quête:mad 8

Fresh techno from the Lowlands by two veterans of the Utrecht scene. Quince made his debut 20 years ago on the renowned Delsin label, while Sayne is the latest alias of DJ, producer and label owner Nuno Dos Santos. All three tracks are built around a single initial idea. Both producers expanded the idea independently, before coming together to forge the final result. The title track Orange has a nice Detroit vibe with its shuffle rhythms and bouncing rimshots, while Klonneplein 1 (an Amsterdam square all too familiar to visitors of a populair techno party) navigates the wobbly bridge between Sterac and Andy Stott. The closing track Work is one for sweaty basements, where bass lines tug viciously at your trouser legs. Raw, distorted jakbeat in a frayed techno jacket. If you like to lose yourself, this sixth EP on the Nowhere label is a good place to start.

Veronica Electronica, eine acht Tracks umfassende Begleitung zu Ray of Light, wurde ursprünglich 1998 von Madonna als Remix-Album konzipiert. Das Projekt wurde jedoch durch den überwältigenden Erfolg des Original-Albums und die zahlreichen Hit-Singles, die über ein Jahr lang im Fokus des Interesses standen, zurückgestellt. Ray of Light verkaufte sich weltweit über 16 Millionen Mal und brachte Madonna vier GRAMMY® Awards ein, darunter den für das beste Pop-Album. Mehr als 25 Jahre später wird dieses lange kolportierte Konzept nun endlich Wirklichkeit. Die Sammlung enthält neu bearbeitete Versionen von Club-Remixen von Sasha, BT und Victor Calderone, zusammen mit dem Original-Demo von „Gone, Gone, Gone“ – einer bisher unveröffentlichten Aufnahme, produziert von Madonna und Rick Nowels. Veronica Electronica erscheint am 25. Juli als limitiertes Silver Vinyl und digital, und ist eine weitere hochwertige Ergänzung zu Madonnas Silver Collection.

Am Anfang ihrer Karriere wurde Madison Cunningham noch als “Enkelin von Joni Mitchell“ und “kleine
Schwester von Fiona Apple“ bezeichnet, von solchen Vergleichen, sollten sie auch noch so schmeichelhaft
sein, hat sich die Singer-Songwriterin und Multiinstrumentalistin aber spätestens seit ihrem zweiten Album,
dem Grammy-Gewinner “Revealer”, freigeschwommen. Dem lässt sie jetzt das dritte Werk “Ace” folgen,
ein Album rund um die Liebe.
Musikalisch pendelt Madison Cunningham zwischen Balladen, West-Coast-Folk und jazzig angehauchtem
Singer/Songwriter-Pop. Neben ihrem bewährten Gesang und Gitarrenspiel überzeugt Cunningham, die
kürzlich mit Mumford & Sons auf deren „Railroad Revival“-Tour unterwegs war, diesmal auch am Piano.
Auf dem Album ist auch Robin Pecknold von den Fleet Foxes zu hören. Überhaupt hat sich Madison
Cunningham über die Jahre nicht nur als Liebling von Künstlern wie John Mayer, Hozier und den Fleet
Foxes etabliert, sondern auch als von der Kritik gefeierte Kollaborateurin mit zuletzt Lucy Dacus, Mumford
& Sons, Andrew Bird, Lucius und Remi Wolf.

Two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Madi Diaz is known for her raw and unflinching explorations of love - and now she"s delivered her most powerful statement yet. Stripped down and emotionally direct, "Fatal Optimist" captures Madi at her most intimate and courageous. Together with producer Gabe Wax (known for his work with Soccer Mommy and Zach Bryan), she set out to pare the songs back to their essence, relying solely on her performance and songwriting. The result is a classic and timeless indie-folk album. "Fatal Optimist" follows her critically acclaimed 2023 album "Weird Faith".

Two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Madi Diaz is known for her raw and unflinching explorations of love - and now she"s delivered her most powerful statement yet. Stripped down and emotionally direct, "Fatal Optimist" captures Madi at her most intimate and courageous. Together with producer Gabe Wax (known for his work with Soccer Mommy and Zach Bryan), she set out to pare the songs back to their essence, relying solely on her performance and songwriting. The result is a classic and timeless indie-folk album. "Fatal Optimist" follows her critically acclaimed 2023 album "Weird Faith".

