London’s Silsila Dubs crew triumphantly return with further explorations into the deeper recesses of sound system culture as a tool for spiritual enlightenment. The Hayes based collective – with close links to the Mya Hi-Fi family - are committed to the preservation of the long-standing ethics and methods of this culture, and the myriad cultural influences and flavours that a city such as London can present. This much anticipated second release mirrors these notions with style and grace.
The second release on the label ‘Walk in the Light’ has existed on dubplate since 2023, with the mighty Aba Shanti-I making it one of his selections at the Notting Hill carnival of that year. An uplifting and motivating digital dub track that boasts live instrumentation, echoing the mammoth influences and spirits of the late Jah Shaka, The Disciples, Conscious Sound, Aba Shanti-I and Nick Mannaseh respectively.
Featuring a beautiful master and cut from Music House alumni Chris Hanson, an inspiring trumpet performance from Silsila family Luther Vine, and a crucial Melodica, mix and version from label head and producer Govind Singh, ‘Walk in the Light’ is a sonic mantra, a vehicle of positive vibration and a means to step out of the shadows.
Here we go! Ein echter 90er-Jahre-Kult-Hit ist zurück auf Vinyl! „Saturday Night“ von Whigfield, der legendäre Top-Hit aus dem Jahr 1994, ist endlich wieder als streng limitierte farbige 12“ Maxi Single erhältlich.
Mit seinem unverwechselbaren Dance-Sound, der eingängigen Melodie und dem legendären „Saturday Night“-Refrain eroberte Whigfield 1994 die internationalen Charts und wurde zu einem der großen Dance-Klassiker der 90er Jahre.
Jetzt gibt es den Hit endlich wieder auf hochwertigem, farbigem Vinyl – ein echtes Highlight für alle Fans der 90s, Dancefloor-Klassiker und Vinyl-Sammler.
Die Maxi Single enthält insgesamt 4 verschiedene Mixe und bietet damit gleich mehrere Versionen des unvergessenen Dancefloor-Hits.
Ein echter Dance-Klassiker ist zurück auf Vinyl! „2 Times“ von Ann Lee, der große Superhit aus dem Jahr 1998, erscheint endlich wieder als farbige, streng limitierte 12“ Maxi Single.
Mit seinem unverwechselbaren Eurodance-Sound, der eingängigen Melodie und dem legendären Refrain gehört „2 Times“ zu den unvergessenen Dance-Hits der späten 90er Jahre. Jetzt gibt es den Kult-Track endlich wieder als besonderes Vinyl-Release – ein Highlight für Nostalgiker, DJs und alle Vinyl-Liebhaber.
Die 12“ Maxi Single bietet insgesamt 5 verschiedene Mixe und lädt damit zu einer musikalischen Zeitreise zurück in die große Ära des 90er-Jahre-Dance ein.
Das farbige Vinyl und die streng limitierte Auflage machen diese Veröffentlichung zu einem besonderen Sammlerstück, das in keiner Dance- und Vinyl-Sammlung fehlen sollte.
The Dutch composer and conductor, born in 1993, has assembled a powerful collective with his "hugely inventive and fast- thinking" (UK Jazz News) Brainteaser Orchestra, uniting the vanguard of the current Amsterdam scene - including guitarist Teis Semey , saxophonist Kika Sprangers , drummer Jamie Peet , violinists George Dimitriu and Yanna Pelser , trombonist Nabou Claerhout , clarinetist Federico Calcagno, and bassist Alessandro Fongaro. This lineup has been making international waves, highlighted by invitations to major European festivals and a recent performance alongside Pat Metheny at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Now comes Tonepool Paradox, the orchestra's second album, commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Amsterdam's legendary BIMHUIS. Wybenga's compositional approach radically breaks with big band conventions. His process mirrors that of a hip- hop producer: he records solo improvisations by his musicians, chops the material into pieces, and uses these fragments as samples to build entirely new tracks. Wybenga layers jazz, electronics, and contemporary classical music without ever sounding academic or overintellectualized. For Tonepool Paradox , he expanded this concept internationally, bringing in guests such as Berlin-based saxophonist Otis Sandjo, Parisian violinist Theo Ceccaldi, singer Lizz Wright , and hip- hop vocalist Pink Oculus . Mixed by Grammy winner Nic Hard (Snarky Puppy), the sound brings together the diverse musical styles of everyone involved, juxtaposing the angular lines of the horns with sweeping, melodic string passages.
