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Itako's new release on Sonic Groove signifies a creative evolution, stepping away from his electro-techno inspirations such as those on Maceo Plex's Lone Romantic Imprint. This fresh offering delivers a blend of deep, mental, and acidic techno that fits seamlessly into the many genres of today's techno sound, a perfect synergy that connects at home, in transit or on a dancefloor.

Hardtek tribale et mentale dans un esprit très Crusyal. Efficace !

Manche sagen, es sei Albert Einstein gewesen, der das gesagt hat, aber ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass es Hristo Stoichkov war: ,Glück gibt es nicht." Manche Bands leben ihre gesamte Karriere von einem einzigen Song, was Experten als One-Hit-Wonder bezeichnen. Hier würden wir es wahrscheinlich einfach als Strohfeuer bezeichnen, etwas, das uns etwas vertrauter ist. Andere Bands schaffen es, ein oder zwei großartige Alben herauszubringen, vielleicht sogar drei. Darüber hinaus wird es schwieriger, Bands mit mehr als vier soliden Alben zu finden. Diese Bands haben etwas Besonderes, eine Art Magie. Jeder, der sie kennt, hat eine klare Referenz, eine Grundlage, ein Konzept, eine Art, Dinge zu tun, die einen fesseln und in ihren Bann ziehen, genau wie in diesem Fall. CRIMs fünftes Album "Futur Medieval" hält die Flamme ihrer vorherigen vier Alben am Leben. Es ist ein Killer-Album, voller Energie und Leidenschaft. Wie immer gibt es Hymnen, Refrains zum Mitsingen, den charakteristischen synchronen Punch in jedem Song und diese elektrisierenden Gitarren, die von der ersten Note an ihre Trümpfe ausspielen. Wie es in einem ihrer Songs heißt: ,"Nichts Neues?" Na und? Erwachsenes Vergnügen ist genau das, - Jordi "Unclu" Sabatés Ametller CRIM wurde 2011 gegründet und sind wohl die größte Punkband Kataloniens/Spanien. Diese äußerst leidenschaftlichen Musiker haben sich lokal einen Namen gemacht, spielen mittlerweile immer wieder vor Tausenden von Leuten und haben starke Songs, die in vielerlei Hinsicht eine sehr florierende Szene in Nordspanien vorantreiben. Die Popularität von Crim außerhalb Kataloniens wächst rasant, da sich ihre Authentizität in ihrem Sound widerspiegelt und ihr kompromissloser Ansatz in vielerlei Hinsicht universell ist und für Fans leicht erkennbar und einladend, unabhängig davon, welche Sprache sie sprechen. Jeder, der diese Band live gesehen oder ihre Alben gehört hat, kann die Kraft und Energie bezeugen, die sie besitzt. FFO Cock Sparrer, Leatherface, Social Distortion CD, klassisch schwarzes oder mehrfarbiges Vinyl!

Frontman Chris Reifert was already a well-known force on the underground through his time as drummer with Florida's highly respected death metal combo Death. After playing drums on the band's debut album, the much acclaimed 'Scream Bloody Gore', Chris moved back west to the more open climate of San Francisco & formed Autopsy. The band released the demo 'Critical Madness' in 1988 & it wasn't long before Peaceville Records snapped them up in a deal initially spanning 4 albums.

The partnership kicked off in April 1989 with their debut album 'Severed Survival'; a brutal explosion of heavy riffs, tight drumming & a screaming vocal, rounded off with concepts of death, disease & diabolica. This was swiftly followed up with the equally genre-defining 'Mental Funeral' opus in 1991. Released in the autumn of 1995, Autopsy's then fourth & final album before splitting, 'Shitfun', was a glorious scatological gross out & exercise in the limits of extremity & a fitting end to one of the finest bands of a Doomed generation before their return from the grave in 2009 which has continued to go from strength to strength to the current day. This thirtieth anniversary vinyl pressing of 'Shitfun' is presented on bowel- busting limited brown marble- effect vinyl, including the original cover art & printed inner sleeve.

After a busy summer on the road, Silverlining launches Forgotten Chorus, a new imprint for deep, hypnotic and abstract body music. The idea was born at a festival, where low frequencies drifting through the natural filter of English woods prompted him to mentally fill the gaps of the higher registers. Three weeks later, he wrote ‘Salvaged Chimes (From the Rubble of Sound)’, an almost verbatim recreation of the track he’d imagined. For Silverlining, this moment of embracing discarded sound became emblematic of how overlooked voices, such as those of the oppressed and forgotten, can still resonate if we choose to listen differently.

This concept led to experimentation with flint-knapper John Lord and conceptual artist Antonia Beard, whose recordings he sampled of the ancient practice of striking flint, humanity's first technology. Those sounds were then cut and made into all the instruments, save for the TR-909, that comprise 'Attuned To Detune'. The EP’s lead track, ‘Folk Dust’, pushes high-tempo breakbeats through Silverlining’s own lens on UK broken techno, balancing raw energy with ethereal melodies.

Forgotten Chorus seeks to celebrate the beauty in sounds and stories that fall outside the dominant narrative. Its debut release, a fast-paced, three-track techno EP by Silverlining, embodies this spirit and marks another step in his evolving exploration of new sonic ground.

As always - the U JAZZ ME vinyl is numbered to 100 copies and it was pressed on 180g black wax.

Music was composed and produced by Bartosz Weber (guitar, electronica) with creative aid of Michał Fetler (saxophones) & Jacek Prościński (drums).

This Molar record was created in a few stages. First it was substantial to find creative means which would spark the new material. The Polyend Tracker was perfect for that as it is both simple and surprisingly fresh. Only after that I applied my favourite environment and comfortably sat in my digital domain. The next stage was to find kindred spirits who share the same mental and musical sensibility. Michał Fetler and Jacek Prościński seemed to fit like a custom-made rubber glove. It was equally important that they are excellent and experienced musicians as well as good humans. Fetler brought his own sensitivity and ideas, we tried sampling his instruments live which you can hear in quite a few places on this record. We still apply this technique during performances. His contribution is best heard in Berry Teaching, or Stimulating Labourer. In both cases he starts the fun and I enter sampling and answering to his parts. Jacek Prościński fits the bill both in terms of his creative approach and contagious enthusiasm. His style also encouraged me to pick up the guitar and completely change a few parts which led to a more extreme ending in Brav0o (initially it was played on synths and calmly faded out into oblivion). What more is there to do than sit back (or stand up, run, float or fall, whichever you prefer listening to music) and enjoy this selection of audio extravaganza.

