Composer, multi-instrumentalist and mixed-media artist, Takehisa Kosugi has stood on the forefront of the Japanese avant-garde for over six decades. In the 1960s, he was part of Japan's first improvisational music collective, Group Ongaku, and contributed to Fluxus in New York. In 1969, he founded the influential, experimental ensemble The Taj Mahal Travellers, and in 1975 he would release his first solo album, Catch-Wave.
"Mano-Dharma '74" features improvised violin drones and voice with various oscillators, echo delays and layered tape experiments that the artist made in New York in 1967. While Kosugi's continuously changing spectrum of sound shifts gradually (almost imperceptibly), photocell synthesizers create ultra-low frequencies to disturb the crestless sound waves. The brighter the light is, the harsher the noise becomes.
For the first Sprechen foray into vinyl we are pleased to have been able to coerce Justin Unabomber out of his self imposed studio retirement & 'borrow' him briefly from being a Manchester restauranteur so that we can drop 4 previously un-released cuts, tailor-made for the very dance floor of the legendary Electric Chair!
No 10 minute, Ableton stretched, kick-hat-snare kinda 'edits' here...just 4 powerhouse pumpers designed for maximum fist pumping/camo netting pulling, basement boogyism for late night jackers & early morning style crackers.
4 serious units that many will have lost their shit to on the dance floors of The Roadhouse (RIP) & The Music Box (RIP again!) as well as that annual gathering of misfits & dandies, The End Of Year Riot.
Exclusive to a limited run on vinyl with screen printed sleeves & hand stamped centres.
Another classic selection from the Mad Professor. A Various Artists compilation featuring the Queens Of ARIWA. Smooth Lovers Rock meets Reggae head on as the ladies on ARIWA deliver
stunning vocal performances. Features Carroll Thompson, Aisha, Jah 9 and Jayzik. Mad Professor and ARIWA Records have been producing music and releasing
CDs and Vinyl for nearly 30 years with acatalogue of a good few hundred titles. Stunning LP artwork
Georgia Anne Muldrow returns with a modern soul classic in the
making - 'Overload', via Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder record label.
An incredibly talented vocalist, songwriter and producer,
Georgia Anne Muldrow effortlessly spans jazz, soul and hip hop
and, during her 12 year career, has collaborated with Madlib,
Erykah Badu, Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange, Bilal and Robert
Glasper.
'Overload' was executively produced by Flying Lotus, Aloe Blacc
and Dudley Perkins.
For fans of NxWorries, Erykah Badu, The Internet, Madlib.
Notable collaborations on 'Overload' include Dudley Perkins,
Shana Jenson, Moods, Lustbass and Mike & Keys (50 Cent,
Nipsey Hussle, Snoop Dogg, G-Eazy), who contribute
production to four tracks including the sleek, anthemic title
track alongside Khalil (Dr Dre).
CD digipack. LP pressed on 180g heavyweight black vinyl in an
artworked innersleeve housed in a 3mm spined outer sleeve
with digital download card included.
Artwork by Martin Norwood (Nice Dreams Studio). Layout by
Adam Stover.
'No one sings a heavy love song like Georgia Anne Muldrow' -
Pitchfork Best New Track
'Beautifully poised between classic 90s R&B and something
strange, disorientating and psychedelic.' - The Guardian
Mickey Pearce is back in business with 'One Hundred Smiles', a new album of swaggering UK club music experimentations, and a new label Box Of Toys.
His first album, 'Michael' (2016), saw him exploring new territory; crafting a strange and melancholic landscape of beatless textures and leftfield house and techno. Approached with a fresh perspective, 'One Hundred Smiles' slows the tempo and ups the collaboration.
'The last record was a reflection of my situation around that time. This one is like stepping out from under a cloud. It's about the joy of collaboration; meeting and working with new people. It's also about the ambiguity of smiles, and the complicated relationships we form.'
The album features appearances from rising UK talent Poté, Taiwanese vocalist Meuko Meuko and Greek electronic pioneer Lena Platonos.
'Poté is a crazy talent. We've done a bunch of sessions and made a load of tracks, two of which ended up here and one of which is going on his next record.
Meuko Meuko is an artist from Taiwan. We communicate entirely via Instagram. She'd send me translations of the lyrics in Instagram messages, but I'm still not sure if I've chopped them into any sort of sense. The instrumental was called 'Slime', and she misread that intentionally or unintentionally to mean 'smile' and sent me all these crazy lines about 'your lovely smile' and it was just perfect. I love her.
Lena Platonos is a legend, and someone I was honoured to work with. The day she told me she had been playing and enjoying the record around her friends was a good day.'
'One Hundred Smiles' is the first release on his own label Box Of Toys. The label is named the same as his 2017-2018 radio show series, which featured the album's guests as well as Randomer, Machine Woman, Airhead, The Maghreban and Object Blue.
'One Hundred Smiles' is released on LP and digital via Box Of Toys on 2nd November 2018.
The debut release from new Scottish producer North Sea Dialect, Local Guide is a dense musical world made of uneasy ambience, shimmering distortion, subdued rhythm and propulsive melody.
Buried in its soundscapes are the echoes and surrealness of alienated life - expectant youth, distant voices and broken folklore. It's industrialised music tied together with found sound, adrenaline fuelled synthesis and the depths of late night solitude. Conceived during a move from Glasgow across Scotland and composed in isolation, a blistering sense of reality creeps through the recordings.
Local Guide is accompanied by three videos for the tracks Mossy Cyphol, Subarctic Baltasound and Gloup. The short films are haunted and illuminated by the serenity of rural freedom, the power of the sea, and the collapse of industry.
out of Stock
Last delivered 7 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Following on from the three highly-acclaimed CoOp Presents 'Selectors Assemble' compilation EPs from the past year, it's now time to focus on some of the individual talents from the ever-evolving movement. As the international foundation grows, we invite aboard the extremely talented Neue Grafik into the fold.
French producer, instrumentalist and DJ, Neue Grafik, has been building a strong rep for himself over the past few years, releasing records previously on labels such as Rhythm Section, 22a and Wolf Music. His sound is a hybrid of jazz, house, broken beat and hip hop, all with his unique geographical flavours of African ethnicity, Parisian roots and a love for London thrown into the mix.
So to the music - two brand new tracks, 'I Miss Something' and 'Bed Stuy's Mood', complete with remixes from EVM128, Danvers, Xtra Bruk and NameBrandSound (aka label bosses IG Culture & Alex Phountzi) respectively, making this one essential package for the bruk soldiers and beyond.
