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Funkadelic’s eleventh studio LP, released in 1979, was more militant in tone than its predecessor 'One Nation Under A Groove' which described a Funk utopia. In contrast, ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ stated mandate was to “rescue dance music from the blahs”. The album features a 15-minute version of what was to become the Funkadelic’s last hit single ‘(Not Just) Knee Deep’, an edited version of which made no.1 in the US R&B chart. This was Funkadelic’s first album since 1972 not to feature a cover design by artist Pedro Bell (although he did contribute the interior design). A reference to the “Uncle Sam Wants You!” US Army recruitment poster, the sleeve depicts George Clinton aka Dr Funkenstein in a Huey Newton Black Panthers pose. ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ and Funkadelic-Parliament had a huge influence on Prince, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bill Laswell, Tupac Shakar, De La Soul and many more across all musical genres. George Clinton’s genius Funk & Style will continue to be an influence for many more years to come... FUNKADELIC Masterminded by the larger-than-life figure of George Clinton, Funkadelic was a key component of his influential P-Funk empire. Funkadelic’s unique combination of Rock, Psychedelia, R&B & Soul led to the band crossing over to the pop mainstream & gaining a vast international following, becoming one of the most important & influential groups in music. On 6 May 1997, Parliament / Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Prince. To commemorate six decades of thrilling & delighting fans, George Clinton returned to the stage in 2022 for a series of concerts. To celebrate, Charly have reissued Funkadelic’s classic four albums ‘Hardcore Jollies’; ‘One Nation Under A Groove’; ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’; & ‘The Electric Spanking Of War Babies’ (originally released by Warner Bros during a golden period for the band between 1976-1981). Each album will be available as deluxe gatefold Digi-Sleeve CDs in PVC wallets + obi-strip & facsimile-edition gatefold LPs on 180-gram black vinyl & limited edition 180-gram colored vinyl + 1970s-style obi-strip in a protective PVC sleeve. “They played a HUGE role in creating the future of music.” PRINCE

Katerina is an old friend from the early trips to Helsinki, a Finnish Bulgarian queen of the dance, having commanded the wood floors of Kaiku since its inception. Her debut EP with the ESP Institute, 'Natural High' is something special if we may humbly brag. It is the electronic embodiment of our annual journey around the sun, with its release landing just in time for this year’s Summer solstice. Over 4 tracks, the narrative shifts are technically subtle but emotionally palpable, presenting moods that swing both warm and cold but maintain a delicate balance start to finish, a confidence that speaks of true experience and understanding the dynamics of dancefloor moods. Our typical verbose track-by-track dissection feels unnecessary as Katerina’s work here is most legible as a whole. 'Natural High' is a cozy and honest offering, a soft-edged cerebral antidote to the daily falsehoods perpetrated by mankind, and a reminder that in the end, we are all just children of Gaia. Run Free!

Written in the wake of a relocation year that quietly rewired the Australian-Macedonian DJ/Producer’s instincts, the latest record on Aldonna’s own Re-leaf Imprint trades the melodic density of earlier work for something more intimate, immediate, and bodily. ‘Infatuate’ closes the gap between what she is making and what Aldonna is reaching for in her record bag. That shift manifests in a tighter focus on groove. Gritty, swung drum samples lifted and reshaped from vinyl, FX drenched stabs flickering through delays, and basslines that feel less composed than inhabited.

The A-side rides a continuous low-end groove. The environments that shaped these tracks are still embedded in them: the sunburnt euphoria of a Brussels day party bleeds into “Squeaky,” while “Keep Up” captures the nervous, sleepless churn of a Berlin weekend on the edge of breakthrough.

The B-side’s “My Dear” softens into something more viscous and intimate, its warmth underscored by Aldonna’s own spoken word vocal in the Macedonian language, an understated but pointed nod toward underrepresented Balkan textures in club music. The EP rounds off with a functional remix from Berlin’s ‘Revivis’, applying his signature rolling sound to ‘My Dear’.

