2023 REPRESS - Rare Brazilian Bossa Nova - Latin album - Comes with insert/liner notes & packaged in a gatefold jacket - 180g TANGERINE COLORED vinyl limited to 500 copies w/obi strip // Marcos Valle needs little introduction, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, Mr. Valle is an award-winning/chart-hitting Brazilian singer, songwriter and record producer. He was raised on a staple diet of classical, Brazilian popular music and North American jazz. Marcos Valle grew up to be one of the most influential & innovating musicians of the Bossa nova period and is regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian artists of all time. He has recorded albums for North American labels such as EMI, Warner Brothers & Verve_cementing his career with a series of tight musical workouts moving seamlessly between funk, samba, soundtracks, soul, jazz, dance and rock. Valle contributed to some of the most important recordings by artists including Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Sergio Mendes, Leon Ware, Chicago and Airto Moreira. Mr. Valle's work has been sampled/remixed by major artists from the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West & Madlib.One of Valle's favorite bands to frequently collaborate with was no doubt Azymuth, who took their name from a Valle song!Azymuth (Bertrami-Malheiros-Conti) started their individual careers in the 1960s in the emergent Bossa nova and jazz scene of Rio, living in the same bohemian block in Copacabana and playing in small bars as session musicians under various other names.It was the early 1970s when Azymuth really began to cause a stir and Marcos Valle invited them to record on a soundtrack LP he was doing. The unique Azymuth sound was now born: a mix of electronic music, samba, funk and jazz that they defined as MPB-jazz (MPB stands for Musica Popular Brasileira). Over the decades Azymuth released extremely successful albums (selling millions of copies) on labels such as Polydor, Som Livre and Atlantic. Hitting the charts on multiple occasions, Azymuth played at the Monterrey and Montreux jazz festivals and at venues around the globe.The band has worked with legendary musicians from Joe Henderson to Stevie Wonder and they've also been remixed/sampled by artists such as Flying Lotus, will.i.am, MF DOOM and Peanut Butter Wolf. Their unique brand of fusion-music has influenced three generations of musicians, DJs, and producers. Music journalists across the spectrum from mainstream to underground, celebrated these raw yet wildly imaginative and musically accomplished tracks that were a revelation of jazz, funk and disco, with some even stating that the roots of EDM were on display in their early recordings.On the album we are presenting you (Brazil by Music - Fly Cruzeiro) the listener is getting yet another fantastic early Valle/Azymuth collaboration. Released in 1972, this rare album was pressed and gifted to customers of the `Cruzeiro' airline company. This promotional record came as no surprise because the connection between Cruzeiro Airlines and Valle was very tight (Valle's father was the manager and his brother was a co-pilot there).Next to the Valle/Azymuth material present, other songs include some of the all-time best Brazilian standards originally written by renowned artists such as Jorge Ben & Antonio Carlos Jobim. Take a flight with us through this fantastic album and into some of the best Jazz, Funk & Bossa Nova the Brazilian musical landscape has to offer.Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the first ever vinyl reissue of `Fly Cruzeiro' since its release in 1972 (only 500 copies were pressed upon its original release in 1972).
Suche:movi star
George Davis drops part 2 of his ‘Ona’ EP: heavenly house featuring a remix by the legendary Roy Davis Jr.
kickin’ up dust drops part 2 of the ‘Ona’ EP by George Davis. A jazzy bassline, snazzy piano keys and a rhythmical vocal send hips swinging and shoulders shaking in ‘Gomera’, a track which Chicagoan legend Roy Davis Jr. then remixes with a ‘Chitown Vibe’. Squelchy synths and organic percussion enter his version with a stylish swagger, maintaining the keys while moving the vocals to the back of the mix. Next up, ‘Bumpa’ is built for the dancefloor, an infectious groove forming the base for whimsical flute-like melodies, before ‘Soul Journey’ closes out the record with a gorgeous slow-burning vision of sunset shores and distant views.
Following on from his first ‘Ona’ EP which dropped on kickin’ up dust in March, and which won the support of artists like Honey Dijon, Nightmares On Wax, DJ Sneak and many more, George Davis now drops part two in the series. The german label, which initially started in 2021 as a party in the techno capital of Berlin, first turned heads hosting artists with a funkier edge to them such as Maurice Fulton, DJ Deep, and Louie Vega.
Since I started collecting records I have been slightly obsessed with underwater music. I could analyse this in many ways but the most obvious starting point for me was the weekly dose of Sunday afternoon TV onboard the Calypso with Jacques Cousteau throughout the 1970s.
My collection of underwater LPs and singles is now extensive - in the hundreds I reckon. But in amongst it all is only one underwater soundtrack from the UK. And this is it. It took me an age to track down Jezz, but I did. And now you don’t have to take an age to track down an original super rare copy of the 1981 pressing.
These days when there are so may represses, rediscoveries and reissues, I thought we’d make this stand out a little more, so I decided to take us all back to my childhood 1970’s when I used to get a little “Action Transfer” set on very special occasions, and stick the little transfers of scuba divers, fish and mini subs all over a small paper underwater landscape. Sadly we couldn’t get classic rub down Letraset style transfers but I think Kev (DJ Food) has done a miraculous job in creating a modern version.