Manche sagen, es sei Albert Einstein gewesen, der das gesagt hat, aber ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass es Hristo Stoichkov war: ,Glück gibt es nicht." Manche Bands leben ihre gesamte Karriere von einem einzigen Song, was Experten als One-Hit-Wonder bezeichnen. Hier würden wir es wahrscheinlich einfach als Strohfeuer bezeichnen, etwas, das uns etwas vertrauter ist. Andere Bands schaffen es, ein oder zwei großartige Alben herauszubringen, vielleicht sogar drei. Darüber hinaus wird es schwieriger, Bands mit mehr als vier soliden Alben zu finden. Diese Bands haben etwas Besonderes, eine Art Magie. Jeder, der sie kennt, hat eine klare Referenz, eine Grundlage, ein Konzept, eine Art, Dinge zu tun, die einen fesseln und in ihren Bann ziehen, genau wie in diesem Fall. CRIMs fünftes Album "Futur Medieval" hält die Flamme ihrer vorherigen vier Alben am Leben. Es ist ein Killer-Album, voller Energie und Leidenschaft. Wie immer gibt es Hymnen, Refrains zum Mitsingen, den charakteristischen synchronen Punch in jedem Song und diese elektrisierenden Gitarren, die von der ersten Note an ihre Trümpfe ausspielen. Wie es in einem ihrer Songs heißt: ,"Nichts Neues?" Na und? Erwachsenes Vergnügen ist genau das, - Jordi "Unclu" Sabatés Ametller CRIM wurde 2011 gegründet und sind wohl die größte Punkband Kataloniens/Spanien. Diese äußerst leidenschaftlichen Musiker haben sich lokal einen Namen gemacht, spielen mittlerweile immer wieder vor Tausenden von Leuten und haben starke Songs, die in vielerlei Hinsicht eine sehr florierende Szene in Nordspanien vorantreiben. Die Popularität von Crim außerhalb Kataloniens wächst rasant, da sich ihre Authentizität in ihrem Sound widerspiegelt und ihr kompromissloser Ansatz in vielerlei Hinsicht universell ist und für Fans leicht erkennbar und einladend, unabhängig davon, welche Sprache sie sprechen. Jeder, der diese Band live gesehen oder ihre Alben gehört hat, kann die Kraft und Energie bezeugen, die sie besitzt. FFO Cock Sparrer, Leatherface, Social Distortion CD, klassisch schwarzes oder mehrfarbiges Vinyl!

Ho comes back with a new EP on Epiteth.

A side brings 2 tunes from David Lagon and LSA, David Lagon brings here one of his best tune ever... probably the track of the EP.
The LSA comes with a mental industrial Hardcore tune.
Both are at 200 BPM.

B side start with a superb collab' between Le Tallium & Inger : a long broken industrial intro opening to a dark noisy beat. A bass-wind maker.
The superb second track is from Clarise Volkov : a killer melting dancefloor and experimental sounds.

The sleeve is glossy, printed. Visual and photos by Ho himself.

Limited edition.

After completing his nationwide run with Ice Nine kills, the rocker has been hard at work prepping Cruel World. The collection of songs includes several notable features, including the likes of From First To Last, as well as Ice Nine Kills. The 9-song minialbum is chock full of TX2's well-known hard-hitting sinister sound, and he's bringing an added dose of heavy with these new songs as well. Fan-favorite track "MAD," which has seen 10,000+ video creates on TikTok and has created an unstoppable buzz around the project. Rising out of the shadows of a small town known for music, Fort Collins; TX2 brings an unmatchable intensity in his music through the form of powerful raw lyrics and explosive performances. After struggling for so many years as an artist, TX2 used his pain as fuel and finally found his sound. As a result, his music went viral on TikTok and he now has ~800K followers on the platform. TX2 has since begun a movement known among his fans known as the "X Movement", which is all about bringing awareness to mental health and creating a safe space for those in need to talk. The rules are simple, any member can vent and share how they are feeling, while other members are encouraged to push other members' self-esteem up. The movement is currently growing every day, providing a platform to speak about mental health, vent, and support one another. TX2 wants everyone to know they are not alone in their struggles. The nine rack minialbum is available on CD & LP!

TX2, AKA Evan Thomas, prides himself on injecting authentic stories and experiences from his own life into his lyrics. As someone who is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community himself, he admits he hasn't always fit in. His songs document that experience, but really - his stories are about all of us, penned for anyone who has ever felt alone. Per usual - the singer is willing to cause a little chaos with his new track, if that's what it takes to draw attention to important societal issues. With his tracks, he's making his voice heard loud and clear. "10 years ago I started TX2, and when the project first started I was the joke of my hometown. I was bullied by my entire hometown, and told by family that I would never make it. Years later I am still the joke, but now a punching bag for the entire internet. I've practiced what I've preached and consistently talked about mental health awareness, safety, and LGBT rights just to be made fun of and seen as `one of the most hated artists'. This world is filled with vultures, and I'm sure everyone can relate." Six track debut EP available as CD & LP

Nach einer zwei-jährigen Auszeit, in der er sich bewusst seiner mentalen Gesundheit widmete, und einem
monumentalen Comeback, mit dem er sich seinen Platz als einer der weltweit beliebtesten Künstler eindrucksvoll zurückerobert hat, vollendet Lewis Capaldi seine außergewöhnliche Rückkehr mit der Veröffentlichung seiner neuen vier Songs umfassenden EP Survive. Nach den chartstürmenden Singles „Survive“
und „Something In The Heavens“ – beides kraftvolle Meilensteine seines erneuten Durchbruchs – präsentiert
die EP außerdem das eindringliche „Almost“ und den sehr persönlichen, zutiefst berührenden Abschluss
„The Day That I Die“. Gemeinsam bilden diese Songs eine intime, emotional mitreißende Sammlung, die
die schonungslose Ehrlichkeit, Verletzlichkeit und das große Herz einfängt, die Lewis Capaldi zu einer der
eindrucksvollsten Stimmen seiner Generation gemacht haben.

"The machine looms—it watches you from within. The finger points, but the face is missing."

The Bristol/Amman connection just got even deeper… following DBL's impressive string of Avon-infused heaters (check the recent scorchers from Nzumbe, Content Provider and 2023's 'Weld'). And we're well informed there's even more of this cross-continental greatness to come…

But first...

Kinlaw & Franco Franco. ATC's original prodigal sons. A two-headed nephilim with an ever-growing tally of near-biblical performances – leaving shook audiences coughing dust for months after. Resurrected for 2025.

Those familiar know their hallowed-dogma – brimming with cyberpunk prophetics, surveillance state paranoia and rusted gothic futurism. Each chilling sermon accompanied by a bespoke blend of crusted sonics, taut future-concrète prangers and only the finest industrial-trappist beats.