As a whole, the record feels deliberately situational, equally at home under low red lights in a sweat-slicked club or stretched across a festival system in broad daylight, but always orbiting that same core impulse: to pull bodies closer, lock them into the groove, and let everything else dissolve.

Celestial Echo returns with a proper UK soul classic — The Cool-Notes “I Forgot How To Love You”, back on 12” and cut loud for the dancefloor.

Hailing from South London, The Cool-Notes were one of the UK’s most consistent soul outfits through the late ’70s and ’80s. While many know them for their chart successes later in the decade, this early period shows the band in a formative state — warm basslines, tight rhythm section, rich harmonies and that unmistakable Britfunk feel.

“I Forgot How To Love You” is one of those records that’s quietly done the rounds for years. A favourite of Frederika’s back in the day, it’s about time it has it’s first ever reissue.

Presented on 12” in a clean company sleeve, this edition gives the record a new lease of life.

Celestial Echo is here to put proper soul records back into circulation — Buy or Cry

2026 Repress

&Me, the chunky critter, did it again! This hypnotic one-off was stoically crafted to be lifted into the next dimension with thousands of people. Where the hospitality of all-encompassing love and euphoria awaits with arms raised and eyes closed.

Mano le tough found the original Muddy Funster so boring that he ran out of cigarettes. Even as a non-smoker! With his congenial version of this evergreens, this deranged pig forces his cranky perception on us and takes us into a mystical world in which no two stones are alike, but whose unique construction represents an earthquake-proof pyramid of love whose dimensions have perfect relationships to the size of the earth and to mathematical laws. Illumination feat Roísín Murphy as Mano Le Toughs needs A Birra Light Remix persistently pulls us music-loving dance muffins under the disco ball with all the TikiTaka tricks in the book, only to let us go and spin gloriously free at the crucial moment. So beautiful, we dance, wow.

“All I can do is make my art from an honest place with an honest intention.” Earth-o-Naut.

Earth-o-Naut is a songwriter, drummer, musician and producer. He was born in Liverpool and raised in one of its satellite towns, Skelmersdale. He was raised by his mum and uncles on music from every genre, falling in love, amazement and awe with the groove and the craft of songwriting. Nothing has changed to this day. Songwriting has also always been a constant. That quest to create something original and use the songwriting process as some form of catharsis. Learning guitar and piano was the next logical step, to help with the creation of new ideas into new songs. A lot of time was spent playing drumming gigs and then taking his own songs on the road, solo with just an acoustic guitar, learning the ropes and serving his apprenticeship. Great songwriters The Beatles, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Neil Finn and many others inspire Earth-o-Naut to this day.

Earth-o-naut has worked hard for many years on his studio chops and is the writer, arranger, recording engineer, mix engineer and producer on all of his own material, and he also works with other artists as a producer. Earth-o-Naut's debut album, 'This Is Nowhere. This Is Everywhere.' will be released on Agogo Records in June 2026. The debut album features UK drumming legend, Steve White and also the vocals of Amalia Estradas and Suzanne Maddock. 2026 will also see Earth-o-Naut take his songs on the road and play some live shows.st singular, emotive, and genre-defying releases of its era.