“Oh damn I got fired suddenly, replaced by a hydraulic pump with life long guarantee”.

The undefinable Kaboom Karavan returns to the dusty Belgian roads with a total Fiasko! - or a full blown disaster if you will (seen from a minimalist perspective), although one that might be the antidote to the sterilised and scattered world that increasingly surrounds us. Fiasko! represents a musical chaos that feels both ecstatic, fun, as well as deeply melancholic. Like an overwhelming moment where the world seems to touch you on all senses. This is music for a new underground of black tie workers raising up to the dullness of societal norms by connecting to their inner child. It’s protest music towards the new normal, where the rules are thrown out of the window and unpredictable sense of joy prevails. Shortly said, Fiasko! Is contemporary exotica made by a madman with too much time on his hands.

As usual, Kaboom Karavan releases contains a conglomerate of strange, mostly home made instrumentation, which will be too long to list here. To shorten it down… Bram Bosteels himself, the captain of the ship, plays all kinds of acoustic instruments, guitars, electronics and uses his voice. Additionally we have Bart Maris on trumpet, tuba and trombone. Stefaan Smagghe plays violin and sarangi. Lastly we have Raphael de Cock on such typical instruments as igir, jadagan and uillean pipes. All that remains to be said is: Bring your neighbour, let yourself loose and have some fun. Listen to Fiasko!

When Are You Leaving? is the second full-length album from LA-based Korean-American artist NoSo (Baek Hwong), and it marks a bold evolution in both sound and storytelling. Where their 2022 debut Stay Proud of Me introduced a deeply earnest voice navigating identity and belonging - earning praise from NPR's All Songs Considered, Paste, The Guardian, and a stunning performance at Tiny Desk - this follow-up turns the lens inward with even greater clarity and confidence.

Across a vibrant palette of disco grooves, jagged guitars, and atmospheric ballads, NoSo captures the quiet power of letting go - of fractured relationships, old narratives, and the need to be understood by others. The album is rich with emotional contrast: thorny truths wrapped in dreamy production, vulnerability delivered with the assuredness of an artist coming fully into their own.

Self-produced and sonically fearless, When Are You Leaving? is a coming-of-age record for anyone still in the process of becoming, and a testament to NoSo's place among the most compelling songwriters of their generation.

Here to dazzle you by the power of the disco ball, Lack of Afro is your friendly neighbourhood ‘Love Dealer’. Two years on from the funk & soul rebirth of ‘Square One’, powered by the ubiquitous ‘Loving Arms’ featuring Greg Blackman, Lack of Afro aka Adam Gibbons is now close to two decades deep in the game with soundtrack credits galore and online streams doing calculator-busting numbers. With extensive touring taking ‘Love Dealer’ up and down the country this Autumn, Gibbons’ ninth studio album is all for "the thrill of seeing people on a dancefloor, all collectively locked into a track that you've produced - there’s nothing like it!”.


‘Love Dealer’ is the authentic modern disco experience, packing a stacked sole’s worth of club beats full of stardusted sing-alongs, style-outs and French touch-style cool. Despite being “written during one of the longest winters in living memory”, ‘Love Dealer’, featuring some co-production from fellow South Coast dancefloor scholar Flevans (and influenced by producer du jour Barry Can’t Swim), exudes warmth and will make you sweat when its highs take effect.


Entering the scene with the radiance of ‘Make It Shine’ featuring Greg Blackman, washing over the airwaves of BBC 6 Music and Radio 2 and taking up a 10-week residency on the Jazz FM playlist, Gibbons and his crack line-up of discotheque players are your go-to team when you can’t wait for the weekend to begin, as subtle as they are straight down to business. ‘Love Dealer’ offers you nothing but the best in sparkling string symphonies, the hippest guitar licks, samples of those invited beyond the velvet rope and struts soaked in night fever.