Back with renewed precision. 11 hot-kneelers for your mental.

On 'Faith Elsewhere', they lead the congregation into uncharted waters with pop-confessional, 'Pitstop 2024'. There's a fresh revamp of the beloved feudal anthem, 'Crocs on the Plough'. Next, a long-fermented, yet still refreshing, kind of chamber-wave on the album's self-titled track. And there's even a touch of the devotional in the final ethereal reprise… Plus, there are plenty more teachings to be found elsewhere…

The writing's on the wall. Accept no false idols. Now pull up your cushion and kneel at their altar. It might just be their best yet….

"In the holiness of their temples, unsuspecting worshippers were being observed by indiscreet eyes."

2025 Repress!

Recorded in a remote cabin on the Devon coast, STILL OUT is an album-length collaboration between musician-filmmakers – and childhood friends – Will Cookson and Tom Haverly. A reflection on friendship, landscape and the passing of time, it inspired a road trip from North Yorkshire to North Devon they took together in the summer of 2024, and forms the soundtrack to a film of the same name which had its premiere screening as part of Stroud Film Festival in March 2025.

Like the film, STILL OUT is also an oblique homage to The KLF’s iconic 1990 album Chill Out, which the Gloucestershire-based pair revisited after it turned up unexpectedly a few years back in Tom’s dad’s record collection. Inspired to create their own recording using a similarly free-spirited process, Will and Tom relocated to the Devon coast in late summer 2023, splicing together a 40-minute mix from their personal archive of recordings and found sounds in a remote cabin with no electricity or mobile reception.

"It came together using cut-and-paste techniques, with ongoing shifts and tweaks,” says Will. “The final result was an audio collage that felt like something legendary hip hop producers The Bomb Squad might make - if ambient music was the only material in their sample library."

Using ‘ambient’ as a starting-point rather than an end in itself, they took inspiration from across the musical spectrum – classic-period Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Bill Evans, plus outliers such as 80s singer-songwriter Virginia Astley and the late DJ-producer Andrew Weatherall. The connections, though, are anything but obvious as the audio shifts seamlessly from field recordings and spoken-word interludes to mood pieces and snatches of vintage pop.

Edited and assembled using freely available open source programs, the source material was often radically altered using tools such as “PaulStretch”, a digital sound-morphing algorithm that allows users to stretch audio files to extreme lengths.

"When we found ourselves in a creative slump or unsure how to navigate a tricky part, we'd say, ‘Let's put some syrup on it and slow it down,’” says Tom. “That always helped us get back on track during late-night recording sessions at the cabin."

Part-soundtrack, part-meditative experiment, STILL OUT is intended as a reflection on the mental and emotional shift that occurs when stepping away from the routine of daily life – an album that forms a celebration of our ever-changing relationship to the world around us and the mystery of what it means to pass through time and space.

“The true follow up, 35 years later, to The KLF’s ‘Chill Out’”.
JD Twitch (Optimo).

An ambient journey reflecting on friendship, the British landscape - and The KLF’s landmark album Chill Out

"This record and film are just lovely. You need this in your life. Moo-Moo!” Balearic Mike (Down To The Sea & Back)

"The album is a perfect companion to the KLF classic, utilising the British countryside as the setting, occasionally reminding you that Mother Nature is not to be messed with.” Strictly Kev (DJ Food)

"A beautiful ambient journey into the landscape, taking the listener from reality to dream state and back again. A mystical realm full of mysterious chanting, rattling trains and sounds from the very depths of the earth."
Lally MacBeth & Matthew Shaw (Stone Club)

The Dears have made some of the most beautiful music of the past quarter century, but also some of the most defiant, with an attitude and emphasis that seems to blend the operatic with a punk sensibility. On their new album, "Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!", The Dears are again at the top of their form, coming back with passionate, compassionate, urgent music that uplifts, explores dark corners, and ultimately shines out in a way that's absolutely gorgeous, with an edge.

""Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life is Beautiful!" feels like a new masterpiece and provides further evidence that The Dears are a vital part of the musical landscape, and also just completely doing their own thing, as ever." "If I love The Dears, if you love The Dears, it's because that orchestral, symphonic feel, those gorgeous melodies, are grounded in a gritty, gonna-die-on-this hill mentality and a heady intellectualism." "... my heart skipped a beat from the opening chords of "Gotta Get My Head Right"—a masterpiece of rising tension and killer melodies, layered and precise and yet roving and wild, with changes in the music and the progressions that alter your brain while listening. What follows is an album that's as various and yet as unified as that first track. Few bands can achieve this kind of complexity while also making it seem timeless and so very perfect." "There's no one like The Dears and there never will be, and I really appreciate that so very much." - excerpts from the album bio, written by New York Times bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer

The Dears' 9th studio album, "Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful", pressed on gold vinyl in a limited edition of 1000, will release worldwide 11/7 via Next Door Records.

Reissue of seminal 1992 Bodysnatch cut ‘Euphony (Kuff Mix)’, later released as ‘Just 4 U London’. Accompanied by two more Bodysnatch back catalogue highlights from 1992 – ‘Eyes On The Horizon’ and ‘The Strength (Mental Rapids)’. All three tracks have been remastered with love and care by Johanz Westerman from the original recordings and selected for reissue by Parts Unknown and Craigie Knowes.

Second venue for Chross Chaos productions !
Elmucho23 mental tribe pure original style meeting Unusual Therapy for some banger mental collabs !

limited edition

èMeL, the maestro of trance induced Tekno returns to Violent Cases delivering three long trips pumping like hell or high water.

Against The Grain riding the warp of space into the womb of night freedom at the speed of light from gravity’s planetary chain.

Symphony of Construction orchestrates a swarm of ant-like nanobots in space assembling the mothership of the raving tribe at warp pace.
Reverse termites moving in unison creaking and clanking away at the metal shell to escape this man made hell.

Darkness seduction is the siren’s hum pulling the mentalnaut to the fluffy bottom it feels good to let go, further than you can fathom, to the sound of a giant tardigrade nibbling at atoms.

This publication is illustrated by Darkam, designed by TDSiGNZ, and mastered by Stefan ZMK.

Each EP comes with 2 posters, a digital download code, and 2 artwork stickers.

4 Acid industrial mental tribe tunes. Roaring and threatening to explode !

Coming a printed sleeve. Visual by N0L4N


Mastered @ Black Hole Studio

Superb second MANTRA records, mentalcore, acid industrial music, with many new ideas and sounds from the future !
Explore !