Vor zehn Jahren gründeten drei Mitarbeiter von JI's Market and Cafe die Band Styrofoam Winos. Lou Turner, Trevor Nikrant und Joe Kenkel fanden zueinander durch ihre gemeinsame Begeisterung für Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen und Country-Platten aus dem Schnäppchenkorb. Sie beflügelten sich gegenseitig in ihrer Begeisterung und waren total aus dem Häuschen bei jedem neuen Song, den sie entdeckten. Nachdem ein Freund weggezogen war und ein Schlagzeug zurückgelassen hatte, lernten alle drei Winos, Schlagzeug zu spielen. Die ersten Versuche im gemeinsamen Songwriting entstanden aus Jam-Sessions und Erasure Poetry, bei der man Wörter in alten Büchern schwärzte, um neue Gedichte zu schaffen. Sie sangen alle mal die Leadstimme und tauschten regelmäßig die Instrumente. Michael Hurley zum ersten Mal zu sehen, hinterließ einen bleibenden Eindruck und gab der Band einen ihrer kreativen Leitsterne. Jahre später gab Snock den Winos selbst seinen Segen, ihre Kassette mit Coverversionen seiner Songs zu veröffentlichen. Die Styrofoam Winos sind immer mit dem Strom geschwommen, was ,Any River" zu einem passenden Titel für ihr neues Album macht, dem Nachfolger von ,Real Time" aus dem Jahr 2024. Ihre spielerische Herangehensweise wird durch das Können erfahrener Musiker untermauert, die bereits viele hundert Konzerte gespielt haben - sowohl gemeinsam als auch als Tourmitglieder von Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band, MJ Lenderman and the Wind und als Solokünstler. Das ist eine ihrer größten Stärken, die man gar nicht hoch genug einschätzen kann: Sie sind extrem gute Musiker! Wenn drei talentierte Menschen eine so tiefe Chemie entwickeln, ist das Ergebnis einfach grandios. Jeder Song auf ,Any River" entstand aus Jam-Sessions in Turners und Nikrants Heimstudio, und schon bald folgte ein gemeinsames Google-Dokument mit den Texten. Sie nahmen in Louisville auf - ihr erstes Album außerhalb von Nashville - zusammen mit Roadhouse-Bandkollege und Equipment Pointed Ankh-Mastermind Jim Marlowe. Marlowes zurückhaltende Produktion brachte die einzigartige Synergie der Band voll zur Geltung. Das führt zu einem weiteren wesentlichen Punkt dieser Band. Es gelingt ihnen, eine perfekte Balance zwischen Ehrfurcht und Respektlosigkeit gegenüber den musikalischen Traditionen zu finden, in denen sie arbeiten. Ihr Wissen über den Kanon ist gelehrt, aber diesem Wissen folgt immer ein Augenzwinkern. Kein Moment auf der Platte verkörpert dies besser als das Trompetensolo in ,New Friend". Es ist eine geschickte Darbietung, aber die Art und Weise, wie Kenkel unter die Tonika absinkt, bevor er die letzten Noten des Solos auflöst, ist urkomisch. Bei Live-Auftritten spielt er das Solo Note für Note auf einer Kazoo, während er gleichzeitig Schlagzeug spielt. Diese Musik stammt von erfahrenen Verwandlungskünstlern, die sich einer einfachen Kategorisierung entziehen und dennoch sofort wiedererkennbar bleiben.

Berlin lo-fi crooner Der Assistent returns with "Ultramarin", a sun-faded suite of soft-focus pop, Balearic grooves and late-night yacht moods drifting between languages, moods and references – slightly surreal, and quietly melancholic.
Following the tropical haze of its predecessor "Amnesie am Amazonas", his third album makes a slightly bigger splash: classic late-80s digital pianos, downbeat grooves and flashes of dub-reggae intertwine with subtle soprano and alto saxophone lines that drift between lounge melancholy and nocturnal jazz.
Laid-back opening cut “Wenn der Scirocco weht” pays homage to Japanese lovers rock, while the dubby downbeat title track celebrates the color blue in French, English, Italian and German, echoing situationist slogans and painter Yves Klein’s idea of “the invisible becoming visible.” Lead single “Mann am Telefon” dives into hazy yacht-pop and lo-fi soul, gradually unfolding into an instrumental outro that recalls the early synth romanticism of Vangelis.
Across the album, Der Assistent traces a playful tale of split personalities – with subtle nods to Fight Club and Blade Runner – culminating in the lush closing 80s R&B ballad “Total Confusion”.

Written, recorded, produced and mixed entirely by Der Assistent, Ultramarin also inaugurates his new imprint of the same name.
RIYL: Fishmans, Eddie Chacon, The Zenmenn.