So sit back (mess about with the stickers) and wonder at the beautiful, submersive electronic sounds created by Jezz all those years ago. Dive in, the water is lovely.
Jonny Trunk 2023
THE SLEEVE
To put together such a unique sleeve Jonny Trunk teamed up with Kevin Foakes / DJ Food who used AI programming to generate this underwater wonderland, the sleeve images and the record labels. The sticker sheet was generated using influences from vintage 1970s “Action Transfer” imagery and period graphic styles. The result is a magical clash of then and now tech and a totally unique sleeve for an incredible soundtrack.
THE MUSIC
As underwater albums go, this is the very peak. Made using the best cutting edge synth tech of the day (see tech list below - most used by Vangelis at the time too!!!), the result is a sublime wash of underwater ambience, emotions and more. IT GETS NO BETTER.
THE COMPOSER
Jezz Woodroffe (aged 29 when this LP was originally made), having played keyboards from the age of five and reaching musical distinction at the age of ten, has played in many bands.
Jezz left ‘Black Sabbath’ in his pursuit to find alternative ways to stretch his ability and because of his obsession with perfection released his first solo album “Opposite Directions” and single “Peace In Our Space” (Graduate Records). The resulted in the offer to score for the film ‘Wonders Of The Underwater World”. Faced with a difficult task, Jezz set up his complex of equipment at the foot of the screen (as in the silent movies) and played to the action. It soon became obvious that his talents and sympathy for the underwater environment were enhancing the filming beautifully.
Having been totally involved in this project from its original conception I could only sit back in awe and admiration during the three months it took Jezz to complete the soundtrack, which, when viewed with the film is a very moving experience. The music, listened to in its own right - as an album - is for me as much an amazing trip as the two years around the world it took to make the film!
THE STUDIO EQUIPMENT USED ON THE LP
Yamaha Polyphonic Synthesisers CS80 & CS60 ~ Yamaha Symphonic Ensemble SK20 ~ Yamaha Monophonic Synthesisers CS30, CS150 & CS20M ~ Yamaha Electric Grand CP708 ~ Roland Monophonic Synthesisers SH1, PRO-MARS ~ Roland Digital Sequencer CSQ600 ~ Roland Vocoder VP330 ~ Roland Organ / String Synth. RS09 ~ Mini Moog & Moog Prodigy Monophonic Synthesisers ~ Godwin String Concert 649 ~ H/H Electric Piano P73
Are you Looking for Love? Advice? Good Luck? Then you’ve come to the right place. The second release in the Psychic Readings catalog, Peach continues to explore her sound bringing us 3 tracks dedicated to the dance.
On one side, The Art of Casting Spells will bewitch you with its basslines. As they go from squelchy to stripped back, the track is an upfront yet ethereal ride in true peak time Peach style. Then, a track inspired by the sensation of butterflies in your sacrum - Flutter is a deeper cut for the heads down, introspective dancefloor moments. Both come complete with sassy stabs, moving pads & bouncy bongos - all of which are becoming a staple of her sonic palette.
On the flip, Gay Dreams brings us a starry-eyed escape into fantasies. Delicate synths flirt with the weighty bassline, as sentimental pads carry us into a slow surrender of emotion.
All the tracks are a testament to her many moods as a DJ. For club use or home listening, this is an EP dedicated to the dance.
While this may be the first release on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit from Global Goon, the one known to friends and family as Johnny Hawk brings a whole heap of experience to the Nanoclusters mini-LP.
Hawk started dropping Global Goon records on the legendary Rephlex Records back in the 1990s. The project's subsequent releases have taken in imprints as esteemed as WéMè and Balkan. Factor in a whole host of other aliases which have delivered missives via the likes of Planet Mu, and you know even before you press play on this witty, wily record that you're dealing with a master at work here.
The confidence with which Global Goon approaches Nanoclusters shines through in Hawk taking much of the mini-album at midtempo. Cuts like 'Khroxic Mould', 'Metallik' and 'Syntheseers' sound like Bochum Welt heading down a dark alleyway. The former in particular is a seasick lope, the tuned synths lurching around like sailors on deck in a storm as bass ebbs and flows underneath the mix.
The influence of Kraftwerk comes through prominently at times here, particularly in the way 'Calcula' and 'Digit Six' play pensive, slightly sombre synth chords off some simple but effective forward motion in the drum programming. That is not to say that Nanoclusters is not full of invention, though. None of the productions are overly flash, but this approach allows the little details to shine through more clearly, from cleverly panned hi-hats to hissing synth counter-melodies which flit in and out of the mix. Enthralling and packed full of ear candy, they're further evidence that Nanoclusters is the work of an expert craftsman.
While the pulse of Nanoclusters remains relatively steady throughout, it's still a rather lively record. Plenty of these tracks will get the dancefloor moving if deployed correctly - though whether they're heard at home or in the dance, it's the attention to detail which makes them stand out.