Double A-side ‘Walls Start Rockin’ and ‘Heart & Soul’ guide the album’s glamour-and-groove, while ‘Love Saves The Day’ and ‘Plain to See’ dramatically take to the podium in a shimmer of pure peak 70s theatre. ‘Keeping Me Strong’ is the synergy of disco chic and the sound of a global advertising tie-in with Dyson, ahead of Gibbons taking a slightly Moroder/Cerrone-ish detour on ‘Idolising People Like Madlib’. “'Love Dealer' is aimed unequivocally at the dancefloor" says Adam. "As an artist, I wanted to push myself in a slightly new direction - more into the land of disco and a four to the floor sound. 'Love Dealer' is quintessentially an upbeat record, full of joy, optimism and hope for the future”. Seek your inner ‘Love Dealer’, kink your ‘fro and let your funk flag fly.
















n B7. 14 Your Love (feat. Jonah Hitchens) BONUS TRACK














n B7. 14 Your Love (feat. Jonah Hitchens) BONUS TRACK














n B7. 14 Your Love (feat. Jonah Hitchens) [BONUS TRACK]














[n] B7. 14 Your Love (feat. Jonah Hitchens) [BONUS TRACK]














[n] B7. 14 Your Love (feat. Jonah Hitchens) [BONUS TRACK]














[n] B7. 14 Your Love (feat. Jonah Hitchens) [BONUS TRACK]

Italian producer, musician, DJ, and groove architect Sam Ruffillo drops his long-awaited debut album Tipo Così on Toy Tonics – a sun-drenched, genre-blurring statement that blends classic house with Mediterranean flair, romantic funk, and tongue-in-cheek Italo vibes. Over 11 expertly crafted tracks, Ruffillo delivers a dancefloor-ready, emotionally rich LP that connects deep musicality with irresistible rhythm and light-hearted elegance.

After three acclaimed EPs and collaborations with revered artists such as Barbara Boeing, Kapote, and Fimiani, Ruffillo has firmly cemented himself as a core artist on the Berlin-based label. Known for his unmistakable signature sound — a warm mix of vintage disco, 90s house, and Italian vocals — Sam’s music has garnered widespread DJ support from tastemakers like Gerd Janson, Palms Trax, Seth Troxler, and DJ Tennis, while becoming a staple on Italian airwaves. His infectious summer anthems like Danza Organica and Perfetta Così have soundtracked countless club nights and festivals, creating a loyal following that eagerly awaited this full-length debut.

Tipo Così is the natural culmination of a musical journey that’s both playful and profound — a travel diary written in grooves, synth stabs, and melodies that feel like postcards from a parallel Mediterranean universe. The album expands and deepens Ruffillo’s world into a fully immersive experience: lush emotional chords meet tight syncopated grooves, vintage synth textures collide with irresistibly catchy pop refrains, and the boundary between sincerity and playful irony is exquisitely blurred.

Entirely written, produced, and recorded in Italy, in his beloved hometown of Bologna, the album finds Ruffillo at the helm on keys, drum machines, and production, supported by a talented cast of musicians contributing live bass, guitar, and other organic elements — further enriching his trademark fusion of electronic grooves and natural instrumentation. There’s a tactile warmth in these tracks, a hands-on feel that adds soul and depth to every beat.

This album also marks Ruffillo’s heartfelt return to singing in Italian, with standout tracks like House Tipo Così, Mi Fa Volare, Ancora, and Dentro Di Me, where romantic naïveté meets pulsing club energy in a way that feels both timeless and refreshingly new. The vocal performances add an intimate, human touch to the music, reinforcing the personal stories woven into each song. There’s poetry in the casual, a bittersweet elegance in the way the lyrics float over groove-heavy production.

Having toured extensively across Europe, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Mexico — with sets at iconic venues like Panorama Bar and festivals such as Sónar Barcelona — Ruffillo has fine-tuned much of this album in front of live audiences. The real-world testing ground infused the record with a dynamic energy and immediacy that only comes from genuine crowd interaction. These songs weren’t just made in the studio — they were lived on dancefloors around the world.