Swivel inaugura su nuevo sello Swivel Traxx produciendo cinco tracks originales recién salidos del horno.
Swivel Traxx steps up with ‘Out of Circle EP’, a 5-track trip delivered by label head Swivel. Blending raw 90s vibes with modern hypnotic soundscapes, the EP shifts gears from tense ambient to direct, Birmingham-influenced techno and high-energy cosmic madness. Built for both deep head-trips and pure dancefloor mayhem:
A1. Out of Circle (Prelude): A beatless atmospheric opener setting a mystical vibe for the whole record. A hypnotic, bell-like arpeggio glides over a warm Moog bassline and thick tension, teasing the concept behind the EP.
A2. Out of Circle: The title track drops straight into club territory while keeping things dark and mysterious. Massive cavernous pads, a driving rhythmic base, and a relentless sequenced synth loop pay homage once again to classic Birmingham techno.
A3. The Black Knights: A dark, dystopian trip. Driven by a hypnotic groove and sharp triplet hi-hats, this one brings a combat-ready energy made for peak-time dancefloor moments.
B1. Starlight: The fastest joint on the record (140 BPM). Equal parts melodic and club-focused, it locks TR-909 drums, Moog bass, and lush pads together for an astral trip into the unknown.
B2. Roundtable: A heavy, mental, and dark closer. Packed with raw analog-filtered synths, broken beats, and a relentless interplay of open and closed hi-hats, it delivers pure energy for the floor.
Die dunkle Seite des Italo Disco geht in die nächste Runde! „The Dark Side Of Italo Disco – Vol. 4“ präsentiert erneut 8 ausgewählte Italo-Disco-Songs der 80er Jahre, die mit ihren geheimnisvollen Sounds, treibenden Beats und einer ganz besonderen Atmosphäre einen düsteren Charme versprühen.
Zwischen melancholischen Synthesizer-Melodien, hypnotischen Rhythmen und futuristischen Klängen zeigt diese LP die geheimnisvolle und faszinierende Seite des legendären 80er-Jahre-Sounds.
Ein absolutes Highlight für Italo-Disco-Fans und alle, die ihre Plattensammlung um eine außergewöhnliche Auswahl voller Atmosphäre und Kultfaktor erweitern möchten.
"Fragments of Light" documents seven years of creative dialogue between Purl (Ludvig Cimbrelius) and Ecovillage (Emil Holmström & Peter Wikström). Their journey began with a spontaneous meeting in Los Angeles during October 2019, evolving into a transcontinental process where Ludvig refined ideas during Sri Lankan train journeys while Emil and Peter furthered their ambient dreaming in northern Sweden. Sonically, the album inhabits a space between pop ambient and new age—combining atmospheric textural depth with accessible melodies, while also carrying forward the contemplative nature central to the artists' work and personal lives. Ecovillage, who has collaborated with many revered artists (such as Laraaji, Carlos Niño, and Fennesz), here pour their own deep sensibilities into the ever widening river of Purl—this initial, ambient-rooted alias of Ludvig Cimbrelius. Featuring original, hand-painted artwork by Steven Jackson and delicate mastering work by Ludvig for a special limited physical edition released via his own LILA लीला imprint, “Fragments of Light” carries the hallmarks of an ambient classic-to-be. The album fits naturally alongside works by artists like Brian Eno, Harold Budd, and Hiroshi Yoshimura, as well as contemporary artists who bridge the ethereal with melodic sensibility.
