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Macht Euch bereit für die Magie von "LOVE", dem neuen Studioalbum der schwedischen Prog-Rock-Legende The Flower Kings, die auf eine über 30-jährige Karriere zurückblicken. Als The Flower Kings am 20. August 1993 ihr allererstes Konzert in Schweden gaben, ahnten sie wahrscheinlich noch nicht, dass sie im Begriff waren, Prog-Rock-Geschichte zu schreiben. Mit nunmehr 17 Studioalben, unzähligen Live-Aufnahmen, welt-weiten Tourneen und Festivalauftritten hat die Band ein Vermächtnis geschaffen, das nur von wenigen Bands übertroffen werden kann - und sich als Pioniere der Wiedergeburt des Prog-Rock erwiesen. Das Line-Up besteht aus den drei Originalmitgliedern Roine Stolt, Hasse Fröberg und Michael Stolt sowie den später hinzuge-kommenen Mitgliedern Mirko DeMaio und Lalle Larsson. Gemeinsam haben sie ein Album geschaffen, das den wahren Geist dessen einfängt, was Progressive Rock immer sein sollte: eine kreative Revolution, frei von den Zwängen kommerzieller Hitfor-meln. "LOVE" erinnert an die goldene Ära der späten 60er und frühen 70er Jahre und strotzt nur so vor Vintage-Vibes, epischen Kompositionen und einer reichen Mischung an Einflüssen - von Klassik und Jazz bis hin zu elektronischer Musik und Filmsound-tracks.Auf "LOVE" bieten The Flower Kings über 70 Minuten klangliche Erkundung in 12 Tracks, die von ausgedehnten 12-Minuten-Epen bis hin zu prägnanten 3-Minuten-Perlen reichen. Das Album verwebt Themen zu einem kohärenten Ganzen, das man am besten als eine zusammenhängende Reise erlebt: zugängliche Melodien gepaart mit experimentellen Momenten, wilden Gitar-rensoli und virtuoser Synthesizerarbeit, die an ihre frühen Werke erinnern. Mit neuem Selbstbewusstsein und neuer Kreativität beweisen die Flower Kings einmal mehr, warum sie die Könige des Progres-sive Rock sind. Zur Erinnerung: Krieg ist nur Angst und Versagen, Angst, die sich in kleinen Leuten mit zweifelhaften politischen oder religiösen Absichten manifestiert - LIEBE ist immer der Sieger.

Hackney singer-songwriter Mychelle debut album Good Day is set for release on April 30 via FAMM (Maverick Sabre/Jorja Smith).  In her own words "This album is inspired by the music I love to listen to, with lyrics that helped me release what wasn’t serving me.‘Good Day’ is my way of saying goodbye to the chapters in my life that created bad days.I’m incredibly grateful for every single person who played a part in bringing ‘Good Day’ to life, and for those who continue to help push it further. I’ve really enjoyed the entire process.Thank you, and have a ‘Good Day’. Raised in Stoke Newington, Mychelle grew up surrounded by music and first picked up a guitar at 10. Years later, she overcame her shyness through busking—spending over four years performing on London’s streets, where her raw and soulful delivery caught the attention of FAMM, leading to her signing.
Since her debut The Way (2021), Mychelle has released standout EPs, including Closure (2021), Someone Who Knows (2022), It’s Not You, It’s Me (2023), and Me & Gaz (2024). Her collaboration with ENNY on Forbidden Fruit has nearly 2.5 million plays, proving her ability to connect deeply with audiences. Having performed at Montreux Jazz Festival, Boardmasters, Deershed, and Michael Kiwanuka’s tour, Mychelle will soon join Jorja Smith on her UK & ERIE tour and take the stage at Across The Tracks and Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, promising an exciting summer of live performances. Beyond music, she thrives in movement—whether on the basketball court, football field, or running track—infusing energy and passion into everything she does. Good Day marks a bold new chapter, showcasing her evolution as an artist and her unwavering trust in her craft.

