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2022 Repress

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is recognised as one of the most original voices in contemporary cinema today. His seven feature films, short films and installations have won him widespread international recognition and numerous awards, including the Cannes Palme d'Or in 2010 with Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

This compilation album 'Metaphors' contains 14 soundworks carefully selected from his past cinema and other visual works since 2003, which includes Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Syndromes and a Century, Fever Room and more.

Apichatpong has regularly worked with the same sound designers since 2003 and has always given importance to the personality of on-location sounds giving his films a sense of continuity. In post-production, he's fascinated by the manipulation of these 'live' sounds in order to express 'reality'. This reality doesn't necessary represent the actual sound of the places, but more a representation of the world in layered memories. Similar to the way he treats images, Apichatpong sometimes calls attention to the physicality and the fragility of the audio (and its apparatus) and to the process of audio manipulation itself. In his cinema, Apichatpong prefers natural sound sources over music. Nevertheless, he often boldly incorporates popular songs that were persistent during the shooting. He doesn't shy away from using tunes that relate to his own personal memories. In this sense, Apichatpong values the spirit of authenticity much more than rigid manipulation of audio and weaves a complex and dreamlike soundscape in his cinematic repertoire.

Born in Bangkok, Apichatpong grew up in Khon Kaen in north-eastern Thailand. He began making films and video shorts in 1994 and completed his first feature in 2000. He has also mounted exhibitions and installations in many countries since 1998 and is now recognised as a major international visual artist. His art prizes include the Sharjah Biennial Prize (2013) and the prestigious Prince Claus Award (2016), the Netherlands. Lyrical and often fascinatingly mysterious, his film works are non-linear, dealing with memory and in subtle ways invoking personal politics and social issues.

First Word Records continues its series of special collaborative releases for it's 15th anniversary with an absolutely firing double-header from 14KT and Tall Black Guy.
On this limited 7" vinyl, the two renowned US beat-makers revisit two of their previous First Word singles, turning out flips of each other's tracks, also featuring a multitude of talent, in the form of Moonchild, Muhsinah, Stro Elliot and James Poyser of The Roots.

Following on from the first volume in 14KT's jazz project 'IAMABEENIE', here he flips TBG and Moonchild's collab, 'I Will Never Know', originally from Tall Black Guy's 2017 sophomore album 'Let's Take A Trip'. The original neo-soul bump is transformed into a deliciously epic latin affair, drenched with deep Brazilian vibes throughout - this is one to draw for at those steamy get-downs; a slinky slab of dancefloor fire.

Tall Black Guy returns to First Word for the first time in a minute, and takes on the Muhsinah-lead joint 'The Power Of Same', the lead single from 14KT's 2019 acclaimed album, 'For My Sanity'.

As to be expected, TBG delivers his unmistakable blend of dope dubbed-out spacey soul and boom bap kicks & snares, complete with guitar licks from Stro Elliot, and keys from James Poyser. Two of the dopest producers in the game, this one is completely 1000% essential.

Willie ist zurück mit seinem 72. Solo-Studioalbum. Ein spannendes Album mit neuem Studiomaterial, das mit seinem langjährigen Mitarbeiter Buddy Cannon produziert wurde. Es erscheint zu Willies 89. Geburtstag und zeigt, wie produktiv er nach wie vor ist, denn das Album enthält einige seiner besten Songs und Performances seit Jahren! Die 14 Tracks beinhalten 5 erstaunliche neue Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon Kompositionen, neue Songs von Chris Stapleton & Rodney Crowell (die erste Single "I'll Love You Till The End Of Time") und einer Reihe von Top-Songwritern aus Nashville, sowie einige Coverversionen von Leonard Cohen ("Tower Of Song") und den Beatles ("With A Little Help From My Friends"), die von Willie gekonnt interpretiert werden.Le jour de son 89ème anniversaire c'est Willie Nelson qui nous fait un cadeau avec son nouvel album studio. Parmi ses nombreux charmes musicaux, A Beautiful Time présente une variété de futurs classiques popcountry, dont cinq nouvelles compositions de Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon et des contributions de certains des meilleurs auteurs-compositeurs contemporains de Nashville. L'album présente également des reprises convaincantes de «Tower of Song» de Leonard Cohen et de «With a Little Help from My Friends» des Beatles.

Rare soul/funk album out of Oakland, CA.
Featuring Marlon Hunter along with the Group The Standards Of Living.
Six songs full of jazz/funk groove and Modern Soul atmospheres.
First time released in 1980 as a private press this rare pearl represents a must have for diggers, djs and collectors

»Darkness & Abstract Art« is the debut single by Berlin based producer and songwriter Venetian Green. And what a debut it is. Two pop-pearls from a parallel universe, in which grand pop gestures of past decades live in harmony with the more bleak and disturbing emotional rollercoasters of recent times. The songs embrace a deep sense of nostalgia, while remaining firmly and confidently rooted within a contemporary pop context.

»Darkness« may be the most uplifting pop song ever that deals with mental health issues and depression. A topic that many can surely associate with after a challenging period of lockdowns and lack of perspective. The opening moments seem like a flirty exchange between an early Vince Clarke and Jake Shears but with a more bouncy and ›present-day‹ sound aesthetic. The bridge, »Was I ever in control, did my feelings just go rogue. Is it you or is it me, you’ve stolen my identity«, brings some major glam moments front and center and finally culminates in a heartbreaking auto-tuned chorus, an ode to the »Darkness« in all of our hearts.

In »Abstract Art«, we are jumping effortlessly between different musical eras. From late Roxy Music elegance to the plasticy melancholy of early Robyn all the way to the slow-rolling pop anthems of Christine and the Queens. A classic pop song about intimacy, trust, boundary issues and physical connection. Easy to imagine the line »You watch me dance with someone else, cause only you have me in strings and belts« on a sweaty recently re-opened dancefloor celebrating the return to a ›new normal‹.

Keb’ Mo’s Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues is the 2003 blues album, part of Martin Scorsese’s The Blues documentary series. The series is dedicated to the history of blues music, which provided the ultimate opportunity for Keb’ Mo’ to compile the highlights of his career thus far. Keb’ Mo’ had only released four albums up until that moment, but those four had already attracted a wide audience amongst blues fans and included many defining and impressive tracks. So in occasion of the release of Martin Scorsese’s documentary series, Scorsese selected the very best 16 tracks to feature on this 2LP, including “Come On In My Kitchen”, “Am I Wrong” and “Peace Of Mind”.

Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues is available as a limited edition of
1500 individually numbered copies on translucent blue coloured vinyl and includes a 4-page booklet.

- 2022 repress -

Young gun Senh debuts on Planet Rhythm with a splendidly melodic and pulsating 4-tracker.

Come Away With Me, released in 2002 by a young, unknown singer on a traditionally un-pop label, was a unique blend of jazz, blues, country, folk and pop – and lifted off beyond imagination. To date, the album has sold nearly 30 million times, and has garnered multiple awards, including no less than eight Grammys®. This coming February marks this landmark album’s 20th anniversary and, to celebrate, Blue Note/UMe has worked with the artist and her team on a special collection that will reveal for the first time the full story of the making of this now-classic album.

• New remastering of Norah’s legendary debut album

• 22 unreleased tracks: demos, session outtakes, alternate versions & mixes

• Norah’s earliest demos—the tracks that got Blue Note’s attention, and the demos she recorded for the label—some of which were released on the promo-only EP First Sessions

• The full previously-unreleased original version of the album—including 11 unreleased cuts—produced by Craig Street and now newly-mixed by Tony Maserati, with alternate versions of well-known tracks and unheard performances

• Premium packaging with an extensive booklet featuring new liner notes by Norah, rare session photos and detailed track annotations.

Gondwana Records sign LA bassist and composer Seth Ford-Young's Phi-Psonics project and announce a remastered deluxe-edition of The Cradle featuring bonus material

Phi-Psonics is a meditative, immersive instrumental group from Los Angeles, led by bassist Seth Ford-Young and featuring Sylvain Carton on woodwinds, Mitchell Yoshida on electric piano, and Josh Collazo on drums. Their deeply soulfulmusic draws on jazz and classical influences together with Ford-Young's own musical experiences, relationships, and his introduction to spirituality, yoga and philosophy at a young age, to create something uniquely its own. Phi-Psonics' name and ultimate aim is to find 'Phi' – the golden mean – in art, nature and self. Ford-Young explains:

"It's a bit of a cliché, but music saved my life many times and instilled in me a belief in the great power of healing through art. It is my hope and intention that this music provides healing to someone somewhere."

Originally from Washington DC area, Ford-Young moved to California in the early 90s and fell in love with the deep sounds of the upright bass and the music of Charles Mingus, John and Alice Coltrane, and Duke Ellington along with Bach, Chopin, Pärt, and Satie. He immersed himself deeply in music and keen to learn combinedintense personal study with collaborations, tours, and recordings with artists such as Tom Waits, Beats Antique, and John Vanderslice. In 2010 he moved from the San-Francisco Bay area to the Los Angeles hills and continued his explorations. But great music is rarely just about music and Ford-Young's meditative, soulful music draws on more than just the twin wellsprings of jazz and classical music:

"My mother was a yoga teacher from the early 70's until recently and taught me yoga and meditation at an early age, my stepfather is an Aikido instructor and student of the teachings of Gurdjieff. Those were all early areas of study that I came back to many times throughout my life. Phi-Psonics has been a project that unapologetically synthesizes some of these ideas into our music".

It's this mixture of influences, musical and extramusical, that gives the music of Phi-Psonics it's immersive quality and quiet power. Revealingly the music that would becomeThe Cradle, wasn't written specifically for an album, originally Ford-Young was just writing down what was coming through. As time went by and the album began to take shape, the world situation seemed to be getting darker and his compositions aim to offer hope as a response to the negative influences that abound today. Remarkably for such a beautiful sounding record, it was recorded at the composer's home, rather than in a studio, but the relaxed nature of this process gives the music an airy lightness that propels the music to some magical spaces.

Originally self-released on vinyl in a limited run just as the world went into lockdown, The Cradle reached Matthew Halsall (founder of Gondwana Records) when he aws looking for music for his Worldwide FM show and he was blown away, hearing a kindred spirit at work. Halsall explains:

"Phi-Psonics make beautiful, humble and honest music, it's not showy, but it has a deep vibe that will elevate your mind and soul if you let it. When we heard The Cradle we reached out and are really super delighted to welcome Seth and his band to our label". Whereas for Ford Young: "Connecting with Matthew and the Gondwana records family has been a light in the darkness of the last years - to have my music make connections even as we are more isolated."

Ford-Young is currently putting the finishing touches to the second Phi-Psonics record, but aware that only a select few had heard The Cradle, let alone had the chance to buy a copy, and entranced by its deceptive simplicity and elevating energy, Halsall suggested that Gondwana present the album as a remastered 'deluxe edition' with an extended running time featuring extra tracks and new artwork from Daniel Halsall.

The Cradle starts with First Step, perfectly setting the tone for the whole album, it is a beautiful, soulful slice of musical calm gently propelled by Ford-Young's resonant bass and elevated by sublime flute and Wurlitzer electric piano solos. The seductive title track The Cradle was written way back in 2011 during a time of great personal change that led the composer to a feeling of newness and nurture. The magical, winsome Desert Ride is inspired by many rides through the grandly cinematic Mojave Desert. You can experience how incredibly full of life it's harsh landscape is if you slow down to its tempo. The gentle, sublime Mama is a tribute to mothers of all kinds, beautiful and heroic. Drum Talk was largely improvised, Ford-Young and the band agreed on a topic and recorded their conversation. Choosing their notes based on how Josh's drums were tuned. Like Glass is named for the special properties of Glass. Like some music, glass is delicate, yet has structure. The first of the two bonus tracks Still Dancing was written during the early days of 2020 in response to the challenges we all were facing then. It's a reminder that the figurative dance continues and that real dancing is essential. And the second, The Searcher, also written as a response to 2020, is a gently hypnotic song about the introspection and growth that can spring from a difficult situation.

This then is The Cradle, a quiet self-contained masterpiece, life-affirming and elevating in equal measure and the first offering from a wonderful new voice in spiritual jazz and the latest members of the global Gondwana Records family.

"Escapism" is the second album produced by Piotr Rajski also known as Pepe.. Once again, he offered us music that is hard to close in one genre and is best described by the artist himself:
At the time of creating this album, the world was absolutely dominated by the pandemic turning our lives upside down. Writing new music has became a way to escape from disturbing reality.