'Snapterisk' is as perfect an example of machine-funk as you're likely to find - the drum programming is razor-sharp but rubbery with bongos, the bass a lithe burble, and those wobbly stabs of keys that put a bit of wiggle in the beat? Delightful stuff. Elsewhere the ever-looping arpeggio of 'Metro Esc' has hints of Frankie Knuckles' house classic 'Your Love', though an array of interesting sonic nuggets - snippets of vocal, radar-like bloops, a gently insistent low-end pulse - soften the track's clubbier elements with a pillowy sheen. And Hawk throws us a curveball right at the end of Nanoclusters, tapping back into that old Rephlex sound for the fizzy, braindancing 'Metal Glass'.
Global Goon doesn't need to show off on Nanoclusters - from brilliantly slick machine-funk to Kraftwerkian reveries, the CPU debutant lets the music do the talking here. It makes for a confident and vivacious mini-LP, one which wears its expertise lightly.
RIYL: Cardopusher, Bochum Welt, Cygnus, D'Arcangelo
- A1: The Star Room
- A2: Avian
- A3: I'm Not Real Ft. Earl Sweatshirt & Vinny Radio
- A4: S.d.s
- A5: Bird Call
- B1: Matches Ft. Ab-Soul
- B2: I Am Who Am (Killin' Time) Ft. Niki Randa
- B3: Objects In The Mirror
- B4: Red Dot Music Ft. Action Bronson
- C1: Gees Ft. Schoolboy Q
- C2: Watching Movies
- C3: Suplexes Inside Of Complexes And Duplexes
- C4: Remember
- C5: Someone Like You
- D1: Aquarium
- D2: Youforia
- D3: Goosebumpz (Bonus Track)
- D4: O.k. Ft. Tyler, The Creator (Bonus Track)
- D5: Claymation (Bonus Track)
10th anniversary deluxe edition of Mac Miller's second studio album Watching Movies with the Sound Off on heavyweight galaxy vinyl. Includes a bonus 10" zoetrope picture disc with bonus track "The Star Room (OG Version)" and a never before released vinyl exclusive track "The Quest."
With the release of his sophomore album, Pittsburgh native Mac Miller goes up against some of hip-hop's heavyweights to shatter the public perception and prove that he is a talented lyricist.
Miller made a name for himself several years ago with the release of his popular mixtapes , gaining a following from the party-heavy beats and whimsical rhymes. Miller's first album Blue Slide Park debuted on the charts at the number one spot of Billboard's 100 making it the first indie album to snag the number one spot since Tha Dogg Pound's Dogg Food in 1995. Despite the commercial success of BSP, Miller's debut album received mixed reviews and he was lambasted and accused of being one-dimensional. Determined to prove himself as a serious lyricist, Miller's Watching Movies With The Sound Off goes toe to toe with Cole and West. Picking up where his 2012 mixtape Macadelic left off, Miller continues his psychedelic journey through hip-hop with a more serious undertone to his lyrics.
Miller once again pulls double duty and puts on the producer's hat of his alter ego Larry Fisherman. The 21-year-old handles most of the production on the album but he enlists the help of several others including Pharrelll Williams, Diplo, The Alchemist, Clams Casino, Flying Lotus and more. It's clear Miller has grown just as much as a producer as he has as a rapper. Sonically, WMWTSO is a complex and challenging conglomerate of trippy, acid-laced sounds that mesh well with Miller's laidback flow.
WMWTSO may seem like a far leap from his debut album, but with the several projects released in between the two albums, Miller has been on this path for a while. Accomplishing the goal of proving he's more than a flash in a pan and can make more than party hits, Miller's sophomore album WMWTSO holds its own against his colleagues that share the same release date. A must have on vinyl for any fan!
Limited to 500 copies ww. Independent heavyweights Spearmint return this year to follow-up 2021's highly acclaimed 'Holland Park', with the superb new album 'This Candle Is For You'. Spearmint have been making great records for a couple of decades now: this will be their tenth album proper. Still the same line-up: Shirley Lee (singing, guitar), Simon Calnan (singing, keyboards), James Parsons (guitar, bass) and Ronan Larvor (drums). This album will be the 60th release on their own hitBACK label. Missed out so far? The new album provides the perfect place to start! The dizzying multiverse of an album covers a wide array of themes, including the search for a missing sister, the ways we remember lost loved ones, Prince's encounters with Joni Mitchell, the story of John Gavin, the James Bond star who never got to make a film, late-night drinking in Soho, the joys of B-movies & video nasties, changing attitudes to mental health, the plight and wonder of older cats, the reaction to the death of Sarah Everard, and the afterlife. Re-united with producer Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti), the band feel that this record is their best yet. Singer Shirley explains "We started off just wanting to make an album that would stand alongside our last one 'Holland Park', but it ended up surprising us - we love it!"