Macht Euch bereit für die Magie von "LOVE", dem neuen Studioalbum der schwedischen Prog-Rock-Legende The Flower Kings, die auf eine über 30-jährige Karriere zurückblicken. Als The Flower Kings am 20. August 1993 ihr allererstes Konzert in Schweden gaben, ahnten sie wahrscheinlich noch nicht, dass sie im Begriff waren, Prog-Rock-Geschichte zu schreiben. Mit nunmehr 17 Studioalben, unzähligen Live-Aufnahmen, welt-weiten Tourneen und Festivalauftritten hat die Band ein Vermächtnis geschaffen, das nur von wenigen Bands übertroffen werden kann - und sich als Pioniere der Wiedergeburt des Prog-Rock erwiesen. Das Line-Up besteht aus den drei Originalmitgliedern Roine Stolt, Hasse Fröberg und Michael Stolt sowie den später hinzuge-kommenen Mitgliedern Mirko DeMaio und Lalle Larsson. Gemeinsam haben sie ein Album geschaffen, das den wahren Geist dessen einfängt, was Progressive Rock immer sein sollte: eine kreative Revolution, frei von den Zwängen kommerzieller Hitfor-meln. "LOVE" erinnert an die goldene Ära der späten 60er und frühen 70er Jahre und strotzt nur so vor Vintage-Vibes, epischen Kompositionen und einer reichen Mischung an Einflüssen - von Klassik und Jazz bis hin zu elektronischer Musik und Filmsound-tracks.Auf "LOVE" bieten The Flower Kings über 70 Minuten klangliche Erkundung in 12 Tracks, die von ausgedehnten 12-Minuten-Epen bis hin zu prägnanten 3-Minuten-Perlen reichen. Das Album verwebt Themen zu einem kohärenten Ganzen, das man am besten als eine zusammenhängende Reise erlebt: zugängliche Melodien gepaart mit experimentellen Momenten, wilden Gitar-rensoli und virtuoser Synthesizerarbeit, die an ihre frühen Werke erinnern. Mit neuem Selbstbewusstsein und neuer Kreativität beweisen die Flower Kings einmal mehr, warum sie die Könige des Progres-sive Rock sind. Zur Erinnerung: Krieg ist nur Angst und Versagen, Angst, die sich in kleinen Leuten mit zweifelhaften politischen oder religiösen Absichten manifestiert - LIEBE ist immer der Sieger.

A stellar collaboration between composer Michael Cashmore (Current 93) and vocalist Marc Almond of Soft Cell fame. Two complementary creative sensibilities in intimate interlock; supreme compositional and vocal talents fusing to make uniquely dramatic musical and vocal interpretations of searing beauty and insight. Specifically, this suite of songs feature the heightened lyricism of a stunning array of cult poets, both contemporary and of yesteryear. 'Feasting With Panthers' is a stellar collaboration between composer Michael Cashmore (Current 93) and vocalist Marc Almond of Soft Cell fame, in the nearest thematic echo and nod, in the latter's vast back catalogue, to the darker gothic influences of his celebrated Marc And The Mambas period and his acclaimed 'L'Absinthe' and 'Jacques' twisted chanson solo albums. This album's defining aesthetic is the setting of outsider poems to music. Poems by Count Eric Stenbock plus unique lyrical translations - by celebrated poet Jeremy Reed - of works by Jean Genet, Jean Cocteau, Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, as well as Reed's own poetry. The emphasis throughout is on 'decadent' poems of thwarted love, ill-fated romance, self-destruction and death: many poems are woven with homo-eroticism, laced with opium dreamstates and all are accompanied by Michael Cashmore's haunting and melancholic music that lends the verses a deft yearning for beauty and a bittersweet, melancholic longing for lost innocence and youth. Originally released in 2011 and long since deleted, 'Feasting With Panthers' is now restored to back catalogue availability as a double vinyl album - it's first ever vinyl edition - with a variant of the original album artwork and two printed, full colour inner sleeves complete with lyrics and pictures and featuring four bonus tracks. The album was recorded over several years by the artists sending music files back and forth by e-mail and post; the artists never once recording together in the studio. Berlin based Michael Cashmore worked at home composing the music, playing all of the instruments and adding Marc's vocals from files recorded in London. The resulting album is a glorious union of sensual talents, both in voice and music, complementing the intriguing and evocative poetic texts. The project began after Current 93's David Tibet gave Marc a book of poems by the Baltic German poet Count Stanislaus Eric Stenbock. Marc was instantly attracted to the dark eroticism and the melancholic yearning of the verse and, so, contacted Michael Cashmore, whom he had previously worked with on Current 93's reading of 'Idumea'. He felt Michael would have the right understanding of the verse with his intricate, beautiful musical compositions. From this, the project developed to include many of Marc's favourite poems by some of his favourite 'outsider' poets with common thematic ground.

