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Operation: Mindcrime is regarded as one of the greatest concept metal albums of all time. The band’s third album, originally released May 3rd 1988, is based around Nikki, a recovering drug addict, who becomes disillusioned with a corrupt society and joins a revolutionary group to assassinate political leaders. Operation: Mindcrime was produced by Peter Collins (Bon Jovi, Rush, Alice Cooper) and was recorded, mixed and mastered digitally on a Sony 24-track digital tape machine. It was certified platinum in 1991 in the US and was ranked in the Top 100 Metal Albums Of All Time by both Kerrang! and Billboard magazines. Available on multi-formats, this new version was remastered at Abbey Road Studios and brings together all the available recordings to tell the story of this remarkable album. The deluxe version, housed in a 10″ x 10″ box, is the final word on this exceptional album. It also contains a DVD which features the accompanying promotional videos and a live performance of the album. The expanded booklet features new sleeve notes by noted journalist Alex Milas who spoke with Geoff Tate about the making of the album and the concept behind it.

Drug Store Romeos formed at college in nearby Farnborough when childhood friends Jonny (Gilbert) and Charlie (Henderson) pinned an ad about finding a bassist for their new band to the school’s notice board – Sarah (Downie) replied and quickly proved herself a better vocalist than either of them. The trio spent the subsequent 24 hours discussing their love of Stereolab over messenger and watching Portishead and Mild High Club videos in the college’s computer lab. The band soon cut their teeth playing live at college, at Guildford Boiler Room and Aldershot West End Centre, rather than the familiarly trodden paths in London although they did frequent Brixton Windmill as often as three times a week at one point; carrying all of their equipment back to Fleet by train as none of the band were old enough to drive. The 3am walk home from Fleet station, with amps and flight cases slung over their shoulder, would become a rite of passage; the quiet countryside influencing their hushed atmospheric sound and nocturnal aesthetics as much as their shared affection for Suburban Lawns, Broadcast, and Tom Tom Club. Lyrical abstractness / concrete meaning. Danceability / lyingdownability. Minimalism / fullness. Introspective melancholy / playfulness. Lo fi / hi fi. Drug Store Romeos play with the senses and flip the expectations, finding the sweet spot every time.

Transmeridian is the first album from Departure Lounge (ex-Bella Union) in 19 years. It features all four original members plus a guest appearance from legendary REM guitarist, Peter Buck, one of many long-standing admirers of a band that embodied a lost age of reflective, experimental pop music coming to the fore at the turn of the Millennium alongside The Beta Band, Tunng, Boards Of Canada and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci.

The surprise new album, named after the defunct ‘golden age of aviation’ cargo airline for which singer/guitarist Tim Keegan’s dad was chief pilot, is released on Violette Records (formed by Michael Head (Shack, The Pale Fountains) and Matt Lockett ) on digital and vinyl formats on Fri 26 March 2021.
Originally scooped up by Simon Raymonde’s Bella Union label (labelmates with John Grant’s Czars) following the self-funded release of their debut album Out Of Here (1999), Departure Lounge’s sophomore outing, Too Late To Die Young (2002) was equally acclaimed and was honoured as the first ever Album Of The Week on the emergent BBC 6 Music. The band toured extensively in the UK, Europe and the US, including outings with The Go-Betweens, Morcheeba, Paul Heaton and Robyn Hitchcock, peers whose stylistic contrasts reflect the eclectic nature of Departure Lounge themselves.

Calling a halt in late 2002, citing family and geographical reasons (drummer Lindsay lives in Nashville, where their second album Jetlag Dreams (2001) was recorded), the four members remained firm friends and occasional collaborators, before reuniting in late 2019 for shows at The Green Door Store, Brighton and The Lexington, London, ostensibly to support the digital reissues of their first three cult-classic albums. With no plans other than to make some new music, the next day they set off for Middle Farm Studios, Devon.
Tim Keegan (vocals/guitar), Chris Anderson (lead guitars/keyboards/bass), Lindsay Jamieson(drums/keyboards) and Jake Kyle (bass/guitar/drums) channelled their evident joy at being back together into a complete 13-track album, largely conceived and recorded in just one 24-hour session in the company of studio owner and co-producer, Peter Miles. Ranging from soulful Americana to piano and mellotron-fuelled melancholia via pastoral musings on the nature of post-youth and eerie Spaghetti Western-tinged instrumentals, the next leg on the Departure Lounge journey is a multi-mood expression of pure artistic freedom.
The ‘leak’ of instrumental track Al Aire Libre (remixed by Parisian groovemeister Kid Loco) in October 2020 gave little away as to what fans could expect from a new Departure Lounge record, the track going gracefully everywhere and nowhere on a whistled Latino breeze. First single proper, Mercury In Retrograde, covered in the twinkling lights of a music box Casio CZ101 melody, turned the clock back - this was an old live favourite that never got past the studio door. Unfinished business brought to a happy conclusion, the single returned Keegan’s honest and distinctive lyrical voice back to British music at just the time listeners needed it.
It was an emotional thread, rather than one musical style, which gave the first three Departure Lounge albums their coherence. The songs told the story of the band. Transmeridian has the same sense of deeply connected musical energy. The purring, campfire acoustica of Timber and So Long bear no obvious resemblance to the ethereal, end-of-the-evening, piano-led interlude Paging Marco Polo, whilst the quasi-glam stomp of Mr Friendly would normally have no business sharing space with the strange, spacey Gurnard Pines (named after an abandoned holiday camp on the Isle Of Wight). Yet the journey’s ebb and flow, accelerations and pauses make for compelling, grown-up listening. Australia, showcasing the chiming Rickenbacker 12-string of Athens, GA’s finest guitar slinger, leaves no doubt that Departure Lounge’s pop sensibilities also remain solidly intact.
These four friends from different musical backgrounds came together originally with the stated aim of ‘creating music to soothe the troubled soul’. Citing their love of (and placing on record their debt to) influences including Robert Wyatt, Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Lou Reed, Arvo Pärt and Cocteau Twins, the band’s diversity of taste is reflected in the music they create.
Transmeridian is only the second full-length LP released by Violette Records, formed by Michael Head (Shack, The Pale Fountains) and Matt Lockett as a platform for Head’s work and developing into a respected independent label as well as multi-disciplinary event organiser, drawing in outsiders working in music, literature, art and design. The label continues to host live events whenever possible and recently initiated an ELP (halfway between and EP and an LP) vinyl series, putting out acclaimed releases by The Pistachio Kid and Studio Electrophonique.