One of the true, undisputed pioneers of Dutch techno, Steve Rachmad appears on Dekmantel for an EP of peerless machine music. On the 3-6-9 EP, the artist also known as Sterac, Parallel 9 and many other names plies a powerful trade in funked up, gritty and soulful techno made the proper way.

The connection between Rachmad and Dekmantel reaches back many years via his frequent appearances at the Dekmantel Festival — he has two performances at the 2026 edition as well as sets at Dekmantel Selectors lined up later in the summer. The 3-6-9 EP lands ahead of an album and world tour that marks 45 years in service to electronic music, nodding to Rachmad's earliest roots in electro funk through to his day-one embrace of house and techno as it made its way across the Atlantic from Chicago and Detroit.

There's a rowdy, rave-spirited energy to the synth hook bucking its way through the centre of '3 Creation Energy', coming on in brassy tones laced with artful distortion while the drums dutifully jack the way they ought to. There's a more linear, pressure cooker quality to the tidal filter work guiding '6 Physical Manifestation' to its own energetic peaks, while '9 Completion and Delivery' surfs on coursing waves of arpeggiated lead lines before breaking through to the oceanic calm of grandiose pad tones.

There's no mystery to unpick here — this is quite simply techno perfection made with the instinct and experience of a master of the form, whose life is synonymous with every inch of the culture.

The Diary by Scarface returns to vinyl for the first time since 2014, now expanded to a 2xLP and featuring the never-before-released bonus track “Ease Up Now.” Newly remastered, this definitive edition includes the original 1994 artwork, carefully restored for vinyl by acclaimed designer Mr. Krum. Featuring fan favorites like “No Tears” and “I Seen a Man Die,” this platinum-certified classic is presented with upgraded audio and an expanded format, making it the most comprehensive edition to date.

The Diary by Scarface returns to vinyl for the first time since 2014, now expanded to a 2xLP for the very first time, including a previously unreleased B-Side!
Newly remastered, this definitive edition features the original 1994 artwork, carefully restored for vinyl by acclaimed designer Mr. Krum
Originally released October 18, 1994, The Diary debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking one of Scarface’s most commercially successful releases.

The Diary by Scarface returns to vinyl for the first time since 2014, now expanded to a 2xLP and featuring the never-before-released bonus track “Ease Up Now.” Newly remastered, this definitive edition includes the original 1994 artwork, carefully restored for vinyl by acclaimed designer Mr. Krum. Featuring fan favorites like “No Tears” and “I Seen a Man Die,” this platinum-certified classic is presented with upgraded audio and an expanded format, making it the most comprehensive edition to date.

The Diary by Scarface returns to vinyl for the first time since 2014, now expanded to a 2xLP for the very first time, including a previously unreleased B-Side!
Newly remastered, this definitive edition features the original 1994 artwork, carefully restored for vinyl by acclaimed designer Mr. Krum
Originally released October 18, 1994, The Diary debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking one of Scarface’s most commercially successful releases.

Indie Exclusive 2xLP on Opaque Red Vinyl with 8x10 Glossy Insert. Contains Bonus Track "Ease Up Now"

Gary Bartz und das neue Londoner Ensemble Your Brother’s Keeper präsentieren mit "Where Rivers Meet" ein tiefgründiges und intuitives Studioalbum, das die seltene Begegnung zweier Generationen von Jazzmusikern einfängt. Das Album, das pünktlich zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum von Brownswood erscheint, vereint Bartz' Tradition mit der jungen, pulsierenden Szene Londons. Das Ergebnis ist Musik, die sich mit Offenheit und Intensität entfaltet, getragen von tiefem Zuhören und gemeinsamer Improvisation.

Im Zentrum des Projekts steht Bartz, eine der einflussreichsten Vertreter des modernen Jazz. Der Saxophonist, dessen Karriere sich über mehr als fünf Jahrzehnte erstreckt, machte sich einen Namen durch Auftritte mit Charles Mingus, Max Roach und Art Blakey, bevor er sich Miles Davis in dessen elektrisierender Phase der frühen 1970er-Jahre anschloss. Mit seinen gefeierten Aufnahmen mit der NTU Troop wurde er schnell zu einer prägenden Figur des Spiritual Jazz und schuf ein Werk, das Generationen von Musikern und Zuhörern gleichermaßen begeistert. Sein Spiel – lyrisch, tiefgründig und unverkennbar gefühlvoll – zählt nach wie vor zu den markantesten Stimmen des Jazz.

