REPRESS!! Although he is still completely unknown to Western audiences, for Ethiopians, Tlahoun Gèssèssè (pronounced Guèssèssè) is THE VOICE.The first-ever pan-Ethiopian star, he has embodied such nonstop unanimity since the end of the 1950s that is a role-model and a point of reference.
Blues And The Abstract Truth is Oliver Nelson’s triumph. Featuring his all-time classic ‘Stolen Moments’, Nelson assembled one of the most potent modern jazz sextets ever. Lead trumpeter Freddie Hubbard is at his peak of performance, while alto saxophonists Nelson and Eric Dolphy (Nelson doubling on tenor) team to form an unlikely union that was simmered to perfection. Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums) can do no wrong as a rhythm section. Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
‘WAVES’ will make you dive deep in bodies of water, making you get lost in a mixture of downtempo, modern music with sounds of nature and passing time. The dualities of sounds were gathered on a sampler and used to produce beats, rhythms, deep reverbs and delayed echoes via a vintage drum machine.
The opposites of nature are felt through this release, side A containing Cosmic dance tracks and side B relaxing tunes to meditate to at any time. Take it easy and enjoy the slow, lapping atmosphere.
With lush seascape artwork on body and case insert, two inserts with download code.
Lyra Valenza set the tone for their first full-length album ‘Low Gear No Pressure’ with an idyllic ambience, which then tumbles into feisty, heartfelt dance workouts. Across eight tracks, the Danish duo explore the pixellated euphoria of their previous ‘Scan, Deliver’ and ‘Nightshade Edition’ EPs with a more focused sensitivity. At the start of 2020, Lyra Valenza had been freshly nominated by music platform SHAPE. With the pandemic in hand, however, plans changed: instead of playing a slew of festivals, the duo spent weeks in a summer house in rural Sjælland, right at Denmark’s North Eastern coast, making early versions of the tracks in this album. ‘Low Gear No Pressure’ refers to the unusual calmness of that time, away from music industry stress and burnout; inspired by friendship. More than previous EPs, the album is shaped by the duo’s live set, which they’ve been performing in Denmark and Europe for many years now. The album breezes through different modes with confidence and ease, tracks morphing fluidly into one another to create a cohesive listening experience. A cool, expansive breakbeat on track two, ‘True Computer’, hints at the psychoactive journey to follow. ‘Truthwork’ plays with arps over a half time groove: subtle synths which reach their final form in ‘Joy Divided’. These agile swells and drops recall peers-in-precision Minor Science and 96 Back. On the flip, ‘Gameshow’ looks back over one shoulder to eurodance, while ‘Life on the Line’ goes out to the soulful junglists, but with a touches of trance in the samplework. On ‘Who Might Win’, the album’s ecstatic hyperactiveness melts into a slo-mo heartbeat, reminding us there’s a chillout room somewhere in the building. And just when we think it’s time to go home, the album gifts us with “one more tune”, and the soaring pop vocals of featured artist Saltmother on ‘Stretch Your Arms’.
Boukou Groove – the soul-funk band from New Orleans – consisting of the charismatic singer/keyboardist/songwriter Donnie Sundal and the virtuoso guitarist/songwriter Derwin 'Big D' Perkins, is the best-kept American soul secret of the moment. Donnie, the frontman of Boukou Groove, is rightly considered one of the best white soul singers of the past fifty years. His soulful and funky voice evokes comparisons with greats such as Curtis Mayfield and Ronald Isley.
But let's not forget Big D, who is celebrated as one of the best guitarists in New Orleans. As a regular session musician, Big D regularly showcases his unique mix of jazzy and funky guitar playing on albums by icons such as Maceo Parker, Dr. John and Snarky Puppy. The latest album, 'Groovin'', released for the first time on vinyl under the 'Juicy Records' label, is a collection of their best work to date. After two successful tours in Japan with performances at the Live Magic! Festival and at the Blue Note in Tokyo, the album serves as a wonderful introduction before the European tour begins. While Donnie controls the vocals and bass role with his funky Moog Bass, Big D enchants with catchy guitar riffs and sublime guitar solos. Together with a talented drummer and sometimes horn players, they create an irresistible mix of New Orleans Funk, Southern Soul and Rhythm 'n' Blues. Boukou Groove has delivered one of the most enchanting modern funky soul records of this decade with 'Groovin''.