Clint Mansell and Clint Walsh’s reimagining of Lou
Reed’s 1973 album ‘Berlin’ as a tribute to
Mansell’s late partner Heather who passed away
in 2014. Now available on vinyl.
Pressed on neon pink vinyl and housed in a deluxe
spined sleeve with spot varnish polaroid image.
The record itself comes housed in a double sided
printed inner sleeve with digital download card
included.
Mansell is best known as the former lead singer of
Pop Will Eat Itself and as a composer for films
such as ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and ‘Black Swan’.
Walsh is a multi-instrumentalist and founding
member of Tweaker and is known for his work with
Courtney Love, Gnarls Barkley and many others.
Mansell and Walsh worked previously together on
the score for ‘Black Mirror’ episode ‘San Junipero’.
“The ‘Berlin’ they've made together isn't a copy in
style, however: instead, it conjures up the sounds
of jangly goth-pop, early ‘90s synth, and classic
singer-songwriter balladry.” - The Quietus

"On June 18, Zappa’s historic, final American show will be released for the first time as the new live album, Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show via Zappa Records/UMe. The first posthumous archival release from the ‘88 touring band, the album features 29 unreleased performances including two additional performances from the same tour: Zappa’s wild interpretations of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post” from the March 16 show in Providence, R.I. and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” from the March 23 Towson, Md. show. The record is also notable for containing the first official release of the much talked about “The Beatles Medley.”
Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show will be released on 2 CD or as a 4LP 180-gram vinyl box. Fully authorized by the Zappa Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the recordings have been newly mixed by Craig Parker Adams in 2020 from the 48-track digital master tapes. The shows were recorded using two Sony 3324 DASH PCM 24 track tape recorders synced together using a Lynx Time Code Module, thus providing 48 track recording capabilities. "

Over 1.5m albums sold in the UK and 3 consecutive no 1 albums for Noel Gallagher’s High
Flying Birds – plus a record breaking 10 consecutive chart-topping studio albums in the UK
for Noel.
- Debut eponymous album released 17th Oct 2011, debuted at no 1 with 122.5k sales and
achieved double Platinum status less than 6 months post release
- International Magic DVD release of the 02 Arena gig Feb 2012 certified Gold on shipment
-2011-2012 live schedule saw NG HFB visit 32 countries across 6 continents, playing 150
shows over a 15 month period. 406k headline tickets and 1.2m festival tickets sold
- Chasing Yesterday, released 2nd March 2015, no 1 album on release with 89.1k sales and
certified Platinum
- 2015-2016 18 month world tour covering 122 shows in 28 countries. Almost 400k headline
tickets and 1.25m festival tickets
- Who Built The Moon?’ released on 24th Nov 2017 - no 1 with 77,853 sales (almost 35k sales
ahead of no 2), Silver album after only 4 days and certified Gold 2 weeks post release
- Tour covering 59 shows in 17 countries with 245k headline tickets and 550k festival tickets
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds released a series of 3 multi-genre EP’s over the course
of 2019 and 2020
- 2019 saw a host of headline festival dates covering 150k tickets sold across the summer
plus tours of the USA and Australia with Smashing Pumpkins and U2 respectively

"In the fall of 1987, Serge Gainsbourg's success was at its zenith, both literally and figuratively: as his sixtieth birthday approached, he was preparing to take over the arena at the Porte de Pantin. Recorded during concerts on March 23, 24 and 25, 1988, Le Zénith de Gainsbourg would not appear until a year later, on April 10, 1989. In 2021, Le Zénith de Gainsbourg will now be released on two CDs offering for the first time five previously unavailable songs: In addition to unreleased tracks, meticulous cleaning work track by track has significantly improved sharpness and a more performance-friendly mix. Reviews in London Macadam, France in London, R2, Mojo and L’Echo
Ads London Macadam, France in London, and L’Echo"

Drumcode treasures Alan Fitzpatrick and Joel Mull link for their debut collaboration, complemented by a rare Adam Beyer remix. This is special in every sense.

Tis the season for something different; interesting collaborations and the broadening of creative boundaries is the order of the day. Long-time friends and techno colleagues Alan Fitzpatrick and Joel Mull are the latest to connect for a fresh production outing, ‘We Don’t Know Anything Yet’. Inspired by the Buddhist saying ‘Nothing is forever except change’, the duo work alongside Swedish band Frangie to craft an ascendent techno cut that explores existential questions about the future, all the while being propelled by a strong rhythmic underbelly.

Beyer’s first remix in two years is inspired. The boss sharpens his focus on the vocal, while teasing out the melody, ripening the track for a mid-morning post-peak-time moment when the sun starts to bathe the dancefloor is a hazy gentle glow. A masterstroke.

“Listening to the track, it’s obviously very connected to what’s going on in the world right now. When I heard it for the first time, I fell in love with the parts so much I decided to do a remix on the spot. It’s two of the old school crew, so the release is very dear to my heart.” – Adam Beyer

Magda Drozd is deeply concerned with listening in her artistic practice. Her second album, 18 Floors, Drozd focused on the apartment building she called home for several years, compiling a corpus of field recordings in and of the building, which she approached as a living organism rather than static material. The result challenges current assumptions about living together in urban settings. The field recordings were woven into eleven speculative tracks consisting of sounds including violins, guitars, synthesizers, drum machines, and Drozd’s voice. The music moves between sound art, ambient, indie rock, and R&B.
18 Floors presciently emphasizes the importance of the home, which has become glaringly obvious in the age of Corona. Her foresight constitutes her avant-gardism as much as her preference for documenting what might be over what actually is. The result is an album that creates a space for what is transient, uncertain, and unstable. And it creates a space for opportunities, which we need now more than ever.

- Available for the First Time on Vinyl - Deluxe Old Style Tip-On Gatefold Packaging with 180 Gram - "Yellow Raincoat with Blood Red Splatter" Colored Vinyl - Insert with Liner Notes and Original 1976 Recording Session photography // Waxwork Records is thrilled to present the debut release of ALICE, SWEET ALICE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Stephen Lawrence. Alice, Sweet Alice is a 1976 American Slasher-Horror film directed by Alfred Sole and starring Brooke Shields in her film debut. Set in 1961 New Jersey, the film focuses on a troubled adolescent girl who becomes the suspect in the brutal murder of her younger sister at her first communion, as well as in a series of unsolved stabbings that follow. In the years since its release, Alice, Sweet Alice has gained a cult following and is considered a contemporary classic of the slasher sub-genre in critical circles. It has also been the focus of scholarship in the areas of horror film studies, particularly regarding its depictions of Roman Catholicism, child emotional neglect, and the disintegration of the American nuclear family. The film's chilling score was composed by Stephen Lawrence. Lawrence is an American composer that has scored more than 300 songs and musical cues for Sesame Street, resulting in three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition. The music of Alice, Sweet Alice features heavy usage of dissonant strings, repetitive keys, church organ, and motifs that segue from eerily mischievous and playful to dread-inducing and utterly haunting. Available for the very first time in any format, the complete soundtrack to Alice, Sweet Alice comes available on 180 gram "Yellow Rain Coat with Blood Red Splatter", deluxe packaging with new artwork by Steven Reeves, old-style tip-on gatefold jackets, a heavyweight insert, exclusive composer liner notes, and original recording session photography.