In Neue Grafik's words...
"I remember the first time I was at a CoOp party and met IG - I just said something like "unbelievable party, well done! Thank you, man". I didn't expect to be a part of this brilliant family a few months after that; it's totally insane to think about it now.
I began to hang properly with the CoOp fam during a DJ session at The Flex in East London. I was so happy to live in this moment; surrounded by these talented performers, artists and producers, excitedly talking about unreleased music on everyone's USB sticks.
This EP is a personal vision of the broken beat scene and my love for that. A meeting with artists who build my own taste, with friends keeping the same vibrancy and desire for this music. 'I Miss Something' and 'Bed Stuy's Mood' are two tracks dedicated to Porte Des Lilas (Paris), and Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York). One was made in my house, the other on holiday. These two tracks, as well as the remixes from the Selectors Assemble crew, represent a real and deep friendship."
More essential music from the CoOp Presents camp, available on limited vinyl and all digital services. Don't sleep.
2nd Reissue
Fredfades & Ivan Ave's debut release
This time on black vinyl
300 copies
For fans of J Dilla, MNDSGN, Madlib, Yogisoul
Contains 17 tracks produced by Fredfades using the SP-1200 and MPC 2000XL. The A-side is all vocal tracks by the Norwegian lyrical genius Ivan Ave who is widely known for his projects with MNDSGN (Stones Throw). The B-side is a mesh of Fredfades instrumentals.
A collabo you couldn't make up. Ice-T & Charlie Funk team up with Hamburg's Mighty Mocambos for a funked up version of their single "Bounce That Ass", blending old school west coast vibes with raw funk recorded live to tape, guaranteed to get every dancefloor busy.
Ice-T & Afrika Islam aka Charlie Funk wrote history together. They made countless platinum LPs, won grammys and oscars and shaped rap music as we know it today with albums like "Rhyme Pays" and "Power". Here they reunite for the fun(k) of it, celebrating the motion of hips like only they could and the Mighty Mocambos once again leave no doubt about their status as absolute funk heavyweights and 45 champions.
This 12' is a document of modern contemporary music, containing future artifacts made by a selection of old friends and new faces. All of them deviate from what's obvious, possessing the ability to be serene and mental at the same time. Their coming together here is a great opportunity to appreciate this kinship, while at the same time acknowledging what distinguishes them from each other in terms of sound and representation.
Odd Beholder, the project of Zurich-based musician Daniela Weinmann, releases the full-length debut album "All Reality Is Virtual" this fall.
"All Reality Is Virtual" is an intelligent, tenderly flowing and weird pop album, colourful, assertive. It deals with the strange temptations of our time: from tinder to AI, from offline loneliness to obsessive self-marketing. "I noticed that the main temptation of a digitalized life is the idea that everything can be measured, recorded and therefore known." says Weinmann. "But I yearn for surprise, for wonder. The unknown, the uncontrollable is appealing to me."
Odd Beholder have released two highly acclaimed EPs already, "Lighting" and "Atlas". Followed by the "Remixes" EP. Those remixes have been contributed by friends made along the way and artists Odd Beholder became fans of: The/Das, Fejká, Hundreds, Alessandro Giannelli, Kalipo, Thomas Atzmann. After having played tours in China, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, Daniela Weinmann teamed up with swiss musician and producer Martin Schenker to finish producing Odd Beholder's debut album. "All Reality Is Virtual" will be out Oct. 19th, 2018 on Sinnbus and Mouthwatering Records.
After a break of 6 years, Atlanta based electronic musician, producer and sound designer Richard Devine returns with a new album 'SortLave' on Venetian Snares' Timesig imprint. Recorded between 2016 and 2017 using Richard's custom built Eurorack modular system and two Nord G2 Modular units, SortLave features 12 tracks of intricate electronica that ranges from abrasive percussive experiments such as 'Revsic' to 'Astra's dazzling juxtaposition of sounds and onto the radiant ambience of the album's closer 'Takara'.
Talking about the album's genesis Devine explains 'I've been using modular synthesizers since I was 17, but have never written complete tracks using these newer systems. This was my first experiment to see if it would be possible and I probably spent about 5 years building up the systems that I used on this album.' 'I wanted the record to sound very different to my previous works which had been more cold, digital, clinical even, and had all been made using computers. The aim here was the complete opposite, to create something that felt very organic, detailed, spacious, big and warm and just as importantly, a record that you could put on and play all the way through that flowed in a seamless way.' This new approach was to prove fruitful and enabled Devine to create music in an entirely new way. 'I really wanted to break free from timeline-based music creation and do things with my hands on the fly,' he explains. 'So the tracks are more like captured snapshot performances where I could experiment and play around with the idea of probability-based sequencing for every patch, string multiple sequencers together that would feed other sequencers to come up with interesting rhythms and melodies. It was really fun coming up with new sounds this way too, I felt like I created several I haven't heard before with this album. Some of the tracks on the album were complete accidents and evolved from something that happened spontaneously. In the end I feel this is one of the best records I have released to date, so I'm very excited to share it with the world.'
Making his debut in 1995, Devine's releases for labels including Schematic, Warp Records and Detroit Underground have established him as one of the leading figures within the electronica community. In addition to his musical productions, Devine has enjoyed a lengthy and successful career in sound design, developing patches for many of the world's leading music technology businesses and working with companies such as Google and Nike.
With her debut album Self Fulfilling Prophecy, released by InFiné last June, the French producer closed the loop on the first sequence of her life. A sequence filled with transformations, encounters and collaborations: her successive moves to Montréal and Berlin (where she was closely involved with feminist activism), and her foundational residency at Detroit's Underground Resistance, among others, informed her authentic, global-minded techno aesthetic. The aptly-named Self Fulfilling Prophecy is thus the honest expression of a artist who has found herself at the center of techno activism, an eloquent testimonial to 'how today's electronic is made.' With the necessary hindsight and application, La Fraicheur has created an opus that blends raging techno with more atmospheric moments. An opus that is now being reviewed in light of the electronic scene's main pillar: the dancefloor. 'Self Fulfilling Prophecy remixes' recasts in vinyl version the Techno esprit of La Fraicheur´s original album with four reworks, which condition the dancers to unstoppable footwork as much as they open the listeners 'minds up. On the A-side, an activist of the Polish scene, VTSS is a leading figure in the protest against conservatism, racism and ambient homophobia and one of the founders of the Brutaz parties in Warsaw. She rocks 'Eau Troubles' in an 'industrial' soundscape, as disturbing as fascinating
In the sweltering North-Eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco lies the coastal city of Recife, where Amaro Freitas is pioneering the new sound of Brazilian jazz. For the prodigious young pianist, the spirit of his hometown runs deep. From the Afro-Brazilian maracatu born on the sugar plantations of slavery, to the high intensity carnival rhythms of frevo and baião, Amaro's heavily percussive approach to jazz is as indebted to these Pernambuco traditions as it is to Coltrane, Parker and Monk.
