instalment in Strut’s ongoing series documenting some of the best original music from the Indian Ocean region.

Cultural phenomena streak through popular consciousness like meteorites. There’s a significant, even life-changing, impact made somewhere, but for many it’s only a moment that flickers by, soon to be swallowed back into the cosmos. Chicha might have been like that. Instead, a once-obscure music that enjoyed a fanatic embrace in the Peruvian slums of the 1970s has become a full-fledged global occasion – thanks to the stunning success of a 2007 CD called The Roots of Chicha. The album, released by the Brooklyn-based Barbès Records, was a passionate act of cultural appreciation: a heart-strong effort to turn the world on its ear with something it had never expected to hear. It took listeners back to the late 1960’s, when a number of Peruvian guitarists from Lima and the Amazon created a new electric hybrid, which mixed cumbia, surf, Cuban guaracha, rock, Peruvian folklore, and psychedelic touches. This new wave of Peruvian cumbia came to be known as chicha. Scorned by the middle-class and the official tastemakers, chicha remained mostly associated with the slums of Lima, where the ever-growing population of Andean migrants embraced the music and its players as their own. When Olivier Conan released the first volume of Roots of Chicha in September 2007, he couldn’t have foreseen the kind of impact it would have. The musician, who co-owns the club Barbès in Brooklyn and owns the label of the same name, had fallen in love with the music on a trip to Peru in the summer of 2006. Back in New York, he started his own band, Chicha Libre, as an attempt to share his enthusiasm. Then, he released a compilation of some of the best chicha tracks from the ‘70s. The music quickly found an audience in the US and in Europe. Musicians and DJs embraced it as a lost link between rock and Latin cultures. Accolades flowed from the New York Times, NPR, Le Monde, El Comercio and the BBC. One of its songs was covered by the band Franz Ferdinand, actor Elijah Wood praised it profusely in an interview to Paste magazine. Chilean rock group Los Tres gave a copy of the record to then-president Bachelet, which somehow became national news

»Hier ist Berlin . . . !«
Die raue, ach so vertraute Stimme Dieter Thomas Hecks klingt einem heute noch im Ohr, wenn man an die »ZDF-Hitparade« denkt. Nach dem Startschuss am 18. Januar 1969 avancierte die Sendung schnell zum Publikumsliebling und war gar nicht mehr wegzudenken aus der deutschen Fernsehlandschaft: Das Bonmot »Nach dem Bade - Hitparade!« wurde gleichermaßen zum geflügelten Wort wie zum samstäglichen Ritual, auch wenn der Sendeplatz im Laufe der Jahrzehnte noch mehrmals den Wochentag wechseln sollte.

So ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass sich sofort ein heimeliges Gefühl einstellt, sobald man an die »ZDF-Hitparade« denkt: Die ganze Familie von Oma bis Enkel traf sich vor dem Fernsehgerät, um die neuesten Platzierungen der Stars zu erfahren, ihren Hits zu lauschen und gar lauthals mitzusingen sowie bei den Abstimmungen mit zu fiebern.

Dass die »Hitparade« auch heute noch Kult ist, daran besteht wahrlich kein Zweifel - prägte sie doch über 30 Jahre lang den gesamtdeutschen Musikmarkt. Zudem wurde sie für ganze Generationen von Schlagerstars zum Karrieresprungbrett.

Jetzt feiert das ZDF - 50 Jahre Hitparade mit einem bunten Strauß an Produkten. Von Peter Maffay bis Wolfgang Petry. Der Kult lebt – und wie!

As you'd expect from its position and history, the eastern African nation of Somalia is rich in cultural influences. Wrapped part way around Ethiopia, it forms the sea coast of the Horn of Africa. Kenya borders it to the south, and its north coast faces the southern shore of the Arabian peninsula, only a couple of hundred miles away.

Unsurprisingly, given this last fact, Somalia was one of the first African countries converted to Islam, in the 8th and 9th centuries. During the 18th and 19th century, the Somali ports were controlled by Arabs and by the Ottoman Empire. During the European colonial period, the north was a British, and the south an Italian, colony. Independent Somalia still shows varying effects of these influences (Arabic, English and Italian are all used for teaching). Musically speaking, Somalia forms part of an eastern African Islamic continuum that includes the coast of Kenya and Tanzania as well as Sudan, and is more loosely linked with North and Muslim West Africa. (Kismayu, in the south of Somalia, is in fact the most northerly frontier of the Swahili music called 'taarab' or 'tarabu'). But like all the other idioms in this general Afro-Islamic nexus, Somalia's music retains a quite individual flavor.