A welcome departure from their first effort, the record has gained greater reconection in recent years when contemporary audiencies could fully aprreciate the strenght and harsher direction the duo decided to take for their follow-up album.
More rhythmically-oriented tunes whilst revisiting some old-favorites like Daguerrotipo or La Edad del Bronce (both off their first album, but albeit in new mixes).

The Wah Wah edition has been mastered from the original tapes by Eugenio Muñoz, reproduces the original sleeve artwork and and features an insert with photos and info. It is a strictly limited edition of 500 copies only.

All recordings made during Andy Fairweather Low and the Low Riders’ featuring the Hi Riders Soul Revue “Live In Lockdown” live performance at the Hideaway Club, London on 9th September 2020 and streamed live to a virtual audience.
Featuring the hit singles High In The Sky, Bend Me Shape Me, Wide Eyed And Legless and If Paradise Is Half As Nice, plus extensive sleeve notes.

RNXRX returns to VEYL for his debut album, 'Impreciso'. No stranger to the label, the artist first made an appearance on 'Previously Undisclosed Rituals' and then again with 'Sigil', a collection of B-sides which act as the perfect prelude to this offering.
Derived from an alchemy of inspiration, the album is the result of endless nights unearthing samples, vinyl oddities, effects databases from a bygone era and the artist’s own post-processed vocals - imprecise components which all combine perfectly to form this LP.
Unconstrained by genre, 'Impreciso' journeys through strains of body music, psychedelic rock, soundtrack and more, delivering electronic experimentations which expose the artist’s darkest tendencies while
revealing a long admiration of post-punk, hip hop and science fiction’s finest.
Twelve tracks falling somewhere between homage and reinvention, 'Impreciso' operates with 80’s circuitry, throws back to 90’s beat nostalgia and drills into a cyber-verse for a familiar yet unexpected trip perfect for this moment.

Danish-Swedish quartet VOLA are back with a new studio album featuring their iconic blend of futuristic progressive rock, electronica and modern metal, topped off with clear, beautiful vocal lines. Their third studio album 'Witness' will be released on 21st May via Mascot Records.
Bringing on board Grammy award-nominated Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Delain) early on in the process with his hi-fi approach to mixing, this inspired VOLA to push their versatile capabilities into the direction of creating a very contemporary album & atmosphere.
There is always an underlining cinematic aesthetic to VOLA that explodes in front of you upon listening to them. But it then entices you deeper within the rabbit hole, following their story further until you are taken in by its hold.
'Witness' invites you on a journey that pursues characters being held witness to major changes in their lives.

After getting a handful a couple of weeks back, we now have a good supply of this wonderful album coming in: in for 14th May release date.
With her ambidextrous and pedidextrous, multi-instrumental
techniques of her own making and influences ranging from video
games to West African griots subverting the predominantly
white male canon of fingerstyle guitar, Yasmin Williams is truly
a guitarist for the new century. So too is her stunning sophomore
release, Urban Driftwood, an album for and of these times.
Though the record is instrumental, its songs follow a narrative
arc of 2020, illustrating both a personal journey and a national
reckoning, through Williams’ evocative, lyrical compositions.
Williams, 24, began playing electric guitar in eighth grade,
after she beat the video game Guitar Hero 2 on expert level.
Initially inspired by Jimi Hendrix and other shredders she
was familiar with through the game, she quickly moved on to
acoustic guitar, finding that it allowed her to combine fingerstyle
techniques with the lap-tapping she had developed, as well as
perform as a solo artist. Deriving no lineage from “American
primitive” and rejecting the problematic connotations of the
term, Williams’ influences include the smooth jazz and R&B
she listened to growing up, Hendrix and Nirvana, go-go and
hip-hop. On Urban Driftwood, Williams references the music
of West African griots through the inclusion of kora and hand
drumming of 150th generation djeli Amadou Kouyate, on the
title track.
Yasmin Williams is virtuosic in her mastery of the guitar and
in the techniques of her own invention, but her playing never
sacrifices lyricism, melody, and rhythm for pure demonstration
of skill. Storytelling through sound is important to her too. As
detailed in the liner notes, the songs on Urban Driftwood were
completed during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent
lockdown, in the midst of a national uprising of Black Lives
Matter protests in response to the killings of George Floyd and
Breonna Taylor. But while Urban Driftwood illustrates current
struggle, can’t help but open-heartedly offer a timeless solace.

Following on from their ‘Insect-Talk’ 12”, O Yuki Conjugate return to Utter for the vinyl version of their most recent album ‘Sleepwalker’.

‘Sleepwalker’ documents O Yuki Conjugate’s 2017-2019 live shows but also doubles as the soundtrack to a film of the same name by founder member Andrew Hulme. The music and images were conceived together and the resulting album comprises 10 tracks taken from 24 live performances in nine countries across Europe. ‘Sleepwalker’ captures OYC’s current musical direction, a blend of plangent keyboards, abstract guitars and electronic rhythms, presented in OYC’s inimical style.

Originally released in 2019 on CD by German label Auf Abwegen, ‘Sleepwalker’ is finally available in vinyl form complete with three additional live studio recordings from OYC’s ‘Flesh and Bones’ NTS session of the same year.

The album features a contribution from musician and actor Keeley Forsyth on ‘Eyelids Burn’ (courtesy of Leaf Records). It was mixed and mastered by Nurse With Wound’s Colin Potter and then transferred and cut by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering.

The sleeve houses a 16 page 10”x10” size booklet displaying images and text from the ‘Sleepwalker’ film, a special 12”x12” tour insert plus codes to download the album and view the film.

A symbol for quality techno music going back 15 years, Jay Lumen makes his solo EP debut on Drumcode.