Das Album markiert zudem die Gründung von Your Brother’s Keeper, einem neuen Kollektiv um Schlagzeuger und Produzent Jake Long (Maisha), dessen musikalischer Dialog und die Improvisation tief in der Musik verwurzelt sind. Mit Ali MacSween (Piano, Synthesizer, modulare Effekte), Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (Trompete), Twm Dylan (Kontrabass), Tim Doyle (Percussion) und Chelsea Carmichael (Tenorsaxophon) sowie Long am Schlagzeug spiegelt die Gruppe eine Szene wider, die den Sound des zeitgenössischen Jazz im letzten Jahrzehnt maßgeblich geprägt hat.

Die Rock-Virtuosen Dance Gavin Dance aus Sacramento präsentieren die dritte Veröffentlichung ihrer „Tree
City Sessions“-Reihe. Wie schon bei den vorherigen Alben hat die Band auch für „Tree City Sessions 3“
neue Versionen ihrer früheren Dance-Gavin-Dance-Songs aufgenommen, alle mit dem aktuellen Sänger
Andrew Michael Wells.
Die CD enthält 12 Tracks. Die 2LP erscheint auf 140g schwerem „Velaris“-Farbvinyl und bietet auf
der zweiten LP 12 zusätzliche Instrumentalstücke.

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present IRON KOBRA’s highly anticipated third album, Eternal Dagger, on CD and vinyl LP formats. Additionally their two previous albums will be re-released at the same time. Formed in 2008, Germany’s IRON KOBRA began with a noble mission: to bring heavy metal back to its unpolished, rough, and weird roots. Influenced by heroes of old like Iron Maiden, Cirith Ungol, Living Death, Manowar, and Tank with a sprinkle of punk, the band brewed up a venomous concoction of catchy-yet-speedy heavy metal with maximum potential for engagement – whether it was singing along to, banging your head, and / or raising your fist! Their first few years were busy, releasing the Cult of the Snake demo in 2009 and the Battlesword EP the year after. After playing extensively all throughout Europe and earning a reputation for being a force to be reckoned with live, IRON KOBRA teamed up with DYING VICTIMS in 2012 for the release of their momentous debut album, Dungeon Masters, and three years later for their more refined second album, Might & Magic.

The years after – especially those around the pandemic – brought the band’s external momentum to a crawl. But behind the scenes, they were still writing and playing select shows, even venturing as far as Japan. Now, at very long last, IRON KOBRA return to stake their claim as kings of swords & sorcery metal with Eternal Dagger! Granted, the characteristically amazing cover artwork suggests a sci-fi bent, but the timeless HEAVY METAL the Germans unleash here is vintage IRON KOBRA: immediately recognizable as them, but still reflecting on (and refining) their past, incorporating influences from their favorite bands to result in something that will be YOUR favorite soon enough! Aided by the gleaming & glorious production of Stefan Castevet (Vulture, Luzifer), Eternal Dagger explodes with excitement at every turn, its nine songs ranging speed metal tracks like “Trembling Dungeons” to NWOBHM-fueled rockers like “Shibuya Nights” and epics like "Mountains of Madness.” It goes without saying that IRON KOBRA’s arsenal here offers a wide variety of pure metal gold, evoking the likes of Exciter, Brocas Helm, Diamond Head, and early Running Wild but, of course, with their undeniable personality and panache. So strap yourselves to your seats, maniacs: the Cult of the Snake is back, bringing you heavy hymns that will pierce your eardrums like a heavy metal drill

Yes here we are 50 years on from year zero 1976 (where did that go!!!). To celebrate this and the fact we are all still here and talking about the importance of the Punk Rock movement i put together an album under the banner Punk Rock Daze. The title reflects it was all such a daze, as it ran by so fast and also as a reminder of an old Malcolm McLaren remark that came to mind. That when the band and management were discussing the look and name of the Sex Pistols forthcoming album ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’. Malcolm remarked, lets sell it as you would sell washing powder, bright, simple and with fluorescence colours. Great idea so here is my homage to that thought.