Placenta is the fourth collection of broadly imaginative and highly collaborative Carlos Niño & Friends music released on International Anthem since 2021. But perhaps more notably for the zeitgeist of today, it is the first new music to be released by Carlos Niño & Friends following the November 2023 release of André 3000’s New Blue Sun – an album which Carlos produced alongside André, while co-writing, performing, and co-mixing every song. The announcement of Placenta also comes while Carlos is in the middle of tours with André to support New Blue Sun, where Carlos wields an immense presence as music director, bandleader, and percussionist, and performs alongside many of the same musicians that are present on his recent & Friends albums, including this new one.

Placenta is announced on the 1st solar return of Moss Niño, of whom Carlos and his partner Annelise are Earth parents. Their experience of pregnancy, labor and delivery were all profoundly impactful for Carlos. Becoming a father again (a whole 25 years after the birth of Azul Niño, who has become a regular artistic collaborator for Carlos) he felt total Inspiration for this set of recordings, and hence it is perhaps the most conceptually-grounded Carlos Niño & Friends album we've yet to present–fully connected to the spirit of family, birth, and "how we get here."

In Niño’s words, Placenta is “dedicated to Mothers, Children, Babies, Aunties, Doulas, Midwives, Birthworkers...,” and a short list of track titles includes: "Love to all Doulas!," "Some Rest for the Midwives," "Real Vital Organs," and "Generous Pelvis." The centerpiece of the album, the sprawling "Placenta, Nourishment, New Home, The Galaxy," is an unbelievably vivid immersion in the sonic architecture of Niño's memory-scape...like being present in his energy field...or being present in a birthing room, or maybe even being born yourself. And it just might be the most powerful, unique piece of music Niño has ever created.

Featured artists on Placenta, in order of their entry on the album, include: Nate Mercereau, Jamire Williams, Sam Gendel, Jamael Dean, Dexter Story, Brandon Eugene Owens, Maia, André 3000, Jesse Peterson, Ariel Kalma, Surya Botofasina, Annelise, Haize Hawke, Aaron Shaw, Devin Daniels, Tiffany de Leon, Michael Bolger, Michael Alvidrez, Moss, Iasos, Photay, Deantoni Parks, Adam Rudolph, Andres Renteria, and Cavana Lee.