A dance music journeyman with over 70 releases and a quality imprint Footwork Audio to his name, Jay Lumen’s solo debut EP on Adam Beyer’s label is richly deserved. The artist has been in standout form recently, most notably contributing ‘Galactic Rainbow’ to A-Sides Vol.10, one of the highlights of the compilation. We got our first taste of Lumen on Drumcode way back in 2012 when he teamed with Gary Beck for the rhythmic gem ‘Lotus’. Nine years on, his next EP offering doesn’t disappoint.

‘Returning’ is marked by crushing drumlines and shuffling beats, before gradually building into an emotional chord driven cut that looks hopefully towards the future. ‘Mind’ contrasts this perfectly, a loopy monster that rolls for days, evoking a distinct old skool spirit.

Speaking about the title track, Lumen explains: “I wrote ‘Returning’ when I was in a period of really missing techno and the party community. The physical contact with people at events, as well as on the streets and at venues before the shows. Hugs and interactions. I can already imagine playing this at the first open air after lockdown as the sun sets. This track is about the reunion and happiness we’re all going to share.”

21 Number Ones is celebrating it’s 15th Anniversary in 2021 and it will be available on vinyl for the first time! The album features 21 of GRAMMY Award-winning superstar Kenny Rogers’ number one hits including “The Gambler”, “Through The Years”, “Lady” and many more! Rogers sold over 120 million albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling male artists of all-time according to the RIAA, with one Diamond album, 20 Platinum albums and 11 Gold. He recorded 24 No. 1 hits, 12 No. 1 albums and 25 Top 10 country albums. Miraculously, he charted a song within each of the last seven decades. His music has always crossed boundaries, with singles and albums finding frequent success on the Country, Top 40, and Adult Contemporary charts, and in a few instances, on the R&B and Christian charts.

“Some of the most extraordinary songs I’ve heard in years.” Brian Eno

Les Disques du Crepuscule presents The Salt Garden (Landscaped), an album of extended pieces by acclaimed quiet music ensemble Fovea Hex, featuring longform remixes by British songwriter and producer Steven Wilson and Serbian soundscape artist Abul Mogard, as well as a previously unreleased mix by Peter Chilvers.

Formed in 2005 by Irish musician Clodagh Simonds, Fovea Hex have since released 3 albums (Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent, Here Is Where We Used to Sing and The Salt Garden), drawing favourable comparisons with Nico, This Mortal Coil, Ligeti and even Schubert.

The Salt Garden (Landscaped) is pressed on crystal clear vinyl, and comes packaged with a CD version featuring 4 tracks in total. The outer sleeve is printed in white reverse board and features an image taken by Crepuscule designer Joel Van Audenhaege during a recent trip to Greenland. The inner bag offers detailed liner notes as well as an interview with Clodagh.

As well as Steven Wilson and Abul Mogard, other high-profile admirers include film director David Lynch, who invited the group to play at his Cartier Foundation exhibition in Paris in 2007, and Brian Eno, who has described Clodagh’s work as “some of the most extraordinary songs I’ve heard in years.”

The Salt Garden (Landscaped) gathers together 3 long ambient remixes of tracks from the Salt Garden EP trilogy, originally released between 2016 and 2019. The core album is pressed on crystal clear vinyl and showcases ‘Solace’ and ‘Is Lanza Light & Given’, both re-worked by musical polymath Steven Wilson. “I’ve long been a fan of Fovea Hex,” explains Steven, “which for me is some of the most sublimely beautiful music ever recorded. It’s a mix of electronic and acoustic sounds played on instruments ranging from state-of-the-art to ancient and arcane.”

As well as the two tracks reworked by Steven, the bonus CD enclosed with the vinyl album also finds room for ‘We Dream All the Dark Away’, the widely-acclaimed re-interpretation by Abul Mogard of ‘All Those Signs’ from the Salt Garden II EP. By turns haunting and sinister, but always beautiful, the piece features vocals by both Clodagh and Brian Eno, as well as cello by Kate Ellis, and modular synth and effects by mysterious soundscaper Mogard.

An additional special bonus track on the CD is an unreleased remix of lesser -known 2015 digital single ‘By the Glacial Lake’ made by musician Peter Chilvers, best known for his collaborations with Brian Eno, Karl Hyde, Chris Martin and Tim Bowness.

“I feel truly honoured!” says Clodagh Simons, who began her career in cult folk-psyche band Mellow Candle, and since then has guested on albums by Mike Oldfield, Thin Lizzy, Russell Mills, Matmos, Current 93 and Steven Wilson. “It’s been fascinating to witness how these pieces have been so imaginatively and skilfully revisioned in the hands of Steven, Abul and Peter. Each piece has emerged into a completely fresh new light, with a different vibrancy, yet remains grounded in what was there before.”

On “Skeleton Elevator”, a hair-tingling, spine-popping, ribcage-rattling slab of twisted tundra boogie, Finland’s Cosmo Jones Beat Machine have their bony fingers on the global pulse of underground rock’n’roll, invoking the spirits of Beefheart, the Fall and Funkadelic. Cosmo Jones Beat Machine have a history that spans over two decades and starts in the woods and the wild in eastern Finland. Over the years the band have lived through five album releases, countless lineup changes and furious live appearances around Scandinavia and Europe that have brought the band a minor cult following. Skeleton Elevator is their sixth album altogether and the first in six years. The six years spent in cultivating the album now at hand have further tempered the band’s trademark sound, which is comprised of primitive but captivating rhythms and a terrifying racket. The vocalist Pharaoh Pirttikangas’ trademark raspy delivery, which has deepened over the years, weaves stories dug up from the Mississippi Delta in the pale moonlight and distilled through an eastern Finnish swamp. The new album’s Beefheartian clatter is at times spiced with influences from unexpected directions such as disco (Minimal Brain Dysfunction Generation) and Funkadelic-style space funk (Transformed). The band recorded the bulk of the album during a 24-hour session without sleep, which only adds to the record’s pleasantly unpolished, frantic edge.

Alphaville’s third studio album “The Breathtaking Blue” (1989) introduced new musical elements and a musical concept, added electronic pioneer Klaus Schulze to the production team and embraced emerging technology (including one of the first CD-Graphic releases ever). In addition to the well-produced songs such as the single “Romeos,” the album included the visually stunning and innovative film “Songlines” where nine directors did short movies inspired by one of the album tracks. Later renamed as “Balance,” the short film for the song “Middle of the Riddle” won an Academy Award for “Best Animated Short Film” the following year.
Personally supervised by ALPHAVILLE founding members Marian Gold and Bernhard Lloyd, “The Breathtaking Blue” has been remastered for the first time. “The Breathtaking Blue (Deluxe Edition)” will be released as Deluxe 1LP/DVD-format featuring the remastered original album on vinyl (180g) including a 24-page booklet with many and rare photos in a gatefold sleeve, plus the DVD film “The Breathtaking Blue – Songlines.”