‘A Concrete Pasture’ by Coen Oscar Polack is the follow-up to ‘Haarlemmerhout’ (2020), an album named after a park close to his home in Haarlem in the Netherlands. ‘A Concrete Pasture’ brings Polack’s interest in exploring the larger world around him back into his music. Polack is a magician in combining field recordings from all over the world, be it a temple in Bangkok, the Dutch Wadden Islands or a the percussive Gamelan instruments, and electronic processing of these recordings. With all these ingredients he creates a vivid, nostalgic, futuristic but familiar world of sounds and emotions.
At first, the colors of the recordings seem scattered, the sounds unrelated, but there is a deeper train of thought running through the music. It is the persistent impression of a travelogue; of places, family and friends, helping Polack in co-creating his music. In ‘Cuore Nero’, nostalgic powerchords are composed into tapestries of ambient-noise, ‘Unseen Shores’ uses a recomposed recording of Polack’s children on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog and develops into visceral, almost spiritual music, and a field recording of Wat Po in Bangkok in ‘Phra Buddhasaiyas’ becomes a luminous homage that the incorporated guitar sound burns into your skull.
While listening, it becomes evident that Polack is being reflective in auditive images and memory, giving a meaning to a music that is liberated of its formalities and charged with a poignant imagery by transformation, one that is bright and lucid and respects the process from recording until ornamentation.
The longest piece of the album ‘Kraaiennest’, starts with the recording of a Hong Kong traffic light, later to be cut up and transformed into a technoid Musique Concrète piece, with a slow progression into a warm crescendo-decrescendo themed electroacoustic piece, which takes on a life on its own. The finale is Polack on this tenor saxophone putting a stamp on the completion of his work, a performance reminiscing of the raw expressiveness of Albert Ayler.
‘A Concrete Pasture’ points to a landscape, or to a person’s current situation in life. Coen Oscar Polack did himself justice by writing an elegant, vibrant album, a tribute to his reflection of reality, his aesthetics, and with raw authenticity and skill, leaving a great space for the audience’s imagination.
For much of this album, his 16th in 26 years, Hiatt reunites with his best band, the Goners, and takes a giant leap back to his still-hungry days as a jag-edged, Costello-esque rocker while hewing to the soulful, blues-based songwriting he perfected on 1987's Bring the Family. The withering pub rock of 1979's Slug Line--as well as a nod to fallen hero Dale Earnhardt--seeps into the title track, while the roaring guitar, courtesy of the brilliant Sonny Landreth, and tight rhymes of "All the Lilacs in Ohio" suggest the streetwise edge of 1983's Riding with the King. But it's with ballads such as "Something Broken" and "Come Home to You" that Hiatt's musicianship, songwriting, and deeply soulful vocals truly convince and offer the most moving moments on this, his most memorable album in many years.
- A1: Super Disco Breakin
- A2: The Move
- A3: Remote Control
- A4: Song For The Man
- A5: Just A Test
- A6: Body Movin
- B1: Intergalactic
- B2: Sneakin' Out The Hospital
- B3: Putting Shame In Your Game
- B4: Flowin' Prose
- B5: And Me
- B6: Three Mc's And One Dj
- C1: The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin')
- C2: Song For Junior
- C3: I Don't Know
- C4: The Negotiation Limerick File
- C5: Electrify
- D1: Picture This
- D2: Unite
- D3: Dedication
- D4: Dr. Lee, Phd
- D5: Instant Death
- E1: Description Of A Strange Man
- E2: Dirt Dog
- E3: Intergalactic (Colleone Webb Remix)
- E4: Dr. Lee Version Dub
- E5: Switched On
- F1: Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim Remix)
- F2: Auntie Jackie Poom Poom Delicious
- F3: Putting Shame In Your Game (Prunes Remix)
- F4: Stink Bug
- G1: Peanut Butter & Jelly
- G2: Piano Jam
- G3: Happy To Be In That Perfect Headspace
- G4: The Negotiation Limerick File (The 41 Small Stars Remix)
- G5: The Drone
- G6 20: Questions Version
- H1: The Bizz Grasshopper Experiment
- H2: Hail Sagan (Special K)
- H3: Body Movin' (Kut Masta Kurt Remix)
- H4: Creepin
- H5: Learning Remote Control
- H6: Oh My Goodness This Record's Incredible
If there’s a secret to time travel, Kool Keith owns the patent. Even a flying DeLorean seems too
conventional for the Bronx legend. He’d more logically orbit throughout the galaxy in a gleaming
chrome spaceship, teaching the stars and aliens new forms of originality. He is too weird to live, too
rare to die, too uniquely ultra-magnetic to be accurately mimicked. Released on Mello Music Group,
Time? Astonishing! is the latest dimensional warp from hip-hop’s premiere astral traveler. His union
with MMG producer L’ Orange finds him exploring uncharted terrain: choppy volcanic rock planets, ice
glacier moons, new surgical procedures, and fresh rappers to toss into the ether. The scalpel remains
eternally sharp. The beats glow with radioactive grit. Hard enough to knock from your car speakers,
cinematic and plutonium-propelled enough to transport you to strange terra firma. Buck Rodgers
movie serials meet boom-bap. And along for the odyssey are a cast of the best underground MC’s of
the last decade: Blu, Open Mike Eagle, Mr. Lif, J-Live, and more. These are space symphonies and
occult odysseys, fuel for wanderers, wonderers, and all the a-likes. Welcome to the new world, even
more sinister and suspenseful than the last one. We live in astonishing times: abstract, absurd, and
indelibly Kool.