According to Paweł Bartnik who also mixed and mastered my first album "Afterimages", the second one is more colourful and vivid. I think he described well the idea I had in mind while recording the new tracks. I wanted them to stay in that dreamy tone which can't be referred to only one genre.

The record was pressed on 180g vinyl.

Limited version was made in 100 copies - each vinyl record has a different splatter color! "Very Limited Surprise Edition"

I found "Escapism" a great opportunity to combine my UK inspirations ("Vanity Fair", "WQRWY") and rap fascinations from Money Sex Records or Tartelet Records ("Realizm Magiczny"). While working on the album my biggest inspirations were i.a. Madlib, D'Angelo, Samiyam, Ras G, Jai Paul and Overmono.
I'm extremely happy I could create some of the songs with such talented people as Moo Latte, Kasia Siepka from Byty, Paulina Przybysz, Immortal Onion, Baasch and Wuja HZG. Everyone's unique personality enriched the sound and compositions on the album.

The cover was designed by Beata Śliwińska "Barrakuz" and it's based on the summer photo taken by Kuba Olachowski. It's worth mentioning that it was created using analog collage technique.

And where did the title come from?
The songs on the album are for me the way to escape from the pandemic and explore new musical areas. I just wanted to forget about all the laws, quarantines and restrictions. Imagination turned out to be the perfect cure for this.

Double black vinyl LP, compiling the rare Home Recordings of Sandy Denny. Never pressed to vinyl and in partnership with the Sandy Denny estate. Twenty-seven 1960s recordings of pre-Fairport Sandy Denny – nearly all making their vinyl debut! This essential collection includes two different demos of her classic “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” (and other songs penned by her – some later recorded by Fairport), plus heartfelt covers of songs by Jackson C. Frank, Fred Neil, and traditional folk songs. The definitive collection of Denny’s home demos and authorized by her estate.

First released in the UK in 2003, British singer-songwriter Carina Round followed the release of her critically acclaimed debut album “The First Blood Mystery” with her sophomore offering “The Disconnection”, solidifying herself as one of UK’s most enigmatic songstresses. Marking its official vinyl debut this special pressing combines the original album, including the UK singles “Into My Blood” and “Lacuna” on 180g black vinyl alongside an exclusive “Bonus Record” of rare live and previously unreleased recordings from the albums era on 180g silver vinyl, compiled by Carina especially for this release. In addition to her subsequent solo releases “Slow Motion Addict”, “Things You Should Know”, “Tigermending” and her most recent, the retrospective compilation “Deranged to Divine”, Carina has garnished further international recognition as a member of the LA and Jerome AZ based band - Puscifer, alongside fellow band mates including Maynard James Keenan, also of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. This limited edition release is presented in a unique silver printed sleeve, incorporating the original UK cover by acclaimed art photographer Anoushka Fisz.

Orange Marbled Vinyl

Chicago singer and rapper, Tink, is back in 2021 to claim her rightful title as the undisputed Queen of Chicago R&B. Her fourth studio album, Heat of the Moment, is executive produced by Hitmaka and includes production from Ayo & Keys, OG Parker, Tariq Beats & Platinum Libraries. Tink shows off her writing prowess and taps in with a tight but strong list of features including Yung Bleu, Jeremih, Davido, & Kodak Black, to add to an already impressive body of work. The album has amassed over 45M streams since release, and debuted at #7 on the Billboard Indie Charts.

Jackie Mittoo, organ and piano maestro, was not only a founding member of the legendary Jamaican Ska group The Skatalites, but through the course of Jamaican music’s long history has produced a body of work under his own name and of that with his various group incarnations, The Soul Brothers, Soul Vendors and the Sound Dimension. His distinctive organ and piano sound and musical arrangements have all played a major part in Jamaica's musical history.

Jackie Mittoo (born 1948, Kingston, Jamaica) began playing musical instruments at a very early age. Taught piano by his grandmother he was performing live by the age of 10 and recording by the age of 15. Two Kingston bands that he played with the Rivals and the Sheiks brought him to the attention of Studio 1's founder Coxsone Dodd. Who at the time was putting a group of musicians together to be his studio band. Impressed by his skills on both the organ and the piano, Jackie was asked to join in what would become Jamaica's foremost band The Skatalites. The fellow band members were Lloyd Brevett (bass), Lloyd Knibbs (drums), Don Drummond (trombone), Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso and Lester Sterling (Sax), Johnny Moore (trumpet), Jah Jerry(guitar) and Mr Mittoo (piano). This line up ruled the Jamaican scene between 1964 - 1965 as well as inventing the Ska sound, they also performed the backing duties for the other top labels of the time including Duke Reid's Treasure Isle and Justin Yap's Top Deck label.

1965 saw The Skatalites disband, and Jackie Mittoo move on to his next musical project The Soul Brothers. Formed with fellow Skatalite Roland Alphonso,this band would back all the hits coming out of Studio 1 for the next three years with Jackie Mittoo working as band leader and musical arranger. Around this time Jackie also had his own single released, a Ska underground classic called 'Got My Bugaloo'. Rare, as it also features Jackie in the unusual role for him, as lead singer!!!!. 1966 saw the Ska sound evolve into Rocksteady, again with Jackie's band at the helm, and his first hit single the Rocksteady cut 'Ram Jam'. The success of which would lead to a solo career and album releases under his own name such as 'Now', 'Macka Fat', 'Evening Time', 'In London' and 'Keep on Dancing', to name but a few. In 1967 the hits at Studio 1 were still flowing when The Soul Brothers morphed into The Soul Venders and began backing such luminaries as Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, The Heptones, The Cables, The Wailers and many other of the label’s solo artists.

By 1968 Jamaican music was ready for another change and Rocksteady rolled into a slower groove soon to be called Reggae. Jackie Mittoo would be at the forefront with his latest band The Sound Dimension. A line-up that included Leroy Sibbles (bass),Roland Alphonso and Cedric Brooks (saxophone),Eric Frater and Ernest Ranglin (guitar) and Bunny Williams (drums). Being the house band at Studio 1 they backed all the leading names of the time, John Holt, Horace Andy and Alton Ellis, all of Studio 1's output carried his sound. Jackie Mittoo emigrated in the late 60's to Canada but travelled to Jamaica and London to record with many of the big new names, who were trying to redress Studio 1's supremacy and needed his magic touch. Such producers as Bunny Lee used Jackie Mittoo on many of his sessions,Sugar Minott among others were always glad of his services.