Tipo Così is not just a collection of tracks. It’s a philosophy — playful, stylish and unmistakably personal. A modern club album bursting with heartfelt emotion and sophistication. Music for dancers with taste; for lovers of beauty, rhythm, and the little imperfections that make things feel real.

But what exactly is Tipo Così? More than just a phrase, it’s a way of being. It’s about embracing elegance without effort, mixing irony with sincerity, and letting nostalgia slip into the room without taking over the party. It’s Sam Ruffillo’s signature language: relaxed, confident, meticulous yet never rigid — where a chord progression can say as much as a lyric, and every beat carries intention.

The album’s visual identity complements this vision perfectly. The artwork and promotional materials lovingly reference Italian design from the ’80s and ’90s, combining bold graphic elements with playful pop culture nods. This aesthetic mirrors Ruffillo’s music — a fusion of vintage warmth and contemporary freshness, delivered with authenticity and charm.

Sam Ruffillo belongs to a new generation of European artists who are reshaping electronic music by blending past and present, analog and digital, groove and emotion — without nostalgia or pose. His artistic universe is coherent, vibrant, and alive; a rich tapestry of sound, images, and stories that coexist with lightness, precision, and a distinctive voice.

Reflecting on his artistic journey, Sam describes music as a vital, deeply human impulse — a tribal connection to rhythm and body that has driven him since he was a teenager. His creative process balances meticulous planning with room for spontaneity, usually sparked by clear melodic ideas that evolve naturally. Collaborations with close friends, especially vocalists like Ninfa, add warmth and authenticity, exemplified in tracks like “House Tipo Così.” For Sam, music is honest self-expression — crafted for listeners who crave memorable melodies and rhythms imbued with genuine feeling.

While technical perfection is tempting, Sam prioritizes emotion, knowing that what truly resonates is the soul behind the sounds. His long-standing partnership with Toy Tonics has been key in nurturing his vision, offering a blend of creative freedom and professional support. Looking ahead, Sam Ruffillo is excited to broaden his live performances, and release new projects that continue to blend electronic grooves with organic, heartfelt sounds — maintaining the delicate balance between playful irony and sincere emotion that defines Tipo Così.




Kurzversion:
Italian DJ, producer and musician Sam Ruffillo drops his debut album Tipo Così on Toy Tonics - a sunny blend of house, funk, Italo and pop, full of groove and emotion. Written and recorded in Bologna with live instruments and Italian vocals, it’s a playful, elegant journey shaped on dancefloors worldwide. A stylish, sincere club album where nostalgia, irony and rhythm meet in perfect harmony.

- Mi Fa Volare
Road-tested across continents and now finally released, “Mi Fa Volare” channels 90s uplifting euphoria with big breakbeats, lush chords, and Italian vocals built to stick. Somewhere between balearic bliss and piano house nostalgia, it’s a feel-good club weapon made for peak-time moments - already sung back by crowds after just one listen.


- Ancora
“Ancora” is a vibrant hi-NRG track inspired by 80s Italo disco, sung entirely in Italian. It blends driving rhythms with dreamy melodies, capturing the radiant spirit of the decade. This fresh yet nostalgic song delivers euphoric vibes and timeless energy, making it a perfect fit for both dancefloors and reflective listening moments worldwide.


- Dentro Di Me
“Dentro Di Me” channels ‘90s sensuality through a fast-paced, UK house-inspired lens. Entirely in Italian, it’s a bold and contemporary dance track where hypnotic vocals meet high-energy grooves. Blending nostalgic textures with forward-thinking production, the result is a seductive and euphoric trip - equal parts emotional and club-ready.


- Amigo
“Amigo” blends Latin groove, acoustic guitar-driven rhythm, and Mediterranean flair into a warm, magnetic, cross-cultural dance anthem. Sung in Spanish and Italian, it celebrates connection, inclusivity, and the joy of moving together - whether stranger or friend. With its unstoppable rhythm and vibrant energy, it’s a feel-good track with a unifying spirit.