So I hope you enjoy the gesture and here’s to another 50 years of Alchemy, Joyousness and
instruction (Anarchy, Chaos and Destruction).

Peace and Punk Mal-One

(*Previously unreleased)

Telling a tale of house music’s early days or roots without mentioning Tony Humphries as a club DJ, remixer and radio disc jockey would make it an incomplete, forged and most of all a bit of a yawn.
Born in Brooklyn in 1957, Humphries’ musical journey is synonymous with New York City’s dance music history and the evolution from uptempo soul music to house: from being a dancer at David Mancuso’s infamous Loft parties to becoming a mobile DJ and getting the call from Shep Pettibone to become his right hand at
the then new Kiss FM radio station, followed by countless remix offers and a legendary residency at Newark’s Club Zanzibar. Next to that one, is was especially his work as a radio disc jockey for said station during most of the 1980s until 1994 that gave him majestic clout. Breaking new records week in, week out,
putting New Jersey acts like Adeva and Jomanda or countless up-and-coming producers from there on the musical map, while simultaneously playing the hottest imports from Europe, trax from Chicago, dance classics and all things straight from New York’s music factory that never seemed to stop.
Going to his vast and almost complete archive of radio shows from way back when he graced those airwaves, we at Running Back Records have pickedNew Release Information original recordings that symbolize his importance as an industry giant and ambassador of this style of music.
„But one thing I would like to point out is that, as a DJ, the music I play is not my music. I want to make it perfectly clear that it is music that is released, and it’s everyone’s music. I do not take any other credit than being the middle person exposing this music.“
(Tony Humphries in: What Kind of House Party Is This?, Jonathan Fleming, 1996)

(*Previously unreleased)

Telling a tale of house music’s early days or roots without mentioning Tony Humphries as a club DJ, remixer and radio disc jockey would make it an incomplete, forged and most of all a bit of a yawn.
Born in Brooklyn in 1957, Humphries’ musical journey is synonymous with New York City’s dance music history and the evolution from uptempo soul music to house: from being a dancer at David Mancuso’s infamous Loft parties to becoming a mobile DJ and getting the call from Shep Pettibone to become his right hand at
the then new Kiss FM radio station, followed by countless remix offers and a legendary residency at Newark’s Club Zanzibar. Next to that one, is was especially his work as a radio disc jockey for said station during most of the 1980s until 1994 that gave him majestic clout. Breaking new records week in, week out,
putting New Jersey acts like Adeva and Jomanda or countless up-and-coming producers from there on the musical map, while simultaneously playing the hottest imports from Europe, trax from Chicago, dance classics and all things straight from New York’s music factory that never seemed to stop.
Going to his vast and almost complete archive of radio shows from way back when he graced those airwaves, we at Running Back Records have pickedNew Release Information original recordings that symbolize his importance as an industry giant and ambassador of this style of music.
„But one thing I would like to point out is that, as a DJ, the music I play is not my music. I want to make it perfectly clear that it is music that is released, and it’s everyone’s music. I do not take any other credit than being the middle person exposing this music.“
(Tony Humphries in: What Kind of House Party Is This?, Jonathan Fleming, 1996)