For this release we have put together a selection of some of his finest recordings done with legendary reggae producer Bunny Lee. 1970’s cuts that feature Jackie’s numerous talents, showing his ability to embellish tracks with a feel few could better. Musical arranger, band leader and all around studio ace.

We hope you enjoy this great set with Jackie Mittoo in fine style and his organ super powered indeed…

The first volume of Back To Mine was released back in 1999 by Nick Warren, designed to showcase a selection of tracks you’d find and be heard playing at the artist's home. Selectors have come in the form of New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Fatboy Slim, and Faithless who all dug deep to find their essential at-home listening.

The latest compilers in the Back To Mine series are none-other than the renowned four-piece, Horse Meat Disco. The horsemen are known for their incredibly fun, deep-diving selections, and this shines through in their Back To Mine compilation in flamboyant style.

Over the course of 16 years of their nightclub tenure, they have become a global brand as pinnacle players of the queer party scene in London and beyond, holding down residencies in New York, Berlin, and Lisbon. Their flamboyant nature and incredibly fun, deep-diving selections have made them one of Disco’s most beloved acts.

Across 15 eclectically brilliant tracks, Horse Meat Disco, which comprises Jim Stanton, James Hillard, Luke Howard, and Severino Panzetta expertly traverse through classic disco cuts, wonky dancefloor groovers, and silky smooth soul.

Johnny Clarke ruled the dancehall in the mid '70s, using the clever "Flyers Rhythms" that gave some of his tunes an edge with the sound systems. But his voice was always bigger than this and his versatility to sing a wide range of vocal styles has seen him cut through the decades as one of reggae's best voices. Produced by Bunny Lee, mixed at King Tubby's studio, an absolute reggae/roots classic.

“This 45 marks the label's 100th 45 and what better way to celebrate it than with a 45 from arguably our most prominent artist, Durand Jones & The Indications. This mix of "Power To The People" was the first new recording by the band after their self-titled album had been released. I distinctly remember hearing it for the first time and just feeling like we were hearing the next phase for the guys. I was behind the counter at Plaid Room, with my laptop plugged into the speakers so we could listen. There was no one in the store, just Bob and I. And when it finished playing Bob said, "Where can I pre-order?" So what you're hearing on this 45 is the original demo mix that was sent to us, with little to no reverb on Durand's vocals, a marching band kick drum in the mix, and no synth. Something about the dry falsetto vocal of Durand's voice made it feel like he was right in your ear. Such a special recording to all us."

Never released on vinyl before and pressed on black wax, an essential pressing from seminal songwriter Maria McKee. A lost gem, never released on vinyl, from the re-awakened singer/songwriter that falls between her Americana incarnation as Lone Justice and her near-operatic five-star stunner ‘La Vita Nuova’. From 2005, ‘Peddlin’ Dreams makes a vinyl debut in all its unbridled glory, as AllMusic mused, it’s “moving, utterly beautiful and carefully, artfully wrought. It is the work of a masterful songwriter whose senses of time, place and character are impeccable.”

Rsd 22 Brings You A Ltd 7” Pressing Of Single ‘You Ain’t Got It Bad’ By Teenage Waitress. An Electronic, Melancholy Hum Along Number. You Ain’t Got It Bad ‘ is a danceable, upbeat track with trippy psych production and a strong positive message. It features. both a vocal cameo from Blue Canary’s Harry Burgees and as close to a happy ending as you’ll probably get from Daniel. The Record is backed with an exciting Pale Sabres (of Colorama Records) remix of ‘I’m Leaving Berlin’ also from the Love & Chemicals album. Teenage Waitress is the solo project from Daniel Ash. The debut album, ‘Love & Chemicals’ is a fresh hybrid of infectious 60’s inspired pop melodies, blippy synths and fuzzy guitars all set to short lyrical vignettes. Some are funny, some are mysterious but all have a story to tell.

Acid dancefloor Tribe/Hardtek sound... Collabs only from Europe...
Big smily sound !

Soul Music in Los Angeles was nearing its peak in 1966. The pre-eminent company was of course the giant Capitol Records and the uptempo songs that they released at the time still retain great power and attraction for many dancers today. But there were several small, private concerns making soul music, looking for that one big hit, and singers who were trying to find the break that would take their careers onto a new and higher plane. This album nods towards Capitol but concentrates on the varying styles of soul that the smaller, more agile labels released at the time. Many of these have been overlooked for far too long now, but here is the perfect opportunity to find out just how strong and varied the West Coast soul scene really was in the middle of the 1960s.

Tom Tykwer discussed the composers’ work on The Matrix Resurrections. “There’s a powerful and distinct musical legacy here. In my opinion, The Matrix Trilogy is one of the great scores of all time. And what’s particularly fantastic about it is that it was also, to my knowledge, one of the first film scores that so implemented electronic music and connected it with progressive late-modern orchestral music. It started a movement, which we are paying tribute to with this music. And yet, this film is playful and emotional with complex development, open in every direction. Johnny and I felt our challenge for the music was to pay tribute to The Matrix lineage and also support this cinematic endeavor of expanding that legacy to explore new directions. That needs to be represented in the music and that is what we are trying to investigate musically.”
Johnny Klimek elaborated, “We spent several months working on material for The Matrix Resurrections, building the main themes, crafting alternative arrangements and electronic variants. We had a lot of fun mixing electronics with classical orchestra. The technology has come so far since I started scoring film.”

The Matrix Resurrections - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Includes all 24 tracks composed for the film by Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer, mastered for vinyl and pressed on 2x 180 Gram Black vinyl, with original artwork by Mondo's creative director Mo Shafeek

Pauline Oliveros' Accordion & Voice is available on LP for the first time since it was originally released in 1982. Cut at Golden and pressed at RTI for maximum fidelity.

Pauline Oliveros was an electronic music pioneer, accordionist, composer and educator who resided in Kingston, New York. Her instrument was tuned in Just Intonation and she often included it in her meditative improvisational music. Her music is not meditative in the sense that it is intended for listening to while meditating, rather each piece is a form of meditation, such as her aptly titled Sonic Meditations.