As with many of the greats before him, Amaro began playing piano in church aged 12, under the instruction of his father, leader of the church band. As his natural talents became obvious, the young prodigy quickly outgrew his father's instruction. He won a place at the prestigious Conservatório Pernambucano de Música but had to drop out as his family could not spare the money for the bus fare. Undeterred, Amaro gigged in bands at weddings and worked in a call centre to fund his tuition. The transformative moment came at age 15 when Amaro stumbled across a DVD of Chick Corea concert, 'he completely blew my mind, I'd never seen anything like it but I knew that's what I wanted to do with a piano'.
Despite not actually owning a piano, Amaro devoted himself to studying day and night - he would practice on imaginary keys in his bedroom, until eventually striking a deal with a local restaurant to practice before opening hours. By the age of 22 Amaro was one of the most sought-after musicians in Recife and resident pianist at the legendary jazz bar Mingus. It was during this time he met and begun collaborating with bassist Jean Elton and the pair went in search of a drummer. 'We kept hearing about this crazy kid who was playing in 7/8 or 6/4, we knew we had to meet him'. Hugo Medeiros joined, and the Amaro Freitas Trio was born.
'I want to show the simplicity of music, to break the stigma that the piano is for a particular social class. Yes, it's a difficult instrument, which many people do not have access to, but with it you can express everything.'
Following his critically acclaimed debut album Sangue Negro (black blood), the title of his sophomore release Rasif is a colloquial spelling of Amaro's home town. A love letter to his native northeast, Amaro explores its traditional rhythms through the jazz idiom, employing complex mathematical patterns reminiscent of some of the most challenging works by fellow Brazilian masters Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti and Moacir Santos.
Preferring to see the piano as a though it were a drum with 88 unique tones, Amaro's intelligence and emotion intertwine on every track, from album opener 'Dona Eni': a scorching reconstruction of the baião rhythmic structure, played in seven measures instead of two, to the serene homage to the coastal reef and its ecosystems on the title track 'Rasif'. 'Aurora' is a suite of three parts, representing the sun's journey from the light and soft of the rise, to the aggressive dissonance at its midday zenith and descending chromatic cadences as the sun sets.
Due for an Autumn release on Far Out Recordings, Rasif sees Amaro Freitas take a deserved step onto the world stage. Having already made a name for himself in Brazil, Amaro and his phenomenal band will embark on their first European tour later this year.
Amaro Freitas - Piano
Hugo Medeiros - Drums & Percussion
Jean Elton - Double Bass
Henrique Albino - Baritone Sax, Flutes & Clarinet
All compositions by Amaro Freitas
Produced by Amaro Freitas
Recorded by Bruno Giorgi @ Carranca Studio, Recife, Brazil
Mixed and mastered by Bruno Giorgi @ Quarto Studio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Steve Bicknell returns to his 6dimensions label, adopting his The Evader guise once again with a re- issue release titled 'Awakening The Past 2'. Returning as The Evader for the second instalment of 'Awakening The Past', this will be Steve's fourth appearance on 6dimensions and features four tracks from 1994's 'No Hats Required' EP, which dropped on influential UK label, Cosmic Records - the tracks were originally made by Steve to be played together as a segment in various combinations. This release follows outings from 6dimensions artists Jing, Metro Skim and Heartless - continuing the label's theme of illustrating the 'human mind's natural make-up'. 'No Hats Required - Track 1' displays a locked 4x4 groove, filled with tidy modulations bouncing gracefully off the kicks before 'Track 6' offers a fast-pitched looping beat with floating percussive jitters. 'Track 2' then features twisted stab sequences over a minimal drum loop before a rolling 808 beat joins oscillating bass flutters in 'Track 3'. On the flip, Bicknell presents two new tracks recorded in 2017. 'Power Of Balance' provides cross firing synth shrills layered and tough techno convolutions to generate a rising intensity, until 'Shifting Illusion' concludes the package with minimalist dubbed-out flavours whilst flush melodies harmonise with continuous pulsations.
RAWAX welcomes DJ Pegasuz to the artist Family! We're very proud to present you the label boss of HAMSA Intenational with a fantastic debut for our HOUSEWAX imprint
Boofy hails from Bristol's fine heritage of progressive bass music producers. Having made a name for himself as part of the Bandulu crew and his own Sector 7 Sounds imprint, as well as dropping killer releases on Innamind Recordings and No Corner.
Lucky for us, he's saved some of his deepest, heaviest hitting cuts for Tectonic! This 4 track EP is a masterclass in minimal effectiveness, with rhythms ready to set the dancefloor off that reveal ever deeper subtitles on repeated listens.
'Back In The Box' sets the pace with swinging hats, thumping kicks and a bass line that will sound like an earthquake on the right system! Follow up for 'Herbie' which takes things in dissonant direction, before dropping hard and with authority.
Flip then for the EP title track, an exploration around the paranoid edges of a creative mind, stretched to capacity. Finally the EP closes up with 'Perfunktion', a rolling rhythm with a lighter mood, somewhat reminiscent of Mala circa 2006. Quality stuff from an excellent producer who is going from strength to strength right now.
DJ Support from: Kahn & Neek, Mala, Tubby, RSD, Joker & many more
Roman Flügel needs no introduction, so lets not hammer on about his lengthy history as a kingpin of contemporary German dance music, his essential contributions to the musical evolution of Darmstadt and Frankfurt, his achievements as a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist traversing genres with remarkable grace, his sense of dynamism and urgency in the construction of big-room anthems or the meticulously woven textures of melancholy found throughout his minimalist work, his ability to pay homage to pioneers of his musical heritage without diverting to pastiche, his fearless combination of familiar melody with synthesized aberration and imperfection, his approach to instrumentation as Haiku poetry where the ordinary is made profound through simple isolation, his rejection of stylistic pretense and acceptance of comforts found in the constructs of folk and pop, his contrast of cold efficiency with a warm naivete´, his yearning to return down previously-forged paths with a new accumulation of experience, the confidence to paint the room blue when it was meant to be black, his belief that a beautifully executed idea will always transcend the need for incessant polishing, the way in which he leads arrangements to the edge and only implies a resolve, his framing of musical narratives as sketches, outlines, or skeletons where the listener's perception compliments the whole, or his notion that sometimes stories might not need a clear articulation but might only come through in hints of mood, pace, and color, a language which doesn't rely on words to communicate but which paints for us in Themes. Yes, rather than hearing our attempt to elaborate on Roman's Flu¨gel's debut album with the ESP Institute, lets just simply listen.