- Ma Sei Fuori
“Ma Sei Fuori” is a tongue-in-cheek dancefloor bomb blending raw house energy with catchy vocal phrases and a nod to classic French touch. Driven by hypnotic vocal lines and a playful attitude, it doesn’t take itself too seriously - while still proving serious club impact. Built for late-night moments, it’s bold, bouncy, and impossible to ignore.

"When Are You Leaving?" ist das zweite Album des in Los Angeles lebenden koreanisch-amerikanischen Künstlers NoSo (Baek Hwong) und markiert eine kühne Entwicklung sowohl im Sound als auch in der Erzählweise. Während sein Debütalbum "Stay Proud of Me" aus dem Jahr 2022 eine zutiefst ernste Stimme vorstellte, die sich mit Identität und Zugehörigkeit auseinandersetzt und dafür Lob von NPR's "All Songs Considered", Paste, The Guardian sowie einen umwerfenden Auftritt bei "Tiny Desk" erntete, wendet sich der Nachfolger mit noch größerer Klarheit und Zuversicht nach innen.
Mit einer lebendigen Palette aus Disco-Grooves, zackigen Gitarren und atmosphärischen Balladen fängt NoSo die stille Kraft des Loslassens ein - von zerbrochenen Beziehungen, alten Narrativen und dem Bedürfnis, von anderen verstanden zu werden. Das Album ist reich an emotionalen Kontrasten: schwierige Wahrheiten, verpackt in eine verträumte Produktion, Verletzlichkeit, gepaart mit der Selbstsicherheit eines Künstlers, der ganz zu sich selbst findet.
Das selbst produzierte und klanglich furchtlose "When Are You Leaving?" ist eine Coming-of-Age-Platte für alle, die noch dabei sind, erwachsen zu werden, und ein Beweis dafür, dass NoSo zu den überzeugendsten Songwritern seiner Generation gehört.

Walk into Light“, gemeinsam geschrieben und aufgenommen mit Keyboarder Peter-John Vettese (ebenfalls ein Jethro-Tull-Kollaborateur), orientierte sich stärker am aufkommenden Synthie-Pop-Stil der 80er Jahre. Introspektiver und persönlicher im Ton, spiegelten Stücke wie „Fly by Night“ und „Made in England“ Andersons wachsende Faszination für das moderne Leben, Technologie und Isolation wider.

Die elektronischen Texturen des Albums beeinflussten Tulls nächste Veröffentlichung „Under Wraps“ (1984) – das synthielastigste und polarisierendste Werk der Band. Rückblickend diente „Walk into Light“ als kreatives Testfeld und bereitete den Weg für ein neues Kapitel in Andersons Solokarriere und Jethro Tulls sich entwickelndem Sound.

Diese Single-Sleeve-LP-Edition von „Walk into Light“ auf schwarzem Vinyl enthält Audiomaterial, das von John Webber in den Londoner AIR Studios mit halber Geschwindigkeit neu gemastert wurde.

Ska was the name given to the music that came out of Jamaica between 1961/66.Based on the American R&B and Doo Wop records that the Sound Systems in Kingston Town used to play.But the American records style started to mellow out while the Jamaicans preferred a more upbeat sound.So the Sound System boss's became record producers to cater for this demand.Sir 'Coxonne'Dodd and Duke Reid led the way putting the top musicians on the island in the studio to make music,its subtle twist that had an emphasis placed on the offbeat made the music unmistakably Jamaican.
W.I.R.L Records(West India Records Limited) was set up by the Jamaican politician Edward Seaga in the late 1950's.He had supervised the recording of an album of Ethnic Jamaican music and needed an outlet for its eventual release.In 1962 the year of Jamaican Independence ,Seaga became a member of Parliament, representing the Jamaican Labour Party and then decided to sell the label to Bryon Lee,the sale led to a name change from W.I.R.L to Dynamic Sounds.
We have compiled some of the best SCORCHING SKA SOUNDS that came out of W.I.R.L vaults...and it still sounds as fresh today as the day it was recorded...hope you enjoy the set

Zelienople frontman Matt Christensen returns to Miasmah with Constant Green - a record of reverberant country inspired songs that puts the weight somewhere between Johnny Cash and Slowdive. Matt pours out his soul through flashes of life - small and large. His voice roaming over the guitars in a way which feels like a floating poetic deluge.