A central figure in post-war electronic art music, Oliveros is one of the original members of the San Francisco Tape Music Center (along with Morton Subotnick, Ramon Sender, Terry Riley, and Anthony Martin), which was the resource on the U.S. West coast for electronic music during the 1960s. The Center later moved to Mills College, where she was its first director, and is now called the Center for Contemporary Music. Oliveros often improvises with the Expanded Instrument System, an electronic signal processing system she designed, in her performances and recordings.

“Accordion & Voice was the first of my recordings as a soloist. I was living in an A-frame house in a meadow just below Mount Tremper at Zen Mountain Center. I had a wonderful view of the graceful saddle mountain top. When away on a performance trip I would imagine the mountain as I played Rattlesnake Mountain. I followed the feelings and sensations of my many experiences of the mountain - the changing colors of the season, the breezes and winds blowing through the grasses and trees. Horse Sings From Cloud taught me to listen to the depth of a tone and to have patience. Rather than initiating musical impulses of motion, melody and harmony I wanted to hear the subtlety of a tone taking space and time to develop. The tones linger and resonate in the body, mind, instrument and performance space. My thanks to Important Records for bringing these pieces to be heard again.” ~ Pauline Oliveros, 2007

Demon Music is proud to bring together a selection of popular and exciting classic Northern Soul Anthems on a new 2LP thirty-three track collection. These are the original recordings by some familiar names and one or two that may have passed you by.

As the Sixties came to a close and the initial success of labels like Atlantic and Motown began to wane, there remained a dedicated fanbase of Soul devotees who would rather be out on the floor than wearing flowers in their hair. They continued to seek out new and previously overlooked releases, many on small labels that had never enjoyed chart success, making surprise hits of a few in the process.

Northern Soul could easily have passed into music history as a fad, something on the fringes of mainstream popular music; instead its popularity has remained and even grown. It is no longer the preserve of venues in the north of England (who had always attracted coachloads of devotees from across the nation), with Soul clubs opening in Europe, Asia, Australia and even - in perhaps the ultimate example of "coals to Newcastle" – America

Every few years Northern Soul enjoys a resurgence in popularity and welcomes a new generation of younger fans, keepers of the faith. This collection is for those with a passing interest and fans both old and
new - music fashions may change but the quality, the infectious excitement and the urge to get up and dance has endured in these fantastic records.

INIT is Benedikt Frey & Nadia D`Alo. We are delighted to present their long delayed vinyl and digital album, NRGY.

Born out of various art performances and installations, INIT states a logical outcome of Berlin based duo Nadia D`Alo and Benedikt Frey. With heavy use of analogue synthesis and drum-machines, INIT rethinks its genre's sonic approach, unfolding a unique and organic, yet alienating sound, somewhere in the mysterious midst of Acid, Techno, Ambient and Kraut-Rock.

This is INIT's third album, following two releases on Hivern Discs, and performances at clubs such as Berghain, Robert Johnson and Pudel Club.

INIT say -

Module, NRGY, and Time were reverse extracted out of our live set and re-recorded and re-arranged after we realised how well they work in clubs. It is the first time we worked this way as we tend not to play our compositions live, like we produced them. Mostly we just extract loops out of our production to mess around with in a loose live project.

Snowglobe, Holes In My CV and N.O.D. were more built up from a studio jam plus a bulletproof-ish arrangement afterwards.

Tried and tested on dance floors this is a surefire hit album on the dancefloor, and at home. NRGY!

”Hands” ist das neue Album der in Irland geborenen und in Berlin lebenden Künstlerin Wallis Bird. Nicht ohne Grund ziert das Cover ein Schwarz-Weiß-Foto der Hand der Künstlerin, so wie Wallis Bird erklärt: ”Mit 18 Monaten bin ich unter einen Rasenmäher gefallen und habe mir alle Finger abgeschnitten”. In ”Hands” - auch bekannt als ’Nine and a Half Songs For Nine and a Half Fingers’ - stellt die Künstlerin sich selbst ins Rampenlicht und spricht Themen an, die manchmal viel schwieriger zu bewältigen sind, nur um dann optimistisch und heil daraus hervorzugehen. Dazu gehören Fragen des Vertrauens, des Alkoholmissbrauchs, der Stagnation, der Selbstzensur und der Selbstverbesserung, von denen einige durch
persönliche Erinnerungen an entscheidende Momente, die sich in den letzten zwei Jahren angesammelt haben, angesprochen werden. Jedes dieser Themen wird jedoch von einer Stimme vorgetragen, die mit Freude, Einfallsreichtum und Einfühlungsvermögen gesegnet ist.

Across eight studio albums, DECAPITATED grew from the adolescent dream of teenagers from a small Central European town to one of the leaders of the metal genre. Each successive album further expands the band’s sound with genre-bending authenticity and integrity. As Metal Injection rightfully observed, “any self-respecting death metalhead knows the name well.”

DECAPITATED’s music is a weapon forged by four young men from a historic medieval-fortified town in Poland, which catapulted them to the top of a worldwide subculture. Like a rose in the devil’s garden, the DECAPITATED story builds triumph from tragedy. The gleeful grotesquery of extreme metal imagery and rifftastic bludgeoning beckons listeners to uncover broader truths.Upon the release of 2017’s Anticult, Metal Hammer declared DECAPITATED “a serious successor to the likes of Pantera and Lamb Of God – a band who can draw new legions into the metal world as its new champions.” Their diverse follow-up, 2022’s Cancer Culture, delivers on that promise.

Instantly recognizable devastation and deceptively sinister hooks abound. Freshly minted DECAPITATED anthems like “Last Supper,” “Hello Death,” “Just Cigarette,” “No Cure,” “Iconoclast,” and “Cancer Culture” shimmer with sonically sharp production and unrelenting bombast. There’s also a newly increased emphasis on melody, even venturing into darkly romantic territory. Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (guitar), Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski (vocals), Paweł Pasek (bass), and James Stewart (drums) are at the top of their game, delivering the goods at peak performance. Jinjer vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk and Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn make guest appearances.