Circle Sky is an electronic band and communications network.
Based in London, with operatives working worldwide, the network is anonymous by nature, but inclusive and open source by design.Iris is the current voice of the network, its messenger, its communicator and its focal point. She is always in the present.
The network is evolving in real time and its actions are guided by the response from its members, for whom all like minds are welcome to participate.The network has started online but will continue offline as connections are made IRL with performances and transmissions. Circle Sky represents positive use of technology. There will inevitably be glitches in the network however. Which is where the fun starts...
The objective is to create a world and inclusive communications network around the band, using current and future technology.
Circle Sky is music first. The network is brought together by the music, and is there to support the musical connection with fans around the world. Circle Sky is a network.
Harlem's legendary Disco label Queen Constance has long been a cult favourite among fans of underground dance music for decades.
One of many labels operating under the equally legendary P&P family of imprints Queen Constance was operated by one Peter Brown, a truly colossal figure in NYC's music scene, it's catalogue still fascinates music lovers to this day. Covering a wide range of styles including Gospel, early Rap and Disco the label's output continually finds it way into the playlists of respected DJ's and selectors across the globe. Wayne Forde's super heavyweight 'Dance To The Music Freakout' is the second reissue from the label for 2018!
Yet again, not much is known about Wayne Forde, or his band 'Stereo'. Could it be another Peter and Patrick studio project Another selection of local, neighbourhood players and singers Who knows What we do know, however, is that this record is a TOTAL disco bomb. All of what you want from a Queen Constance record is here, it's dripping in funk, raw and soulful. Essential stuff for anyone with even a passing interest in disco or anything funky. These jams are super long, percussive dance-floor melters that will do damage! Super rare, too. You won't find one of these nestled in the racks in your local chazzer, which is exactly why these (legit) represses should be in your cart. Essential.
This is a 100% legit reissue, made in conjunction with Above Board distribution and the Demon Music group, lovingly remastered with love by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK.
Welcome to JANX Records' first release. The debut EP features Kevin Over, Sarp Yilmaz, Frag Maddin and Boj Angler. Four friends and four cuts of naughty sample-based house music. All tracks recorded with love in Berlin, Istanbul, Essen and Ibiza. Available as digital release as well as strictly limited vinyl with silk screen cover art, hand-printed and packaged by the artists themselves. Vital Sales Points: Various Artists EP featuring Sarp Yilmaz (Istanbul) with former releases on Apparel Music, Swink Music Kevin Over (Essen) with former releases on e.g. Madhouse Records, 4Lux, Rough Recordings Frag Maddin (Berlin) with former releases on e.g. Madhouse Records, Upon.You, Kakudo Records, etc. Boj Angler (Ibiza) with former releases on Esance
15 Jahre nach seinem frühen Tod feiert - The 20th Century Records Albums (1973-1979)' Barry White als einen der größten Künstler / Songwriter / Produzenten der 70er Jahre. Er etablierte den neuen Klang der Orchesterseele, der über das Jahrzehnt und darüber hinaus zu einem Grundbestandteil wurde. Das Vinyl-Box-Set enthält alle 9 LP-Alben, die Barry White über das Label 20th Century Records veröffentlicht hat und werden hier zum ersten Mal zusammengestellt. Alle neun Alben wurden zum ersten Mal seit ihrer Veröffentlichung in den 70er Jahren von den originalen analogen Masterbändern remastert und werden hier mit ihrem originalen Sleeve und Label Art präsentiert. Die Alben wurden in den Abbey Road Studios in London auf hochwertigem 180g Vinyl geschnitten, um die höchstmögliche Audioqualität zu garantieren.
[ZZA] q4 | Oh Me, Oh My (I'm Such a Lucky Guy)
[ZZB] r1 | I Can't Leave You Alone
[ZZC] r2 | Call Me, Baby
[ZZD] r3 | How Did You Know It Was Me
"It's Maths classes. A red-haired boy sits in the back, rhythmically tapping his fingers on a table like a madman. Although other students' eyesight is focused on the formula being written on the black-board, the boy could not care less. Out of a corner of his eye he notices as the sequence of numbers slowly begins to melt off the blackboard, glittering with colours, and finally spills all over the floor like a fractal leakage from some other dimension. Students from the first rows, scared, put their legs up - and then you start to hear the rhythm. The sounds, once set free, feedback from the walls and find their way to all chinks and cracks, circle all around to finally reach the teacher's ear. The lady cannot stop the upcoming fury, grabs Krzysztof Ostrowski (number 28) by his ear and circumventing the leakage she leads him out of the classroom. It's not the first nor the second time such thing happens. Years later, the boy finally sits by the machine; subtle light comes through the window slightly ajar, the curtain dances with the wind. Krzysztof, bent, is programming the rhythm."
It's warm and bright Autumn of 2018 and Krzysztof emerges again, this time on vinyl released by Jacek Sienkiewicz's label Recognition. The experimental style of "Primary Fluctuation" might come as a surprise to many of Jacek's followers, but there are surely some common features for the two art-ists - from attention to detail to a kind of serious melancholy present in their music. Ostrowski's rec-ord is a journey through futuristic polyrhythm, with enough space for menacing basses or unorthodox samples, reminding the aesthetics of fusion of broken techno and bass music championed recently by the labels like Timedance or Livity Sound. Four tracks (five in digital version) make up a cohesive, intriguing and surprising record, announcing series of special releases prepared by Recognition for the forthcoming months. ,
To put it simply, 'True Meanings', the fourteenth Paul Weller solo album, the twenty sixth studio album of his entire career, is a record unlike any he has ever made before.
'True Meanings', is released on September 14th and is an album characterised by grandiose-yet-delicate, lush orchestration: an aesthetic to which Paul's better-than-ever voice, singing some of his most nakedly honest words, is perfectly suited. A dreamy, peaceful, pastoral set of songs to get lost in, it is both an album that a lot of his faithful audience have been wanting him to make for a long time, and an album that many new people outside of that audience will relate to.