With S.I.K. (Sociedad Internacional de la Kumbia), Conjunto Media Luna maps a constellation of sounds, friendships, and underground connections stretching across Colombia, Mexico, the United States, and beyond.
Produced in Bogotá between 2024 and 2026 by Iván Medellín, the album draws energy from rebajada culture, low-end frequencies, vinyl obsession, rap, and the hypnotic pull of cumbia. Accordion melodies, sampled fragments, drum machines, and sound system pressure intertwine throughout the record, creating a world where tradition is constantly reimagined through contemporary urban culture.
Featuring contributions from artists such as La Gallo 3:20, Turbo Sonidero, Amantes del Futuro, Mextape, León Pardo, Mismo Perro, and Hito de Piedra, S.I.K. unfolds as a dialogue between scenes that have spent years exchanging records, ideas, aesthetics, and frequencies.
The artwork comes from Mateo Rivano, one of the key visual architects of Bogotá's experimental tropical underground, whose imagery perfectly captures the album's blend of street mythology, sonic futurism, and tropical psychedelia.
Part sound system manifesto, part love letter to the global kumbia underground, S.I.K. is dedicated to everyone expanding the culture from their own corner of the map, through music, dance, graphics, fashion, and noise.
Edition of 600 copies, not sealed
Made with Love by Little Beat More 2026
Published by Little Beat More
Josmans Mixtape-Klassiker Matrix erscheint erstmals als Vinyl auf Diggers Factory.
Die 2016 veröffentlichten neun Tracks verbinden introspektiven Rap mit melodischen Strukturen und prägnantem Storytelling.
The Mannheim homie ManooZ has been releasing some fab tunes for over a decade on labels like Chiwax, Selections, Local Talk or just recently Chicago’s own Star Creature, but there’s no stopping. A true house lover, ManooZ dedicates his „Rhythm of motion EP“ to Chicago House! The a-side represents the jacking side of Chicago with raw and hypnotic grooves and stripped-back basslines. Just listen to „rhythm of motion“ and „mode six“! The b-side goes deeper with a more soulful approach and strings and melodies all over! A perfectly balanced release by the one and only ManooZ!
In the begining there was jack! And in 2026 there’s still jack!
Major figure in electronic music and pioneer of cosmic disco, Space was founded in 1977 by Didier Marouani.
"Magic Fly", its first single, embodies its futuristic DNA (a melodious, cosmic and disco-inspired composition). Following its worldwide success, 3 albums were released in 2 years :
- "Magic Fly" (1977), blending melodic richness with synthetic innovation, delivered both dancefloor hits and midtempo tracks.
- "Deliverance" (1977) is a typical 70s concept album, ranging from disco to cosmic electronic music.
- "Just Blue" (1978) is a more melancholic album featuring broader orchestrations and complex harmonies.
These 3 records sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
"The Art Of Space Disco (1977-1978)" presents Space's most iconic tracks and sums up two fruitful intense years of musical innovation.
- The Vinyl comes in as 1LP Crystal Clear. It includes 4 edits : Carry On Turn Me On, My Love Is Music, Deliverance & Running In The City.
- The Double CD features original versions . It includes 2 additional tracks (Symphony, Velvet Rape) and 8 remixes (never released physically before) produced in 2026 by artists whose musical careers were shaped by Space.
- CD & Vinyl Exclusive liner notes by Jean-Yves Leloup.
- All tracks have been remastered by Alex Gopher
The almighty Joe of the Farr’s is a highly accomplished UK techno DJ, producer and mastering engineer. Originally associated with Bristol's electronic music scene, Joe studied TV and film sound design before building a solid reputation through hard-hitting, technically sophisticated techno releases on labels including Turbo, DSNT, Bloc, Soma and Power Vacuum. His concentrated output combines aggressive club-focused rhythms with melodic and IDM-inspired elements. Now based in Wales, performing internationally and on home turf, he also operates a professional mastering engineering operation of the highest esteem of which RIOT could simply not operate without, as many others will gladly attest too.