The main traditional instrument of Somalia is the 'ud', imported from Egypt or Lebanon and known locally as the 'kaban'. Another common instrument is the 'taruumbo', or flute. The one heard on several of these tracks was a homemade, end-blown version cut from a piece of plastic tubing.

As is true for the whole of Africa, the standard six-string acoustic guitar has been taken over by Somali musicians and played in a wide range of styles. Small keyboard instruments have also long been a feature of East African coastal music. In the old days, portable harmoniums were popular. These were presumably imported from India, where they are very popular. In Somalia, the market has been captured by Japanese-made organs with built-in rhythm, like the one heard on four tracks here.

The music on this album was all recorded in one town, Baraawe (usually called Brava on the maps). Baraawe, which is on the Somali coast about 120 miles south of the capital, Mogadishu, has a population of around 10,000. Like all African towns of any size it is something of a melting pot. The original inhabitants, like the Swahili to their south, are of mixed Arab and Bantu African heritage, and speak a Bantu language called Chimina. Somalis from various other areas, speaking standard Somali and several dialects of it, also live in Baraawe.

The musicians heard here play regularly together in various combinations. Like almost all African musicians, they are part-timers. Some are shoemakers. Two are soldiers (Africa has long had an amazing number of fine dance bands made up of police or army personnel). All the pieces they perform on this recording are love songs.

How The River Ganges Flows is a transcendent collection of Carnatic violin performances captured on 78 rpm disc between 1933 and 1952. Most of these sublime recordings have not been heard since they were first etched in shellac decades ago. These melodies are ethereal and transporting: meditative. The rhythms undulate from despair to ecstasy, often within the same phrase. Remastered from the collection of Christopher King along with a set of deep notes, this music is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

Limitierte Nachpressung, gelbes Vinyl. "I AM THE CENTER: PRIVATE ISSUE NEW AGE MUSIC IN AMERICA, 1950-1990" 3xLP Box Set im Schuber mit drei Tip-On Sleeves, Downloadcode. Mit Buch inklusive Linernotes von Douglas McGowan mit Interviews der Künstler und Archivbildern. Artwork von Gilbert Williams und Janaia Donaldson. Zwei bisher unveröffentlichte Tracks sowie sieben Tracks, die bisher nur auf Kassette erschienen sind. Das Vinyl wurde geschnitten von John Golden und bei RTO gepresst. ,Sound erschuf das Universum. Es war nicht das Wort. Sound erschuf Atome; Sound und Licht sind die Ursprungsmanifestationen der Welt. Ein Musiker verknüpft sich mit diesem ursprünglichen, ewigen Sound; der Sound zeigt sich als Musik." - Constance Demby. Vergesst alles, was ihr glaubt, über New Age zu wissen, einem Genre, das die musikalisch-archeologischen Forschungen des letzten Jahrzehntes definiert hat. ,I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age In America, 1950-1990" ist die erste weitreichende Anthologie, die sich mit dem goldenen Zeitalter des New Age befasst und die unglaubliche Wahrheit über das Genre enthüllt. Hättet ihr gewusst, dass ein Track des ersten modernen New Age Albums in Eigenpressung auf dem ,Blade Runner"-Soundtrack auftaucht? Der Track heißt ,Pompeii, 76 A.D." und taucht selbstverständlich auch hier auf. ,I Am The Center" ist ein kundiger und niemals zynischer Überblick, der den Hörer schlussendlich zur Lichtquelle eines missverstandenen Genres führt. Viele der größten Namen sind mit dabei - LASOS, der interdimensionale Vermittler von ,paradise music"; LARAAJI, von BRIAN ENO als Straßenmusiker im Washington Square Park entdeckt und der kürzlich zu Berühmtheit gekommene JD EMMANUEL, die Ikone der neuen Generation von Drone, Ambient und Noise Musikern.