TdK Special brings us two massive tracks. Available again to play it now!

bRz takes you on a mental space ride with Sunshine Avenue.
While David Spaans gives us Desert Planet, a full 10-minute journey
With a groovy acid line and shimmering bell textures, previously known from CROWD005T.

bRz vs Stije return with a release made with pure love for Stroef _3 A tribute to their four-legged furry fucker. As they put it: “In order to spiral toward one another, we must first shed energy.” Like galactic black holes caught in the Final Parsec Problem, this record captures that tension. Two mental tracks from 12/15 minutes each. Mix it loud!

Vite Fait is back with their second vinyl release!

Since 2019, Vite Fait has been a well known name in Belgium’s party scene.
Initially starting as a small project among three childhood friends, Vite Fait quickly evolved into what they’ve became today.

This release has the energetic & mental sound Vite Fait is known for.

Dutch old school power house Markie with some 6-am-type-of-shit light sabre wielding energizer, stomping ahead while trying to fend of a giggling swarm of robotic mosquitos. 150 beasts.

Pneumatix & Mental Reaper with some deep flowing reflection of the walls caging our existdance. Superbly crafted food for mind and feet best enjoyed in the middle of the forest with no walls.
160 beasts.

As’teka Nahuatl & La Tartine pump up the jam in da south style. Summoning Quetzalcōātl the spirally voluted one in it’s cyber incarnation to the modern dance, bringing with it a horde of spider monkeys that go ape all over the place. Can you scratch the itch?
165 beasts.

Original full sleeve artwork by Darkam. Design and Layout by TDSiNGZ. Mastered by Stefan ZMK.
Each 12“ EP comes with a 2 sided poster, a digital download code, and 2 artwork stickers.

Ltd White Deluxe Vinyl

Young Fathers - Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole und G. Hastings - kündigen heute ihr langerwartetes neues Album, „Heavy Heavy“, an. Das vierte Album des Trios erscheint am 3. Februar 2023 via Ninja Tune und ist ihr erstes seit „Cocoa Sugar“ von 2018. Das 10-Track-Projekt signalisiert einen erneuten Back-to-Basics-Ansatz ohne externe Produzenten, nur ein winziges Heimstudio, ein paar Geräte und Mikrofone: alles immer eingesteckt, alles immer in Reichweite. Über das Album schreibt Alloysious: „Jede Platte muss besser sein als die letzte. Das ist die Mentalität. Wenn es nicht besser wäre, würde es nicht herauskommen.“ Für ihn geht es bei diesem Album nicht einmal wirklich um die zehn Songs auf der Tracklist. Es geht darum, was mit dem Trio in den langen, verrückten Jahren seit „Cocoa Sugar“ passiert ist. „Heavy Heavy“ ist der Beweis für das, was von dieser Zeit übrig geblieben ist. Der Erfolg des Überlebens, der Exzess der Existenz. „Ich mag den Titel ‚Heavy Heavy‘, denn es ist alles plus die Küchenspüle", fügt G. hinzu. „Maximalistisch. Keine Art von Schlankheitskur. Es fühlt sich voll an, gewichtig. Und es zweimal zu sagen, macht es spielerisch.“
Für Young Fathers gibt es keinen Dresscode. Tanzen, nicht moshen. Die Hüften zucken, die Füße rutschen, das Gehirn feuert in Catherine Wheel-Sparks aus Freude und Empathie. Unterirdisch, aber nie dunkel. Immer noch jung, nach einigen Jahren, auch wenn die heavy, heavy weight of the world von Tag zu Tag zu wachsen scheint.

The anticipation is there in Elizabeth Stokes’ solo guitar riff under the opening lines of “I’m Not Getting Excited”: a frenetic, driving force daring a packed Auckland Town Hall to do exactly the opposite of what the track title suggests.

As the opener of The Beths’ Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 expands to include the full band, the crowd screeches and bellows. It’s a collective exhalation, in one of the few countries where live music is still possible.

The album title, and film of the same name, deliberately include the date and location, lead guitarist Jonathan Pearce says. “That’s the sensational part of what we actually did.” In a mid-pandemic world, playing to a heaving, enraptured home crowd feels miraculous.

In March 2020, everything seemed on track for another huge year for The Beths. Home after an 18-month northern hemisphere tour, they had just finished recording sophomore album Jump Rope Gazers and were primed for more extensive touring. But within days, New Zealand’s lockdown split the band between three separate houses. All touring was cancelled.

“It was existentially bad,” Stokes says. As well as worrying about economic survival, they lost something crucial to the band’s identity: live performance. “It's a huge part of how we see ourselves... What does it mean, if we can't play live?”

The band found an outlet through live-streaming, returning to the do-it-yourself mentality of their early days to connect with a global audience. The album and film have their genesis in that urge to share the now-rare experience of a live show, as widely as possible.

The fuzzy-round-the-edges live-streams pointed the way aesthetically. Native birds, wonkily crafted by the band from tissue paper and wire, festoon the venue’s cavernous ceiling while house plants soften and disguise the imposing pipes of an organ. The presence of the film crew isn’t disguised: much of the camerawork is handheld; full of fast zooms and pans.

With much of the material still fresh, the band was less focused on re-invention than playing “a good, fast rock show”, Pearce says. The tempo is up on crowd favourites “Whatever” and “Future Me Hates Me” (released as a live single on its third anniversary) as both band and audience feed off the mutual energy in the room.

Certain songs have taken on special resonance post-Covid. Pearce has found “Out Of Sight”, a tender rumination on long-distance relationships, hits particularly hard with live audiences.

Album closer “River Run” visibly brings Stokes to tears as a mix of achievement and relief kicks in. “You can finally relax at that point … You play the last note, breathe out a sigh and look up - and you’re in a giant room full of people happy and smiling.”

Punk pioneer/Eater main-man, Andy Blade's 7th solo album and follow up to 2024's critically acclaimed & heavily rotated, Sparks bros endorsed "Being Alive Is Fun". It is imbued with the usual left-of-centre Blade-ism's & themes: star maps, UFO's & a slightly twisted nod to tragic 70's heroine Karen Carpenter. You get what you deserve with Blade, and with Tiny Specks you are rewarded with a rich code to decipher at your leisure. Most of all, however, it is all about the quality of his songwriting. Opening track 'Karen Is The Drummer' (featuring Blade's regular singing collaborator - PseudoPomp's Katerina Sharkova) seems unsettlingly self-explanatory, but all does not seem well in the Carpenter M.O.R world - 'It's just her & her brother & her folks indifference to that girl'. Occasional Dinosaur Jr vocalist Tiffany Anders gives 'I'm Not Myself' a poppy but eerie nuance. PollyPikPocketz's Myura Amara pops up on the short but very sweet 'About That'. Matilda Scotland, Quick Romance's uber-cool punky-chanteuse - adds her Gen Z aura to the summery 'I Like It When You're Happy'. Former Generation X guitarist Bob 'Derwood' Andrews, with whom Blade has worked with consistently of late, once again features heavily on 'Tiny Specks'_ Like with Katerina Sharkova's voice, Derwood guitar lines interweave with Blade's honeyed vocal as though they made for each other. 'This Place' is another key track, capturing the claustrophobic-genocidal mood of what has been taking place in Gaza/Palestine for over two years now, and counting. 'This is not so much a protest song as it is the noise in my head'. If John Lydon is the Widow Twanky of Punk, and Billy Idol, its Elvis, then Andy Blade must surely be the Sinatra of Punk.