Appearing fresh from last years Zelienople album Hold You Up, Matt has made a very personal record that arrives as perfectly as it could be. It is full of beautiful sparse moments that capture the feeling of time standing still while simultaneously flashing in front of your eyes. As a child of the 70ies, growing up with country influenced AM rock on the radio, riding around in cars without seatbelts, Matt creates this nostalgic feeling of free riding through the city streets at dusk : a dream world where one can see green as a symbol for humanity and optimism. Not to say the album doesn't have it's share of darkness. Christensen always lingers deep in melancholy, driving his fears and anxieties out through music.

Visions of being able to move anywhere, picking his mother up from jail, family matters, change, the small things in life - all outtakes from what he sings about. Although it's hard to pick up on unless you really listen, as his ramblings can at one moment be fully clear while in the next drowned or muffled - becoming a mere meditative element to the music. Steady collaborators Brian Harding and Eric Eleazer from Zelienople accompanies on pedal steel and keys to further fill the sound into a warm dream, following in the footsteps of Matt ́s previous Miasmah album Honeymoons (2016). That said, while Honeymoons used drum machines and vast open spaces, Constant Green is another step closer towards the classic singer-songwriter folklore. Timeless gold from an artist that never stops creating.

10 year anniversary edition of Kreng's massive »Works for Abattoir Férme 2007 - 2011”« 4 LPs worth of slow, skin crawling cinematic ambience made for the Belgian theatre group Abattoir Fermé.

It could hardly be a better time to again dive deep into Kreng and Abattoir Fermé's disturbingly beautiful underground worlds. Through 8 full- length vinyl sides we are transported through the most terrifying, shadow- filled, down-right bizarre moments of the subconscious. What could be the sound of your darkest dreams or most surreal fantasies gradually unfolds throughout the three and a half hour duration. Exactly this is what Abattoir Fermé specialises in, and Pepijn Caudron's scores perfectly reflect and accompanies both this theatricality as well as our own fears and desires in a masterful way.

Each extended side is crafted from an arsenal of samples, disintegrating vinyl and corroded tape, and Pepijn Caudron manipulates these sounds in a way that belies the sources. Rather than allow the sounds to emerge, they stay trapped beneath swathes of noise, tape delay and oppressive bass giving us a compositions that emerge like a cross between William Basinski, Jerry Goldsmith (circa Alien) and Henryk Górecki.’ »Works for Abattoir Fermé« is not for the faint of heart, but for the rest of us it might be just what the Doctor ordered...

Explosive madness from one of the UK underground rave music scenes unsung heroes, Warlock - under his Hooverian Blur moniker, debuting on the label with a heavyweight set of bangers!

He’s the type of guy who rocks up to the shop with two bags of tunes and gets stuck right in - never takes long to get the system pumping & people moving! We were very excited when he dropped a folder of demos over last year, and had to bite his arm off so we could get them out there as soon as possible!

Huge love to all support for the shop, label, and the recent move & opening of our late night bar in New Cross - it’s turning out to be a really special place, and perfect new HQ for us and our community.

Large ups Benton, Dawl, Dwarde, Emerald, Nia Archives, Pete Canon, Sully on the early support of this one. Not forgetting Antek, Borai, Drumskull, LMajor, Mani Festo, Uncle G, WNCL & all that like it breakbeat heavy!”

Planet Wax Team
(Dexta, Lewis, D-Lo, Lis, Jenn, Roman, Errol, Castro, Lauren, Josh, Max & Chano)

The Pitch is a quartet made up of Boris Baltschun, Koen Nutters, Michael Thieke and Morten Joh. Founded in Berlin in 2009, they play a hypnotic form of structured improvisation full of acoustic exploration and electronic intervention. On Neutral Star, The Pitch are joined by Australian guitarist/composer extraordinaire Julia Reidy for a record of star gazing electro-acoustic jazz.