Norman Westberg (guitar), Giridhar Udupa (ghatam, konnakol, khanjira, percussion) and Jacek Mazurkiewicz (double bass, electronics)An extraordinary meeting of three artists from three different musical worlds and three different continents. Norman Westberg (ex-Swans) and Jacek Mazurkiewicz have already released one album together "First Man In The Moon" in 2021 (published by the Swiss label Hallow Ground).In the new project, they are accompanied by Giridhar Udupa, an Indian master of ghatam (a clay percussion instrument that looks like a jug). The album will feature 3 long trance compositions, referring to ambient, krautrock, free jazz and Indian music.Jacek Mazurkiewicz describes the creation of this album as follows:"I met Norman Westberg while supporting the Swans tour in Poland as 3FoNIA. A few years later, during Norman's tour with Gira, we recorded a duet.The trio session took place similarly to the previous duet session during Norman's solo concert in Warsaw on the Swans tour.Recorded with Adam Toczko, a quick meeting on a day off from work.I invited Giridhar Udupa to the trio, whom I had met earlier during the period when I co-founded the band Limboski. I once invited Wacek Zimpel to play a few concerts with Giridhar. Wacek later created Saagara and I was wondering about some unusual musical context in which I would find myself with Giridhar. I was looking for an interesting sound configuration, but also a cultural one, with a different approach to creating music. I got the impression that for both Norman and Giridhar it was a fairly fresh meeting, not obvious. And on the other hand, ordinary - everyone did their own thing."Detroit guitarist Norman Westberg moved to New York in 1980 and became a part of the experimental music scene that was experiencing its golden age. Westberg himself became a permanent fixture when he joined the iconic avant-rock band Swans in 1983, and was the only member other than frontman Michael Gira to play with them for most of the band's run, both until their 1997 disbandment and his return in 2010. Westberg has also been involved with other legendary New York noise-rock acts, including Jim Thirlwell's Foetus and the post-Swans Heroine Sheiks, in which he played with Cows frontman Shannon Selberg; and in 2014, he joined the noise-rock supergroup Hidden Rifles, whose members included Mike Watt of Minutemen and Mark Shippy of U.S. Maple. Westberg's solo compositions, most often for solo guitar and a set of effects, draw on drone and post-minimalism, bringing to mind dark ambient passages from Swans albums.Giridhar Udupa is an extremely valued teacher and world-renowned artist, an Indian master of ghatam (a clay percussion instrument that looks like a jug). He was born into a family with long musical traditions. He began learning to play at the age of four, guided by his father. At the age of twelve, he already had his first performances behind him. He currently gives concerts alongside the greatest masters. He has received many prestigious awards. He performs in the USA, Spain, Canada, France, Switzerland, Germany, Oman and Kuwait. Giridhar Udupa is a member of the band of the Indian vocalist Bombay Jayashri, nominated for an Oscar for the best song for the film Life of Pi. He is one of the founders of the Layatharanga band. He also plays virtuoso other traditional instruments of South India, such as mridangam and kanjira, and is excellent at using the konnakol technique (a type of rhythmic vocalization).For three decades, the artist has been a global ambassador and icon of Carnatic music. He is the founder of The Udupa Foundation, a charity organization established in 2015 to promote Indian music, performing arts and culture. He has participated in recording dozens of albums. He is also well-known in our country thanks to his cooperation with Polish performers, which resulted in excellent artistic effects, such as the famous Indialucia - Michał Czachowski's group / project or the Saagara formation, led by Wacław Zimpel. Udupa also played on the album Lechoechoplexita, released by Leszek Hefi Wiśniewski, and on the album of the band Layatharanga, released in our country.Jacek Mazurkiewicz is interested in music in the broad sense. He puts his sounds together based on emotional impressions and pulse. Combining acoustics with electronics, he is constantly looking for a new sound. Solo as 3FoNIA, in a duet with Mikołaj Trzaska or Tomek Dąbrowski, the JMB trio with Wojtek Jachna and Jacek Buhl, in the Modular String Trio quartet, the Afrobeat quintet Faso Tamala are just some of his musical incarnations. With Patryk Zakrocki, as part of an audio mission, he massaged hundreds of pairs of ears in the Inner Ear Massage Office. He also deals with sound design, composing and producing music for films and theatre performances. He collaborated with many Polish and foreign artists.

Remastered Reissue von Lucianos Album "Moving Up" (1993), das im gleichen Jahr wie sein Debüt "Shake It Up Tonight" erschien und den jungen Künstler direkt in den Mainstream katapultierte. Produziert von Philipp "Fatis" Burrell (XTERMINATOR), wartete "Moving Up" mit einer erstklassigen Besetzung mit u.a. Dean Frazer, Winston-Bo Pee Bowen, Christopher "Lurch" Birch, Fire House Crew, Michael Fletcher und Sly & Robbie auf. Wie alle neu aufgelegten Klassikeralben des RAS-Katalogs wurden auch diese LP/CD-Formate remastert, um diese ersten Neuauflagen seit 1993 zu einem echten Leckerbissen für alle Reggae-Fans zu machen. Die Original-LP erschien damals nur auf Jamaika und war extrem rar.

Belgian musician and filmmaker Jef Mertens has been an active force in the experimental music and film scene for nearly two decades. Known for his documentaries on artists like Sonic Youth and Borbetomagus, as well as his work with the now-defunct Dadaist Tapes label, Mertens continues to push the boundaries of sound exploration. His previous solo works include NO MATHEMATICS, released on KRAAK/Feeding Tube Records.

With Orchid Alto, Mertens dedicates himself to the taishogoto, a Japanese stringed instrument that became a new focal point in his sonic explorations. Initially drawn to its unique tonal qualities, he approached the instrument with an open-ended curiosity, using it as a means to reshape his musical language. The transition to taishogoto marked a shift away from guitar-based compositions, offering a fresh perspective on texture and resonance. Through these explorations, Orchid Alto serves as a blueprint for new sonic possibilities.