Hot Apple Band’s long-awaited debut album, So Long, Noodle House is a collection of 11 tracks recorded between 2019-2022, mostly at Jack Kinder’s home studio in Strathfield, Sydney. Once the pandemic hit, Jack and Lewis Mosley had ample time to give birth to the songs, allowing for this body of work so it could become all that it deserved to be. The resulting album will no doubt please long-time fans, with a number of songs being staples from the band’s live repertoire. So Long, Noodle House is symbolic sign-off on the band’s past and an exciting peek into what’s to come. The record covers broad ground, from 70s imbued alt-country and catchy Beatles-era pop, through to emotive folk and soft rock. Coming-of-age themes run deep in the album, as Jack Kinder's lyrics touch on life changes, friendship, shitty jobs and of course, love. With Kinder's smooth vocals, clever arrangements and gorgeous vintage production, and Lewis Mosley’s unforgettable lead guitar, slide and keyboard performance, Hot Apple Band’s debut has the same charm of some of the best records from the early 1970s, radiating George Harrison, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Harry Nilsson and Fanny in a similar style to modern counterparts such as Drugdealer, Weyes Blood, Daniel Romano and The Lemon Twigs.
”Exakt ein Jahr nach dem Erfolgsalbum Blood & Glitter (#1 der Offziellen Deutschen Albumcharts) veröffentlichen LORD OF THE LOST das erste Coveralbum der Bandgeschichte: Weapons Of Mass Seduction erscheint am 29. Dezember 2023 über Napalm Records. Bereits die Tracklist steht als Sinnbild für ihren kreativen Geist und präsentiert eine exklusive Auswahl weltbekannter, generationsübergreifender Hits, die LORD OF THE LOST in knapp 50 Minuten in etwas Eigenes verwandeln. Die Coverversion von Billy Idols „Shock To The System“ gibt die Bühne frei für eine Auswahl an Songs aus verschiedenen Jahrzehnten und Genres, die LORD OF THE LOST mit ihrem eigenen Stil und Charakter versehen. Obwohl die Künstler und Künstlerinnen unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten, ist Weapons Of Mass Seduction ein stimmiges Gesamtkunstwerk, das Kontrasten nicht aus dem Weg geht. So trifft etwa das Heavy-Metal-Epos „Turbo Lover“ von Judas Priest auf moderne Pop-Nummern wie Sias „Unstoppable”. „Hymn“, im Original von Ultravox, Michael Jacksons legendäres „Give In To Me“ sowie der Britpop-Hit „Somewhere Only We Know” von Keane zeigen weitere Facetten und präsentieren sich im typischen LORD-OF-THE-LOST-Sound.
LORD OF THE LOST bleiben sich weiter treu und agieren einmal mehr fernab jeglicher Genre-Grenzen. Weapons Of Mass Seduction beweist künstlerisches Feingefühl und die Fähigkeit, Songs verschiedenster Interpreten und Interpretinnen respektvoll und glaubhaft in etwas ganz Eigenes zu verwandeln.