With unfettered access to the Zappa Trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Alex Winter’s (Bill & Ted’s movie franchises, The Lost Boys) assembly features appearances by Frank’s widow Gail Zappa and several of Frank’s musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others. The soundtrack is a perfect complement to the film available as a limited edition 5-LP 180-gram vinyl set for the Zappa completist. Showcasing 69 total songs, there are 12 previously unreleased recordings from the Zappa archive along with his 1978 Saturday Night Live performance; 24 additional Zappa songs from his extensive catalog spanning four decades; songs from Zappa’s labels Straight / Bizarre Records like “No Longer Umpire” by Alice Cooper and “The Captain’s Fat Theresa Shoes” by The GTO’s; 2 classical compositions by Edgard Varese and Igor Stravinsky; and 26 Original Score cues newly composed by John Frizzell for the documentary – all of which give the universe a sonic exploration into the musical brilliance of Frank Zappa. A 2LP edition on 180-gram clear vinyl will also be available, collecting together eight of the unreleased recordings from the Zappa archive, the SNL performance and 13 recordings from Zappa’s extensive recording career.

With unfettered access to the Zappa Trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Alex Winter’s (Bill & Ted’s movie franchises, The Lost Boys) assembly features appearances by Frank’s widow Gail Zappa and several of Frank’s musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others. The soundtrack is a perfect complement to the film available as a limited edition 5-LP 180-gram vinyl set for the Zappa completist. Showcasing 69 total songs, there are 12 previously unreleased recordings from the Zappa archive along with his 1978 Saturday Night Live performance; 24 additional Zappa songs from his extensive catalog spanning four decades; songs from Zappa’s labels Straight / Bizarre Records like “No Longer Umpire” by Alice Cooper and “The Captain’s Fat Theresa Shoes” by The GTO’s; 2 classical compositions by Edgard Varese and Igor Stravinsky; and 26 Original Score cues newly composed by John Frizzell for the documentary – all of which give the universe a sonic exploration into the musical brilliance of Frank Zappa. A 2LP edition on 180-gram clear vinyl will also be available, collecting together eight of the unreleased recordings from the Zappa archive, the SNL performance and 13 recordings from Zappa’s extensive recording career.

Denn leichtfertig würde die amerikanische Rocksängerin solche Superlative wohl kaum in den Mund nehmen. Suzis Begeisterung für ihr neuestes Werk hat viele Gründe, genau genommen 12. Denn exakt ein Dutzend Songs befinden sich auf The Devil In Me, auf dem vom Opener/Titelsong bis zum finalen ‚Motor City Riders‘ jede Nummer ein echtes Highlight ist. Die Gründe für Suzis bemerkenswerte Kreativexplosion: einerseits der Lockdown, der sie ab Frühjahr 2020 von ihrem gewohnten Tourleben abhielt, andererseits die erneute Kooperation mit ihrem Sohn Richard Tuckey, die bereits auf dem Vorgänger No Control glänzend funktioniert hat. Suzi: „Ab Frühjahr 2020 wurden fast 100 meiner Shows gecancelt, und auch Richard wäre eigentlich mit seiner Band unterwegs gewesen, wenn nicht alle Konzerte abgesagt oder verschoben worden wären. Also sagte ich zu ihm: ‚Wir sollten die freie Zeit nutzen, um neue Songs zu schreiben und uns von dem inspirieren lassen, was sich in der Welt derzeit abspielt.‘ Ich wusste, dass Richard und ich ein tolles Team sind, denn No Control war ein riesiger Erfolg und eine für uns ganz besondere
Scheibe. Allerdings hatte ich nicht damit gerechnet, dass wir sie sogar noch übertreffen könnten. Doch alle, die The Devil In Me gehört haben, und diejenigen, die am Vorgängeralbum beteiligt waren, sagten uns: ‚Diese Scheibe ist noch stärker!‘“

Demon Records presents Distortion: The Best Of 1989-2019, the first career spanning
compilation of solo recordings by legendary American musician Bob Mould.
• Bob Mould’s career began in 1979 with the iconic underground punk group Hüsker Dü before forming
the beloved alternative rock band Sugar and releasing numerous critically acclaimed solo albums. At
the vanguard of his field for over four decades, Mould’s music has inspired generations of musicians.
• Compiled by Bob Mould himself, this new collection gathers together 24 essential recordings across
two LPs. Highlights include classic recordings such as ‘See A Little Light’, ‘If I Can’t Change Your Mind’,
‘A Good Idea’, and ‘The Descent.
• Mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering and pressed on two 140g vinyl. Housed in
printed inner sleeves and a deluxe gatefold sleeve with artwork from illustrator Simon Marchner.

neon candy vinyl incl. 24"x12" poster

To Sonic Boom’s Pete Kember, re-imagining the past can lead to ways forward on life’s natural, interconnected path. In April of 2020, he released his first album in over 20 years called All Things Being Equal, a lush and psychedelic record full of interwoven synthesizers and droning vocal melodies, concerned with the state of humanity and the natural world. An entire year later, Kember has re-imagined his last release and created an album of self-remixed tracks called Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough, inspired by the spirit of late 70s, early 80s records by artists like Kraftwerk, Blondie and Eddy Grant. His new album is hypnotic and moody, holding onto the existential framework of the original, but exposes a fresh, beating realm of possibility.

In his last album, All Things Being Equal, Kember told regenerative stories backwards and forwards as he explored dichotomies zen and fearsome, reverential of his analog toolkit and protective of the plants and trees that support our lives. His work is always complex, both in its instrumentation built using modular synthesizers, and with his attempts to observe the many variables that exist in the universe that are intrinsically connected. Kember takes his existential and musical curiosity even further in Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough, explaining “how we interact now is especially critical.” Written while the world endures many environmental and human crises, the album is both a balm and a reminder to nurture our own relationships, both natural and personal.

Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough includes remixes of six tracks from All Things Being Equaland two tracks previously released exclusively in Japan. The album opens just like the original, with “Just Imagine”in its remixed form. The modular synthesizer at its foundation sounds familiar, but as the song progresses it branches out into various veins of sparkling embellishments and deep humming to truly expand the world that the song attempts to envision. On the albums’title track “Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough,” Kember’s instrumentation mirrors the interactions he wishes to inspire; synthesizers responding and building on one another, a conversation of sorts that the human world currently seems to avoid.