A bold and immersive sonic journey, Orchid Alto merges traditional resonance with modern experimentalism, further shaping Mertens' artistic voice—one influenced by artists like Michael Flowers, Turner Williams Jr., and Bill Nace.

dO iT nOw Recordings makes its debut in the world of vinyl with a various artists' sampler that shows just what they are all about. First up is Pigsie's wonderful 'Silk' which sets a fine tone with lush jazz-inspired keys, dreamy pads and intricate drum work that make it well suited to those late-night sessions. Wearing Shoes then offers 'Finding Your Words' with buttery Rhodes licks and looped vocals over fat bass, and the B-side begins with Michael Oberling and his deep jazz grooves, trumpet solos and swinging drums. Massive R closes with the lovely, jazzy house of 'This Feeling' complete with snappy drums and a catchy piano hook.

Long awaited, here is the 4th volume of the Mighty Mellow collecon, from the curators of the
seminal series The Mood Mosaic. Mushy funk, abstract jazz, including tacks of Pete Jolly, Annete
Peacock, Dusty Springfield among the others.

• Within a year of her ground-breaking Double-Album “Bad Girls”, Donna Summer left Casablanca Records
to become the first Artist signed to the new Geffen Records label.
• The third album released for the label was 1984’s “CATS WITHOUT CLAWS”, which was produced by
Michael Omartian, who followed-up his production duties on “She Works Hard For The Money” by giving
the album a mid-80s dance/pop themed sound. The album includes the singles ‘Supernatural Love’, ‘There
Goes My Baby’ and ‘Eyes’.
• “CATS WITHOUT CLAWS” reached the Top 30 in several countries across Europe, also becoming a Top 40
album in the USA and Japan.
• Michael Omartian’s production credits include albums with Michael Bolton, Peter Cetera, Christopher
Cross, Amy Grant, Whitney Houston, The Jacksons, and Rod Stewart. Alongside Quincy Jones, he coproduced USA For Africa’s 1985 No. 1 hit, "We Are the World".
• Donna won a Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance for the album’s final track, ‘Forgive Me’.
• This special edition revisits the original album on 180g Pink Colour vinyl.

Nach fast zwei Jahren meldet sich Okonski mit „Entrance Music“ zurück - ein Album, auf dem sich das Trio auf dem Höhepunkt seines improvisatorischen Könnens befindet und das Spontane und Meditative zelebriert. Nach dem Debüt „Magnolia“ von 2023 hat der Pianist und Bandleader Steve Okonski seine langjährigen musikalischen Mitstreiter (Durand Jones & The Indications-Bandkollege Aaron Frazer am Schlagzeug und Bassist Michael Isvara „Ish“ Montgomery) für eine weitere Session im Geiste von Künstlern wie The Bad Plus, Gerald Clayton und The Breathing Effect wieder zusammengebracht. Letztendlich ist „Entrance Music“ eine Einladung zu frühen Stunden, in denen die Songs in der Tür verweilen und ihre Anwesenheit ankündigen, bevor sie in die Luft zurückkehren, um sorgfältig in die nächste Runde zu treiben. „Entrance Music“ wurde in einer fünftägigen Session aufgenommen und war eines der ersten Alben, die in Portage Lounge, dem Studio von Terry Cole in Loveland, OH, auf Band gebannt wurden. „Es war ein neues Setup, aber mit Terry hinter den Reglern war es sehr vertraut“, sagt Okonski. „Ich kann nicht genug betonen, wie sehr sich Terry wie ein viertes Mitglied der Band fühlt, wegen des Raums, den er kuratiert, der Energie, die er einbringt, und den Produktionsideen.“ Die Energie und der Sound, die mit dem Colemine-Labelchef am Ruder entstanden sind, sorgen für ein Hörerlebnis, das sich mit den Katalogen von ECM oder Stones Throw messen kann. Während ein Großteil des Debüts auf seine Zeit in New York zurückgeht, fühlt sich „Entrance Music“ „ein bisschen weniger wie ‚auf den Straßen um 2 Uhr morgens‘ und ein bisschen mehr auf der Natur basierend an - ein bisschen mehr ätherisch“, sagt Okonski. „Es ist definitiv das Alter, die Umgebung und die Familie - all das kommt in der Musik durch.“

A thick kick... Hardcore on its form allied to a classic cruiser techno speed... Inviting Al Ferox !! Old school never die !