On the 25th May this year, Paul Weller turned 60: a milestone that has unquestionably had an impact on the feel, both lyrically and musically, of 'True Meanings' which comes across being the most singer-songwriter-style album he has ever made. However, it is also the most collaborative: with more guests than any record he's been involved in before.
As well as all the members of Weller's band, Rod Argent of the Zombies provides Hammond organ on 'The Soul Searchers' and piano and Mellotron on 'White Horses'; folk legends Martin Carthy and Danny Thompson add picked guitar and double bass respectively to 'Come Along'; Little Barrie plays lead guitar on 'Old Castles'; Lucy Rose sings backup on 'Books'; and 'Movin On' is the result of a 'scratchy demo'on Paul's phone that was sent to Tom Doyle of the White Label project. Even Noel Gallagher makes a sneaky appearance.
Perhaps most surprisingly of all, especially given how personal and introspective 'True Meanings' feels, lyrics for four of the fourteen songs here were written, to Weller's melodies, by others. Connor O'Brien from Villagers came up with the words to opener 'The Soul Searchers', while 'Bowie', 'Wishing Well' and the closing 'White Horses' are all the work, lyrically, of Erland Cooper from Erland & The Carnival.
'True Meanings' was produced by Paul Weller except 'The Soul Searchers', which was co-produced by Paul and Conor O'Brien and 'Movin On' which was co-produced by Weller and White Label. The album was engineered and recorded by Charles Rees and mixed by Jan Stan Kybert.
The album was recorded in just over 3 weeks at Paul's own Black Barn Studio, with the aforementioned, revolving cast of characters dropping in for a day here and there. The orchestration was added soon after, and that was that. It is always a good sign when the recording of an album is swift, and here you can just hear that the man at the centre of these songs is as focused and inspired - more inspired, even - than he has ever been.
We are very happy to announce the 13th release of Cabrera with two special remixes from the label boss', J.C., 'Vertigo' record that came out in the summer of 2017. Side A comes with a special Shed rework. Rene is a huge influence for us and we are thrilled to have him on our catalogue. Keeping the essence of the original, he made a proper raw dub techno banger. On the flip side, Kastil, already part of the family, took Nyame in a whole other level and made a fresh blend of fierce techno.
Soundway Records delivers a beautifully remastered reissue
of Brazilian duo Grupo Controle Digital's only album, 'A Festa
É Nossa'. First released in 1988, the album is now housed in a
tip-on heavyweight sleeve and restored artwork.
With the title track 'A Festa É Nossa' having circulated the
last few years in the DJ sets of influential tastemakers, the
album has become highly sought after by electronic fans
and collectors alike. Lo-f synths and cruising bass lines
permeate the record, influenced by the group's Brazilian
contemporaries at the time such as Tim Maia, Cláudio Zoli,
Secos E Molhados, and rock outft Made In Brazil.
Band members Billy Jaguar and Gel Valiery regularly
performed in various groups in São Paulo throughout the
80s and 90s, but after Gel passed away, Grupo Controle
Digital was no more - the band and the album faded into
obscurity and Billy became a priest, working with gospel
music. It remained that way until Brazilian DJ Millos Kaiser
(from label Selva Discos, and one half of Brazilian street party
organisers Selvagem) tracked down the remaining member
of the group to be able to include one of their tracks on the
highly anticipated Soundway compilation 'Onda De Amor:
Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were (1984-94)',
released in July 2018.
Audio restored by Neal Birnie and re-mastered by Frank
Merritt at The Carvery, London. Artwork restored by Lewis
Heriz.
FOR FANS OF:
Soundway 'Onda De Amor' compilation, Music From Memory
'Outro Tempo' Brazil compilation, Spacetalk compilations,
Sabor Do Brasil
After releases on Kompakt, Innervisions and Bedrock this year Marc returns to his mothership and elivers his first solo EP on his own imprint in three years.
While - Moonface' represents the melodic and spheric shade of Romboy´s works, - Zukunft' represents the dark and deep side of his skills. Pure synthesizer LFO pulsating madness.
Spectral Empire are George Thompson (aka Black Merlin / Karamika) and Kyle Martin (Vactrol Park / Land of Light). With the release of Iron Muscle they are celebrating 10 years since their debut ep Innerfearence saw the light of day in 2008 on the now defunct THISISNOTANEXIT record label. Legend tells all track were made around the same time (2008-2009), at what was back then Kyle's studio in Archway, London, however opinions remain divided over the validity of this info. What is remembered for a fact is that they'v used practically every home appliance and improvised noise they could find, record and harness, in order to create the feeling of what they describe as a ' Robot walking' for the title track Iron Muscle. Anything from kitchen drawers to DVD's and cutlery was sampled and then drenched in effects and manipulated in order to create what came out as a cinematic futuristic piece to dive into again and again, a soundtrack for an unwritten sci-fi movie, or just a dramatic soundtrack for your everyday lives.. With See the invisible, rules do not apply. An arpeggiated groove sitting on a steady half time 60bpm beat, its like the perfect soundtrack to the perfect car chase. Mediterranean riverbed guitars- not-guitars, sirens, and a heavy (dreamy) atmosphere fill the voids and keeps the track pushing forward throughout... The 4th track on the record is a never before seen the light of day epic remix by Die Wilde Jagd, that back then still included Ralf Beck (Unit 4) as an active member of the band (back when they were still known as Der Rau¨ber und Der Prinz). The release will be a vinyl only release, and is already getting massive support from the likes of Vladimir Ivkovic, Michael Mayer, John Talabot, Red Axes, Manfredas, Trevor Jackson, Lena Wilikkens, Man Power and many more...
Mantra makes an entry to Finnish ProForm Series with his raw and uncompromised four track acid EP called 'The Abyss'. After releases on Bunker Records, Polybius Trax, Solar One Music and Abstract Acid under the Mantra alias Craig Stainton delivers four tracks of jackin' pure acid techno madness in the veins of true underground. Starting with 'Next Culture' is a good introduction to pumping beats and a moaning 303 while 'Beat Methods' takes a rougher and tougher angle to acid. Just imagine yourself in a warehouse party in the morning jammin' to some acid. On the B-side 'The Abyss' leads us to the deep end of the 303 or even to the bottom of the acid sea. 'Singularity' ends this package with great 303 lines definitely burning up the house! A limited and numbered edition of 200, after that it's gone, no represses, no digital, so you know what to do!
Beautiful contemporary African music. Deep percussion with great guitar playing and vocal chants on top. Driving basslines all over the album. Spiritual feel! Tip
.