(12" vinyl cut-out sleeve featuring the DIKI logo, coloured innersleeves, Pig&Dan remix) Early support from John Digweed, Kolsch, Pan-Pot, Nicole Moudaber, and more. Known as well for their acclaimed remix of the classic Apollo Vibes by Pole Folder & CP on Bedrock Records, Kayinda delivers a powerful and hypnotic track where progressive and melodic sounds intertwine, building an irresistible tension that captivates from the very first beat to the last.

For those that don't know who Ocean Dawn is, it's a new alias from Kid Drama (1/2 of Instra:mental), mainly focusing on atmospheric jungle. I've previously worked with Damon (Ocean Dawn) on Ambien Sequence (which came out on Meeting Of The Minds Vol. 10, before he had established this alias for his solo atmospheric jungle tunes) as well as a track called Transitions, which came out on the Nine Windows (him & DJ Trace) album called Rule Of Thirds.

Last year, I booked him to play at one of the Future Retro London nights in Peckham Audio and I really enjoyed his set & his selection, which was mainly made up of his own work. He was quite keen on doing a release for the label so we started with Fingerprints.

Even though this tune is by just him, the original version of it is actually my remix, which was going to be a collaboration & was actually started by him. I finished the track & he liked it but thought it could be taken down a different path, so I sent him back the sounds and he made his own version from it, which is now the original & the "collaboration" became my remix of the tune.

Shortly after we had Fingerprints & the remix done, he sent me Progressive Future Music & Wax Cool which he had recently made and I loved both of those tracks, which give us enough tracks by him to complete the release.

Big up to Damon for his work on this release & look out for more to come from Ocean Dawn, including a collaborative release me & him are currently working on! :)

Two of Lamp's masterpieces will be released on vinyl at the same time! Two of Lamp's masterpieces from the 2010s, "Tokyo Utopia Tsuushin" and "Yume",
will be reissued on vinyl! After becoming a viral hit on TikTok in the 2020s, Lamp now has over 2.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
In addition to his deep-rooted popularity in Asia (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, etc.), he was selected as a support act for Mitski last year
and accompanied them on their North American tour. At the same time, his solo tour "FUTURE BEHIND ME" North America 2024, which visited 17 locations
in North America, was all sold out. This summer's solo show at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA was also sold out immediately, and Lamp's two masterpieces,
which are currently gaining worldwide acclaim, will be released on vinyl at the same time!

This is the sixth album by Lamp, a mixed-gender trio that has inherited the Japanese pop music of each era and sublimated it into new pop music by sprinkling
elements of 70's pop and Brazilian music throughout.
This album depicts the mental landscape of a man and woman passing each other in a certain place in a city.
It suddenly reminds us of the cold and warmth of winter, a nostalgic feeling that everyone has experienced at least once.
The jacket features many illustrations by Suzuki Oji, who was active in the manga magazine "Garo," which had a great influence on young artists in the 70s and
produced many geniuses in the manga world, and is known for his representative work "Motorcycle Girl."
The unique, fantastical illustrations resonate with Lamp's music to create a fantastical world.

Erik K Skodvin summons his alter ego Svarte Greiner for a dive into the dark, wintery Swedish forest with the score to the psychological thriller/horror film “From Darkness” (orig: Ur Mörkret).

The film is director Philip W. Da Silva's debut and is set largely at night, deep in a Swedish nature reserve where mining used to take place. Loss, mental health and Nordic mythology come together in a story that revolves around the search for a missing woman. The score follows an eclectic and atmospherical path throughout the narrative with an uneasy underlaying vibe; although one with occasional points of refuge in the otherwise vast darkness. There is a gloomy, barely tangible sound of Nordic folk tradition buried in the music, even if it comes across in a different, more abstract way, where the various instruments are often used more as sound sources that are improvised (and abused) into becoming their own element. Skodvin performed and recorded the majority himself. In addition, he commissioned free improviser Axel Dörner to participate with his unique, custom-built electro-acoustic interface, which, along with Claudio Puntin's processed reeds and additional electronics, has been built into the elaborate backdrops to create an entire world that balances on the border between the approachable and the elusive - not unlike the journey of the protagonists. Skodvin's partner in Deaf Center, Otto A Totland, appears on piano in the stand out piece “What have you become?”.

The result is a harrowing yet deeply melancholic journey through the human psyche. One that echoes through the dark forests, cabins and lost mines of the desolate Swedish woodlands.

“It is presumed that as humans mined ore in the 1800s, they had many mishaps and dug too deep, leading them to assume they had unleashed some evil spirit that was guarding the ore. She was referred to as "Cave Wraith". It was said that she employed darkness to lure miners to their deaths. They prohibited villagers from visiting during the darkest months of the year. Some used sacrifices to subdue the evil entity.”

The vinyl is released in an edition of 150 numbered copies, with screenprinted artwork on black cardboard inside a screenprinted PVC sleeve, incl. Riso-printed insert with liner notes by Mike Lazarev, 180g vinyl.