Muireann Bradley is a young blues, ragtime, roots and folk guitarist and singer based in Ballybofey in County Donegal Ireland. “This is my first album. Most of these tunes were originally recorded by the great blues men and women who were making records from the 1920s and 1930s right up in some cases to the early 1970s. I have also found inspiration for the renditions recorded here in the playing of some of the musicians who began recording this music in the 1960s and later, and who in some cases learned at the feet of the greats. Many of these guitarists played pivotal roles in the 1960s blues revival and subsequent “rediscovery” of many of the greats of country blues. I grew up steeped in these old blues in the hills overlooking the valley of the River Finn just outside the town of Ballybofey in County Donegal. My father would play this music constantly at home and wherever we went in the car and talk about it endlessly whether anyone was listening or not, telling stories about the lives of these musicians as if they were legend, mythology or the evening news. My father could of course play all this stuff on guitar, I remember watching him when I was very young and thinking “I want to be able to do that”. When I was nine he agreed to teach me and bought me my first little travel guitar. I worked hard to learn how to play but as time wore on I seemed to have less and less time to practice as I became more and more invested in the combat sports I was regularly training and competing in. Then in March 2020 the first Covid lockdowns happened and all contact sports were shut down. I was lost for a while but soon found my way back to the guitar. I was now listening, playing and practicing with a new intensity and focus. In a very serious moment, I wrote out a list of tunes I was going to learn. The first tune on that list was Blind Blake’s “Police Dog Blues”. I’m not sure now how long it took to get that arrangement together but when it was ready we videoed me performing it and posted it on YouTube. It ended up getting a lot of attention, I remember my parents being quite shocked and soon after that Josh Rosenthal got in touch… and here we are! Each individual track on this album was recorded live in the studio and represents one entire take with me singing and backing myself up on guitar simultaneously. Most are either first or second takes. Nothing has been added or taken away, no overdubs or modern recording tricks of any kind have been used at all so at least in some respects this album has been recorded in the same way as those classics of the 1920s and 1930s
The second incarnation of the mythical band of the eighties mod revival, active since 2013 under the leadership of Chris Pope. The English band offers us 4 tracks full of power-pop, punk 77 rage and classic melodies. The Chords UK are back in action with a new EP that keeps the bar high when it comes to punk-influenced power pop. The title track of the EP was originally composed and worked on in 1985 for the Arista label, with the collaboration in production of Tony James (Generation X, Chelsea...). It finally remained unreleased and is now, at last, seeing the light of day once re-imagined, re-arranged and re-recorded in April 2023. It's a fearsome shock of rock'n'roll rhythm and sharp, angular guitars with more than a nod to late 70's The Clash, all wrapped up in infectious vocal harmonies and anthemic choruses. "Veronica Jones" is a new mix of the celebrated cut from the band's 2022 album "Big City Dreams". This track was born as a punchy modern folk song, as it tells the story of a girl who is clearly out to have a good time, but this version is elevated with a garage rock approach, ably assisted by the keyboard talents of Mick Talbot, formerly of The Style Council and Merton Parkas. "Before Elvis" has its origins in a 2014 demo that eventually remained unreleased and is a raging rock track with a Stones-style beat and amps pushed to the limit. The EP closes with "All I Want is Everything" a high-tempo rock'n'roll reworking of the song that previously appeared on their 2018 album "Nowhere Land", with the bass-driven beat rising several notches as the guitar screams and wails.
Reissue of this super hard to find self-released Brazilian garage-beat 7" from 1965. Still very unknown even among hardcore collectors of the genre, but surely an amazing example of genuine teenage garage rock from 60s Brazil reissued for the first time The band would later become Loyce e os Gnomos, a cult band featured on the compilation Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas. The reissue includes an insert with liner notes and a previously unseen photo of the band. Unearthing a forgotten chapter in Brazil's musical scene, Gatos Malucos emerges as an enigmatic garage/psychedelic band from the small city of Limera, in the Sao Paulo countryside. Comprising friends aged 14 to 16, Gatos Malucos combined their admiration for iconic acts like the Beatles and Yardbirds with an unmistakable Brazilian essence. Years later, two band members went on to form the amazing proto-punk band Loyce e os Gnomos. "I literally went crazy. I became a fanatic for the Beatles and proceeded on collecting everything related to them. Records, clothes, newspaper clippings and magazines and song lyrics. Even the Gretsch guitar, similar to the model that George Harrison played, I had the opportunity to pick up in the US. Then when the movies came up, it was pure bliss. The mood was set and, to assemble our band, it was a no brainer. After all, the music flowed harmoniously through our veins." Raphael (Gatos Malucos Guitarrist)
Gonzalez Smith's debut album: "Roll Up A Song" is an album of classic popular songs with music by Jay Gonzalez and lyrics by Pete Smith. Best known as the guitarist/keyboardist for rockers Drive-By Truckers, Jay's musical tastes range from 'baroque' to 'A.M. Gold' and 'power' pop. His collaborations include local pop legends The Possibilities, power pop stalwart Scott McCaughey (The Young Fresh Fellows), and performances with Chris Stamey of The dB's and Bill Berry of R.E.M. Pete Smith, acclaimed lyricist, made waves with his contributions to the legendary jazz composer Gary McFarland's album "Butterscotch Rum". His journey led him to comedy writing for Adult Swim's animated shows. Classic pop composer Brent Cash's exceptional string arrangements elevate the album's depth and emotion, enriching Gonzalez and Smith's melodies and lyrics. Jay Gonzalez and Pete Smith are like a modern day Bacharach/David, if Burt spent his nights tearing it up with one of the best live rock bands in America, and Hal was a writer for Space Ghost Coast to Coast and The Brak Show. Their debut album as Gonzalez Smith, "Roll Up a Song," is a seamless fusion of power pop, piano ballads, bossa nova, and pure spun sugar confection. Jay brings the same multi-instrumental compositional skills found on his first three solo albums, and Pete pens lyrics by turns honest, romantic, arch and comedic, sometimes in the same verse. The results are so stellar, it's a shock to find out that the Drive-By Truckers guitarist/keyboardist and the Adult Swim comedy scribe haven't been writing together for decades. Arriving in December 2023, via Bobo Integral Records, "Roll Up A Song" transcends eras and genres. It's a harmonious journey, uniting melodies and lyrics into a timeless masterpiece. Get set to roll up the music, immersing in captivating soundscapes.