Son of the legendary Dr Philip Nchipi Tabane and heir to the malombo sound that he originated and pioneered in the early 1960s, Thabang Tabane has been touring the world playing with his father's band and other South African luminaries (such as Thandiswa Mazwai, Madala Kunene and Mabi Thobejane) since he was 8 years old.
Emerging into his own with his debut solo album, Matjale, this energetic percussionist carves a driving, joyous and worldly version of the malombo genre that takes in his continental travels. The album brims with ambition and an appetite for life. Employing brisk tempos, nimble basslines and intersecting polyrhythms, Thabang crafts songs cognisant of the hardships of life, but chooses to deliver them with an irrepressible optimism.
Expanding parameters of what is essentially an artform patented by his father, Thabang and his cohorts seem unburdened by pedigree, infusing the sound with a modern sensibility. His reverence for the vibrational resonance and drive of the bass guitar, not to mention his explosive bursts of hand drumming, gives the album an undeniable, cathartic exuberance.
A very welcome reissue of one of the highly regarded pieces of music by the great pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams. The concept behind "Black Christ of the Andes" is about the ideal meeting between Jazz and Spiritual. From the dark, smokey atmospheres of the Devil's music to the luminous sound of the African American Church. A very enjoyable record made up of different materials like "Jump Blues" numbers, a cappella choral pieces and some striking piano trio cuts. All arranged and conducted by the great Melba Liston and featuring performances of Jazz luminaries such as Milt Hinton, Grant Green, Percy Heath, and Mary Lou Williams herself.
out of Stock
Last delivered 7 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Studio One Freedom Sounds Is The New Collection From Soul Jazz/studio One Focussing On The Intense Period In The Second Half Of The 1960s When Studio One's Vast And Unbeatable Output Of Ska, Soul, Rock Steady And Reggae Made It Literally One Of The Hottest Musical Empires In The World.
During This Highly Successful Period, Clement 'sir Coxsone' Dodd Released Hundreds And Hundreds Of Superlative Singles Seemingly On An Almost Daily Basis, In The Process Making Huge Stars Out Of Jamaican Singers Such As Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, The Wailers, Slim Smith, Jackie Opel And Many More.
Powered By The Finest In-house Musicians Working In Jamaica, Whether It Was The Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo's Soul Brothers, The Sounds Dimension Or The Soul Vendors, Studio One Functioned As Hit Factory On The Scale Of Motown In The Usa, Shaping And Defining Reggae Music For Decades To Come.
Singlehandedly Studio One's Founder Clement Dodd Was Able To Create The Most Successful Vertically-integrated Record Company That Jamaica Had Ever Known With Pressing Plant, Printers, Studio, Shops, And Sound Systems All Running At Once, With Over 50 Employees And Hundreds Of Artists Working With Studio One During This Time.
Studio One Freedom Sounds Tells The Story Of Studio One In The 1960s With A Stunning Set Of Ska, Soul, Rock Steady And Reggae Killer Tunes As Well As Informative Sleevenotes And Track-by-track Info By Noel Hawks. The Album Is Released As Heavyweight Double Vinyl (+ Free Download Code), Deluxe Cd And Digital Album.
KARIN RABHANSL hat ihre Seele an den Teufel verkauft. Zumindest hat es sich gelohnt: Tod & Teufel, das vierte Studioalbum der Sängerin und Gitarristin aus dem niederbayerischen Trautmannsdorf, ist eine Mörder-Scheibe geworden: Leichtfüßig grenzüberschreitend, frei von jeglicher Befindlichkeitssäuselei und weder Kaff noch Großstadt (weil du das Mädchen zwar aus dem Wald, aber den Wald nicht aus dem Mädchen kriegst). No fillers just killers, wie man in KARINs Heimatdorf unweit von Passau zu sagen pflegt. Oder wie es die Menschen in ihrer derzeitigen Wahlheimat Nürnberg auszudrücken pflegen: Liederbayern strikes back! Zugegeben: Tod & Teufel, die neue LP/CD von KARIN RABHANSL, ist ein wenig sinister geraten. Ein düsteres Rockalbum mit krummen Taktarten und allerlei Geschrei. Eine Dämonenplatte. Diesmal ist die Ringelprinzessin abgetaucht in die Abgründe und Untiefen der menschlichen Seele. Rabhansl erzählt von Werwölfen und Irrlichtern, über Alter, Einsamkeit, Stalker, Organhandel, faustsche Vertragsangebote und darüber, dass man es eh keinem Recht machen kann auf dieser Welt. Auch musikalisch hat sich einiges getan. Wenn man schon eine Rockband hat, dann kann man es auch mal ordentlich krachen lassen, nickt das Stromgitarren-Mädchen und gibt die Devise aus: Pop raus, Rock rein! Das neue Programm ist gestartet. Die Themen werden wilder, die Ziele exotischer. Ab jetzt ist wieder alles offen im Rabiversum: KARIN RABHANSL segelt weiter ins Abenteuer, immer der Nase nach, und wahrscheinlich ist es das, was wir an der liederbayerischen Niedermacherin am allermeisten mögen: ihre Neugier. Und ihre Unerschrockenheit.
Limited Edition. Triple Transparent Vinyl 180g Incl. Poster & Download Code. Box Will Be Opened For Shipping To Avoid Seam-split. Hinweis: Box Ist Verschweißt, Wird Aber Für Den Versand Geöffnet
On October 19th Kompakt presents a new LP and audiovisual venture by Danish producer Kasper Bjørke and close cohorts. Epic and in length but always captivating, 'The Fifty Eleven Project' is an entirely ambient concept album, that interprets and evokes the emotional rollercoaster Kasper experienced, from his cancer diagnosis and throughout the five years of regular check-ups. The week of album release marks his second anniversary of getting the all-clear.
The base of the album was composed on vintage analogue synthesizers, reverbs, echo and sequencers - using the computer solely as a recording device - by Kasper and synth wizard Claus Norreen, in the latter's Copenhagen studio.
The violins, violas and cellos are composed and played by the Italian composer Davide Rossi, who has also worked with Ennio Morricone, Jon Hopkins, Ro¨yksopp, The Verve and Goldfrapp.
The piano parts are composed and played by Danish musician Jakob Littauer (of Kompakt labelmates Jatoma) on an old upright piano in a studio, and on a Steinway Grand Piano in the concert hall at the Royal Danish Music Conservatorium. From Max Richter's 'SLEEP', Hannah Peel's 'Mary Casio: Journey To Cassiopeia', to much of Brian Eno's 'Music For Installations', 'The Fifty Eleven Project' continues in a rich vein of work by contemporary composers which explores a situation/condition, and is made with functionality and healing in mind.