Die Cinematic-Funk-Visionäre The Diasonics liefern mit ihrem neuen Album ,Ornithology", das am 3. Oktober über Record Kicks veröffentlicht wird, ein weiteres solides Set aus östlich angehauchtem Psychedelic, Cinematic und Disco-Funk. Nach ihrem 2022 von der Kritik gefeierten Debütalbum ,Origin of Forms", das von PopMatters zum Library Music Album of the Year gekürt wurde, kehren die in Moskau ansässigen Instrumentalisten The Diasonics mit ,Ornithology" zurück, einem zweiten Album, das ihre klanglichen Grenzen erweitert und gleichzeitig ihrem unverwechselbaren Stil treu bleibt. Aufgenommen in ihrem eigens errichteten Studio 23, das sich in einer umgebauten Lampenfabrik aus der Sowjet-Ära befindet, ist das Album das Ergebnis von zwei Jahren intensiver kreativer Erkundungen und Experimente. Mit ihrer ganz eigenen Mischung aus cineastischem Funk, östlich angehauchten Melodien, instrumentalem Hip-Hop und analogem Soul haben sich The Diasonics einen einzigartigen Platz in der globalen Funkszene geschaffen. ,Ornithology" markiert ein neues Kapitel: Inspiriert von wiederkehrenden Vogelmotiven in ihrer Umgebung, von Zügen und Bahnhöfen bis hin zu lokaler Folklore und den Schreien der Vögel, die über ihrem Studio kreisen, kanalisiert die Platte Ideen von Bewegung und Freiheit, sowohl thematisch als auch musikalisch. ,Das Thema Vögel und Ornithologie ergab sich ganz von selbst - wir fingen einfach an, überall um uns herum vogelähnliche Namen zu bemerken: Züge und Bahnhöfe, Geschäfte, Orte, Nachnamen von Menschen, Bücher und Filme", sagt die Band. "Wir besorgten uns ein paar alte Synthesizer und stimmten die Oszillatoren, während wir den Schreien der Möwen lauschten, die um die Fabrik flogen, in der sich unser Studio befand. Die Ideen von Flug, Freiheit und Raum wurden zentral für die Musik des neuen Albums." Klanglich gehören zu den wesentlichen Merkmalen von Ornithology nicht nur die Synthesizer, sondern auch Diana Grebs hypnotischer Gesang, der sich nahtlos in die Klangpalette einfügt und dem instrumentalen Funk Leben und Seele einhaucht. ,In unserer Vorstellung balancieren wir wie Vögel zwischen der Erde und dem Himmel und haben versucht, unsere eigene musikalische Sprache innerhalb des Konzepts der Ornithologie zu erschaffen, die den Wunsch eines jeden Menschen widerspiegelt, den Vögeln näher zu kommen und frei zu schweben, jenseits von physischen oder mentalen Grenzen." Die 2019 gegründete vierköpfige Band, bestehend aus Daniil Lutsenko (E-Gitarre), Kamil Gazizov (Keyboards), Maksim Brusov (Bass) und Anton Moskvin (Schlagzeug & Perkussion), erlangte durch eine Reihe von begehrten 45er-Scheiben auf Mocambo Records und Funk Night Records schnell Kultstatus. Ihr von der Kritik hochgelobtes Debütalbum Origin of Forms,, das von Henry Jenkins, dem Produzenten der australischen Kultband Surprise Chef, gemischt wurde, erschien 2022 auf Record Kicks und wurde von PopMatters (US) zum Library Music Album" des Jahres und von FIP (Radio France) zum Album des Monats gekürt. Das Vinyl war innerhalb weniger Wochen ausverkauft und ist nun in der internationalen Cinematic-Funk-Szene sehr gefragt. ,Origin of Forms" erhielt begeisterte Kritiken von Zeitschriften wie Wax Poetics, Mojo, Rolling Stone FR, Clash, Uncut und wurde von Jamie Cullum (BBC2), KEXP, Radio France und Huey Morgan, Don Letts, Cerys Matthews und Tom Ravenscroft von BBC 6 Music, um nur einige zu nennen, unterstützt und gespielt. Mit dem neuen Album Ornithology tauchen The Diasonics in üppige Synthesizer, stripped-down Grooves und rohes instrumentales Zusammenspiel ein, schöpfen aus der Library-Musik der 1970er Jahre, sowjetischer Jazz-Fusion und Disco-Funk und liefern eine weitere supersolide Veröffentlichung, die all die Einzigartigkeit bestätigt und vorantreibt, die ,Origin of Forms" so verlockend machte. Unverzichtbar für Fans von Khruangbin, Surprise Chef und instrumentalen Funk-Grooves.

Experimental Tribe, Mental progressive Low-Fi tribe

Mit ”Blue Sky Mentality” liefern Good Neighbours ein Debüt voller Aufbruchsstimmung, Melancholie und
Hoffnung. Entstanden unterwegs zwischen Tourbussen, Hotelzimmern und fremden Städten, vereint das
Album die gefeierten Singles ”Home”, ”Suburbs”, ”Ripple” und ”Starry Eyed”. Es ist ein Soundtrack für
alle, die zwischendrin Licht suchen – voller Wärme, Energie und dem Mut, einfach loszulassen. CD und
LP kommen mit je einem eigenen Bonustrack – exklusiv pro Format.
Ab dem 26. September ist das Album ”Blue Sky Mentality” als 1CD, 1MC, 1LP - Sky Blue Vinyl und 1LP
- Ultra Clear Vinyl erhältlich.

South London singer, songwriter and cultural powerhouse Joy Crookes has today unveiled the news that her worth-the-wait second album Juniper will be released on September 26th ahead of a full UK & EU headline tour.

A stunningly candid and fearless body of work, the album reaffirms Joy as one of the UK’s most vital and original voices. A once-in-a-generation talent, Crookes delivers a record that is both emotionally raw and sonically rich; humorous, heartbreaking and profoundly human.

Following the success of her 2021 debut Skin, which earned BRIT and Mercury Prize nominations, went Top 5 in the UK charts, and drew acclaim from The Guardian, NME and many more, Joy set out to make an album that pushed her further both musically and personally.

Juniper is the result: a project defined by its depth and dynamism.

Written with a stripped-back approach and produced by long-time collaborators including Blue May (Kano, Jorja Smith), Tev’n (Stormzy) and Harvey Grant (Arlo Parks),

Juniper features standout guest appearances from Vince Staples on the incendiary ‘Pass The Salt’ and Kano on the bittersweet confessional ‘Mathematics’.

Crookes describes the record as “more nuanced” than Skin: “With Juniper, every situation is visceral and I’m very much in it. It’s me in the centre of it all.”

The title itself nods to resilience (an evergreen that thrives in harsh conditions) and the album dives deep into themes of body politics, mental health, queer love, anxiety, industry hypocrisy and the ecstasy (and terror) of falling in love.
Lead singles like ‘Pass The Salt’ and ‘I Know You’d Kill’ showcase Crookes’ lyrical agility – blending poetic detail with razor-sharp wit. Meanwhile, the euro-pop inspired ‘First Last Dance’ channels euphoric melodies to mask deep emotional struggle, and the cinematic ‘Perfect Crime’ sees Joy fully self-actualise in the style of a Western showdown.

On ‘Paris’, the closing track, Joy reflects on a formative queer relationship: “Something I feared so much finally, actually felt like love.” It’s a sentiment echoed across Juniper – a record that captures the beauty and brutality of emotional openness.