Continuing with the ‘Limited As Fuck’ series of releases, on our fiercely independent techno label based in Scotland, we’ve finally let loose the screamer of a release, from such an integral member of RIOT HQ, that’s been patiently ‘Left Alone’ and waiting for the right time to unleash its User Experience. Joe’s totally went one step beyond and cranked out a pressure filled release of not only persistent anthemic prowess but one of such rigorous determination, all those on the dance floor MUST ‘Obey’ to its diligent beats. And with Rant & Rave Records boss Maedon serving up such an iconoclastic relentless remix, you will absolutely need to submit complicitly to all things RIOT.
The full digital release also features two bonus meticulously disciplined tracks to fulfil your obedient, subservient requirements.
WARNING: NON STOP BREAKIN’ N’ STOMPIN’ N’ BOPPIN’ TO THE RIOT BEATS WILL MANIFEST ITSELF
GEORG DANZER - "JAHRESZEITEN" - Das Beste aus fünf Jahrzehnten Anlässlich des 80. Geburtstags des großen österreichischen Liedermachers GEORG DANZER veröffentlicht Sony Music eine von Georg Danzers langjährigem Wegbegleiter und Manager Franz Christian Schwarz liebevoll kompilierte Best Of mit dem Titel "Jahreszeiten". Das auf farbiger 2LP sowie auf 1CD erhältliche Album umfasst Lieder aus jeder Schaffensphase des 2007 verstorbenen Künstlers, dessen musikalisches Erbe die österreichische Musik nachhaltig prägte. Das Albumcover setzt sich aus vier Portraits Georg Danzers zusammen, die von Nina Maron, Tochter des unvergessenen Sigi Maron, gemalt wurden. Franz Christian Schwarz beschreibt die Zusammenstellung der Best Of mit folgenden Worten: "Alle meine Lieder sind wie Sonne Mond & Sterne" ist der Beginn eines Liedes auf der CD-Single "Sonne, Mond & Sterne", die anlässlich der gleichnamigen DVD-Veröffentlichung von Georg Danzer erschienen ist. Diese Liedzeile gab auch den Ausschlag, die vorliegende Doppel-LP "Jahreszeiten" zu nennen, um die Bandbreite von Danzers musikalischer Vielfalt unter Beweis zu stellen. Danzer schaffte es wie kaum ein anderer Beobachtungen, Erzählungen, Gedanken und Emotionen in Worte und Melodien zu fassen. Mit über fünfhundert veröffentlichten Liedern für sich selbst und andere Interpretinnen und Interpreten zählt Danzer zu den produktivsten Liederschreibern des Landes. Einige seiner Lieder hielten auch in Schul- und Notenheften Einzug. Die vorliegende Doppel-Vinyl und die um einen Titel verkürzte CD-Version wurden eine spezielle Zusammenstellung, auf der neben bekannten Liedern auch solche zu hören sind, die entweder bisher unbekannt oder dem Zuhörer nicht so geläufig sind, aber das musikalische Spektrum des großartigen Poppoeten widerspiegeln. Sie dient zur Auffrischung von Erinnerungen ebenso wie als Anreiz, sich mit dem Werk Danzers vertraut zu machen oder es neu zu entdecken. Der Frühling ist für viele Menschen ein Zeichen dafür, das
Silva Screen Records freut sich, die Veröffentlichung von „Beneath Painted Skies: Music from the Studio Ghibli Movies“ anzukündigen, einem neuen Album von London Music Works und Nick Squires, das die außergewöhnlichen musikalischen Welten einiger der beliebtesten Animationsfilme würdigt.
„Beneath Painted Skies“ erscheint im Oktober 2026 als physisches Album und ist eine symphonische Neuinterpretation von Titeln aus dem Studio Ghibli. Es vereint eine umfassende Sammlung von Themen und Musikstücken aus den Filmen des Studio Ghibli – von der windumtosten Wunderwelt von „Nausicaä aus dem Tal der Winde“ und dem fliegenden Abenteuer von „Das Schloss im Himmel“ über die zarte Nostalgie von „Nur gestern“ der emotionalen Erhabenheit von „Prinzessin Mononoke“ bis hin zur traumhaften Schönheit von „Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland“ und „Das wandelnde Schloss“.