Almost Nothing Is Nearly Enough sets itself up to be a grooving, night-time record, while carrying on Sonic Boom’s sense of urgency to assess our relationship with the world. As Sonic Boom revisits his last album, he exposes the arteries and bones of his past work and shares its raw, exciting potential. The result is a re-textured and re-colored new set of songs, emphasizing Sonic Boom’s ability to make a sonically expansive album feel distinctly impactful for anyone who listens closely.

First-ever official re-issue of the Ecuadorian composer's stunning electroacoustic composition "Oeldorf 8" on vinyl and CD. Remastered by KASSIAN TROYER at D&M, Berlin.

MESÍAS MAIGUASHCA (b. December 24th, 1938 in Quito / Ecuador) is a composer of Neue Musik, especially electroacoustic music, who studied at the Conservatorio Nacional de Quito, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY (1958–65), with ALBERTO GINASTERA at the Instituto di Tella in Buenos Aires, at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne and, after a short return to Ecuador, attended the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt and the Fourth Cologne Courses for New Music in 1966–67 where he studied with KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN. From 1968 to 1972, MAIGUASHCA worked closely with STOCKHAUSEN in the Electronic Music Studio of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne and joined STOCKHAUSEN's ensemble for performances at the German Pavilion at the Expo '70 in Osaka. In 1971 he became a founding member of the OELDORF GROUP of composers and performers, and began work at the Centre Européen pour la Recherche Musicale in Metz, at IRCAM in Paris, and at the ZKM in Karlsruhe. From 1990 – 2004 MAIGUASHCA was Professor of Electronic Music at the Musikhochschule of Freiburg im Breisgau where he still lives today.

The OELDORF GROUP, named after the small village 40 km away from Cologne where they lived and worked in a rented farmhouse where they set up their own studio for electronic music and studio productions, was a musicians' collective active during the 1970s. In the adjacent barn, the group held concerts for audiences up to 300 people with an emphasis on live-electronic music and other kinds of new and avant-garde music. Thanks to a long-standing contact with the Westdeutscher Rundfund, the core members of the OELDORF GROUP (PETER EÖTVÖS - electronics and keyboards, the violinist/violist and composer JOACHIM KRIST, electronics specialist and composer MESÍAS MAIGUASHCA, who also played keyboards, and his wife GABY SCHUMACHER – cello) received commissions for compositions, invitations to perform in the Musik der Zeit concert series, as well as having many of their summer concerts recorded for the late-night broadcasts of WDR3.

One of these commissioned compositions is "Oeldorf 8": a retrospective portrait of the OELDORF GROUP consisting of a series of ten short pieces for four instrumentalists (clarinet, violin, cello, electric organ/synthesizer) and tape which may be played either simultaneously or continuously without a break. It premiered in 1974 at the Darmstädter Ferienkurse and was released on LP two years later and turned into a sought-after, but not very well-known rarity achieving collector's prices., and was later unofficially reissued on KEITH FULLERTON-WHITMAN's Creep Pone CDr label.

Conceived as a sonic diary with an edge to encompass radical electronic synthesis, the 48 minute composition proves " … a thing of wonder; from the outset, MAIGUASHCA's spoken introduction of the players & concept gets slowly eroded by errant, pointillist electronic sound … which then lets loose for a good 10 minutes before a swarm of slowly rising held tones c/o the players acoustic arsenal slowly comes to the fore. On the second side, the acoustic sounds - patiently, elegantly state their cases across a good half of the segment until a rising pulse-wave drone essentially annihilates the more nuanced phrasing & slowly builds to an almost ROLAND KAYN-esque climax of raw oscillator gristle" (Soundohm).

44 years after its original release, MAIGUASHCA's stunning album finally sees its deserved and overdue re-release on CD and LP, carefully remastered by KASSIAN TROYER at D&M, Berlin.


"Maiguashca … is part of the first generation of South American maverick sound explorers that in the 1960s paved the way for a tradition of innovation that persists in the present noise and psychedelic scenes of the continent. Along with Edgar Valcárcel, César Bolaños, Beatriz Ferreyra, Mauricio Kagel or José Vicente Asuar, he contributed to expand the possibilities of musical language beyond the dominant Western canon …"

David Jarrin / Kraak Festival

Denn leichtfertig würde die amerikanische Rocksängerin solche Superlative wohl kaum in den Mund nehmen. Suzis Begeisterung für ihr neuestes Werk hat viele Gründe, genau genommen 12. Denn exakt ein Dutzend Songs befinden sich auf The Devil In Me, auf dem vom Opener/Titelsong bis zum finalen ‚Motor City Riders‘ jede Nummer ein echtes Highlight ist. Die Gründe für Suzis bemerkenswerte Kreativexplosion: einerseits der Lockdown, der sie ab Frühjahr 2020 von ihrem gewohnten Tourleben abhielt, andererseits die erneute Kooperation mit ihrem Sohn Richard Tuckey, die bereits auf dem Vorgänger No Control glänzend funktioniert hat. Suzi: „Ab Frühjahr 2020 wurden fast 100 meiner Shows gecancelt, und auch Richard wäre eigentlich mit seiner Band unterwegs gewesen, wenn nicht alle Konzerte abgesagt oder verschoben worden wären. Also sagte ich zu ihm: ‚Wir sollten die freie Zeit nutzen, um neue Songs zu schreiben und uns von dem inspirieren lassen, was sich in der Welt derzeit abspielt.‘ Ich wusste, dass Richard und ich ein tolles Team sind, denn No Control war ein riesiger Erfolg und eine für uns ganz besondere
Scheibe. Allerdings hatte ich nicht damit gerechnet, dass wir sie sogar noch übertreffen könnten. Doch alle, die The Devil In Me gehört haben, und diejenigen, die am Vorgängeralbum beteiligt waren, sagten uns: ‚Diese Scheibe ist noch stärker!‘“

"Lifetime" ist die lebensbejahende Debüt-Single von Romy. Romy, den meisten bekannt als Romy Madley Croft und Teil von The xx, hat den Song während des Lockdowns in ihrer Heimat London geschrieben und zusammen mit dem britischen Erfolgsproduzent Fred again produziert. Die Auszeit von ihrer Band hatte Romy zuvor genutzt, als DJ durchzustarten oder Kollegen beim Songwriting zu unterstützen, so schrieb sie u.a. am Grammy prämierten Dua Lipa-Song "Electricity" mit. "Lifetime" ist eine Hymne auf das Leben und von dem Traum endlich wieder mit Freunden, Familie und geliebten Menschen vereint zu sein. Es ist Romys erste Veröffentlichung seit dem letzten The xx Album "I See You", welches in Deutschland Platz #1 der Album-Charts. Logisch, dass der Song im Original auch gute Airplayergebnisse verzeichnen konnte und in diversen Jahresbestenlisten auftauchte. Im Laufe des Herbstes erschienen dann verschiedene Remixe von befreundeten Künstlerinnen, die nun auf 12" verewigt werden. Tracklist: 1. Lifetime Jayda G Baleen Mix 2. Lifetime Planningtorock "Let It Happen" Remix 3. Lifetime HAAI's Green Lamborghini Romix 4. Lifetime Anz's Togetherness Remix 5. Lifetime.