Set on the descending plains of a mountain range amid a dense forest, Krosno boasts a 14th-century Gothic church, a Subcarpathian museum, and stunning artisan glassware. In this Polish town, teenage music student Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka discovered records from bands like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Metallica, and Machine Head. The guitarist and his younger brother, drummer Witold “Vitek” Kiełtyka, cofounded DECAPITATED in 1996, inspired by a wide range of technical death, blackened thrash, and local heroes, like KAT and the world-renowned Vader. Death and black metal reigned supreme in the Polish scene of the 1990s, where Behemoth originated as well. In fact, a Vader song called “Decapitated Saints” inspired the band’s moniker.
The organic musical chemistry between the Kiełtykas was akin to the brotherly connectivity and vibe driving Pantera, Gojira, and the classic era of Sepultura. In 2006, Kerrang! praised the first three DECAPITATED albums - Winds of Creation (2000), Nihility (2002), and The Negation (2004) – as “superbly conceived and executed eruptions of technical brilliance and razor-sharp songwriting that turned these youthful Poles into one of the genre’s most widely respected bands.” That year’s Organic Hallucinosis further perfected Vogg’s penchant for blending extremity with catchy hooks.

The rule-breaking ferocity and invention of the first four albums reinvigorated death metal, as DECAPITATED inspired a new generation of bands who followed suit. Sadly, this era came to a shocking end in late 2007. While touring Russia, the band’s bus collided with a large truck near the border with Belarus. Both Vitak and then-singer Adrian “Covan” Kowanek sustained severe head injuries. Tragically, Vitak passed away in a Russian hospital a few days later. He was just 23.Vogg summoned the courage to continue, in honor of his brother and what they created, and returned with a new incarnation of DECAPITATED and the fiercely adventurous comeback album, Carnival is Forever (2011) featuring new vocalist Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski. Blood Mantra (2014) introduced bassist, Paweł Pasek. Blabbermouth declared it “perhaps the most poised and gutsy” DECAPITATED album, adding “its courageous bends make it a turbulent but pleasurable ride.”

Cancer Culture sounds brilliant, modern, and tasty. “There is no place for any fake, plastic, bullshit drum machine or anything like that,” Vogg insists. “It’s all organic, pure, and clear, showing the true face of the band. Vogg and company entrusted the Cancer Culture mix to David Castillo at Sweden’s Fascination Street Studios / Studio Gröndahl (Sepultura, Carcass, Opeth, Katatonia), and legendary American producer Ted Jensen (Metallica, Slipknot, Pantera, Machine Head, Korn).
The devoted supporters who traveled to see DECAPITATED on international tours with the likes of Lamb Of God, Meshuggah, Soulfly, Fear Factory, and Suffocation over the years will recognize the ever-present pummeling backbone. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will connect to the variety of atmospheric depth throughout Cancer Culture’s ten boundlessly energetic and creative tracks.
“If you told me 25 years ago, in my neighborhood in the South of Poland, that I would be in Machine Head, sharing riffs with Robb Flynn,” Vogg marvels. “It’s simply incredible. It means that everything is possible in your life. That gives me the faith to believe that I can achieve even more in my career. The dreams we have when we are kids, things we can barely imagine, can happen.” Flynn contributes a hauntingly beautiful vocal to the Cancer Culture track “Iconoclast.” “Clean vocal singing is a really new thing in DECAPITATED,” Vogg notes. “It’s really unique and amazing.”

Driven by Vogg’s passion and integrity, the dual emphasis on creative invention and technical prowess maintains DECAPITATED’s stature as genre-leaders in 2022 and beyond. The band’s supporters continually demonstrate confidence and absolute certainty DECAPITATED will deliver.

Across eight studio albums, DECAPITATED grew from the adolescent dream of teenagers from a small Central European town to one of the leaders of the metal genre. Each successive album further expands the band’s sound with genre-bending authenticity and integrity. As Metal Injection rightfully observed, “any self-respecting death metalhead knows the name well.”

DECAPITATED’s music is a weapon forged by four young men from a historic medieval-fortified town in Poland, which catapulted them to the top of a worldwide subculture. Like a rose in the devil’s garden, the DECAPITATED story builds triumph from tragedy. The gleeful grotesquery of extreme metal imagery and rifftastic bludgeoning beckons listeners to uncover broader truths.Upon the release of 2017’s Anticult, Metal Hammer declared DECAPITATED “a serious successor to the likes of Pantera and Lamb Of God – a band who can draw new legions into the metal world as its new champions.” Their diverse follow-up, 2022’s Cancer Culture, delivers on that promise.

Instantly recognizable devastation and deceptively sinister hooks abound. Freshly minted DECAPITATED anthems like “Last Supper,” “Hello Death,” “Just Cigarette,” “No Cure,” “Iconoclast,” and “Cancer Culture” shimmer with sonically sharp production and unrelenting bombast. There’s also a newly increased emphasis on melody, even venturing into darkly romantic territory. Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (guitar), Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski (vocals), Paweł Pasek (bass), and James Stewart (drums) are at the top of their game, delivering the goods at peak performance. Jinjer vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk and Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn make guest appearances.

Set on the descending plains of a mountain range amid a dense forest, Krosno boasts a 14th-century Gothic church, a Subcarpathian museum, and stunning artisan glassware. In this Polish town, teenage music student Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka discovered records from bands like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Metallica, and Machine Head. The guitarist and his younger brother, drummer Witold “Vitek” Kiełtyka, cofounded DECAPITATED in 1996, inspired by a wide range of technical death, blackened thrash, and local heroes, like KAT and the world-renowned Vader. Death and black metal reigned supreme in the Polish scene of the 1990s, where Behemoth originated as well. In fact, a Vader song called “Decapitated Saints” inspired the band’s moniker.
The organic musical chemistry between the Kiełtykas was akin to the brotherly connectivity and vibe driving Pantera, Gojira, and the classic era of Sepultura. In 2006, Kerrang! praised the first three DECAPITATED albums - Winds of Creation (2000), Nihility (2002), and The Negation (2004) – as “superbly conceived and executed eruptions of technical brilliance and razor-sharp songwriting that turned these youthful Poles into one of the genre’s most widely respected bands.” That year’s Organic Hallucinosis further perfected Vogg’s penchant for blending extremity with catchy hooks.