Das Album ist eine Hommage an die bemerkenswerte emotionale Bandbreite dieser Musik: zarte, idyllische Melodien, hochfliegende Orchester-Themen, intime Charakterstücke und Momente stiller Besinnung. In der gesamten Sammlung verleihen London Music Works und Nick Squires diesen beliebten Werken eine reichhaltige, filmische Sensibilität und fangen dabei das Gefühl von Flug, Erinnerung, Kindheit, Verlust, Staunen und Magie ein, das diese Musik über Generationen hinweg nachklingen lässt.
Die Trackliste umfasst mehr als vier Jahrzehnte legendärer Animationsfilme, darunter Musik aus „Mein Nachbar Totoro“, „Kikis kleiner Lieferservice“, „Porco Rosso“, „Das Grab der Leuchtkäfer“, „Ponyo auf der Klippe am Meer“, „Der Wind steigt“, „Als Marnie da war“, „Die Legende der Prinzessin Kaguya“, „Auf dem Poppy-Hügel“ und „Der Junge und der Reiher“.
Mit Darbietungen von London Music Works und Nick Squires bietet „Beneath Painted Skies“ eine wunderschön gestaltete Reise durch eine der bezauberndsten Landschaften der Filmmusik.
[x] d6. Ask Me Why [Mothers Message] (from "The Boy and the Heron")
[y] d7. Fine on the Outside [Vocal Version] (from "When Marnie Was There")
Tronic has a 20-30 year long history with releasing melodic house and techno. While we opted for the more raw sound in the past few years, Christian wanted to go back to his roots and produce more emotive, groovy, and melodic house and techno again. Lamour Toujours is a progressive groover that has a disco-influenced bassline and adds an emotive chord progression in the break. We asked Argentinean legend Hernan Cattaneo to make a remix. As a long time supporter of Tronic we felt that he would be a great candidate for this remix. Hernan Cattaneo and Kevin Di Serna teamed up and delivered a stunning remix focusing on the melodic chord progression of the original! Italian maestro Gai Barone mutates 'L'Amour Toujours' into a stunning, mind-bending interpretation that proves his insane ability to rewrite the rulebook. Meanwhile, Colombian powerhouse Kamilo Sanclemente stays closer to the original, injecting a massive, chord-driven progression built to elevate any room. Three classy, high-caliber remixes. We're absolutely buzzing with this drop.
Fast-rising pianist and producer Yoni Mayraz presents his debut LP ‘Dybbuk Tse!’ revealing the story of a malicious possession that is taking over one’s body and soul.
Dybbuk, known from Jewish folklore, is a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person. It’s a cursed soul of a dead one that wanders tirelessly for sins committed during their life. The most vulnerable victims are the young and the sinful. Possession can be taken literally or as an analogy to the burden that young people carry generations back, which they have no influence on, and which they have to accept. Dybbuk can only be removed by exorcism. The titular ‘Dybbuk Tse!’ is a command to remove the spirit from the possessed body. The album is a story about possession but also about exorcism through music.
Recorded live with his band over the course of a spring week last year, ‘Dybbuk Tse!’ is indeed experimenting with the ‘darker side of things’, but yet with a somewhat lighthearted approach which is so typical of Yoni’s work. He easily combines jazz with the sound of 90’s New York hip hop and raw old school breakbeat. The album interweaves unique Middle Eastern melodies, sophisticated structures and sounds, and beautifully crafted solos played by some of the promising talents on the scene.
London based Israeli born pianist and producer Yoni Mayraz has set foot in the instrumental music scene with his EP ‘Rough Cuts’ released in 2020. Since then, Yoni and his band have been playing major venues and festivals around the world including the legendary Ronnie Scott’s and The Jazz Cafe, to name a few, bringing raw energy to stage with live versions of the studio materials, and stretching the melodies and structures into a Dancefloor-focused take on jazz.