The visual side of 'The Fifty Eleven Project' is made in collaboration with the culture laboratory Prxjects and acclaimed LA based artist/filmmaker/photographer Justin Tyler Close, who has created art films for each of the album's 11 tracks - plus one music video, including clips from all 11 films. The 11 films will be assimilated into a video exhibition at Klub in Copenhagen from 12th - 21st October. The ambition is that the installation will tour Europe and the US in 2019. Furnished in an exquisite fabric box, this 180 gram 3LP clear vinyl box is presented by cover art created by world-renowned artist Landon Metz, further cementing the release's multidisciplinary links to the art world.
Am 19. Oktober präsentiert Kompakt das neue Album und audiovisuelle Abenteuer von Kasper Bjørke und Freunden. - The Fifty Eleven Project' ist ein komplett ambientes Konzeptalbum, das die emotionale Achterbahn, die Kasper nach seiner Krebsdiagnose und während fünf Jahre regelmäßiger Untersuchungen erlebt hat, interpretiert und offenlegt. Die Woche der Veröffentlichung des Albums markiert den zweiten Jahrestag seit der Entwarnung.
Die Basis des Albums wurde von Kasper und synth wizard Claus Norreen in seinem Kopenhagener Studio auf analogen Vintage-Synthesizern, Reverbs, Echos und Sequencern komponiert - der Computer wurde ausschließlich als Aufnahmegerät gebraucht.
Die Geigen, Bratschen und Celli wurden vom italienischen Komponisten Davide Rossi komponiert und eingespielt, der auch mit Ennio Morricone, Jon Hopkins, Röyksopp, The Verve und Goldfrapp zusammengearbeitet hat.
Die Klavierparts wurden von dem dänischen Musiker Jakob Littauer (bekannt vom Kompakt-Projekt Jatoma) auf einem alten Klavier im Studio und auf einem Steinway-Flügel im Konzertsaal des Royal Danish Music Conservatorium komponiert und eingespielt.
Von Max Richters - SLEEP', Hannah Peels - Mary Casio: Journey To Cassiopeia' bis hin zu Brian Enos - Music For Installations' - - The Fifty Eleven Project' setzt die Arbeit zeitgenössischer Komponisten fort, die sich mit einer Situation/einem Zustand auseinandersetzten und die auf Funktionalität und Heilung ausgerichtet ist.
Die visuelle Seite von - The Fifty Eleven Project' entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Kulturlabor Prxjects und dem renommierten Künstler/Filmemacher/Fotografen Justin Tyler Close aus LA, der für jeden der elf Tracks des Albums Kunstfilme erstellt hat - plus ein Musikvideo mit Clips von allen elf Filmen. Die elf Filme werden vom 12. bis 21. Oktober in einer Video-Ausstellung im Klub in Kopenhagen gezeigt. Ziel ist es, dass die Installation 2019 durch Europa und die USA tourt.
Verpackt in einer exquisiten Stoffbox, die vom weltberühmten Künstler Landon Metz entworfen ist, zementiert diese 180-Gramm schwere 3xLP-Klarsicht-Vinylbox seine multidisziplinäre Verbindung zur Kunstwelt.
'they've quietly found themselves elevated into the psych scenes premier league.' Drowned In Sound
'when they go pedal-to-metal it rarely fails.' Mojo Magazine
'The Lucid Dream are rapidly becoming major players in an ever-increasingly crowded psych scene..utterly seductive.' The Quietus
'one of the most enthralling bands in the UK.' Far Out Magazine
The Lucid Dream return in October with the release of their 4th album, 'Actualisation'.
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to help replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus in the summer of 2017 for a rejuvenated The Lucid Dream.
'Actualisation' is soaked in the influence of acid house, amalgamated with dub and kosmische. It will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other act are currently doing.
The album was penned over the summer of 2017 by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove.
Several months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have completed their 4th album in 5 years. A record made for the dancefloor.
Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds), with mastering via Dean Honer (All Seeing I/I Monster/The Moonlandingz).
The confrontational techno-punk of 'Alone In Fear' opens the album, a 9-minute attack fuelled by the frustration and anger spawned by Brexit, government and a realisation of what 2018 Britain currently is.
Recent single 'SX1000' (the first work from the album, unveiled via 12' vinyl in April this year) is the band's first move into pure acid house. The acid house fusion runs throughout the record, represented furthermore by 'Ardency', a track already praised by live critics when aired live for the first time earlier this year as 'even on first hearing, would've raised the roof of The Hacienda'.
The 2-part opus of 'Zenith' follows, commencing with a space-dub/house instrumental groove before building into a track that will go for your head as much as your hips. Only 'Breakdown' harks back to sounds of old for the band, a little reminder of the skull-crushing impact they can make when stripped to the bare bones. 'No Sunlight Dub' closes the album, a dark-dub that invites the classic acid-house tool (Roland 808) into the dub. The track makes a stop-off into drum 'n' bass/jungle along the way before rounding up in a manner suited to Lee Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and other Jamaican greats.
The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).
The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions and plays across most shows on the station, as well as plays from BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens) and BBC Radio 2. Further press followed from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers also coincided.
3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).
'Actualisation' is released on 19th October 2018 (CD/download/ltd red vinyl/standard black vinyl), via Holy Are You Recordings.
'they've quietly found themselves elevated into the psych scenes premier league.' Drowned In Sound
'when they go pedal-to-metal it rarely fails.' Mojo Magazine
'The Lucid Dream are rapidly becoming major players in an ever-increasingly crowded psych scene..utterly seductive.' The Quietus
'one of the most enthralling bands in the UK.' Far Out Magazine
The Lucid Dream return in October with the release of their 4th album, 'Actualisation'.
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to help replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus in the summer of 2017 for a rejuvenated The Lucid Dream.
'Actualisation' is soaked in the influence of acid house, amalgamated with dub and kosmische. It will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other act are currently doing.
The album was penned over the summer of 2017 by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove.
Several months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have completed their 4th album in 5 years. A record made for the dancefloor.
Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds), with mastering via Dean Honer (All Seeing I/I Monster/The Moonlandingz).
The confrontational techno-punk of 'Alone In Fear' opens the album, a 9-minute attack fuelled by the frustration and anger spawned by Brexit, government and a realisation of what 2018 Britain currently is.