'Fly', Michael Mayo's highly anticipated follow-up to his critically-acclaimed debut album, delves deeply into the genre of jazz, allowing his prior collaborations with mentor Herbie Hancock, producer Eli Wolf and Scary Pockets (among others) to fourish on a mix of familiar takes of jazz classics and bold, adventurous originals Showcasing his remarkable versatility and exceptional talent while backed by an allstar band including pianist Shai Maestro, bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Nate Smith, 'Fly' solidifes his prowess within the jazz realm, allowing his unique artistry to truly shine. This second pressing is on classic black vinyl.

Cold Specks kehrt mit ihrem vierten Album 'Light for the Midnight' zurück.

Nach den Erfolgen ihrer ersten drei Alben 'I Predict a Graceful Expulsion' (2012), 'Neuroplasticity' (2014) und 'Fool's Paradise' (2017) hat Cold Specks (Al Spx) ihren Ruf als einzigartige Stimme der modernen Musik gefestigt. Von ihrer fesselnden Acapella-Performance bei Later... with Jools Holland bis hin zu Kollaborationen mit Moby, Massive Attack und Michael Gira von Swans hat Cold Specks immer wieder Kunstwerke geschaffen, die nachhallen.

Mit 'Light for the Midnight' begibt sie sich auf ihre bisher persönlichste Reise. In seinem Kern ist das Album eine rohe und zutiefst emotionale Reflexion über Ausdauer, Überleben und Transformation. Es ist eine Sammlung von inbrünstigen Balladen und atmosphärischen Popsongs, die Spx' gefühlvolle Stimme in weitläufige Klangwelten kanalisiert.

Das Album entstand in einer herausfordernden Phase in Spx' Leben. Die Arbeit begann 2019 inmitten von Kämpfen mit der psychischen Gesundheit, Erfahrungen, die tief in die Musik eingebettet sind. Doch trotz seiner persönlichen Ursprünge betont Spx seine Universalität: „Ich wollte auf jeden Fall über die letzten Jahre reflektieren, weil sie mich so sehr beeinflusst haben, aber ich wollte auch, dass das Publikum mit diesem Album weggeht. Die Songs gehören ihnen, sobald ich sie veröffentlicht habe.“

Das Album wurde in Toronto und Bristol aufgenommen, wobei Spx zusammen mit Adrian Utley von Portishead und Ali Chant (bekannt für seine Arbeit mit Perfume Genius, Dry Cleaning und Aldous Harding) als Co-Produzent fungierte. Es enthält Streicherarrangements von Owen Pallett (Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Sampha) und zusätzliche Beiträge von Graham Walsh von Holy Fuck. Spx arbeitete auch mit einer Reihe von hervorragenden Kollaborateuren zusammen, darunter Chantal Kreviazuk (Drake, Kendrick Lamar), Malcolm Middleton von Arab Strap, Ben Christophers, Ed Harcourt und Jonathan Quarmby.

'Light for the Midnight' zeigt Cold Specks von ihrer verletzlichsten und kraftvollsten Seite, indem sie die Geschichten ihres Kampfes in atemberaubende Kompositionen verwebt, die einen tiefen Eindruck hinterlassen. Es ist ein Album der Hoffnung und der Transformation.

High Roller Records, white/ black galaxy effect vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, poster, A5 photo card

Mekong Delta wurden Mitte der 1980er Jahre von Schlagzeuger Jörg Michael (später u.a. bei Running Wild und Stratovarius) und Tontechniker Ralf Hubert (der bis heute die Band leitet) gegründet, als ersterer dem zweiten Metallicas "Fight Fire With Fire" vorstellte. Mit seinem Hintergrund in klassischer Musik und progressivem Rock wollte Ralf die traditionelle Thrash-Schablone verbessern und schrieb vier Songs, die die Grundlage für Mekong Deltas selbstbetiteltes Debüt bildeten.

High Roller Records, white/ black galaxy effect vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, poster, A5 photo card

Mekong Delta wurden Mitte der 1980er Jahre von Schlagzeuger Jörg Michael (später u.a. bei Running Wild und Stratovarius) und Tontechniker Ralf Hubert (der bis heute die Band leitet) gegründet, als ersterer dem zweiten Metallicas "Fight Fire With Fire" vorstellte. Mit seinem Hintergrund in klassischer Musik und progressivem Rock wollte Ralf die traditionelle Thrash-Schablone verbessern und schrieb vier Songs, die die Grundlage für Mekong Deltas selbstbetiteltes Debüt bildeten.