Berlin-based Swedish bassist and producer Petter Eldh returns with a new Koma Saxo album Post Koma, out on We Jazz Records, 10 November. The title Post Koma aptly describes the vibe of this one: The Koma Saxo sound continues its evolution, morphing into a holistic vision of jazz now and soon, where live instrumentation and repurposed sampling lose their boundaries.
Over the course of its three iterations (self-titled debut in 2019, LIVE in 2020, Koma West in 2022) Koma Saxo has sounded at times "liquid" and postproduced, at times raw and direct, at times acoustic and at other times oddly electronic (even while still being made with acoustic instruments). Post Koma is a culmination of this sonic study by Eldh, resulting in a music vision that never second-guesses throwing tasty hooks and everlasting melodies out the window after a mere bite of them. But fear not: there are even more new ideas just around the corner.
Eldh's compositions and ideas merge together in a way that just flows. There are quality musicians in the mix, including Koma Saxo live band members Sofia Jernberg, Jonas Kullhammar, Otis Sandsjö, Mikko Innanen, Maciej Obara and Christian Lillinger, but that's like saying that a cake includes flour and sugar. This music is not about playing, it's essentially about how the music is and how it takes its shape, so you quickly lose track of who did what, and that's all in the benefit of encountering this music as an entity that is constantly challenging itself while moving forward. The musicians are valued contributors, and an integral part of what's here, but this is far from traditional jazz playing where a band sits in a room playing takes after takes of compositions on sheet.
That being said, this is jazz to the fullest. That is, music that understands its past but always moves forward, and is never afraid of taking risks. Petter Eldh uses jazz as a starting point, not the end goal. This gives his music edge and mobility beyond what can be contained on one album. In a way, an album, then, becomes a snapshot of a creative process in constant flux and evolution.
Opening track "Koma" is literally drum & bass. It only consists of those two elements, yet what comes out of it is an open invite, a way of clearing your palette. It would be useless to describe individual tracks beyond that, but there's a strong sense of deliverance to the set. It feels like an ending, and also like a new beginning.
Berlin-based Swedish bassist and producer Petter Eldh returns with a new Koma Saxo album Post Koma, out on We Jazz Records, 10 November. The title Post Koma aptly describes the vibe of this one: The Koma Saxo sound continues its evolution, morphing into a holistic vision of jazz now and soon, where live instrumentation and repurposed sampling lose their boundaries.
Over the course of its three iterations (self-titled debut in 2019, LIVE in 2020, Koma West in 2022) Koma Saxo has sounded at times "liquid" and postproduced, at times raw and direct, at times acoustic and at other times oddly electronic (even while still being made with acoustic instruments). Post Koma is a culmination of this sonic study by Eldh, resulting in a music vision that never second-guesses throwing tasty hooks and everlasting melodies out the window after a mere bite of them. But fear not: there are even more new ideas just around the corner.
Eldh's compositions and ideas merge together in a way that just flows. There are quality musicians in the mix, including Koma Saxo live band members Sofia Jernberg, Jonas Kullhammar, Otis Sandsjö, Mikko Innanen, Maciej Obara and Christian Lillinger, but that's like saying that a cake includes flour and sugar. This music is not about playing, it's essentially about how the music is and how it takes its shape, so you quickly lose track of who did what, and that's all in the benefit of encountering this music as an entity that is constantly challenging itself while moving forward. The musicians are valued contributors, and an integral part of what's here, but this is far from traditional jazz playing where a band sits in a room playing takes after takes of compositions on sheet.
That being said, this is jazz to the fullest. That is, music that understands its past but always moves forward, and is never afraid of taking risks. Petter Eldh uses jazz as a starting point, not the end goal. This gives his music edge and mobility beyond what can be contained on one album. In a way, an album, then, becomes a snapshot of a creative process in constant flux and evolution.
Opening track "Koma" is literally drum & bass. It only consists of those two elements, yet what comes out of it is an open invite, a way of clearing your palette. It would be useless to describe individual tracks beyond that, but there's a strong sense of deliverance to the set. It feels like an ending, and also like a new beginning.
Perth-born, Naarm-based duo Special Feelings, aka Naomi Robinson and Poli-Pearl, are stepping up on Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section label with their first long player – released on November 10, 2023. Across its 9-tracks, Special Feelings combines the electrically improvisational feel of live performances, with snappy broken beat-esque percussions and house-inspired looping synth hooks. Tapping into the infectious collaborative spirit of Naarm’s jazz community, Special Feelings are joined by a crew of the city’s rising artists.