Recent single 'SX1000' (the first work from the album, unveiled via 12' vinyl in April this year) is the band's first move into pure acid house. The acid house fusion runs throughout the record, represented furthermore by 'Ardency', a track already praised by live critics when aired live for the first time earlier this year as 'even on first hearing, would've raised the roof of The Hacienda'.
The 2-part opus of 'Zenith' follows, commencing with a space-dub/house instrumental groove before building into a track that will go for your head as much as your hips. Only 'Breakdown' harks back to sounds of old for the band, a little reminder of the skull-crushing impact they can make when stripped to the bare bones. 'No Sunlight Dub' closes the album, a dark-dub that invites the classic acid-house tool (Roland 808) into the dub. The track makes a stop-off into drum 'n' bass/jungle along the way before rounding up in a manner suited to Lee Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and other Jamaican greats.
The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).
The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions and plays across most shows on the station, as well as plays from BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens) and BBC Radio 2. Further press followed from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers also coincided.
3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).
'Actualisation' is released on 19th October 2018 (CD/download/ltd red vinyl/standard black vinyl), via Holy Are You Recordings.
Moscow Is The City Full Of Posh Decorations. Like A Black Hole, It's Gorging Clouds Of Chaotic Ideas. Madly Fast, It's Flooded With Shallow Hippies, Jealous Dealers And Susceptible Artists. Everyone Desires To Have Its Own Piece Of Luck, Looking For The Shortest Way To Some Easy Life. Most Of The Nomads Arrive From The Capital Suburbs And Other Big Cities Of Immensely Corrupted Russia. Everyone Can Tell A Tale From Outskirt. Senseless Rivalry And Art Falsity Together Make The Special Demands: Your Tale Has To Amaze, To Inculcate, You Must Do Something Notable, Freaky One And Truthful. To Dare To Let It. There Are No Any Rules. Your Voice Has No Matter, The Only Important Is A Sales Skill. The Local Scene Is Tired Of Identical Copying Outside World's Standards. Thereby The More Your Approach Is Unacceptable, The More Valued Is It. But The More It's Valued, The Faster It Will Depreciate. The Glossy Shell With Cheap Content Is The Way To Survive In Such A Tight Plexus Of Cruel Love, Substance Abuse And Electronic Music.
When the new Halloween movie hits theaters in October 2018, it will have the distinction of being the first film in the series with creator John Carpenter's direct involvement since 1982's Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Carpenter serves on the new David Gordon Green-directed installment as an executive producer, a creative consultant, and, thrillingly, as a soundtrack composer, alongside his collaborators from his three recent solo albums, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies.
The new soundtrack pays homage to the classic Halloween score that Carpenter composed and recorded in 1978, when he forever changed the course of horror cinema and synthesizer music with his low-budget masterpiece. Several new versions of the iconic main theme serve as the pulse of Green's film, its familiar 5/4 refrain stabbing through the soundtrack like the Shape's knife. The rest of the soundtrack is just as enthralling, incorporating everything from atmospheric synth whooshes to eerie piano-driven pieces to skittering electronic percussion. While the new score was made with a few more resources than Carpenter's famously shoestring original, its musical spirit was preserved.
Produced by Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak. LP is on coloured coke bottle green vinyl + inclues download code and 12x12' lyric sheet/ liner note insert.
Madeline will be on tour throughout the UK and Europe this Autumn.
'Building from understated beauty to dense guitar theatrics. It reminds me of Chicago circa '93 as remembered in a dream — a little bit of Liz Phair 'Exile In Guyville' - rendered in soft-focus with the graceful confidence of a young master. ' STEREOGUM
In January of 2018, five months after the release of her debut album Night Night at the First Landing, Madeline Kenney traveled from Oakland, California to the woods outside of Durham, North Carolina to record her sophomore album with a new collaborator, Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner.
The choice was a conscious decision to explore new methodology in writing, recording, production and even genre. Perfect Shapes sees Kenney leaping headfirst into fresh and adventurous territory, largely eschewing conventional rock structures in favor of theme and melody. Its ten songs are full of surprises big and small - from vibrant synth lines to taut bass figures and subtly modulated vocals - that instead of feeling fussed over, reveal Kenney's penchant for elegant and abstract composition.
Kenney's 2017 debut, Night Night at the First Landing, was a guitar-centric rock album, produced by friend and collaborator Chaz Bear of Toro Y Moi, Perfect Shapes leans on the foundational pieces of Night Night - fuzzed-out guitar tones, coy wordplay and Kenney's notably strong voice - but with an unconventional approach that allows them to bloom, reincarnated. Perfect Shapes marks Wasner's first foray into producing another artist's work and is permeated by the pair's collaborative spirit. Both Wasner and Kenney play multiple instruments on the record, and engineered the session alongside Kenney's touring percussionist, Camille Lewis.
An eagerness to explore and experiment is apparent from start to finish, as Kenney and Wasner weave endless sonic curve balls into the arrangements. From the delightfully warped percussion on opening track 'Overhead' to the burbling synths on the R&B-tinted 'The Flavor of the Fruit Tree' and the left-field trumpet solo in 'Your Art,' these rich and inventive ideas echo Yo La Tengo's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality, as well as the surging soundscapes of Tame Impala and Wye Oak at their most impressionistic. Lead single "Cut Me Off" is a surprise of its own - the most pop-forward song Kenney has written yet. 'Bad Idea,' finds her balancing fragility as foil; later, 'I Went Home' manages to evoke both frustration and affection in a single breath.
The complex and open-ended questions that lay at the core of Perfect Shapes mark Kenney's arrival into a hard-hitting reflective space: How do you love another when it hurts to do so What is the physical limit to which one can carry the emotions of others How does a modern female artist reckon with the expectations demanded of her femininity Yet for all the notes of doubt and fear that Kenney raises, she delivers each song with confidence and poise, grounded by the pointedly laid and surging soundscape.
Kenney has always had a penchant for curiosity and experimentation. Raised in the Pacific Northwest, she began studying classical piano and dance in kindergarten, and grew to believe her future lay in modern dance choreography. Not one to be tied to a singular pursuit, however, Kenney took a hard left in college, studying Interpersonal Neurobiology and supporting herself with a career in baking. Music remained a constant however, and after moving to the Bay Area in 2013, Kenney quickly found footing in the supportive arts community in Oakland. There, she met and began collaborating with Chaz Bear (Toro Y Moi), which led to the production of her Signals EP and later her debut album, Night Night at the First Landing. Both releases were received with great critical acclaim, and saw Kenney exploring the sounds within her self-proclaimed twang-haze genre, defined by cathartic fuzz breakdowns and lyrical sensitivity.