The rule-breaking ferocity and invention of the first four albums reinvigorated death metal, as DECAPITATED inspired a new generation of bands who followed suit. Sadly, this era came to a shocking end in late 2007. While touring Russia, the band’s bus collided with a large truck near the border with Belarus. Both Vitak and then-singer Adrian “Covan” Kowanek sustained severe head injuries. Tragically, Vitak passed away in a Russian hospital a few days later. He was just 23.Vogg summoned the courage to continue, in honor of his brother and what they created, and returned with a new incarnation of DECAPITATED and the fiercely adventurous comeback album, Carnival is Forever (2011) featuring new vocalist Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski. Blood Mantra (2014) introduced bassist, Paweł Pasek. Blabbermouth declared it “perhaps the most poised and gutsy” DECAPITATED album, adding “its courageous bends make it a turbulent but pleasurable ride.”

Cancer Culture sounds brilliant, modern, and tasty. “There is no place for any fake, plastic, bullshit drum machine or anything like that,” Vogg insists. “It’s all organic, pure, and clear, showing the true face of the band. Vogg and company entrusted the Cancer Culture mix to David Castillo at Sweden’s Fascination Street Studios / Studio Gröndahl (Sepultura, Carcass, Opeth, Katatonia), and legendary American producer Ted Jensen (Metallica, Slipknot, Pantera, Machine Head, Korn).
The devoted supporters who traveled to see DECAPITATED on international tours with the likes of Lamb Of God, Meshuggah, Soulfly, Fear Factory, and Suffocation over the years will recognize the ever-present pummeling backbone. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will connect to the variety of atmospheric depth throughout Cancer Culture’s ten boundlessly energetic and creative tracks.
“If you told me 25 years ago, in my neighborhood in the South of Poland, that I would be in Machine Head, sharing riffs with Robb Flynn,” Vogg marvels. “It’s simply incredible. It means that everything is possible in your life. That gives me the faith to believe that I can achieve even more in my career. The dreams we have when we are kids, things we can barely imagine, can happen.” Flynn contributes a hauntingly beautiful vocal to the Cancer Culture track “Iconoclast.” “Clean vocal singing is a really new thing in DECAPITATED,” Vogg notes. “It’s really unique and amazing.”

Driven by Vogg’s passion and integrity, the dual emphasis on creative invention and technical prowess maintains DECAPITATED’s stature as genre-leaders in 2022 and beyond. The band’s supporters continually demonstrate confidence and absolute certainty DECAPITATED will deliver.

Blurry as the night and bright as the stars Mäteriet joins the fray by levitating into the system. They open their gem-covered robe and reveal all the treasure collected throughout their many journeys.

The Hon (A1) sets the mood just right alluring us into an almost hypnotized mindset. Moniker (A2) extends the grip Mäteriet has taken around us further over a rumbling bass fit for the system we traverse.

Rolling Thud (B1) gives off an almost machine-like air around it, hissing and blowing off excess steam while moving seamlessly between syncopated rhythms.

Shine Grooves Acoustic Remix (B2) opens up to a link to the outer reaches of space for B1 and lets Mäteriets work sing, in their own words “my synthesizer and sequencer painted this picture”... and oh what a pretty picture they have painted for us.

The infusion of electronic music into the score ultimately expanded into the inclusion of 11 remixes on the album, and it was an amalgam of inspirations which brought that idea to fruition. Both composers have worked extensively with electronic music, including their work on the celebrated, techno-infused Run Lola Run soundtrack.

Was tun, wenn man Desert Rock und Doom aus der Wüste mag, die Umgebung aber alles andere als besonders trocken ist? BESVÄRJELSEN haben auf beeindruckende Weise eine Antwort in den dunklen Wäldern ihrer schwedischen Heimat Dalarna gefunden. Aufgewachsen am Schnittpunkt altnordischer und finnischer Kulturen im hohen Norden, umgeben von Runen und alten Göttern, Schamanen und Geistern, hat das fesselnde Quintett seinen Namen aus dem schwedischen Wort für "Beschwörung" abgeleitet. Außerdem lassen sich die Nordschweden nur zu gern von lokalen Überlieferungen, der Mystik und den dunklen, alten Musiktraditionen ihrer Heimat inspirieren. Doch BESVÄRJELSEN sind alles andere als eine weitere "Pagan Folk"-Band, die sich nach einer Zeit zurücksehnt, die niemals war. Mit wehmütigen Melodien und gleichzeitig mächtiger Riff-Power macht ihr zweites Album "Atlas" einen großen Schritt auf dem Pfad, den BESVÄRJELSEN von Anfang an eingeschlagen haben. Die Gitarristen und Sänger Andreas Baier und Staffan Stensland Vinrot haben die Band im Jahr 2014 mit der klaren Vision gegründet, den Geist und die Traditionen der weiten Wälder Dalarnas, einer Region, die sonst eher für ihre bemalten Holzpferde bekannt ist, in zeitgenössische Heavy-Musik zu transformieren. Als die Sängerin Lea Amling Alazam mit ihrer Leidenschaft für Punk- und Stoner-Rock, die im örtlichen Skatepark im zarten Alter von 13 Jahren begann, zur Besetzung stieß, reduzierten Andreas und Staffan ihren Gesang gerne auf eine Nebenrolle. Die Entscheidung fiel leicht, da Leas unverwechselbare Stimme die Intimität und das Charisma von Sängerinnen wie NINA SIMONE oder AMY WINEHOUSE heraufbeschwört. BESVÄRJELSEN veröffentlichten im Jahr 2015 ihre Debüt-EP "Villfarelser" und kurz darauf folge die "Exil" EP (2016). Das Debütalbum "Vallmo" der Schweden detonierte im Jahr 2018 in Stockholm und schaffte es bis in den staatlichen Rundfunk, kam aber auch anderen Orts hervorragend an. Das Album verband krachende Riffs und stürmische Drums mit ausgefeilten Melodien und nachdenklichen Themen. Mit ihrer Mini-Album "Frost" wollten BESVÄRJELSEN im Jahr 2019 die Bühnen in ganz Europa erobern, bevor auch die Schweden in den nächsten zwei Jahren eine Zwangspause einlegen mussten. Obwohl die Band gezwungen war, getrennt zu komponieren, nutzte BESVÄRJELSEN die freie Zeit, um eine Fülle von Ideen zu sammeln. Diese teilten die Musiker über die Meilen und Monate ihrer relativen Einsamkeit hinweg miteinander, bis sie schließlich im Jahr 2021 die Aufnahmen zu "Atlas" mit dem Produzenten Karl Daniel Lidén begannen. Mit melancholischen Harmonien, die aus dem Skizzenbuch von ALICE IN CHAINS stammen könnten und einer Heaviness, die Windhand zur Ehre gereichen würde, haben BESVÄRJELSEN einen massiven musikalischen Monolithen aus dem lokalen Granit gemeißelt und dann in den magischen Wäldern ihrer Heimat aufgestellt, um dessen Kraftlinien über die gesamte vom Titanen "Atlas" geschulterte Erdkugel zu schicken.