Early iterations of Special Feelings’ music drew on psychedelic sun-dappled rock, with Naomi playing guitar and singing alongside Poli-Pearl on the drums. Over the years, this has shapeshifted into Naomi on bass and rhythms, with Poli-Pearl helming synths and keys – rooted in the sounds of Perth’s and London’s jazz of the moment, intertwined with Brainfeeder-nodding electronica. Today, Special Feelings’ influences span from the deep grooves of Moodymann to the freewheeling horns of Emma Jean Thackray to the stepping drums of Kaidi Thatham, and beyond.
Both Naomi and Poli-Pearl are self-taught multi- instrumentalists and producers; Naomi got her start playing in high school dream pop bands, before moving to Naarm to immerse herself in its musical communities, and study classical guitar at the University of Melbourne.
In 2021 Nijs and Smolders started a series of free improvisations. Each came from a different background (see bio’s) and wanted to explore musical horizons that they were not used to. As a next step they decided to record an album of composed tracks. The experimental platform shifted from long improv sessions to composition and structure, with the work of Delaere as a source of inspiration. The material of his work, the unevenness, the detail of pigments clashing, superimposing on the canvas served as a metaphor and inspiration for sonic canvases that they constructed.
The result has become a record full of surprises. Rhythm, drone, dynamics, timbre, notes, tones, all have been thrown in the tumble dryer and during the process many times led the two musicians towards an outcome they couldn’t have possibly foreseen. But here we are. Our own experience is that the music works best when it’s played loud. Crank up the level of your amp and dive into these 35 minutes of colorful sounds.
Next in line in the Snaretrade series is an EP by one of our favourite people: Gols.
He operates the Hoot label, has released with Ghent label/party Ojoo and has been crafting tracks low key for a long time.
We start out with dessert: In Au bain marie we’re given some elegant yet hard to follow instructions on how to make the perfect chocolate mousse. DJ and Knetterbar operator Yentl kindly lent her voice, not knowing the recording would be used as a final take. In Hundreds and Thousands, Gols weaves thick layers of percussion and synths, forming a dense and deep structure that pulls us in. In the midst of moving his music studio, this track was the last one to be recorded before pulling the plugs and boxing the gear up. On the flipside, Regrooved is a shuffling, sneaky and amusing bit of house that never really admits if it’s just arriving at the party, or just about to leave. After-hour fare for those who like something sweet after dinner.
- A1: You May Be Right (Glass Houses (1980))
- A2: Sometimes A Fantasy (Glass Houses (1980))
- A3: Don’t Ask Me Why (Glass Houses (1980))
- A4: It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me (Glass Houses (1980))
- A5: All For Leyna (Glass Houses (1980))
- B1: I Don’t Want To Be Alone (Glass Houses (1980))
- B2: Sleeping With The Television On (Glass Houses (1980))
- B3: C’etait Toi (You Were The One) (Glass Houses (1980))
- B4: Close To The Borderline (Glass Houses (1980))
- B5: Through The Long Night (Glass Houses (1980))
- A1: Allentown (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A2: Laura (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A3: Pressure (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A4: Goodnight Saigon (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B1: She’s Right On Time (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B2: A Room Of Our Own (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B3: Surprises (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B4: Scandinavian Skies (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B5: Where’s The Orchestra (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A1: Easy Money (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A2: An Innocent Man (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A3: The Longest Time (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A4: This Night (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A5: Tell Her About It (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B1: Uptown Girl (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B2: Careless Talk (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B3: Christie Lee (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B4: Leave A Tender Moment Alone (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B5: Keeping The Faith (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A1: Running On Ice (The Bridge (1986))
- A2: This Is The Time (The Bridge (1986))
- A3: Modern Woman (The Bridge (1986))
- A4: Baby Grand (Duet With Ray Charles) (The Bridge (1986))
- B1: Big Man On Mulberry Street (The Bridge (1986))
- B2: Temptation (The Bridge (1986))
- B3: Code Of Silence (The Bridge (1986))
- B4: Getting Closer (The Bridge (1986))
- A1: That’s Not Her Style (Storm Front (1989))
- A2: We Didn’t Start The Fire (Storm Front (1989))
- A3: The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ (Storm Front (1989))
- A4: I Go To Extremes (Storm Front (1989))
- A5: Shameless (Storm Front (1989))
- B1: Storm Front (Storm Front (1989))
- B2: Leningrad (Storm Front (1989))
- B3: State Of Grace (Storm Front (1989))
- B4: When In Rome (Storm Front (1989))
- B5: And So It Goes (Storm Front (1989))