Reidy's playing and compositional technique between Takoma-style fingerpicking and Glenn Branca'esque microtonality, perfectly complements the loose improvisational framework The Pitch is providing. Endless ≠ Limitless, a recent piece by Reidy and Joh, is transformed from a washed-out/obscured tape delay composition into a colorful, meandering ensemble piece with a swarming character - blooming with intrigue for the patient ear. The B-side strikes a more gentle tone: the 24-minute Neutral Star begins with a siren-like overtone whose drone-like flowing slowly morphs into a deterritorial modality with jazzy undertone. Accompanied by constant eruptions of vibraphone, clarinet, electronics and double bass punctuation – while permanently questioned by Reidy's drippingly pearly steel guitar work. Slowly evolving into new territories through the expansive instrumentation and keen listening between the players.

The fact that Neutral Star was recorded in one take (by Rabih Beaini in his Morphine Raum studio/venue) in front of a live audience and without overdubs is hard to believe, even for the trained ear. The recording appears to be too multilayered for a single snapshot, with its compositional structures constantly shifting and moving against themselves, counterintuitively and anti-cyclically. Reidy´s playing has been described as "unstable harmonic territory, and the collaboration with The Pitch interprets this concept brilliantly - adding further non-places to the territory. And the listener, however, is never left alone in the process of tectonic shifts - at least as long as their listening is attentive and contemplative at once.

Furthering the passionate exploration of cinema that has guided her two previous LPs - 2017’s ‘Fassbinder Wunderkammer’ and 2020’s ‘I Should Have Been a Gardener’ - the Milanese guitarist/composer, Alessandra Novaga, returns to Die Schachtel with ‘The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle’, two sides off shimmering, tense compositions – culminating as one of her most creatively ambitious and conceptually rich outings to date – freely inspired by the life and work of the Russian director Andrej Tarkovsky and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Classically trained at the Musik Akademie in Basel, Switzerland, over the last decade Alessandra Novaga has emerged as one of the leading figures within northern Italy’s thriving new, experimental, and improvised music scene, rendering striking solo efforts, in addition to collaborations with Loren Connors, Stefano Pilia, Elliott Sharp, Nicola Ratti, Paula Matthusen, Sandro Mussida, Kid Millions, Travis Just, Francesco Gagliardi, and others. Remarkably ambitious and forward thinking, her approach to the guitar embarks upon a relentless deconstruction and rethinking of her instrument’s unique properties through distinct applications of structure, resonance, space, and tone, creating in a deeply personal and emotive music, seeking narrative and meaning within the abstractions of sound.

In 2017, with the LP, ‘Fassbinder Wunderkammer’, issued by Setola Di Maiale, Novaga embarked upon the exploration of her love of film. Having begun with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this was followed in 2020 by Die Schachtel’s release of ‘I Should Have Been a Gardener’, a deeply intimate mediation on the life and work of Derek Jarman. Rather than focusing on a fixed point of inspiration or a single film to work from, these pieces achieve a form of abstract portraiture, distilling elements drawn from these filmmaker’s life and work into ambient networks of texture and tonality. ‘The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle”’ freely inspired by the Russian director Andrej Tarkovsky and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, finds Novaga radically expanding her sonic palette within this approach.

The seeds of ‘The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle’ can be traced to a conversation that Novaga had with Alan Licht (contained in the highly regarded Common Tones: Selected interviews with artists and musicians 1995–2020, Blank Forms, 2021), relating to the connections between music and cinema, which led her to consider Andrej Tarkovsky’s use of Bach's music within a symbiotic framework: how the music illuminates the imagism of the films, and the film illuminates new dimensions of the music. Slowly developing over the subsequent years, the resulting album comprises six individual works, some of which draw directly upon pieces of Bach’s music that Tarkovsky used in his films – specifically 'Erbarme dich, Mein Gott', 'Das alte Jahr vergangen ist', and 'Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ' - while others draw upon the sensibilities and moods evoked in the imagination by the director’s films.