Japanese bamboo flute maestro and goat (JP) cohort Rai Tateishi makes an impressive debut statement with his holistic attempts to transcend the limits of ancient instruments to reveal gently delirious insights.

‘Presence’ is a triumph of improvised, elemental musicality that distills aspects of myriad folk traditions in pursuit of the artist’s own truth. For 40 minutes of singularly weird, locked-in performance, Rai Tateishi diverges his formative training in the shinobue (a bamboo flute) to applications for its elder sibling, the shakuhachi, and its distant relatives in the khene mouth organ of Northeastern Thailand and Laos, and even the Irish flute, with remarkable results returned from each.

Piece to piece, Tateishi adapts a spectra of unusual and extended instrumental experiments to articulate uniquely animist sound arrangements, with judicious use of a ring modulator and delay effects only subtly altering his sound in real-time, gelling the harmonics and smoothing off its contours. Some 15 years of studies and accreted knowledge of histories, timelines, and spirits are deftly tattered in the air and rebound in precisely complex ribbons that become all the more impressive by virtue of its in-the-moment recording.

Presented with no overdubs, the six works were recorded by label head and KAKUHAN/goat lynchpin Koshiro Hino across three days of adventurous improvisation capturing the breadth of Tateishi’s vision in a mix of succinct flights of fancy and one durational wonder where he really cuts loose. An opening piece of rapid percussive fingering and rasping sets the tone for increasingly intricate explorations of the shinobue, and bluesy cadence of a reedy Thai khene - antecedent of the shō - whipped into headier harmonic overtones, whilst his 5th piece for Irish flute best recalls Ka Baird or Michael O’Shea’s lysergic impishness, and a 13 minute closing piece most boldly fucks with folk and jazz traditions, in-depth and with the genre short-circuiting audacity of Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Landing in the wake of prism-shaking works by Will Guthrie & Mark Fell, goat (jp) and Kakuhan; Tateishi’s ‘Presence’ more than lives up to NAKID’s impressive levels, unflinchingly operating by its wits with a verve and dare-to-differ moxie that gets at it from the first hit to the last, harnessing the kind of skill and ingenuity that’s distinctive but still strikingly minimal and overwhelmingly physical. It's a remarkable achievement.

An exclusive 7" re-release of this psychedelic funk ballad from Tulsa's "Outback" Band. As featured on Now-Again's 'More Loving On The Flipside' compilation, "Strangers (In Our Homeland)" epitomises the expression of social & political change during an era of psychedlia infused music. In partnership with the two surviving members of Outback, both Symphonical & Now-Again are proud to showcase the voice of independent artists.

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The origin of "Outback" dates back to the late 50s, a five-piece blues outfit named "Little Lo and the Rest of Us" included music educator & bass guitarist Edward "Cha-Cha" Cherry, saxophonists Eugene "Buggy" Roach & James "Flab" Farley whom, alongside drummer Roscoe J. Dabney III "Roach", Ronnie Wilson on trumpet, guitarists Roy "Rochester" Walker & Michael Collins, would form The Magnificent Seven, the house band for Tulsa's 'Rose Room'.


Alumni of Booker T. Washington High School, The Magnificent Seven influenced & set the standard for the Tulsa sound, as demonstrated through their only single, recorded in 1966, the two part 'Pluck-A-Pluck'. 'The Sevenettes', the groups' female vocal trio, included the rotation of Lena Luckey Wilson, Gwendolyn French, Rose Brewer Lewis, Jeanetta Williams & Maxayn. The Magnificent Seven, led by "Cha-Cha", toured nationally throughout the 60s with their infectious, raw R&B sound, and were the platform for many of Tulsa's talent including Ronnie & Charlie Wilson who would later create the GAP Band.


Roscoe J. Dabney III, the first Black Panther to establish the Tulsa chapter in 1969 known as the NCCF (National Committee to Combat Fascism), proposed the name change to "Outback" in the early 70s. Their sound & formation was changing from R&B to Psychedelic, from the grit to the phase, epitomised by their unique line-up of having two bassists playing simultaneously, both Reggie Cherry & "Chilly" Willie Lewis, the musical foundation to their only recorded single, "Strangers (In Our Homeland)" & "Reggie's Thang".