180g Heavy double vinyl LP with liner notes by Tyran Grillo. Limited Japanese Obi for the first pressing. Original artwork by Russell Mills and photography by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
The third Time Capsule is a body of dub reinterpretations by celebrated producer Bill Laswell of Ethiopian singer Gigi. Curated by Tokyo record collector, music researcher and seasoned reissue supervisor Ken Hidaka, it is the first time Illuminated Audio is pressed to vinyl after its CD release in 2003.
Ejigayehu Shibabaw was born in 1974 in Chagni, northwestern Ethiopia and by pursuing a career as a singer, went against her father’s strict, traditional gender roles. As Gigi, she embraced the same musical freedom she had strived for in her personal life, incorporating the Ethiopian church, funk, hip-hop, West and South African music into her work. She first settled in Nairobi, then Addis Ababa, where she quickly established herself as one of the city’s leading singers. A move to San Francisco in 1998 led to a long and fruitful creative partnership with bassist and producer Bill Laswell.
Around the same time, Chris Blackwell had stepped away from Island Records to start the art house film company and label Palm Pictures. He took an interest in Gigi and together with Laswell, pulled together an all-star cast of musicians for her self-titled US debut album, including Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders and Wayne Shorter. It won international critical acclaim, not just for its musicianship but for making Gigi a “defining voice for the Ethiopian expatriate community”, as journalist Tyran Grillo praises in his Time Capsule liner notes. From the nation-defining 1896 victory over Italian invaders to the quiet revolutionaries who wear simple shemma garments, Grillo believes the themes in Gigi make it “a shower of sunlight on her homeland for those ignorant of its struggles.”
After its success, Blackwell encouraged them to go back into the studio to rethink the album and Illuminated Audio was born. “Anyone can make a voice sound worldly”, Grillo remarks, “but rare are those who can make one sound inner-worldly.” Gigi was clear with Laswell to give her vocals a minor role “because it’s already been done.” Instead her Amharic verse is fleeting, exhaling through the textures like ghostly fragments; soaring yet muted. Yet the album is still titled under her name, an assertion by Laswell of her central role in the album’s creation. Not only was it a fully endorsed project by Gigi, but she would be present throughout its development, giving feedback on half-finished ideas as Laswell played them back in the studio. “It works perfectly”, she reflected after the album’s release. “We wanted to capture the whole spirit of each track, and Bill’s remixes create a different music language that really puts you in a pleasant place”.
This new vocabulary takes its lead from a technical approach that Laswell had been perfecting during a furtive creative period at the turn of the millennium. Much like his ambient interpretations of Miles Davis (Panthalassa, 1998), Bob Marley (Dreams of Freedom, 1997), and Carlos Santana (Divine Light, 2001), Laswell approached Illuminated Audio by returning to the original multitrack masters. Gigi wasn’t just reworked, but recomposed into an expansive lattice of instruments, submerged in a watery ambience of dub and trance undercurrents.
Sonically, this new language that Gigi refers to, is manifested by the original album’s more understated parts being pushed to the fore. Explaining his contrasting methods, Laswell saw Gigi as being “put together in a way that fits”. Contrastingly, in Illuminated Audio, “a lot of things that I featured in the remix weren’t as audible in the original.” Instrumentation laying near-dormant, deep in the mix, are brought to the fore: the acid rock guitar and Wayne Shorter’s saxophone on ‘Tew Ante Sew’, Graham Haynes’ flugelhorn on ‘Nafekeñ’, Laswell’s bass on ‘Kahn’, the melodica in Mengedegna or the floating synths and talking drums in ‘Gud Fella’.