The album arrives after a period of personal upheaval for Crookes, including a mental health crisis that shadowed the album’s creation. “I was in the trenches,” she says. “But the studio became my solace. What you hear is live and direct from that time.” Despite the darkness, Juniper radiates warmth, levity, and life, powered by Crookes’ ever-restless creativity and artistic excellence. Ahead of her performance this weekend at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend event in Liverpool, followed by a slot at Glastonbury, Joy is pleased to announce a full UK & EU headline tour for the backend of the year.

In celebration of Juniper's release, Joy will head out to all major cities including Dublin, Manchester, Bristol and London where she’ll play the much coveted 02 Academy Brixton for the first time. See below for full routing and ticket info.

A new release on the Italian Label Hardcore Classic!

Indie-Store-Version Gold Coloured 2x12" Vinyl in Gatefold

Nach über drei Jahrzehnten Karriere und über zwei Millionen verkauften Alben bleiben PARADISE LOST die unangefochtenen Könige der dunklen Seite des Metal.
Die 1988 in Halifax gegründete Band wurde mit ihren frühen, bahnbrechenden Alben wie dem treffend betitelten „Gothic“ von 1991, einer Mischung aus Härte, düsterer Melodie und Atmosphäre, schnell als Pioniere des Gothic Metal bekannt. Sie waren nie eine Gruppe, die kreativ statisch blieb, und haben im Laufe ihrer Karriere unzählige Wege dunkler Musik erkundet, von schlammigen Doom-Death-Wurzeln über die Eroberung des Metal-Mainstreams mit den gewaltigen, satten Klängen von „Draconian Times“ von 1995 bis hin zu experimentelleren, elektronischeren Einflüssen. Sie haben so unterschiedliche Künstler wie CRADLE OF FILTH, HIM, GATECREEPER und CHELSEA WOLFE beeinflusst.

Jetzt, im Jahr 2025, kehrt das Quintett aus Yorkshire mit seinem atemberaubenden 17. Album „Ascension“ zurück, einem Album, das ihre Krone weiterhin strahlen lässt und unterstreicht, wie sie ihre Position erreicht haben. Produziert von Gitarrist Gregor Mackintosh in den Black Planet Studios in East Yorkshire, mit Schlagzeug und Gesang aus den NBS und Wasteland Studios in Schweden, durchqueren die zehn Tracks die gesamte Klangvielfalt der Band – von knallhartem Heavy Metal bis hin zu himmelhohen Melodien – und bewahren dabei eine unwiderstehliche Moll-Melancholie.

„Die Leute sollten erwarten, dass wir noch trüber werden“, scherzt Frontmann Nick Holmes auf die Frage, was Fans 2025 von PARADISE LOST erwarten können. Die Erklärung des Albumtitels und der Texte macht jedoch deutlich, dass sie ihr Handwerk weiterhin beherrschen, wenn es darum geht, solche Erwartungen zu erfüllen. „Der Albumtitel entspringt dem Glauben an den Aufstieg zu einem besseren Ort, in der Fiktion von der Erde in den Himmel, und all den damit verbundenen Anforderungen“, führt er aus. „Im wirklichen Leben streben Menschen oft von Geburt an danach, an einen besseren Ort zu gelangen und ein besserer Mensch zu sein, ungeachtet der Tatsache, dass der einzige Lohn der Tod ist.“ „Die Texte handeln von allem, was das Leben uns entgegenwirft“, fährt er fort. „Es ist nie vorhersehbar und kann gleichzeitig auch erschreckend sein. Wie Menschen mit dem Tod umgehen, welche Krücken sie benutzen und wie der mentale Zustand von lebensverändernden Situationen beeinflusst wird, ist immer wieder faszinierend.“

Genau wie die Musik selbst. Der Album-Opener „Serpent on The Cross“ beginnt mit einem herrlich düsteren Riff, bevor er nach der Hälfte in donnernden klassischen Metal übergeht, angetrieben von Doublebass-Drumming und einem fast METALLICA-artigen Riff. In „Silence Like The Grave“ singt Nick „über die Sinnlosigkeit des Krieges, das Sammeln von Punkten für die Menschheit“, untermalt von perfekter Gothic-Metal-Kulisse. „Tyrant’s Serenade“ zeigt derweil die tief verwurzelte Fähigkeit der Band, Einfachheit gewaltig klingen zu lassen, gekrönt von Gregors charakteristischen, eindringlichen Gitarrenleads. „Lay A Wreath Upon The World“ beginnt als ruhige Elegie, bevor es zu einem traurigen Höhepunkt gelangt, und das Schlussstück „The Precipice“ führt mit Klaviermelodien, bevor es zu einem würdevollen Abschluss führt.
All dies zeigt meisterhaft die Bandbreite dessen, was PARADISE LOST geleistet haben und leisten können, auf eine Weise, die bis heute keiner anderen Band vergleichbar ist.


„Nach 35 Jahren ist alles bewusst“, sagt Nick. „Bei einem so umfangreichen und abwechslungsreichen Backkatalog ist es schwierig, nicht hundertprozentig sicher zu sein, woher alles kommt. Aber letztendlich kommt es einfach darauf an, ob uns die Musik gefällt, die wir machen. Wenn ja, bleibt sie! Das hat sich seit unserer Jugend nicht geändert.“ Ascension ist ein stolzer Bestandteil von PARADISE LOST. Das Elend hört nie auf, aber, sagt Nick, so mögen sie es eben. „Ironischerweise“, lacht er, „ist es immer am angenehmsten, miserable Musik zu hören – und zu schreiben, schätze ich.“