Song writer & band affiliate, Maurice Pope, produced the lyrics to "Strangers (In Our Homeland)" and handed over the musical attributes to Willie Lewis & Outback to convey his message, as sung by Lena Luckey Wilson. Dabney recalls the song is based on religious scriptures, whilst highlighting the parallel of Black slavery in the U.S.


"Reggie's Thang", written by Dabney's cousin, bassist Reggie Cherry, provides a psychedelic instrumental, a sound which Lena recalls is what set apart Outback from other Tulsa groups. As well as playing clubs, the seated shows provided an environment for the group to showcase their musicianship to those who wanted to be immersed & listen.


Their single, released on Empathy, was recorded in 1972, and are the only known recordings by Outback. Recorded live onto 8-track at a studio located at on East Pine St in the heart of Tulsa's Black community, an independent & unknown studio located on a strip mall.


The Outback members who recorded are:


Lena Luckey Wilson - Vocals

Roscoe J. Dabney III "Roach" - Drums

"Chilly" Willie Lewis - Bass

Reggie Cherry - Bass

Edward "Cha-Cha" Cherry - Keys

Joyce Daws - Trumpet

Roy Walker "Rochester" - Guitar

Robert Luckey "Uncle Bobby"- Percussion

Fredy Berry "Freddy" - Tenor Sax


Band leader & group manager: Edward "Cha-Cha" Cherry

Booking Agent: Ernie Fields Sr.

In 1973 whilst performing in Ft. Worth, TX, Buck Ram approached Willie Lewis backstage and invited him to join The Platters, Lewis accepted. Supposedly, a recording deal was offered to Outback in exchange, which never happened.


The group continued in various formations after Lewis left, however as an integral member, the feeling never equalled their original form and soon after dissolved.


Leon Russell approached Lena Lucky Wilson in 1974 to go on tour with the GAP Band as their backing singer, upon returning Tulsa Lena moved to Los Angeles to pursue her musical career with Leon & Mary Russell amongst various others.


Dabney continued music and became a TV producer & director in 1976.


The only surviving members of Outback today are Lena Luckey Wilson & Roscoe J. Dabney III.

Scientist's name will be found on many dub releases in peoples record collections.His connection to King Tubby's studio is inseparable and many say when the dub end of Reggae music had fallen on quieter times it was Scientist with his often stripped back style and at other times, wild off the wall remixes that breathed life back into the dub cannon.

Scientist (born Overton Brownie,1960, Jamaica) was in many ways King Tubby's apprentice. Having helped his own father out repairing televisions and such like, he would help Tubby on winding transformer coils, that the amps of the day all needed. His interest in recording grew as he watched the many sessions taking place at Tubby's Dromilly Avenue Studio, learning the ropes as the musicians came and went. His first break happened when King Jammy (then Prince Jammy) was too tired to work on a session booked for producer Errol 'Don' Mais. Scientist engineered the session to every one’s bewilderment and great satisfaction.

His first hit would be a mix of Barrington Levy's 'Collie Weed' and his reputation built on the many versions he cut at Tubby's where he would become the engineer of choice. His pared down mixing style suited the new Dancehall reggae sound that came at the tail end of the 1970's and rolled into the 1980's. Such was his stature that albums were now sold with his name on their jacket, 'Scientist Vs Prince Jammy, 'Scientist meets The Space Invaders' to name but two.

His time at King Tubby's was followed as chief engineer working for the Hookim Brothers at the mighty Channel 1 Studio's and on many of top producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes tracks, that were hit after hit at the time.

We have compiled some tuff tracks from the late 70's / early 80's just before everything went digital. Some great dub versions to some killer tracks that rocked the dancehalls around this golden time.The mighty Tristan Palmer whose killer cuts 'BadBoys','Stop Spreading Rumours','Eveready' and 'The Greatest Lover’ alongside Michael Palmer's debut release 'Mr Landlord' and Robert Trench's 'Mr Babylon'. The songs stand back-to-back with Tony Tuff's timeless 'Never Trouble Trouble' and the biblical Rod Taylor's 'The Lord is My Light'. Sammy Dread's 'Wah Dah Wah' and the always respectful Dennis Brown's 'Time and Place' all benefited a touch of magic from The Scientist and his laboratory of effects.

Hope you enjoy the set.....