12“ TRANSPARENT BLUE VINYL + POSTER + DOWNLOAD

Continuing its tradition of genre bending output, Veyl comes forth with one of its most innovative releases to date. 'Still III' is a collaboration between Supreme Low (Jerome Tcherneyan of Years of Denial) and New York-based MC, Sensational, who has been pushing hip hop’s boundaries for over 30 years. Tcherneyan first saw Sensational in France in 1999 while meeting in New York in 2001. The two quickly connected and kept in touch throughout the years when they finally got the chance to record material together in London in
2016.
With beats created mainly using an SP1200 (a sampler associated with hip hop golden's age and raw Techno), Fuzz/Distortion pedals and dub units like Echoes/Spring Reverb, psychedelic modulations such as Chorus/Flanger/Phaser and a modular synth, Sensational’s rhymes were totally improvised on the spot in a 3 a.m. studio session under heavy influence. The result is a powerful fusion of sound and style that shatters all expectations and delivers an audio vehicle bridging past, present and future.
While not lending itself to categorisation, 'Still III' packs Narcotic beats, llbient, Dub, Noise Rap, Bass terrorist, Freak Style, Raw poetry and more into an 8 track release which is unlike anything out right now.
Joining on the release are Tcherneyan collaborators Broken English Club, who appears on the ominous opener, 'Doomed' as well as Years of Denial co-conspirator Barkosina, who, as always, mystifies with her
vocal presence on 'The World'. Also appearing, Meanad Veyl remixing 'Everybody Ready' and Belgian pioneer hypnsokull finishes off the release in perfect fashion with a remix of 'Raw Shit'.

Iconic female fronted metal band from The Netherlands. Formed in the late 90s by the later Epica founder Mark Jansen. The band split up shortly after their eponymous self-titled album “After Forever” in 2008. Keyboard player Joost Van Den Broek became a famous producer for Epica, Blind Guardian and many more, while singer Floor Jansen joined Nightwish and recently also the German TV show Sing Meinen Song (Sing My Song). Fans never forgot After Forever and even if their last album came out in the pre-streaming days, it gained over 15 million streams.
The re-issue of their swansong “After Forever” (2007) is remastered by Joost Van Den Broeck and includes liner notes by all bandmembers, as well as the two rare Japanese bonus tracks: the beautiful piano ballad "Lonely" and "Sweet Enclosure" which keeps their high standard of progressive symphonic metal with an oriental flavor and catchy melodies.

The American rock band Cracker origins from Bakersfield, California and was formed in 1990 by lead singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman, who both came from the band Camper Van Beethoven. After signing with Virgin in 1991, they released their self-titled debut album the year after. The album included “Happy Birthday To Me” and the radio hit “Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)”, which peaked at #1 on the US Modern Rock chart. The album went on to sell over 200.000 copies.

Cracker celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022 and includes an insert.

Los Angeles-based experimental producer Al Lover will release his new studio album ‘Cosmic Joke’ on May 27th via Fuzz Club Records.
A staple of the global psychedelic scene, Lover has spent nearly a decade fine-tuning a broken, abstracted form of electronica that pools together a tapestry of trip-hop, synthesised krautrock, dub and dark ambient. Utilising an arsenal of samples, drum machine, analogue synths and live instrumentation, Lover’s is a kaleidoscopic sound that’s J-Dilla, DJ Shadow and Lee Scratch Perry by way of Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and Kluster. Central to Lover’s music is a desire to explore the fringes of psychedelic music and the common threads that run through its far-reaching styles, drawing elements from the past and connecting them to the future. Through the years he has released a number of studio albums and beat tapes, remixed the likes of Osees and Night Beats, been resident DJ for the Levitation and Desert Daze festivals and collaborated with the likes of Goat, Anton Newcombe, Cairo Liberation Front and White Fence. Now, Lover returns with his latest studio album, ‘Cosmic Joke’ – a series of synthesised philosophical meditations on modern life, in all its tragicomic absurdity. "'Cosmic Joke' came from observing the rising, compounded absurdity in recent years and seeing structures of normalcy dissolving. It’s my attempt to view these things as part of a higher-order process, through a metaphysical lens rather than an ideological one. It’s been an exercise in holding the paradoxical relationship of comedy and tragedy, joy and pain, growth and decay, scale and decline as part of an interlocked system that, at a deep level, is essential to how we interface with the world.”

Deluxe Edition is on 180g transparent green vinyl, gatefold sleeve, printed inner-sleeve.

Los Angeles-based experimental producer Al Lover will release his new studio album ‘Cosmic Joke’ on May 27th via Fuzz Club Records.
A staple of the global psychedelic scene, Lover has spent nearly a decade fine-tuning a broken, abstracted form of electronica that pools together a tapestry of trip-hop, synthesised krautrock, dub and dark ambient. Utilising an arsenal of samples, drum machine, analogue synths and live instrumentation, Lover’s is a kaleidoscopic sound that’s J-Dilla, DJ Shadow and Lee Scratch Perry by way of Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and Kluster. Central to Lover’s music is a desire to explore the fringes of psychedelic music and the common threads that run through its far-reaching styles, drawing elements from the past and connecting them to the future. Through the years he has released a number of studio albums and beat tapes, remixed the likes of Osees and Night Beats, been resident DJ for the Levitation and Desert Daze festivals and collaborated with the likes of Goat, Anton Newcombe, Cairo Liberation Front and White Fence. Now, Lover returns with his latest studio album, ‘Cosmic Joke’ – a series of synthesised philosophical meditations on modern life, in all its tragicomic absurdity. "'Cosmic Joke' came from observing the rising, compounded absurdity in recent years and seeing structures of normalcy dissolving. It’s my attempt to view these things as part of a higher-order process, through a metaphysical lens rather than an ideological one. It’s been an exercise in holding the paradoxical relationship of comedy and tragedy, joy and pain, growth and decay, scale and decline as part of an interlocked system that, at a deep level, is essential to how we interface with the world.”