Originally released as a hand-numbered CD on New Year's Eve of 2004, Last Light captures Tor Lundvall 's hushed songcraft at its most ghostly and grayscale, stripped bare like branches bracing for winter. Initially conceived of as "a piano album with sparse electronics" (with the working title November), Lundvall's palette steadily expanded, incorporating synthesizer, samples, bass, metronomes, and his signature spectral vocals. A journal entry from the spring of 2002 proved formative to his evolving vision: "I remember watching the blueish-grey light shimmering outside and hearing distant sounds echoing far away, eventually sinking into silence and stillness." The album's 12 tracks are steeped in this sense of autumnal transience, of bearing witness to what fades. The music moves in whispered swells, between dirge, drift, and devotional. Synths chime like slow-tolling bells; percussion shuffles and shivers, icy and isolated; bass traces a low-lidded plod - it's a mode both austere and seductive, lulling the listener into its landscapes of deepening dusk. Lyrically, Lundvall's language skews observational and depressive ("through lace curtains / grey light falls / dark clouds gather / in my soul" ), with each song like a gauzy glimpse into a different tableau framing winter's descent: rust - colored leaves, frozen ponds, cold crescent moons. Lundvall has long considered Last Light a "personal favorite" in his discography, and it's easy to hear why. In texture, finesse, and pacing, it vividly evokes the rare mood of fragile, frosty pastoral noir depicted in his iconic oil paintings. His is an art of the half-seen and half-remembered, of fleeting figures, shapes and shadows, and gathering darkness. Of all that disappears, and the ghosts that never leave: "So I wait / as the years / slowly drain the magic and the light / and the girl / I never loved / haunts me through the dark roads of my life."
We are back with a VA for our 8th release.
The title ‘Hood Classic’ by Lavan is exactly what it is, shuffle, chords and an extremely deep bassline.
‘Work It’ by Aezron has a speed garage theme with a touch of house and a vocal which may sound familiar.
The B-side flip delivers ‘Raw Uncut’ by L&F sampling Mobb Deep over some breaks and bass. Finally ‘Lock’em’ by Xantrax, giving a modern day grime meets UKG vibe.
Bring back my Bass Butches! They’re bossy & they mean business. Rag-tag rhythm riders Maara and Roza Terenzi come together for a freaky friday sound swap; trading auditory secrets only a mixologist would know to conjure up a 2 track tek-trailblazer. Not for the faint hearted deejay, the record flaunts their distinct signature sounds as they reincarnate the status quo of experimental club music one snare at a time.
Percussively penetrating the core ethics of composition, the A side flirts and squirts all over a rhythm so raucous, the bass battens down the hatches. Stir the pot, rock the boat, roll the dice and ride the bass, surrender to the unruly structure as the groove gets full custody.
The bareback B side breaks rules and regulations; leading you to high-tech temptation, fast and furious with an explosive temper that can’t be tamed.
Tickling the rim of electro and bass yet ditching the doctrine, Loose Lips Sink Ships is a take-no-prisoners secret source of dancefloor dopamine, the sleek modern rendition of a ritualistic beatdown destined to weave motifs together and breed atmosphere.
It takes 2 to techno, but these are the number 1 drum degenerates of the future wave party starters.
X/Y/Secret presents Augusto Taito's electrifying new EP called 'Light in the Dark'.
A strong collection that showcases Taito's remarkable talent for blending the essence of modern techno with atmospheric soundscapes, laser sharp leads and a solid groove that locks you in, refusing to let go.