- A1: No Man’s Land (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A2: The Great Wall Of China (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A3: Blonde Over Blue (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A4: A Minor Variation (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A5: Shades Of Grey (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B1: All About Soul (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B2: Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B3: The River Of Dreams (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B4: Two Thousand Years (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B5: Famous Last Words (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A1: Reverie ("Villa D'este") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- A2: Waltz #1 ("Nunley's Carousel") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- B1: Aria ("Grand Canal") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- B2: Invention In C Minor (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- B3: Soliloquy ("On A Separation") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- C1: Suite For Piano ("Star-Crossed"): I. Innamorato (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- C2: Suite For Piano ("Star-Crossed"): Ii. Sorbetto (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- C3: Suite For Piano ("Star-Crossed"): Iii. Delusion (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D1: Opus 5. Waltz #2 ("Steinway Hall") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D2: Opus 9. Waltz #3 ("For Lola") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D3: Opus 4. Fantasy ("Film Noir") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D4: Opus 10. Air ("Dublinesque") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- A1: Allentown (Live From Long Island (1982))
- A2: My Life (Live From Long Island (1982))
- A3: Prelude/Angry Young Man (Live From Long Island (1982))
- B1: Piano Man (Live From Long Island (1982))
- B2: Don’t Ask Me Why (Live From Long Island (1982))
- B3: The Stranger (Live From Long Island (1982))
- C1: Scandinavian Skies (Live From Long Island (1982))
- C2: Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (Live From Long Island (1982))
- C3: She’s Always A Woman (Live From Long Island (1982))
- C4: Pressure (Live From Long Island (1982))
- D1: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live From Long Island (1982))
- D2: Just The Way You Are (Live From Long Island (1982))
- D3: Goodnight Saigon (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E1: Stilleto (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E2: Band Intro (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E3: Until The Night (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E4: It’s Still Rock N Roll To Me (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F1: Sometimes A Fantasy (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F2: Big Shot (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F3: You May Be Right (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F4: Only The Good Die Young (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F5: Souvenir (Live From Long Island (1982))
Today we announce The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2, an 11-LP boxset to follow 2021’s Vol. 1, which includes the remainder of Billy’s catalogue: Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, The Bridge, Storm Front, River of Dreams. It exclusively features Fantasies & Delusions & Live from Long Island on vinyl for the first time. The boxset includes a 60+ page booklet that highlights the era through photos, quotes, and an essay by Rob Tannenbaum. All albums remastered from original sources at Sterling Sound.
- A1: You May Be Right (Glass Houses (1980))
- A2: Sometimes A Fantasy (Glass Houses (1980))
- A3: Don’t Ask Me Why (Glass Houses (1980))
- A4: It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me (Glass Houses (1980))
- A5: All For Leyna (Glass Houses (1980))
- B1: I Don’t Want To Be Alone (Glass Houses (1980))
- B2: Sleeping With The Television On (Glass Houses (1980))
- B3: C’etait Toi (You Were The One) (Glass Houses (1980))
- B4: Close To The Borderline (Glass Houses (1980))
- B5: Through The Long Night (Glass Houses (1980))
- A1: Allentown (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A2: Laura (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A3: Pressure (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A4: Goodnight Saigon (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B1: She’s Right On Time (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B2: A Room Of Our Own (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B3: Surprises (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B4: Scandinavian Skies (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- B5: Where’s The Orchestra (The Nylon Curtain (1982))
- A1: Easy Money (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A2: An Innocent Man (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A3: The Longest Time (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A4: This Night (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A5: Tell Her About It (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B3: Christie Lee (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B4: Leave A Tender Moment Alone (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B5: Keeping The Faith (An Innocent Man (1983))
- A1: Running On Ice (The Bridge (1986))
- A2: This Is The Time (The Bridge (1986))
- A3: Modern Woman (The Bridge (1986))
- A4: Baby Grand (Duet With Ray Charles) (The Bridge (1986))
- B1: Big Man On Mulberry Street (The Bridge (1986))
- B2: Temptation (The Bridge (1986))
- B3: Code Of Silence (The Bridge (1986))
- B4: Getting Closer (The Bridge (1986))
- A1: That’s Not Her Style (Storm Front (1989))
- A2: We Didn’t Start The Fire (Storm Front (1989))
- A3: The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ (Storm Front (1989))
- A4: I Go To Extremes (Storm Front (1989))
- A5: Shameless (Storm Front (1989))
- B1: Storm Front (Storm Front (1989))
- B2: Leningrad (Storm Front (1989))
- B3: State Of Grace (Storm Front (1989))
- B4: When In Rome (Storm Front (1989))
- B5: And So It Goes (Storm Front (1989))
- A1: No Man’s Land (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A2: The Great Wall Of China (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A3: Blonde Over Blue (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A4: A Minor Variation (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A5: Shades Of Grey (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B1: Uptown Girl (An Innocent Man (1983))
- B1: All About Soul (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B2: Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B3: The River Of Dreams (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B4: Two Thousand Years (River Of Dreams (1993))