As a point of departure and illumination into the process and spirit that underscored the creation of the album, Novaga points toward a passage in Tarkovsky’s "Sculpting in Time”:

“Art is born and takes hold wherever there is a timeless and insatiable longing for the spiritual, for the ideal: that longing which draws people to art. Modern art has taken a wrong turn in abandoning the search for the meaning of existence in order to affirm the value of the individual for its own sake. What purports to be art begins to look like an eccentric occupation for suspect characters who maintain that any personalized action is of intrinsic value simply as a display of self-will. But in artistic creation the personality does not assert itself, it serves another, higher and communal idea.”

‘The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle’ can be understood as a realisation of the collectivism of which Tarkovsky speaks, in the service of something far beyond the expression of self. Encountering Novaga moving into fairly uncharted waters, three of the album’s pieces incorporate the human voice we encounter the voices of others: that of the poet Arsenij Tarkovsky, the director’s father; a singer from Bach’s ‘Erbarme dich, Mein Gott’, capturing a broadcast in an underground parking lot, and Novaga’s own, rendering the melody from Bach’s “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ”. Roughly alternating between solo excursions on guitar and bristling electroacoustic pieces, over the course of the album’s two sides Novaga weaves one of her most abstract and ambitious bodies of recordings to date, shifting between the complex tonal mediations generated by the six strings of her instrument, and phycological densities activated by the expanded pallet of sonority made possible by the tactics and approaches of musique concrète.

An immersive, deeply engaging meeting of beauty and melancholy within a labyrinth of voices and ideas, ‘The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle’ transfigures the life and work of Andrej Tarkovski – one of the greatest auteurs in the history of cinema – into a singular, experimental statement of collective truth. Belonging to recent, ambitious stream of contemporary new music releases on Die Schachtel that’s already included Novaga’s ‘I Should Have Been a Gardener’, Stefano Pilia’s ‘Spiralis Aurea’, Jim O'Rourke & Giovanni Di Domenico’ ‘Immanent In Nervous Activity’, Claudio Rocchetti’s ‘Labirinto Verticale’, and Damāvand’s ‘As Long As You Come To My Garden’, among others, ‘The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle’ is available on as a limited edition of 300 dark turquoise vinyl LPs released on June 21, 2024. The LP, designed by Bruno Stucchi / dinamomilano, comes with an 8-pages insert illuminated by Alessandra’s text as well as the lovely and intense photographs of Matilde Piazzi.

37 years after the release of her multi-million selling debut album "Ancient Heart" Tanita Tikaram will release the sequel entitled "LIAR (Love Isn"t A Right)". The long-awaited new album reveals the emotional and societal differences between the woman Tanita was at just 18 when she made "Ancient Heart" to the woman she is today, taking in four decades of life experience. Her first album in almost a decade, "LIAR (Love Isn"t A Right)" is an album of haunting beauty and exquisite musicianship underplaying her unique voice that tells a masterful story of emotional, political and personal truths. When it was released in 1988, the multi-million selling "Ancient Heart" was the story of an uncertain 18-year-old brown gay woman living in middle England feeling like a stranger in her own home. Almost 40 years later that same woman, now feeling like a stranger in her own country as politics and society become more divisive. "LIAR (Love Is A Right)" is a full circle moment: a comment on community and its importance for all our futures and the perfect accompaniment to her classic breakthrough.

37 years after the release of her multi-million selling debut album "Ancient Heart" Tanita Tikaram will release the sequel entitled "LIAR (Love Isn"t A Right)". The long-awaited new album reveals the emotional and societal differences between the woman Tanita was at just 18 when she made "Ancient Heart" to the woman she is today, taking in four decades of life experience. Her first album in almost a decade, "LIAR (Love Isn"t A Right)" is an album of haunting beauty and exquisite musicianship underplaying her unique voice that tells a masterful story of emotional, political and personal truths. When it was released in 1988, the multi-million selling "Ancient Heart" was the story of an uncertain 18-year-old brown gay woman living in middle England feeling like a stranger in her own home. Almost 40 years later that same woman, now feeling like a stranger in her own country as politics and society become more divisive. "LIAR (Love Is A Right)" is a full circle moment: a comment on community and its importance for all our futures and the perfect accompaniment to her classic breakthrough.