Brought to his attention by mentor DJ Nori, Hidaka describes Illuminated Audio as a “masterful sonic exploration into ethereal ambience and dub” and made sure this reissue also contained a full remaster to give its “deep musicality” much better dynamics and density in the overall sound. Hidaka admits that Laswell's music “is sometimes so out-there, it is often misunderstood” and, indeed, to dub album non-believers this might seem like a prolific producer imposing himself on another artist’s work; eternally developing rearrangements that never quite get to its destination. But that’s missing its true power and triumph. This is more than the reissue of a remix, but “a wholly unique musical entity”, as Hidaka describes. Illuminated Audio refers to the illuminated manuscripts that comprise the major part of Ethiopian art and its new compositions stand in proud solitude as a rare body of reworks that both informs and enhances their originals.
La Soupe aux Choux, a movie as famous for its cast as for the main theme of its soundtrack is now available on vinyl!
Discover the mythical electronic folk melody, composed and played by Raymond Lefèvre. Nearly 40 years after its creation, this theme still brings us back to its film and continues to mark the minds and ears.
Two years in the making, “Talk About It” delivers on all the hype and promise of Blimes and Gab's 20-million-view YouTube sensation “Come Correct,” which blew up the Internet. (It’s included here as a vinyl-only bonus song on side D!) Hip-hop heavyweights Method Man, Jay Park, Bahamadia, and Iamsu! each drop by for features. The song “Feelin It” appeared on HBO’s Insecure. Single "Hot Damn" was featured in the soundtrack for the movie Cut Throat City. Uproxx Music named "Talk About It" one of their top albums of the year. Billboard says “Blimes and Gab drip with pure swagger: Seducing the listener with entrancing melodies and hot-and-heavy lyrics,” while Variety describes “Feelin It" as "the perfect summer song.” This deluxe double LP is pressed on yellow and black vinyl and includes liner notes by Miss Casey Carter. Only 500 individually numbered copies have been made.
Vinyl Packaging: Gatefold LP + download card. Indie Exclusive Transparent Orange vinyl in gatefold jacket Limited to 1000. CD 6 panel Digipak. Gnosis is the highly anticipated 8th full length from Russian Circles. Across the span of their previous seven studio albums, Chicago-based instrumental trio Russian Circles traversed a diverse topography of sounds, moods, and approaches with their limited armory of drums, bass, and guitar. It’s difficult to chart an evolution in their sound when their records have always felt like well-curated playlists. It wasn’t uncommon to hear drone-heavy meditations, dazzling prog exercises, knuckle-dragging riff-fests, haunting folk ballads, and tension-baiting noise rock all within the span of one album. Still, it’s difficult to ignore the progression from the pensive and intricate melodies of Enter (2006) to the layered distorted dirges of Blood Year (2019). It’s been a gradual sonic shift owing to the band’s rigorous tour schedule and a predilection towards playing their more authoritative material on stage. But with their latest album, Gnosis, Russian Circles eschew the varied terrain of their past work and bulldoze a path through the most tumultuous and harrowing territory of their sound. As was the case for so many artists in the age of COVID, the obstacles of geography and isolation forced Russian Circles to reevaluate their writing process. Rather than crafting songs out of fragmented ideas in the practice room, full songs were written and recorded independently before being shared with other members, so that their initial vision was retained. While these demos spanned the full breadth of the band’s varied styles, the more cinematic compositions were ultimately excised in favor of the physically cathartic pieces. Gnosis was engineered and mixed by Kurt Ballou. Drums and bass were tracked at Electrical Audio in Chicago to maximize the natural room sounds of the rhythm section. Guitar and synth overdubs were conducted at God City in Salem, MA to take advantage of Ballou’s vast inventory of amps and effects pedals. Despite the entirety of the album being written remotely, the songs were recorded with the full band playing together to retain the live feel of the material. Owing to the climate of the times and a new writing method, Russian Circles created their most fuming and focused work to date—an album that favors the exorcism of two years’ worth of tension over the melancholy and restraint that often colored their past endeavors. European Co-Headline tour with Cult of Luna slated for Marc 2023 (Dates TBA). Russian Circles have received coverage from most notable press including Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, FADER, AV Club, Consequence, Decibel, Revolver and much more.