Man kann nicht über Wicca Phase Springs Eternal sprechen, ohne über Verwandlung zu sprechen. Seit über einem Jahrzehnt nutzt der Sänger, Songwriter und Produzent Adam Andrzejewski diesen Künstlernamen als kreativen Sammelbegriff, unter dem er ein umfangreiches Werk geschaffen hat, das ebenso beständig fesselnd wie ständig im Wandel begriffen ist. Diese geschickte Fähigkeit, Sounds und Stile zu vermischen, ist zu seinem Markenzeichen geworden, aber unabhängig von den Genre-Kennzeichen - von Rap-Beats über New-Wave-Synthesizer bis hin zu Goth-Atmosphären - ist das schlagende Herz von WPSE Andrzejewskis einzigartige Stimme und seine esoterische und doch emotionale Lyrik. Diese Schlüsselelemente haben das Projekt durch musikalische Erkundungen geprägt, und auf seinem neuesten Album Mossy Oak Shadow" stellt Andrzejewski sie nun auf die Probe. Er verzichtet auf wummernde 808s und aufwendige Produktionen zugunsten einer schnörkellosen Band und spärlichen Live-Aufnahmen. Das Album ist eine mitreißende Sammlung von verträumten Folk-Rock-Songs, die beweisen, dass Wicca Phase Springs Eternal wirklich alles sein kann. Ich habe immer irgendwie gedacht, dass ich, solange ich den Namen Wicca Phase Springs Eternal habe, alles machen kann, was ich will", erklärt Andrzejewski. Der Name bietet einen Rahmen für die Texte und die Ästhetik des Projekts - mein Songwriting mit einer mystischen Überlagerung - und solange ich etwas darinnen zum Funktionieren bringen kann, ist das Genre nicht wirklich wichtig." Diese gewagte kreative Mentalität war es, die Andrzejewski antrieb, als er das WPSE Projekt ins Leben rief, neben seiner Arbeit als Mitbegründer des einflussreichen Kollektivs GothBoiClique oder als Mitglied von Thraxxhouse und Misery Club und seinem Punk-Nebenprojekt Pay For Pain. Dennoch hätten wohl nur wenige ahnen können, dass das neue richtige Album von Wicca Phase Springs Eternal eine Sammlung von countrylastigen Folksongs sein würde, die ohne auch nur einen Hauch von Ironie dargeboten werden. Wie bei allem, was Wicca Phase Springs Eternal macht, zeigt sich Andrzejewski auch auf Mossy Oak Shadow" voll und ganz engagiert. Mossy Oak Shadow" mag für Fans von Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, die durch seine beatlastigen modernen Klassiker wie Secret Boy" (2016) oder Suffer On" (2018) auf ihn aufmerksam geworden sind, wie eine drastische Kehrtwende erscheinen - aber das sollte keine völlige Überraschung sein. WPSE-Veröffentlichungen haben sich schon immer mit reduzierten Akustiksongs beschäftigt, und noch weiter zurück gibt es Andrzejewskis frühere Arbeit als Mitglied der Emo/Indie-Größen Tigers Jaw. Als er diese Band 2013 verließ, um sich auf Wicca Phase Springs Eternal zu konzentrieren, stieß er auf Skepsis bei den Zuhörern, die zögerten, seine neue Persönlichkeit und seinen experimentellen Trap-Sound anzunehmen. Ironischerweise hat Andrzejewski jetzt Wicca Phase Springs Eternal so gründlich etabliert, dass er seine Fans erneut mit einem krassen Klangwandel herausfordert - diesmal jedoch durch die Rückkehr zu dem gitarrenorientierten Songwriting, das er beiseite gelegt hatte. Dylan, Will Oldman, Richard Thompson - was ich an diesen Songwritern am meisten mag, ist, dass ich ihnen vertrauen kann", erklärt Andrzejewski . Wenn sie etwas völlig Seltsames machen, vertraue ich darauf, dass sie wissen, was sie tun, weil es von derselben Person kommt, die all diese anderen Songs geschrieben hat, die ich liebe. Auch wenn es vielleicht etwas Zeit braucht, bis ich dort bin, wo sie sind, möchte ich es versuchen."

Introducing the Evil B-Side Twins — A New Era from Yazzus & DJ TOOL

Two of the most unpredictable forces in the underground are colliding at full velocity: YAZZUS and DJ TOOL are proud to launch Evil Twin Rekords — a label and collaborative project born from the wildest corners of their shared sonic imaginations.
Under the moniker The Evil B-Side Twins, the duo are setting out to warp time and space through a blazing fusion of trance, gnarly breaks, and techno rhythms. Their sound? Think hyper-speed rave transmissions beamed in from another galaxy — distorted basslines, and acidic euphoria intersecting 90’s psychedelic textures as they soundtrack a playful, alien-friendly universe. It’s high-energy, no-rules, evil as hell club music with a space-age edge. And their debut EP Relentless Spirit delivers just that.
Four rave-ready ‘in your face’ anthems, breaking the boundaries of modern electronic music. A collision of catchy grooves, iconic motifs from the old school trance world and mental melodies that you won’t forget easily.
Evil Twin Rekords isn’t just a label. It’s a wormhole into a sound that’s too futuristic, too feral, and too fun to fit into anyone’s algorithm. Expect inter-dimensional anthems, and records that feel like they’ve been smuggled from the B-side of a black hole.

This is rave culture turned inside out — full-throttle, unapologetically weird, and always one step ahead. From the UK to Scandinavia let the band expand your horizon and welcome you to the Evil Era. Listen without prejudice.

The artwork is a specially commissioned portrait of the twins, hand painted by friend and collaborator Ryo Koike, known for his eerie, whimsical fantastical style. Throughout his visual ident, he provides an imaginative window into the twins’ cosmos and beyond.

Das von Kritiker:innen gefeierte niederländische Elektronik-Duo, Weval (bestehend aus Harm Coolen und Merijn Scholte Albers) ist mit seinem lang erwarteten neuen Album, „CHOROPHOBIA“, auf dem Ninja Tune-Sublabel Technicolour zurück!

Als es darum ging, ihr viertes Album, „CHOROPHOBIA“, zu produzieren, stellten sich Weval ihren Ängsten. Obwohl Harm Coolen und Merijn Scholte Albers seit ihrer 2013 veröffentlichten Debüt-EP, „Half Age“, in der Dance-Szene verankert sind und mit ihrer fünfköpfigen Band Festivalbühnen wie Nuits Sonores, Lowlands, Primavera, Best Kept Secret, Pukkelpop und DGTL Amsterdam bespielten, haben sie sich aktiv davon entfernt, als Floorfiller-Act bekannt zu sein. Doch als die beiden vor kurzem über den Begriff Chorophobie stolperten - was so viel bedeutet wie Angst vor dem Tanzen -, beschlossen sie, sich der Ironie hinzugeben und aus ihrer Komfortzone herauszukommen. „Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatten wir immer mit einer ‚Zuhör‘-Mentalität an unseren Platten gearbeitet.“, sagt Harm über die Herangehensweise beim zweiten und dritten Weval-Album („The Weight“ von 2019 und „Remember“ von 2023), „und uns wurde klar, dass wir während unserer gesamten Reise als Produzenten Angst davor hatten, Tanzmusik zu machen.“.
Der Sprung ins kalte Wasser hat zu Wevals bisher extrovertiertesten Tracks geführt. Während sie diese neue Richtung bereits mit der groovigeren „Night Versions“-EP von 2024 für Technicolour angedeutet hatten, erforderte das Loslassen ihrer Hemmungen eine geduldige künstlerische Entwicklung. „Wir wollten uns auf eine Art und Weise engagieren, die sich noch immer befreiend und wahrhaftig anfühlt.“, erklärt Harm und fügt hinzu, dass die Bezeichnung als Dance-Album sich nicht nur wie eine Kehrtwende anfühlt, sondern sie auch von den Grenzen und Klischees bestimmter Kategorien befreit.