Wenn Leidenschaft, Freundschaft, Identität und Kunst aufeinandertreffen, kann es sich anfühlen, als würden dir kämpferische Worte aus den Adern spritzen. Und während die postmoderne Gesellschaft bröckelt, springen Die Spitz ausgelassen zwischen einem Dutzend verschiedener Möglichkeiten hin und her, um sich zu wehren. Wenn die Welt der Rockmusik eine Eisdiele wäre, hätte das Quartett aus Austin jede Sorte probiert, den Gefrierschrank umgeworfen und angefangen, mit den Angestellten zu tanzen, denen sie geholfen haben, sich zu organisieren. Auf ihrem Debütalbum ,Something to Consume" kämpfen Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe De St. Aubin, Ellie Livingston und Kate Halter gegen den unausweichlichen Konsum, der das Leben umgibt. ,Das hat eine politische Seite, aber auch Sucht und Liebe können alles verzehrend sein", sagt Livingston. Und während die vier ihre Instrumente tauschen, sich beim Songwriting und Gesang abwechseln und kraftvolle Songs in mitreißenden Ausbrüchen schreiben, haben Die Spitz ihre eigene kleine Welt geschaffen, in der wir alle gemeinsam am Abgrund stehen können.

Transparent orangenes Vinyl. Unter dem Titel "II - Incarnate" legen SHAYTAN ihr zweites Album vor - und festigen ihren Mix aus Doom/Stoner und klassischem Heavy Metal mit orientalischen Einflüssen. Wo das Debüt "Chapter One" (2024) noch als Beschwörungsformel diente, steht das zweite Album für die Manifestation allen Übels in düsteren, aber auch melodischen Klängen. Musikalisch bleibt die Band ihren Wurzeln treu, erweitert den Sound aber durch noch atmosphärischere Klangbilder, die auch durch den intensiveren Einsatz von Hammondorgel und wuchtigeren Bass-Sound getragen werden. Die Produktion stammt von Charles Greywolf (Hammer King, Godslave).

Near the end of fifth grade, Eli Edwards’ mom gave him $20 and told him to go find a friend. His team had won its soccer game that day, so they were out celebrating at a local pizza parlor with games. But, more importantly, there had been one other Black kid that day on the pitch in Spanaway, WA, a Tacoma suburb and military-base town at the rainy northwest corner of the United States. That kid just happened to be Xayvien Young. An instant deep connection was formed between Edwards and Young—Eli and Xay, as they prefer to be called were inseparable— and now twelve years later they are the electrifying, boundary-skipping duo Casi.

Along the way, Eli had relocated to Los Angeles with the indie rock band Enumclaw he had helped found, but he found himself flying home maybe a little too much. He was ostensibly visiting his girlfriend, but he spent most of his time with Xay. They cut tracks in every bit of free time they found until they had an epiphany: Maybe this music they’d made together for a dozen years was actually something special. Casi’s 10-track, self-titled debut out on Carpark Records is the electrifying proof they needed.

On the record, they enthusiastically explore every musical interest they have ever had—explosive hip-hop and unbridled hardcore, high-gloss nü metal and a little bit of emo—as a pair. These songs don’t ignore genre lines; they delight in destroying them, in finding ways to slam hip-hop and hardcore, emo and nü metal together until it seems illogical that they were ever apart. Take “Jumper,” where heavy metal guitars and face-kicking drums stir the moshpit for rabid verses about crushing ICE and the lessons you learn riding the poverty line. And take closer “Bridges,” where the melodic imprint of Deftones meets the relentless confessions of Death Grips. Here are the hard, funny, and loud stories of two 23-year-olds, screaming about the world over a breathless composite of all the music they’ve ever loved.

When Eli was in Los Angeles, Xay missed his friend. But in his absence, he also felt the spark of inspiration. Music was something that had just been their childhood hobby, but now Eli was in a rock band that had press accolades and tours. He got serious about the craft. Eli would write about the dislocation and isolation he felt in California, while Xay would document the hardships of being a young Black man with a complicated family while working menial jobs in Spanaway.

This isn’t a coming-of-age album for Casi; it is, instead, a raw and riveting snapshot of that process, painful as it can be. “Eleven87” is a breakup song, a soul beat springing beneath arching emo vocals. And “Intrusive Thoughts” treats that topic like a punching bag, Eli and Xav fighting against the mental habits that keep them down. These 10 songs instantly close that gap.