Augusto's personal touch is evident across the entire release. His signature swing comes alive through crisp percussion, swirling stabs, and hypnotic rhythms, creating infectious grooves that resonate with boundless dancefloors.
African Queen is a departure from the sound of the Amarra’s debut Ariwa release. This time Toots Hibbert’s Bam Bam provides the template for African Queen. Over the past 30 years this rhythm track has been associated with several hits including Sister Nancy’s Bam Bam and Chaka Demus and Pliers Murder she wrote.
African Queen has a catchy chorus with a touch of modern day electronics using the warbler and filter effects. An interesting song, drawing from some unlikely quarters of the 21st century, and blending them together.
Red Marbled Vinyl
Berlin, Funkhaus based electronic record label and music studio Bright Sounds enters their 10th year of business in 2023. And this marks the perfect occasion to team up with another long going techno institution, Skudge. Starting as a record label curated by two Swedish gearheads releasing their own studio jams in the late 00's, Elias Landberg is now recognized as one of the most steady techno producers of modern times.
The entity known as ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, would like to express its excitement to be working with the Seattle, WA based BAND Sandrider, and enjoyed the previous relationship of Damm and Weisnewski in their former entity known as AKIMBO. ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES is very much a fan of previous work from the BAND on Satanik Royalty Records and highly recommend new listeners investigate the discography further. The upcoming 2-song single by BAND, hereafter referred to as AVIARY/BALEEN has a limited-edition initial pressing on blue and white splatter vinyl pressing of 300 copies, and successive runs will not be as colorful. Immediate orders are encouraged. This cheeky duality of Sandrider is also captured perfectly in the subject matter of the EP’s two tracks: The explosive first track, “Aviary,” portrays the modern hellscape of social media as sinister, soulless mama bird, willfully vomiting disinformation into the eager mouths of enthusiastically consenting participants. “PLEASE MOTHER, FEED THEM YOUR BILE. DOUSE THE BABES WITH YOUR WHOLESOME RETCH,” vocalist/guitarist Jon Weisnewski wails over massive, frenetic riffs, rounded out by bassist Jesse Roberts’ warm low end and drummer Nat Damm’s ultra-hard, punch-like beats. The song concludes in a frenzy of danceable beats, with Weisnewski doing his best Painkiller-era Halford screams as he commands you to flood the whole damn thing – drown those who wish to destroy us. As pissed off as the song is, you’ll feel triumphant by the end anyway. Side B’s “Baleen” on the other hand (while ironically the angrier-sounding song of the two), is about a lighter thought that keeps Weisnewski up at night: Do you ever think about how fucking weird whales are? They’re enormous floating creatures that can't handle gravity, and they hang out in the deepest oceans. Yet they can’t breathe underwater, so they have to stay near the top and come up for air all the time. Seems inconvenient. And you’d think that the biggest mammal that ever lived would be a brutal carnivore, right? But no. They eat the tiniest creatures, through a bunch of hair in their mouths. What the fuck? Anyway, ponder on that while you bang your head along with Sandrider’s signature primal, hypnotizingly heavy riffs.
Third full-length from Kentuckiana studio chiselers EQUIPMENT POINTED ANKH. Seven tracks of Great Lake inspired genre transgressions sure to make the cover of Modern Hocketing Magazine. Mono minded drumming, superstitious Clavinet, Siege style guitar, cod-turntablism, billowing Serge and Russ' crotales collide at FAO Schwartz in a rush to return the instruments before the 30 days are up. Recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL and End of an Ear in Louisville, KY Fall of 2021. Engineered & mixed by Taylor Hales at Electrical Audio. Produced by The Barney Rubble Trio. Mastered by Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets in Providence, R
« With their vintage organs, synths and drum machines, there are touches of Stereolab but Grand Vermont’s main mode is stranger and folkier, like Piper-era Floyd and David Allen dreaming up early Beach House. » Uncut « It’s electronic-ey, it’s French, it’s brillant » Soho Radio "Sweet minimalist post-punk" Konbini "... wonderful piece of childhood. Everything seems simple at first. Everything is luminous.” Guts of darkness "[...] somewhere between the synthetic forests of Broadcast and the kraut pop trail of Stereolab." Gonzaï