As a musician, life is often lived on the road. Each city leaves its imprint on the artist as they develop their craft. Touring, recording, and keeping up with friends and family took Oddisee beyond his hometown of Washington DC to Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. From cities like East Africa's Khartoum in Sudan, to cosmopolitan jaunts like Paris & Tokyo. The influence of these travels can be heard on every one of the 24 tracks included on "Traveling Man". Each track was produced while Oddisee stayed in the city it was titled after. The result is a 24 city sonic tour of the world. Listen as Oddisee guides you through his instrumental journey around the globe. Visit the lonely winter streets of Detroit, festive San Francisco, hypnotic Khartoum - or let your swagger loose with the theme music of Chicago or the bounce of South Central. Oddisee sees the world, so that you can hear it.

Mwandishi: one of the most influential combos in the history of electric Jazz. This is Herbie Hancock's creature caught live at the Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival in France on July 21st, 1971. H. Hancock - piano and Fender Rhodes, Bennie Maupin - saxes, bass cl. and flute, Eddie Henderson - trumpet, Julian Priester - trombone, Buster Williams - bass and Billy Hart - drums. A highly progressive form of modern Jazz based on the mix of different elements. Some sort of Afro-Electric-Funk sound journey where waves of multiple pulsating sounds develop in a continuous alternation between tension and release. A marvelous band for which live performances often show more than studio recordings.

Statistique Synthétique draws as much from the history of computer sound synthesis as from its latest developments. But well beyond developing simply as a proof of concept, this piece aims to transcend the abstract status of synthetic sound objects and lead them to a properly hallucinatory state, that is to say to a meeting point where the object and perception dissolve into each other, in a sort of transcendental field. Beyond, also, hylomorphism, to reach the world of matter-form fusions, where perception knows how to see "shoulders of hills", as Cézanne wrote.
Teum (the Silvery Slit) is, as the title suggests, an overture, an opening to the game of multiplications, fragmentations, duplications. But it is also the opening understood as the void that blossoms between two borders, a break from which escapes a double tension, both the pulling force of these two edges which move apart and the opposite force of reconciliation, of compression. Okkyung Lee invites us to a truly telluric moment, a rare moment of expression where tectonic movements and shear stresses become music. If the earthquakes were, as we thought in the 18th century, due to underground thunderstorms, there is no doubt that this piece of music, both celestial and continental, could have been their audible manifestation.
Text by François Bonnet


HeckerStatistique Synthétique2020 / 25'15Computer-generated sound with resynthesized situated texture recordingsWritten and produced by Florian Hecker, 2019 - 2020Texture analysis and resynthesis algorithm: Axel Röbel, Analysis/Synthesis Team, IRCAM, ParisMastered by Rashad BeckerPhoto by Mauricio Guillén, 2019
Thanks to Axel Röbel for his commitment to the project and special appreciation to GRM, Luke Fowler, Mauricio Guillén, Dirk Mayer and Porta33
Location Texture Recordings, using DPA 4060, DPA 4017B, DPA 4021 and DPA 4060 microphones to Sound Devices 702 recorder; except segment 04:31 - 05:37, recorded by Luke Fowler, April 2019 using Sony M10.
00:00 - 02:00 Lopud, Croatia, June 200802:00 - 03:12 Ponta do Sol, Madeira, ER 101, April 201903:12 - 04:14 Prentiss St, Cambridge, MA, February 201504:14 - 04:31 Anjos, Ponta do Sol, Madeira, ER 101, April 201904:31 - 05:37 Atelier Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence, April 201905:37 - 08:31 Anjos, Ponta do Sol, Madeira, ER 101, April 201908:31 - 09:46 Praia dos Anjos, Ponta do Sol, Madeira, ER 101, April 201909:46 - 10:39 Private garden, Kissing, September 200910:39 - 11:15 Praia dos Anjos, Ponta do Sol, Madeira, ER 101, April 201911:15 - 15:11 Porto do Paul do Mar, Calheta, Madeira, April 201915:11 - 16:53 Prinz Eugen Strasse, Vienna, June 200816:53 - 24:27 Risco, Rabaçal, Madeira, April 201924:27 - 25:15 Bois de Boulogne, Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, Paris, September 2015
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Okkyung LeeTeum (the Silvery Slit)2019 / 20'03Performed, recorded and composed by Okkyung Lee (ASCAP)Mixed by Lasse MarhaugMastered by Guuseppe IelasiPhoto by Lasse MarhaugPart of Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

Cut by Andreas Kauffelt at Schnittstelle, Berlin, September 2020Sleeve design by Stephen O'Malley

Soul Slabs Vol. 2 is a collection of A-sides from the 7-inch catalog of Loveland Ohio's Colemine Records. Specializing in heavy soul, funk, and R&B, Colemine prides itself on authenticity and an old school production style, while still making songs that seem fresh and are moving the genre of soul forward. This 3LP collection of 27 tracks puts their diverse catalog on full display, many of these songs being presented for the first time on an LP. Featuring artists such as Durand Jones & The Indications, KellyFinnigan, Ben Pirani, Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Monophonics, Ikebe Shakedown, The Dip, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Soul Scratch, and more!