- B5: Famous Last Words (River Of Dreams (1993))
- A1: Reverie ("Villa D'este") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- A2: Waltz #1 ("Nunley's Carousel") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- B1: Aria ("Grand Canal") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- B2: Invention In C Minor (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- B3: Soliloquy ("On A Separation") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- C1: Suite For Piano ("Star-Crossed"): I. Innamorato (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- C2: Suite For Piano ("Star-Crossed"): Ii. Sorbetto (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- C3: Suite For Piano ("Star-Crossed"): Iii. Delusion (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D1: Opus 5. Waltz #2 ("Steinway Hall") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D2: Opus 9. Waltz #3 ("For Lola") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D3: Opus 4. Fantasy ("Film Noir") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- D4: Opus 10. Air ("Dublinesque") (Fantasies & Delusions (2001))
- A1: Allentown (Live From Long Island (1982))
- A2: My Life (Live From Long Island (1982))
- A3: Prelude/Angry Young Man (Live From Long Island (1982))
- B1: Piano Man (Live From Long Island (1982))
- B2: Don’t Ask Me Why (Live From Long Island (1982))
- B3: The Stranger (Live From Long Island (1982))
- C1: Scandinavian Skies (Live From Long Island (1982))
- C2: Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (Live From Long Island (1982))
- C3: She’s Always A Woman (Live From Long Island (1982))
- B2: Careless Talk (An Innocent Man (1983))
- C4: Pressure (Live From Long Island (1982))
- D1: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live From Long Island (1982))
- D2: Just The Way You Are (Live From Long Island (1982))
- D3: Goodnight Saigon (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E1: Stilleto (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E2: Band Intro (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E3: Until The Night (Live From Long Island (1982))
- E4: It’s Still Rock N Roll To Me (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F1: Sometimes A Fantasy (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F2: Big Shot (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F3: You May Be Right (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F4: Only The Good Die Young (Live From Long Island (1982))
- F5: Souvenir (Live From Long Island (1982))
"The Vinyl Collection, Volume 2" vereint Billy Joels monumental erfolgreiche Alben aus dem späteren Teil seiner Karriere: "Glass Houses" (1980), "The Nylon Curtain" (1982), "An Innocent Man" (1983), "The Bridge" (1986) und "Storm Front" (1989), "River of Dreams" (1993). Außerdem gibt es 2 Titel zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl: die Doppel-LP "Fantasies & Delusions" und die 3er-LP "Live from Long Island" aus dem Jahr 1982. Alle Songs stammen von den Original-Album-Mastern, Zudem ist ein über 60-seitiges Booklet mit Billys persönlichen Anmerkungen und einem Essay von Rob Tannenbaum enthalten
As the front person of celebrated indie band Cymbals Eat Guitars, guitarist and singer Joseph D'Agostino spent over a decade setting autobiographical, emotionally vivid lyrics against a backdrop of soaring and compositionally ambitious rock. After four critically acclaimed LPs that solidified D'Agostino's reputation as a gifted songwriter, he chose to break from his long-term band and debut a new project: Empty Country. The project's second full-length is a thrilling affair, delivering an engaging and deeply moving rumination on time, family, and the disintegration of America. Although it is a record about the forces that drive Americans apart, it's also imbued with empathic love and an understanding of what binds people to family and country-in spite of the darknesses we encounter. The concept of a Great American Rock Album might scan as outdated in 2023, but with this sprawling and uncompromising epic, D'Agostino and Empty Country shatter ambivalence and confront the horrors with a community-minded sense of cautious optimism. "We may be staring into an abyss," says D'Agostino. "But we're all staring together." Despite the stoicism of its storytelling, Empty Country II cuts the darkness with beauty, humor, and an earnest belief in the transcendent power of rock music. Its sprawling and sonically adventurous arrangements range from luminous jangle-pop to scorching emo-punk to narcotized Americana. Empty Contry II featuring ome of D'Agostino's most danceable songs too. Legendary recording engineer John Agnello, whose previous collaborations with Cymbals Eat Guitars resulted in their 2014 high-water mark, LOSE, brought his trademark clarity and nuance to the process, helping Empty Country II crackle with a vital energy that imbues these stories with genuine lifeforce. RIYL: Silver Jews, Pixies, Husker Du, Wilco, Pavement, Superchunk, Modest Mouse. Ltd pink vinyl LP (500 copies ww)
Back in print - on white vinyl - for the first time since 2003, ‘The New Romance’ by Pretty Girls Make Graves, is the latest instalment of Matador’s ongoing catalogue series Revisionist History. Pretty Girls Make Graves formed in Seattle in 2001, fused together out of the still glowing embers of nearly a dozen important groups. Andrea Zollo and Derek Fudesco had played together in Death Wish Kids and Area 51 along with Dann Gallucci, with whom Derek formed Murder City Devils. Shortly before the Murder City Devils called it quits, he and Andrea started Pretty Girls Make Graves with J. Clark (who was in Kill Sadie and Sharks Keep Moving) and Nick Dewitt and Nathan Thelen (both in Bee Hive Vaults). Brilliantly produced by Phil Ek (Modest Mouse, Built To Spill, Les Savy Fav), ‘The New Romance’ magnifies Pretty Girls Make Graves’ songcraft and technical prowess while letting some air into their songs and keeping things in crisp focus. Every song on ‘The New Romance’ is an anthem, yet without traditional verses and choruses. Tension builds and shifts without conventional release, as moments of glassy beauty and rousing aggression trade sides. White vinyl LP.




