In Zusammenarbeit mit dem britischen Entwickler-Studio Kaizen Game Works veröffentlicht das Kölner Soundtrack-Label Black Screen Records im Frühjahr 2021 Barry "Epoch" Toppings funkigen "City-Pop meets Vaporwave"-Soundtrack zu dem von der internationalen Gaming-Presse gefeierten Open World Adventure Game Paradise Killer auf Vinyl. Barrys Toppings Soundtrack erscheint auf limitiertem 180g Curacao & Pink Doppel-Vinyl und kommt in einem von 80er Animes & City Pop-Alben inspirierten Artwork der deutschen Designerin Mizucat. Zudem enthält das Vinyl ein gefaltetes A2 Poster und einen Download Code. Die Sounds des Paradieses. Die Musik eines kosmischen Traums. Tracks einer anderen Realität. Das Tempo eines Verbrechens, dass alle Verbrechen beendet. Der Beat von lange verlorenen außerirdischen Göttern. Die Playlist des "Investigation Freaks". Lass dich von der Musik ins Paradies führen. Fühle die glühend heiße Sonne auf deiner Haut. Rieche unerträglich heißen Beton. Genieße den süßen Geschmack von Verbrechen, begangen, auf einer tropischen Insel in einer alternativen Realität. Erinnerst du dich daran, wie wir am Strand getanzt haben? Neben den paradiesischen Straßen? Du hast mir dieses Mix-Tape auf dem Dach deines Apartments gemacht. Wir haben den Mond angestarrt. Du sagtest, du würdest den Mond töten. Ich glaubte dir nicht. Wie falsch ich doch lag.

Looking back, Jimmy Edgar has a lot to be proud of. Over the course of the last decade-and-a- half, the Detroit native has proven both a celebrated favorite and consistent fixture of dance music in its multitudinous forms. Looking over the arc of his lengthy and diverse discography, both under his own name as well as pseudonymously, it’s hard not to see him as one of the most innovative producers and skilled sound designers to emerge this millennium, an artist whose legacy has touched untold numbers of home listeners and dance floor revellers alike. His upcoming album, CHEETAH BEND, achieves its ethos with the aid of some well- placed vocal guests. On "GET UP," a tough love motivational set to springy synth flourishes and bass rattling, Edgar links w/ fellow Detroiter Danny Brown who does irreparable microphone damage. FOR FANS OF: Flying Lotus, TNGHT, Danny Brown, Vince Staples, Schoolboy Q

Modern sounds for the 21st century featuring modal, progressive and esoteric contemporary jazz from the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Finland, USA, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Germany & Italy.

The first 12 volumes of our hugely popular Spiritual Jazz series have unearthed a wealth of historic recordings in the genre, collating a variety of works from the '50s to the '80s by artists from all around the world.

And so, with Volume 13, we turn our attention to what's happening NOW.

Over the course of 24 tracks and spanning 2 x 2LPs, we present an overview of the contemporary exponents of Spiritual Jazz; musicians who are intent on bringing something personal to the table, as much as they recognize the importance of those who have paved the way for them. We feature music recorded within the past 20 years and from 15 different countries, including modern classics from veterans Steve Reid and Idris Ackamoor, providing a vital link between the past masters and the enlightened new generation.

It's pioneers such as John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders et al, with their innovations in reaching another plane of consciousness that was and remains uppermost in the minds of exponents of Spiritual Jazz. Fittingly, several of the artists featured on this compilation, such as Cat Toren and David Boykin, are practitioners of the art of music therapy and sound healing, and have absolute conviction in the role of song as solace. The pioneers may no longer be with us, but their saintly selves loom large, shining a light in the darkness, inspiring many a brave new disciple today, as this album will testify: the new wave of jazz is gathering pace and still sounds fresh, vibrant and as relevant as ever.

Modern sounds for the 21st century featuring modal, progressive and esoteric contemporary jazz from the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Finland, USA, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Germany & Italy.

The first 12 volumes of our hugely popular Spiritual Jazz series have unearthed a wealth of historic recordings in the genre, collating a variety of works from the '50s to the '80s by artists from all around the world.

And so, with Volume 13, we turn our attention to what's happening NOW.

Over the course of 24 tracks and spanning 2 x 2LPs, we present an overview of the contemporary exponents of Spiritual Jazz; musicians who are intent on bringing something personal to the table, as much as they recognize the importance of those who have paved the way for them. We feature music recorded within the past 20 years and from 15 different countries, including modern classics from veterans Steve Reid and Idris Ackamoor, providing a vital link between the past masters and the enlightened new generation.

It's pioneers such as John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders et al, with their innovations in reaching another plane of consciousness that was and remains uppermost in the minds of exponents of Spiritual Jazz. Fittingly, several of the artists featured on this compilation, such as Cat Toren and David Boykin, are practitioners of the art of music therapy and sound healing, and have absolute conviction in the role of song as solace. The pioneers may no longer be with us, but their saintly selves loom large, shining a light in the darkness, inspiring many a brave new disciple today, as this album will testify: the new wave of jazz is gathering pace and still sounds fresh, vibrant and as relevant as ever.

Available as 2 x 2LP sets each with gatefold sleeves, extensive liners, download card & pics inside.

William The Conqueror have paid their damn dues.
Like the sportsman cutting chipped teeth in the
lower leagues before shooting to the very top, this
band have lugged all the amps, placated the inhouse sound guy for an easier life, their nails dirty,
their hair unkempt. Enough.
Except it’s never enough, because despite their
slinky, swampy, razor-sharp, blues-drenched, guitar
thrashed alt. rock songs that form new album
‘Maverick Thinker’ and suggest that the door is
opening for bigger rooms and broader audiences,
it’s those sticky basement bar stages where the
songs have always shed a skin and come alive.
The record put the three piece behind the glass at
Sound City Studios in LA, treading the same carpet
as the likes of Nirvana, Johnny Cash, Neil Young,
and Fleetwood Mac and they might well have
inhaled the spirit of them all.
William The Conqueror’s protagonist is Ruarri
Joseph who knows his way around a melody and a
verse. Joseph’s wryness suggests life just ain’t
plain sailin’ and he fizzes that sigh and lament into
something that breathes heavy with heart and with
soul.
Vinyl format comes in a gatefold sleeve with
printed inner sleeve and digital download card.

We met Moonilena in Stockholm a few years ago. Pedrodollar told us that she plays weird music and we'd get along - he was completely correct. The subsequent mixtape she put together for the Rinse FM show became a total obsession and it wasn't until months later that we found out some of our favourite tracks included were unreleased, so here we are a year or so later and we hope it soothes and uplifts you in equal measure.

The New Philadelphians recorded their sole 45rpm single "Mustang" for the local Quaker City Jazz label in the late 1960s. And what a monster it is. 8 minutes of smokin' soul-jazz at its best. If someone would claim this was an unreleased Jimmy Smith Blue Note recording from 1969, no one would doubt it. More information about Charlie Chisholm and the band can be found on Tramp's "Movements Vol.10" compilation album.